June 30, 2013

Family!

Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes. It was so great, we spent the whole day out serving people and teaching the Gospel, I could not ask for a better way to spend a birthday rather than being in the service of the Lord. Sounds like you're all doing so well! I'm so happy for Dave being able to go to Idaho, and Drake going on a date, and Demi sounds like she's doing so well with her Book of Mormon reading, I know that's going to bless her life so much. Mom and dad, thank you for sharing that with me about you two making a goal to go to the temple once a month, I can not tell you how happy that made me when i saw that. I know that through doing that, and being reminded of your covenants, you will draw nearer to the Holy Ghost and the Spirit will be more abundant in our home! I can not believe Colton is home, it sounds like he's already an apostle, which does not surprise me at all. Will you tell him i love him for me? I haven't gotten an email from him yet, I'm sure he's just way busy saying hi to everyone that loves him. He's really served an honorable and full time mission, He really set the example for our group of friends.

The mission is just too great. Last week we had zone conference, President Lopez just shared some wonderful things that really changed my mission. We also got to watch the worldwide training that the church had, what an amazing and uplifting video no? Have you gotten to watch it yet? If not please do, it really counsels us on how to keep our baptismal covenants through being a witness of God at all times and all things and all places. Seriously, please watch it if you haven't gotten the chance. I really learned a lot from it, especially about the importance of going about doing good. I never really gave that very much credit in the first year of my mission. Of course I looked for opportunities to help people with unplanned acts of service, but i never really searched, and prayed for opportunities to serve others and really represent Christ's name. But last week I learned the power of going about doing good, especially as a representative of the Lord, and how powerful it is! The Lord will place those in our path who are being prepared to receive the Gospel if we really pray, and search for opportunities to go about doing good. That can be through service, our words, what we wear, everything about us! We are a peculiar people you know. The Lord will go before us, as long as we are being obedient, and prepare those people to notice our actions, even our words, and be influenced to recieve the restored Gospel. I know this is true! Don't believe me? Try it. I promise you, you will feel SO happy after you notice those people that the Lord is preparing for us. That happened numerous times last week, as the Lord put people in my path to help in small and simple ways. And it's made my mission 50x better, as i've repented and become more like the Savior.

We're really focusing on the power of the Book of Mormon here in punta salong. We only have like 5 or 6 real active members in our area, and we're trying to establish a group out here. So we're actually focusing on strengthening the leaders in the main ward through the Book of Mormon, then through that they will be more inspired and have a great desire to help in Punta Salong. It says in Preach My Gospel that as we gain a greater understanding of the Atonement we will gain a greater desire to share the Gospel, and I believe that is true, so we are trying to strengthen others understanding by encouraging them to study and feast upon the words of Christ, which are in the Book of Mormon. We actually shared that to one of the high council men in the stake in our meeting with him on sunday, he was so impressed and uplifted through that as well, and said that's what they will implement into the stake in order to strengthen the leaders as well. I just have such a strong testimony of this work. The Restoration of the Gospel is so real. The Book of Mormon is evidence of it, that we can read, ponder, and pray to find out the truth. Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. Our loving Heavenly Father is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and is a God of Miracles. How blessed are we to know all this? If we could study in the Book of Mormon every day, we would be reminded of all these great doctrines and restored truths in our church, and would be more inspired and motivated to go about doing good. Preaching the Gospel, and when necessary, using words. I love you all family! And Colton, I respect that.

Love,

Elder Doane

June 23, 2013

Hey family!

Well last week I was transferred to another area within our same zone, Manapla B. I actually still live in the same apartment i just had to move study tables haha. But now I and Elder Borromeo are together as a zone leader companionship. It's funny, this is my 3rd area within the Cadiz zone! But it's been great. We have great visions for this area, the first day we sat down and just talked about what we wanted to see happen, and what more we could do to establish the Lords Kingdom here.

