In the fifth month, 2015 A.D.
Thanks for all the emails, and
for those of you that didn't send me one, thanks for your prayers on my behalf,
and for those of you that didn't pray for me, thanks for at least reading my
emails, and for those of you that don't read my emails, I'd like to say
"You're the kind of people Moroni was talking about in Alma 60:14",
but I would never say that.
It's been a great week, and I've
really enjoyed this new area in Pasay 3rd Ward. The members here are
incredible, and they love working with us. And in my first 5 days in this area
there were 3 family home evenings that we were invited to.
But sadly, I'm going to be
transferred again on Wednesday. This will be my shortest time ever served in an
area by far, as you can see in this chart and illustration:
Area: Days:
1
126 ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
2
168 ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
3
158 ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
4
10 ]]
] = 5 Days
I have a lot to do now that I'm
transferring. I have to pack my bags again and say goodbye to all the members I
just met. I wish I could stay longer, but I actually had a feeling that I would
transfer. I'm excited for a new area and companion. It's weird to imagine, but
the area I transfer to could be my last area..
I'm trying to remember the things
that I've done this week, but I can't stop thinking about transferring.
Elder Reupta and I haven't taught many lessons in this area, but we've spent a lot of time with the members. I adore the members here. The Pestanas family is one of my favorites, they feel like my brothers and sisters already. The Driz family is similar, and the De Dios family is very much the same.
The reason that I love these
families so much is because I was their missionary, for however short a time.
Being a missionary would be pointless without the people that we teach. So
think to yourself who's missionary you are. If you share the gospel with anyone
you could become or may already be their missionary.
I had an experience in my second
area regarding my first area. I was in Roxas and far away from my first area in
Bonifacio (part of Manila) and one P-day I received an email from an
investigator in my first area. Her name is Gizelle Salas. No one in her family
was a member of the church, and we had visited her a few times and she seemed
excited to listen, but her family was generally absent during these lessons,
and she was only able to come to church 2 times, about a month apart. I was
hoping she would be baptized but it seemed like something that would not happen
at any time in the near future.
The email I received informed me that Gizelle was baptized. The day she was baptized was 4 weeks after I left the area. I still don't know what changed or why she was baptized so soon after I left because she was not coming to church when I left, I was so happy about the whole thing that I didn't care to ask. I was her missionary, and I scarcely knew it. I didn't know that her heart was listening as we taught her.
It's difficult to know who is
truly listening and who will be changed based on the things you share with
them. I was blessed to find out about the baptism of Gizelle, and with all of
the people that I've taught and talked with about the gospel it is naive to
think that Gizelle is the only one who has since accepted the gospel and been
baptized. She is merely the first one that I found out about.
So if you've had a chance to
share even a piece of the gospel with a friend or invited a co-worker to be
taught by the missionaries or given a Book of Mormon to anyone, thank the Lord
that you've had such an opportunity. You might not hear the sweet story of the
conversion of the few that were listening in this life, but those people we
greet you in the next life with open arms and will forever be grateful that you
were their missionary.
Love,
-Elder Southwick
* * * * * * * *
I really have no idea where I am. I know it's called Mandaluyong, but I haven't seen a map since I got here. I don't know where our area is in relation to the Church, I don't know where our apartment is in relation to either, and I don't know where we are right now. I just know it's called star mall.
My new companion is Elder Claro,
and he is Philipino. I've been following him around for a the past few days. He
knows where everything is somehow. I think he has a map in his head. I could
have him explain it to me, but he would probably just confuse me.
I'll have more to talk about next
week. The Detros and Milan family will likely be brought up. They're some
investigators we're teaching, and they're quickly becoming my close friends. I
don't really miss my old areas, I'm happy to be serving here in Mandaluyong,
and I was also very happy to be able skype with my parents and adorable siblings.
They're all so big now.
* * * * * * * *
This week was awesome, and it was mostly because of the new investigators that we had. We had 13 new people listen to our message this week. Admittedly, none of them came to church, but some of them wanted to and were just unable to do so. I was hopeful that they would come to church anyway, but I understand the setbacks that they're facing. Some of them have no one to go with them and are too young to go by themselves, and some of them are single mothers that are almost literally too busy to come to church on Sunday, but we'll work on building their faith.
I want all of them to come to
church because I care about them so much. I wish I could just rent a van and
drive them all to church each Sunday, but that would be cheating, and they
would likely stop coming to church the moment it required a sacrifice from
them. This was also a problem I faced in Palawan. Many many people want to come
to church, and many of them say that they would if it was closer. "I'll go
to church again when they build one that's closer. No one likes a long walk to
church, and no one wants to pay 15 pesos for themselves and each one of their
kids to take a jeepney or trike or bus to church. But such sacrifices are those
that make strong leaders, and strong testimonies.
I remember one lesson on Tuesday
earlier this week, our first lesson after the Zone Leaders told us to sing at
each appointment. It was a roomful of soon to be new investigators that had
never been taught before by missionaries. After we sang Families Can Be
Together Forever, I was blessed to give the opening prayer. I prayed for these
people that I barely knew and I prayed that their family would be blessed, and
when I finished the prayer I lifted up my head and I felt a warm peace. It was
as though we were not alone, abut among all of us there was someone else. At
that moment their home was a holy place, and remained so as we taught them
about the importance of families and the gospel. It was the first time in
months that I saw an investigator cry. As they each shared about why their
family is important to them a mother, whose own parents had separated,
expressed her deep desire that her family would always be together.
Experiences like this really make it easy to love being a missionary. I care so much about Cherry and her family. It hurt my heart to hear about her ‘broken family’ and I felt the truthfulness of the words in Preach my Gospel “Satan is attacking the family on many fronts, and TOO MANY families are being destroyed by his efforts.”
Now, raising a family is not
easy. It wasn't meant to be. A journey of a thousand miles is generally not
fun, but if you press forward and lean not on thy own strength, and never give
up then you will be infinitely stronger and more blessed than those who were to
afraid to start the journey, or wimped out in the midst of it.
Be faithful. Endure. Don't
compromise years of sacrifice by giving up now. God is at the helm. He will
overrule for your good. He has promised us angels on our right and on our left
to bear us up, and he always keeps his promises.
I know these things are true. In
the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
* * * * * * * *
I've received many emails from some of you about how you are dealing with life's challenges. I hope you know that I'm learning things from your experiences, and your examples of enduring to the end. Some of you feel alone in this effort. Some of you are surrounded by those that love you, but may still feel overwhelmed by the things that life throws at us. I can say us because I'm not ignorant to the presence of challenges in my life. In fact, that couldn't be much further from the truth. But the belief that we are alone in our trials or that there is no relief from such also could not be further from the truth.
If you have ever read John 3:16,
and understood it, then you know that a gift was given, a sacrifice was made,
and a price was paid, all that we might not perish. Our loving father does not
intend for us to perish to any degree. He weeps when we suffer, and offers
relief to those who may be wandering in darkness and pain. The trials that he
gives are calculated to bring enough sadness to humble us, enough experience to
teach us, and enough difficulty to strengthen us. None of these trials are
meant to destroy us or cause us to perish. He in His infinite wisdom and
through His grace we will always be able to bear them.
As he did with the people of Alma
when they turned to Him, as recorded in the Book of Mosiah, He will "ease
the burdens...that even ye cannot feel them upon your backs"
