August 4, 2013

Family!

This last week was probably the fastest week ever, I know i say that every week but it's true! On monday my companion Elder Borromeo was coming to Bacolod because his mission is all finished, and the assistants texted me that I needed to come with him as well. I hurried up and packed my bags, and when we got to Bacolod, President Lopez interviewed me. I really love going into interviews with him, i really feel for that small time I'm having a conversation to the Lord, it's so wonderful. He told me he wants me to be his new assistant. He said he has trust in me to look for opportunities to be a servant to other missionaries, just like Christs disciples in the Book of Mormon. So now I'm here in Bacolod 3rd Ward, in Bacolod Stake. This is actually the same stake as my first area! So it's great to be in the city again. My companion is Elder Dy, he's been an assistant for a while now, so he's really teaching me a lot of administrative things. There's also 2 more assistants, Elder Mifflin and Elder Peralta. Elder Peralta and I are the new ones. Our area is so great, we have been so busy with our investigators and inviting people to the waters of baptism! It's been so wonderful, and I've never been so happy because of how busy I am. President told us our first priority is proselyting. We need to be the examples of all aspects of missionary work, finding, teaching, rescuing, and baptism. It's so wonderful because we have so many investigators to teach and invite to baptism, we also found 14 more last week!

Last week was so great to welcome the new missionaries into the field, and give trainings to the new missionaries and the trainers. Their testimonies were so powerful! I felt so blessed to be in their presence, and to hear so much more training of President Lopez as well. We'll also be doing a lot more exchanges across the island, so we will be traveling lots these next upcoming weeks and teaching/training missionaries through proselyting. So busy! But i love it. More than anything. If anything i've learned lately and been applying is how to be an effective Christlike leader. It says in the missionary handbook 'the best way to be a Christlike leader is to help others feel of your love.' I've really been applying that, not just with other missionaries but with every single person I come in contact with. I'm here as a representative of Charity, the pure love of Christ. And it's my duty to share that love with others, to lift them up. I've felt the Spirit in my life more recently than ever before, and I know it's because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ that I have that sacred opportunity to feel His Spirit. I know the Book of Mormon is true. It's our church. It is the message of the Restoration. It's my life! It has all the answers to our questions, problems, and challenges in life. I love this Gospel. I love you family, please read the Book of Mormon, and pray every single day. I remember the quote 'Pray as if everything depends upon God, work as if everything depends upon you.' and that's how our faith brings miracles.

Love,

Elder Doane