This week has been somewhat bitter-sweet. The work is going so well & we continue to see so many miracles & successes in our work, but at the same time President & Sister Schmutz are coming to an end of their mission. Yesterdaywe had the final zone conference with President & that's why I wasn't able to send an e-mail. It was very different than the typical zone conferences that we have had in the past. Usually what will happen is we will be given a workshop by President. It is always very spiritual. This time was no different, but it was more of a farewell conference. Him & Sister Schmutz gave a talk & final remarks. It was so good. Everyone was in tears by the time it ended. I'm very sad at their departure, but I am also very excited for our new mission president. I am confident that things will continue to progress just as the Lord would have them & that he will lead us by inspiration. I am not worried at all. I am also looking forward to seeing President & Sister Schmutz after the mission. I hear that they are having dinner at their house every Sunday night & all return missionaries are invited.
Things are still going well in the work. The Mangubat family is going through a little bit of a struggle right now, though. It's frustrating because they have such a strong testimony of the gospel, they are just afraid to act on it. Last night we taught them about the Book of Mormon. It was such a powerful lesson & the spirit was so strong. One of the daughters told us that she started reading the Book of Mormon & she watched the restoration video online! If only they would all be as excited as this one girl, they would be baptized in just a few weeks. However, I do believe that it is only natural to have fears when making this kind of life-changing decision. I really hope that they continue to progress & ultimately decide to be baptized. They are such a wonderful family.
This past week, we taught a group of about 6 people from South Africa who are here on a humanitarian service mission. They were such kind people! To be completely honest, they are the epitome of hippies. Not the hipsters that we have now, but the real, 1960s hippies. They are going to 13 countries in one year. The Philippines is the 8th country that they have been to & they seem to love it here. I really admire anybody who is willing to give up time in their own lives to serve others who are in greater need. They were nice & willing to listen to the gospel. In fact, they shared a little bit of what they believed with us in return. I always enjoy hearing other peoples beliefs & views on life. After the lesson, we gave them all copies of the Book of Mormon & told them to search for themselves. Hopefully they will run into the missionaries when they return home & will be willing listen & learn more about the gospel.
The work is going great! I hope you are all doing things to improve yourselves everyday & feel the spirit in your lives. That's why we are here; to improve ourselves until we reach the day that we become like our Father in Heaven. I love you all.
p.s. I have pictures downloading as we speak...go check them out!
Elder Staheli
No comments:
Post a Comment