This area is actually in a part of Manapla City, out by the ocean. Right now we're trying to set up a group, as in, like we don't have a group, ward, branch or anything yet. We're just attending with the Manapla ward 2 sundays of the month, and the other 2 we hold out in Punta Salong (the part close to the beach) in a class room of an elementary school. Last sunday (my first sunday) we had 18 of us at church! We started late, and at first i was really worried that the sacrament meeting was just going to be cancelled. But people showed up, and a member of the Manapla bishopric presided over the meeting, my companion conducted it. Even though we were just a small group, gathered in an elementary school class, and really hot outside, I felt the Spirit so strong. Right when we opened up with singing the Spirt of God, the Holy Spirit of Promise really confirmed to each and every one of us that what we were doing was right. We also had 2 investigators at church! One is Brother Richer, he'll actually be baptized this saturday, and his wife just returned from being less active for a really long time. He's so great, has such a strong testimony and desire to follow Jesus Christ. And the other is sister Arcano, she just has such a strong testimony in the Book of Mormon. She says whenever she reads it she just feels the Spirit talking to her and telling her what she needs to do. The first time the missionaries actually came to her she said she wouldn't come to church, or be baptized, she was really not interested. But now she has a baptismal date for July 20th, and she was the first one to church yesterday, even before me and Elder!

It just showed me how powerful the Book of Mormon is. That's really what we're trying to focus on here in Punta Salong, every investigator, member, or person we talk to, it's all focused on the Book of Mormon. In Preach My Gospel it talks about how the Book of Mormon is our foundation of our testimony. Why? Because it testifies of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, and if we read that 

book we will draw nearer to God than by any other book. Also it says in the introduction, that the Book of Mormon is a record of God's dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas.. and something I realized here on the mission, is this is my chance to be an instrument, or a witness of God's dealings with the people of the Philippines Bacolod Mission. How wonderful no? 

So we're really gonna keep giving it our all here in Punta Salong, as we're really trying to be instruments in the Lords hands in building up the church here. Finding, teaching, and baptizing! I love you family. I hope you're all doing great! Until next week.

Elder Doane

PS- remember to read the Book of Mormon, every single day. And really counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, through personal prayer to Him every day. I know it will bless our lives!

June 16, 2013

FAMILY! 

You're in Cali? Haha surprise surprise! Promise me we'll go when i get back ah? That's way fun though, i was dying laughing at Drake's story about going to the 'swamp meet' and getting his foot burnt. Hahaha, poor kid. But thank you all for the emails, i love hearing from each and everyone of you so much. Tell the fam in Cali I love them too!

This last week was fantastic. The Baptism of Wemphrey, Thessa, and Ayejane was amazing! Elder Iloa and I sang Ako Anak sang Dios! Which is I am a Child of God in Ilonggo. :) It was so awesome. Wemphrey and Thessah said they both want to serve missions when they grow up. And Ayejane's mom who was less active before returned now! Ayejane is so awesome too, she reads the Book of Mormon every day, and shares with us what she learned when we teach her. Thessah is the really little one in the picture, she's 8 years old but it looks like she's 5! When she came into the water it went up to her neck! It was so adorable.

Caduhaan is really doing great! Our baptisms fell through for June 22 and 29, it was pretty heart breaking because of the situations, but it's okay because Heavenly Father will work out His plan for them to be baptized. Sister Tessi will be baptized on July 6th! We can really see the Gospel making changes in the lives of their family. Her husband is Brother Winston, a really strong member. They both said that lately as they've been coming to church, reading in the Book of Mormon, and listening to our lessons they've noticed they dont fight as much as a couple, the Spirits in their home, and they're really feeling Heavenly Father's love in their lives. How powerful no? The Gospel truly does bless families. That's why when the time comes for me to have a family i will establish it on the rock of my Redeemer who is Christ, because i've seen the fruits of doing so!

