Mother's Day Surprise

May 12, 2014

Hello Pamilya!

So, this last week we had exchanges. I went to Paniqui again and the STL I worked with this time was Sister Brock...she's from Idaho/Oregon...white, blonde, and really good in Tagalog.  She's actually really good with a lot of things, and I'm starting to apply them into my OYM-ing and teaching. People were a little surprised at the sight of two forigen missionaries in the area, but they were ok once we started talking Tagalog. There were some really good lessons that day. The very first one was with a contact from earlier in the week, she's 26, married and has two children. She was just so involved and so interested, looking for the truth, so cool. The second one was with an investigator that had a baptism date for this past Saturday, but he can be kind of off and on, ("I'm ready to be baptized! - "I'm not sure if I'm ready because of my family and yeah"). We were praying the whole lesson and had a member with a really strong testimony there and it went great! His baptism and interview was moved another week, but Sister Brock is very confident that he'll be confident enough with his choice by then. That was a great experience.

Yesterday was a little hard since it was Mothers Day and happy reminders of the fact were all over the church, but on the bright side my jaw dropped to the floor when all these people from the farther part of the branch showed up to church, including those who had been baptized the last couple of months ago that have been trying to find a ride to church for a while. It was great. I love these people so much and it brings such great joy to me when they are doing the things that our Heavenly Father asks us to do.

There is a power when people within a ward/branch magnify their callings in the church. I'm not saying making it such a huge thing that it takes over every part of your life, but when a person learns of the importance of their calling as well as what they are expected to do with that calling and then act on it, miracles happen. People feel loved, supported, helped, and confident. There is a one-ness that comes from it, and people are more willing to stay true to their baptism covenants and they learn for themselves what the love of God feels like through those who do their callings with everything they have. I have been grateful of parents and leaders who have magnified their callings, there are times I wonder if I have done the same with the ones that I've had in the past and the one I have now, but I know now of that importance more than I ever had before.

I liked the general conference talk that asked for people to share their spiritual and missionary experiences with their missionaries in the field and would like to ask all those who read this if they could share one thing, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, that they have done to invite someone to Christ. Because that is the purpose of missionary work after all: "To invite others to come unto Christ."

Mahal ko kayo

Sister Jones