Sunday, January 21, 2018

E-mail dated 1/15/18

Kamusta Kamo?! 

I am glad to here from all of you this week! It sounds like it was a good week back home. It was good to hear about how everyone's week went. 

Wow another week has just flown by, I can't believe I have already been on my mission for now over 5 months, time flies! This week has been full of hard work and some challenges, but there were so many blessings this week! There are always blessing even amid trials and hard times, I know that for sure. Always focus on the blessings and we will all be so much happier! Right now we have a lot of investigators and recent converts going through some very hard trials in their lives and it is hard to see them go through these things and I wish that I could just take away their trials, but I can't. We are doing what ever we can to help them. As hard as some things are in our lives, I know that things happen for a reason and sometimes we may not know why certain things happen, but Heavenly Father does. I have studied and prayed so hard this week about how we can help them. I studied a lot about humility and Heavenly Fathers gives us trials and weaknesses so we can overcome them and be made strong through him. (Ether 12:27) I don't know a lot so I just have to trust in Heavenly Father that he will help them, I know he will. 

One of our investigators who is having some trials in her life is Lola (Grandma) Nita. But, despite her trials she believes that Heavenly Father can help her. Her faith is so strong, She is so awesome. She reminds me of Gram, she has such a sweet heart and is so excited everytime we come over. This past week we taught her about how Jesus Christ is our perfect example and we invited her to be baptized. She said that she has been going to many different churches all of her life and none of them felt right, the spirit was so strong and she accepted a baptismal date. I am so happy for her and I am so thankful that Heavenly Father leads us to prepared people. 

Questions:


1.   How was your trip to the mission home this past week? It was great. We got up early in the morning then traveled to Arevalo, Iloilo for our zone interviews. We first were all together as a zone, then we were interviewed as companionships. Most of our interview as a zone was about how we are getting fewer missionaries and there is a possibility that some areas in Guimaras might be closed, but I am not worried Nueva Valencia is progressing and it won't be closed. Our companion interviews were good as well, a lot of encouragement and some new ideas about how to work more effectively. 
2.   It was so exciting to hear how many investigators you had at Church this past week.  Did you have as many today (or I guess your yesterday)? We didn't have quite as many, but we still had a good amount and the most progressing ones came, so that is good! 
3.    Is there something you studied this week that impressed you that you would like to share with us? . I mentioned this earlier that I studied a lot about Humility and it made a big difference. As I have been here on my mission I have had to learn to be soo Humble that is probably one reason I was sent here to learn this language to become Humble. Humility isn't weakness, it is a sign of spiritual strength and I know that it honestly would be impossible to be a missionary here without the help of my Heavenly Father every day. I know I am nothing more than just an instrument in the Lord's hands.

This coming week we have a baptism for one of our awesome investigators, Jinelle Toledo. I was able to baptize his mom and his siblings in october and I am so happy that he is going to follow their example. He is so awesome, he always comes to church. This last week he was in a motorcycle accident on saturday, but still came to chrurch on sunday. 

Thank you all so much for your constant prayers, encouragement and support, it really means a lot. I hope you all have a great week! 

Palangga ko kamo
Halong


Elder Degen

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