Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Week 103

Hello Family!

This was an AWESOME week here in Jordan for me. I have really enjoyed this last week and I can't believe yet another week has just ran off the calendar and I am here emailing you all again.  Where do I even begin telling you all about my week... getting to meet Elder Bednar, transfers, new investigators?  There is so much. 

Well let's start with maybe the coolest experience of my life as of yet... I got to talk with and shake Elder Bednar's hand this last week.  It was such a cool experience to be around and to talk with an Apostle of the Lord.  He was such an cool and smart person to be around and was a fantastic teacher, as you could imagine.  He had asked us to read two talks he had given in the recent years.  One was Ask in Faith which he gave in 2008 and the other was Seek ye Learning by Faith that he gave to CES educators a couple years ago as well.  First of all those two talks were amazing! I really enjoyed the Seek ye Learning by Faith talk... he brought out maybe one of the coolest points I think a teacher can understand.  It was from a quote he used.  Brigham Young was advising the man who started the Young Men program that he should give time at the beginning of each meeting for the students to bear their testimony.  He said that often times testimonies are found while trying to bear it rather than when we are on our knees praying for it.  Then he linked that quote to a quote from President Packer that said to have the Holy Ghost bear testimony to you that what someone else has said or done is true is important and a vital part of conversion, but to have the Holy Ghost bear witness in your heart that what you have said or done is true is so much better and has a bigger impact on the learner.  I was thinking during the meeting... That is why the church has 19 year old boys going on missions.  You receive such a witness that the gospel was restored in these latter days when you are out on your feet, dripping in sweat, and bearing testimony to strangers that what you have taught is true.  Not that this is the start of a missionaries testimony but I think this is what seals it for a young man.  That is what I have felt on my mission anyways and I am so grateful for it. It also applies to investigators and anyone we are teaching... when we ask those good questions we are really asking them to bear their testimony about something and then the Spirit has an opportunity to witness to them that what THEY said is true and then we witness conversion. So for 1 1/2 hours Elder Bednar asked US questions and then the last part of the meeting we got to ask him questions... about anything.  On the panel were Elder and Sister Bednar, Elder and Sister Ardern (of the seventy), and Bishop and Sister Davis (from the presiding bishopric).  He explained that getting to ask questions to a panel like this will likely never happen again in our lives... and he was right.  We had so much experience and knowledge in that room Tuesday.  I asked Elder Bednar what changes he had seen in himself as he accepted the mantle of being an Apostle of Jesus Christ.  He gave the time to his wife to explain a bit about what she had seen different in her husband and then he talked about how he had felt that his talents had been magnified by the Lord so that he would be able to fulfill the responsibilities given to him.  I have so many cool notes that I will have to share with you all when I get home!

I then got my last companion for my mission.  He is Elder Sefeti!! I was actually his first zone leader while I was still in Hamtic.  So I knew him a bit.  His trainer was Elder Waggoner which is one of my good mission buddies.  He is from Fiji... My first and only Fijian companion.  He is a way cool guy and loves to work hard and have fun.  We were all talking last night hat this 5 weeks are just going to fly by.  We have a super fun apartment... which brings me to my other cool news.  My trainee Elder Quinantoto did it again and followed me here to Jordan.  He is now my Zone leader and lives in the same house as me.  I was so glad to have him come here to Guimaras.  He has followed me wherever I have gone in the mission and it has been such a blessing to be so close with my trainee throughout the whole mission experience.  To see him grow more and more.  I am so excited for these last few weeks in the mission.  I think they are really going to be special for all of us here.  

When Elder Sefeti got here we went straight to work finding new people to teach.  We have found two new families that seem to be promising.  One is the Delacruz family... when we went to their house to tract they invited us right in let us share and made a return appt.  We went back an the whole family wasn't there the second time but we got to teach a couple of them and we have a return appointment for Wednesday.  They are really open to the message and super friendly.  We will see how that goes.  The next family has a much funnier story behind it.  It was the same day we were tracting and sort of towards the end of the time we had planned to tact.  We had met some really grumpy people and had gotten punted around for a little bit.  We went to this one house and called tagbalay! which is what you say at people's doors to let them know they have someone there looking for them.  This woman Anabelle peeked her head out and then ran back and hid.  So we told her that we saw her and we just wanted to chat.  She came out and said she was busy and didn't have time to entertain us.  I told her we just wanted to introduce ourselves to her and promised we wouldn't be long.  We got to know her situation a bit and she said her husband only comes home Sat and Sundays.  So we set up an appointment for Sunday after church and as we were leaving she said.  I hope when you come back you will bring a snack for us.  I turned around so surprised and laughed and said... well, what do you want?  She got really shy and then said I hope you bring the bread of Mormons.  hahaha. I just asked what is the bread of Mormons?  She said she meant the bread from the bakery right next door to the church.  I walked away laughing but completely planning to buy her some bread for the next time.  Well Sunday came around and I already had the bread bought for Sister Anabelle and her craving for Mormon bread... but it was raining way hard.  We went anyways and it turned out the house we talked with her at wasn't her house... The shack behind that house was her house.  She had two cute little boys and is pregnant with the third.  We got to meet her husband Orlando and were able to share a really nice message with them.  They really appreciated the bread even though they were too shy to eat it in front of us.  I was glad that she actually kept the return appointment and now we have another appointment with them this next Saturday.  I am excited for them though.  They seemed super nice and really into the message.  We'll see what happens.  

Like I said... this week was busy and it seemed to just fly by.  I am super happy I extended so I could have these experiences these last few weeks of my mission.  It really is going to be a great memory that I decided to extend.  Well I love you all and miss you all like crazy.  We are coming up on 104 weeks here next weeks.  That is entirely too long to be away from home.  But now I can count the weks on one hand.  THat is a cool feeling to know that we will be back together in 5 weeks.  Until then keep writing me and keep me updated!

Love,

Elder Lowry        

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