Sunday, April 30, 2017

April 30

Hey Everyone!

We have had a good week here in the field.  There are always lots of little miracles to be seen, and we are really feeling the hand of God in our work.

We found a whole bunch of new Less Actives this week.  And some part member families that seem like they have some real potential.  Hopefully we can help them all.  We had some that were able to come to church yesterday, but we still need a lot more.  We'll keep on working hard.  There are lots of people that have just forgotten how important this Gospel is for them, so we just help them remember.

One day we were on exchanges and we were looking for some less actives in an area called Palawig.  We went a couple of people if they knew one of the less actives.  They did but it turned out they weren't there at the time.  But we got to talking with the people that were there, and it turned out that they were super nice.  As we were talking with them five or six others came up and joined in on the conversation.  Through that conversation we found a nice part member family that had almost been baptized before, but a little problem came up, and then the missionaries were never able to make it back to their home, but they said they still would like to be baptized, so we will be helping them out with that!

Hopefully we can keep helping others come unto Christ, because that is definitely the most important thing that can happen for their life.  I have seen it happen over and over again, that when these wonderful Filipinos start to act on their strong faith in Christ, they become happier, and they receive more blessings, spiritually and temporally.  And that brings me to something that I have been pondering lately.  The law of Obedience.

This is often called the 'first law of Heaven'.  As stated in the Doctrine and Covenants 130:21-22-

    20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—
    21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

Over and over again I have seen the truth of this scripture in my time here in the Philippines.  God gives us commandments, not to tie us down or fence us in, but to set us free, to make us ready for all of the blessings that God wants to give us.  The branch president here in Santa Ana is a perfect example of this.  He was baptized many years ago, before there was even a branch here in Santa Ana.  He was actually baptized in another town, and then moved here.  The closest branch to here back then was the Gonzaga branch, about an hour drive away today, but for them before, because the road was not yet paved, and they had only a tricycle, it took them almost two hours to make the trip.  They faithfully went to church until a branch was created in Baua, and then finally here in Santa Ana.  Obviously the faith of this family is strong.

For their Job, they make wooden furniture, and sometimes carvings, and stuff like that.  Well way back when, they just did that as a sideline job.  Today, they are busy always, and make more than enough money to take care of their families.  They send their furniture to different places in the whole Philippines, and they also make wooden swords that the Philippines National police gives to every new officer when they graduate from the Academy.  Their business has grown to big new levels, and I believe it is because of their strong faith in God, and in His commandments.

That is just one story of many that I have seen here in the Philippines of how obeying the commandments, small and large will bring blessings into our lives that we never imagined.  So if there is ever a blessing that you would like to receive from God, follow his commandments first, strive to bring your life in line with His teachings, and then wait for the blessing to come, because His promise is sure, the blessing will come.  Have a wonderful week!

Elder Childs

Us with some investigators and a cute little monkey named May may (:

A beautiful sunset we saw.  It doesn't look as good in the picture.

Our district.

Me and two sisters that are now heading home.  Its weird, I watched them come into the mission, now I'm watching them go...





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