Ahhhhh!!!! I'm actually leaving and I'm scared to death! haha, I've been looking forward to this for a LONG time but now that it's here I'm gettin all anxious. Tuesday needs to come faster haha :) It's crazy to think that I'll be leaving the States for 2 whole years!
So the last week of a Philippines bound missionary at the MTC? Kinda sorta EPIC! :) Kinda sorta epically LOOONG! :P Lots happened this thing but the biggest thing was just dying waiting for next Tuesday. Last Sunday I got to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting about Pananampalataya Kay JesuCristo (Faith in Jesus Christ). WOOT! :) That's one of my favorite subjects and I love bearing my testimony about it. I gave about a 5 minute talk with about 3 minutes of it in Tagalog. Everyone was impressed with how well I spoke Tagalog and all the newbies looked scared to death haha, I know I'm gonna feel like that when I hit the Philippines next week :)
Wednesday I had a SUPER cool experience with the Spirit in a lesson :) We were working with Abraham, an "inactive member" who hadn't gone to church for 3 years, and trying to show him that God loves him individually. It was our third time meeting him and he was still depressed and we couldn't figre out what to do. He was too ashamed to pray, too ashamed to go to church, too ashamed to really progress at all. I realized that Satan was destroying Abraham's connections with God by making him feel depressed and ashamed.
There was an awkward silence in the room when I was able to realize this. I said "Puwede gamitin ko ang pisara mo?" (Can I use your chalk board?:) I got up and drew an awesome diagram as I was led by the Spirit. I wish I could draw it for ya but I'll just describe instead :)
I drew God at the top and Abraham at the bottom. Then I drew lines symbolizing connections between the 2 and labeled them "Keeping Commandments", "Going to Church", and "Prayer", and then drew a bunch of unlabeled connections.
Then I drew Satan on the side with a pair of scissors labeled "Temptation". I scribbled out the "Keeping commandments" connection because Satan had tempted Abraham and he had chosen to break commandments and that connection with God.
Then I relabeled the scissors "Guilt/Ashamed(Nakakahiya:)". These scissors scribbled out every connection that Abraham had with God except for one. I told Abraham that by making him feel ashamed, Satan was getting rid of all of his connections with God.
I told him "There is one connection between us and God that Satan can never break. We are always connected to Him." Then Abraham asked, "What is that connection?" And in my brain I was like, "Woah! What is that connection??" haha :) Then the answer came to me from the Spirit; I wrote MAHAL on the board. I told him "God loves YOU Abraham, and that will NEVER change no matter choices you make, or how far you feel from Him."
It was SOO cool and the Spirit was SOOO strong :) He finally realized that God loves him even though he had made mistakes. I asked him if he would start restoring his connections with God through the Atonement of Jesus Christ by praying, repenting and going to church and he said he would! :D He didn't seem as depressed or ashamed anymore it was amazing :)
I know that God will ALWAYS love us no matter how many bad decisions we've made or how far we've strayed from Him and the church. If we will give Him the chance to show us His love by praying and asking for it I KNOW that He will show it to us. I testify of this truth in the name of Jesus Christ.
(Can't wait to get out to the field and do stuff like this for real with real people:)
So last night was kinda sorta epic. We piled 11 mattresses into 1 room and had a district sleepover since we're all leaving soon. It was a BLAST :) Best part was when Elder Day layed down with his mouth open and Elder Machen was shooting EZ Cheeze into his mouth from the top bunk hahahaha :) Just thought you'd all like to know that :P
So I told you I'd email you about one more Spiritual experience from conference this week but my times up. PASENSIYA! I'll try and get it to ya later this week or on P-day..... IN THE PHILIPPINES!!! :D
Love and miss ALL of you! Think of and pray for ya always! Keep the States cool while I'm on the other side of the world Savvy? :)
MAHAL KITA!!!!
The spirit is the only tool, that will help change people. I'm so glad you know of that truth! Your going to be a great missionary B.J.
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