Week 75

Hello Family!

 

This has been another great week of work for Elder Faran and I here in Molo!  The people here are just so awesome and I have felt like every week I get closer and closer with them... it will be so hard to leave this place eventually.  I think I have said this alot but it is so true... I could stay here for the rest of my mission and I wouldn't mind in the least.  This past transfer has gone by so fast... I haven't even felt it.  Yes! It is transfer week once again! I really don't have much chance to leave (which is great!) but my companion has about a 50- 50 chance of getting transfered.  So I might have some news for you all next week.  I was way happy with how things went this past week and with everyone who went to church.  Right now I think it will be pretty easy for Elder Faran and I to have 6 people baptized in March and it could even go up to 8 with a small miracle.  Needless to say we are super excited and workingt hard to make sure that this will all go through. 

 

I have felt like I have been able to make some really good friendships while I've been here in Molo.  The members are seriously just so nice and LOVE to spoil missionaries.  People here love to talk to us and interact with us... it makes missionary work so nice to just have someone talk to you and ask questions about your life... it helps you not feel so alien in a foreign place.  If you wanna help your missionaries just talk to them and have fun with them.  Once they feel comfortable with you that is when they can really help and work miracles.  I think that is one big thing I've learned from this area... just how much the members have helped me stay focused and motivated to keep going. 

 

This last week we had another 7 people come to church!  Brother Omay and his daughter Alex were there... Bro Gilbert (Boyboy) and his daughter Shayra Mae were there... Bro Benjamin was there and Little Denmark came with his Mom who is a member.  His older brother and sister skipped because they attended a parade... It is ok though... they are still on track to be baptized together on March 17.  We were really hoping to have ten there but a few people fell through that we felt were for sure going to attend.  SO we are regrouping this week and goaling for the same ten next week.  It is possible and I think the members are ready for that big of a crowd!  This week again ELder and I "upped the ante" a bit.  We set even higher goals for working ith the members and total lessons in a week.  It will be tough but we are ready for another big challenge and it is definitely possible.  We have been getting 13 leesons with a member present for the past three weeks so 15 should definitely be possible.  15 is the goal for the whole mission and is pretty tough to get.  So we will be very happy to be reaching that standard.  We also did well with finding new people to investigate the church.  We found one new family that seems to be very promising... we were able to give their mother a blessing in the first teaching.  They were actually a referral from a recent convert that said their mother would like to ask us for a blessing.  So the first teaching went very well and we have an appointment for Tuesday.  I am super excited to see if they have read and how prepared they have been by the Lord. 

 

Other than that we have been trying hard not to mess with our success.  We are still working hard with our three part ember families that have baptismal dates and then we are still focusing on Benjamin getting more involved with Institute... Awesome news- He got asked out to the Sady Hawkins dance they are having this weekend at institute... ya our investigator is working it!  He has been progressing so well since he has been attending institute.  All of the YSA's text him now and invite him to attend classes and activities.  We don't even mind that he has little time for us to teach him anymore... he is doing great and will be ready for March 10th.  Brother Boyboy has turned his life around out of his desire to  "become Mormon" and is attending all things Elder's Quorum.  He even wanted to join with us to go to some home teaching appointments (it was part of the activity) but had to get back to his work.  He has impressed me SO MUCH this last week with his desire to follow Christ.  He just needs to get married to his wife and he will be baptized.  And then the other part member family the Panganiban's are doing great and are SO excited to be baptized.  The only person who won't be baptized is the Dad who loves the church and thinks it is important for his kids to become members but doesn't want to give up his bad habits and works on Sundays.  He is also warming up to us alot more (he used to be way shy) so we feel like he will follow sooner or later. 

 

Overall I am just a hapy person right now.  Life seems to be just right and nothing is too out of place.  I have settled that I will just come home in October and everything is ok.  I am excited to get home, and I feel like Oct is the right time for my mission to end.  A bunch of my buddies are going home either this transfer or next... it is weird to get to the mindset that I don't have that much more left.  Once you get a couple months in the mission it feels like it will just be your life for forever almost.  But now a it of a sense of urgency is added once you can see the end.  It is good though and I feel like it will help me be more focused instead of getting too trunky. 

 

I Love you all and hope everything is just dandy over there!  I miss you all so much and can't wait to see everyone in just a matter of months!

 

Halong kamo,

 

Elder Lowry

Week 74

Hello Family!

