Week 7

Kumusta Aking Pamilya?!

Well this week has been a very busy one for me. I have loved having the opportunity to get to know all of these new missionaries. The first couple days here the ZLs really get to spend a lot of time interacting with the new missionaries. I have tried my very best to be a good example to them and make them feel a part of the family. All the missionaries that have been here for a long time are really close now so we really focused on getting the new missionaries to feel that love as well. I was really pleased on Thursday because I somehow found out that the field was going to be open for gym and it was a nice warm day. So I got the whole zone to go outside and we had a bunch of sand volleyball courts all to ourselves. It really picked up the zone unity and everyone had fun. All these new missionaries are practically going to Iloilo so it is really fun to talk about our future missions together. One new missionary is Elder Doig. He is from Cardston (where our mom's family is from) and graduated with Tayt (our cousin who is also serving a mission, but in Dallas, TX)! It is way fun to talk to him and talk about the motherland. There are so many other Elders that are so cool, but I have no time to write about all 28 new missionaries.

So I am really upset that I didn't mention this last week because it was probably the coolest thing that has ever happened to me. I'm glad I didn't forget this time, or I would be in dire need of repentance. But Russell M Nelson came and spoke to us two Tuesdays ago. Phew! That was amazing. He is just a genius with the most solid testimony ever. Did you know that is is an internationally revered and pioneer of thoracic surgery. And man, he is just an awesome speaker. I have never heard from an apostle live before. So we all caught wind that someone big was going to speak to us, so I was really hoping it was Richard G Scott. He didn't come that day though.... He just came the week after! So this last Tuesday I heard from Richard G Scott. He is the man. I mean just every word, every sentence he says is dynamite. He talks straight to your soul so that you can have no doubt that what he is saying is true. We are all just on a spiritual high from hearing from two apostles in a row. What a fantastic experience. Richard G Scott is just my favorite. He even prepared a handout for us. This is how he described it "Everything that the Lord has taught me over my life put in simple statements on one sheet." I am sending it home... it is scripture. He also gave all the missionaries 3 Apostolic blessings. He said as he gave them that he was giving them to us not just as a man of God, but as a man holding ALL the keys to the Kingdom of God. It was so powerful. He gave us the Gift of Tongues, the Gift of Confidence, and the Gift that the lessons we learn on our missions will greatly bless us throughout our entire lives. He also bore testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ at the very end. It was the single most powerful testimony I've ever heard. I am still just freaking out.

Well, I am almost done here at the MTC. Only two more weeks of classes left here. I only have one full P day left. Two weeks from now I will be packed and ready to get on an airplane heading to the Philippines. I am still in shock. I have come to terms that the MTC is my mission. It will be weird to leave. I haven't received my travel plans yet, though. I will get those Thursday or Friday. I can't believe that I will actually be living half way around the world in a place where plumbing is nonexistent. I am beyond excited. These people are already fascinating to me. The language, the culture, their values all just blow me away. I can't wait to serve them and bring them closer to Christ. I'm working as hard as I can to be proficient enough in the language to accomplish my purpose. It is such a cool language. English should really take a page out of the Tagalog book. I am teaching the 2nd lesson for the first time in Tagalog on Thursday. The trick is to just keep it simple. I feel pretty comfortable and I feel like we will be really successful.

So I figure I will just impress you and practice at the same time. Here is the first vision in Tagalog (I swear I'm not looking at anything, it is all from memory) "Ako ay nakakita ng isang haligi ng liwanag na tamang- tama sa tapat ng aking ulo, higit pa sa liwanag ng araw, na dahang- dahang bumaba hanggang sa ito ay pumalibot sa akin... Na tumuan sa akin ang liwanag, nakakita ako ng dalawang katauhan, na ang liwanag at kaluwalhatian ay hindi kayang maisalarawan, nakatayo sa hangin sa itaas ko. Ang isa sa kanila sagsalita sa akin tinatawag ako sa aking pangalan, itinuturo ang isa: "Ita ang pinakamamahal na Anak, Pakinggan Siya!"

Alam ko po na talagang- talaga nagpakita ang Diyos at si Jesukristo kay Joseph Smith.

Maraming Mahal,

Elder Lowry