Elder Iloa and I get along so well, he's for sure my favorite companion. We eat like horses. But somehow we're both losing weight still? It's probably because of how much we walk haha. But I've really just been so happy lately. I mean there are days and times when I'm just going nuts, trying to figure out our schedule and things that we need to do, but it's so wonderful, because none of it is for myself! Everything I'm doing here is for other people, specifically the Filippino people, and I love them so much! Caduhaan has  been my favorite area, just like i said last time. I've learned so much about the work, the restored Gospel, and about myself. I'm really learning how to trust in the Lord. Thanks mom and dad, for raising me up in the true church that Jesus Christ Himself established and continues to run until this day. I know this church is true, it was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. We can know that's true through reading and praying about the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Which i have done! And now i can say i know it's true. I love you family. Keep clinging to the rod by studying the scriptures every day.

Elder Doane

June 2, 2013

 Ang akon pinalanggang pamilya:)

My beloved family!

It was so good to hear from all of you in your emails! I can't believe the wards getting split, that's crazy! I hope all our friends stay in and stuff, but wherever it goes its the Lords will. Wow I'm so happy for Demi that she got to go to girls camp, what a sweet opportunity. I'm so glad she liked the letter to, i love her so much! Drakes email just had me laughing again, he's too funny. Dad thanks so much for yours too, I'll be good on my bday! I'll be happier than ever spreading the Gospel. Maybe the Lord will send me a birthday gift of a new family to teach :) No worries about that thing, i love hearing the news and stuff back home, and thanks for understanding! But the boxes are so great! We're still downing the sour punch kids, tootsie rolls, etc. I love the ties, i wear them all the time. All my ties are officially blue, purple, and gray! So thank you so much!

This tansfer is just the busiest time of my mission. We have mission leaders trainings, zone trainings, I'm Elder 'Iloa's follow up trainer, we have SO many investigators we are teaching right now, and so much more! This time is going by faster than ever. And it's such a blessing!! You all know how i love to stay busy with things, the Lord has really answered my prayer to help me stay focused on my purpose as a missionary. Whenever I lay down to go to bed i find myself thinking about all those we are teaching, and what more we can do for them. I really am starting to 'lose myself' here! It's so great too! The Lord keeps showing His tender mercies to us here in Caduhaan, finding, teaching, and baptizing! We have 3 baptisms coming up on june 15th, one on june 22nd, and hopefully on the following as well! Our investigators are so great, they are really building a strong foundation on the Book of Mormon!

One of our investigators, Sister Tessi, is on fire. Back then she had been taught my missionaries, but she got tired of it because they would stay long, and came a lot of times in one week. Her husband is a super strong member, and her daughter as well. Well she let us teach her again, starting last month, and ever since then she's been so great! The first time we taught her, it was like a 7 minute lesson, but right when the Spirit came into the room, Elder and I left, so that we could let the Spirit stay with her and do the teaching. Ever since then, every lesson we have with her is so powerful, the Spirit is so strong. Back then she didn't want to be baptized, but now she wants to so bad so her family can be complete in the church, and so she can promise her Heavenly Father that she will follow Jesus Christ. Her testimony is so strong! We had a date for her on July 6, and last lesson as we were leaving, she began to cry. The Spirit was just so strong, Then she said to me, Elder Doane, I hope you're here when i get baptized, because i want you to baptize me. I was so grateful for that, just to know that she trusted me and would want me to baptize her. So we've been talking with her husband and we might be moving her date to the 15th of june because she's so ready! We had july 9 set because she was pregnant and worried about her child thats due on the 22nd of june. But now that's not a worry for her at all, and she wants to be baptized as soon as she can! How miraculous huh? I have such a testimony that exact obedience brings miracles. When I got here in caduhaan i thought it had no potential really. Just sugar cane everywhere, no city parts. But through our exact obedience the Lord has really showed us the potential here in this area, and our potential as missionaries. IM SO HAPPY! :) I love you family, and thanks so much for everything you do!

Love,

ELder Doane