So another great week here here in beautiful Iloilo City!  Actually I am technically in a place called Molo... its all the same.  I am excited to report again to everyone on how everything went.  I think the big news this week is that I don't think I do not actually get to pick when I get home and they will just ship me out in October.  So no more stressful decision making.  I am excited that I will get a couple more weeks to spend in the Philippines as I will be hard pressed to ever come back.  I just wanna go home in Sept... I'm kinda being a baby about all this.  

Other big news... this time last week (like right as I left the computer shop) there were a couple good earthquakes here.  I've never experienced an earthquake before!  I was tripping way hard.  It felt like I stood up too fast or something and I blacked out... my head was spinning and my knees felt weak.  Wow... I was way confused!  But there were a definite 4 or 5 earthquakes that I felt.  SO we had lots of power outages and just people panicking here in Iloilo.  The Filipino people are pretty superstitious and took it as a sign from God that they could be the next Japan.  I think that day churches were full of people praying... but it rained Sunday so only about 1\2 of the regulars even came to church.  I thought that was humorous.  Everything is fine now though and I am OK... this is just another funny thing for me.  There was another act or mother nature that could've actually affected me but no one knew about it.  Anyways.. now I know what a mild earthquake feels like.

This last week was another awesome goal getting week for Elder Faran and I.  We gave another part member family baptismal dates.  The kids are the ones who aren't members.  The oldest is Dominique 15, Georgie 13, and Denmark 10.  Even though they are new they all want to be baptized and they came to church even though they live far away and it was raining.  Filipinos are certain that if you go out in the rain you are gonna get sick so I was super impressed with them that they walked way far in the rain to get to church.  We were also able to get an older investigator to finally get involved with the institute! His name is Benjamin and is actually gonna enroll and attend this week to the local institute program!  He also has a March baptismal date.  It was great because all of our 6 investigators with baptismal date were at church while it was raining.  I was one proud missionary when they all showed up.  We have also had continued success in our reactivation efforts.  The ward did a good job getting our focus family, the Gamela family,  involved and they even came early this last week because they were assigned to give the opening and closing prayer for sacrament and their son passed the sacrament.  The ward has really responded to the new area goals for 2012 and I think we have really been able to gain their trust... it makes such a difference!  

We still have lots more to get done though... it seems like the harder you work the more you notice what needs to get done and you never find the end of it.  We have found a couple more less active families that need help coming back to church and more part member families that can be completed.  We came short of our goal to have ten at church and came short on a couple more lofty goals we had set... so we pretty much kept the same goals and this week we are confident we can accomplish them.  My excuse for this last week is we had lots of meetings and then it rained all Sunday morning... lame... i know.  So I figure this week we will just get them.  

Right now I am excited for March! I think it will be VERY possible for us to have 4 baptisms next month!  As for February we have no plans to baptize any one, but these next coupe weeks Elder and I will be on the look out for people we can prepare for April.  I really hope I get to stay in this area for a while cause I am really liking this place.  It has seemed like I was just able to jump in the mix of things and already we are doing alot of great things... just imagine if I have another 5 months here!  Should be a really special area for me.  I already have gotten close to the members and have made lots of good friendships.  And I thought back in the day that I wouldn't enjoy the city mission.  IDIOT!  

Today promises to be a good day... we have an appointment later this afternoon to play volleyball with the ward missionaries.  We played last week after the earthquake and it was an absolute blast.  I'm excited for a repeat! 

I miss you all and miss you so much.  I am excited to come home this fall and meet my new NEPHEW!!!!  I am thrilled for another cute little nephew to play with.  Anyways,  I love you all and think of you all often. 

Love,

Scott

Week 73

Hello Family!

Well I have alot to tell you all today... this will be quite the letter.  I think I will start with the business.  We had another great week of work.  We had another big turn out for Sacrament meeting with 6 investigators in attendance.  Another awesome part of church was the attendance in general.  When I first got here the chapel was never full and this last Sunday it was PACKED.  I'm talking getting close to uncomfortably packed.  We had 130 people in attendance!  When I first got here it was a really good week to get 90 people at sacrament people.  So we were REALLY pleased with how well our members our responding to the new area goals to help our inactive Brothers and Sisters come back to the church.  These past two weeks have been real testimony builders for me of what can happen when members get more involved in the work... the work bears fruit easier and faster.  Elder Faran and I have been super busy working with our part member families this past week.  We have three pretty steady families we are working with and the all seem to want to be baptized.  Two of those three have been taught for a couple weeks now and have baptismal dates while the other one is new this week... but they came to church!  So that was really good to see them progress even though they are brand new.    Elder  Faran and I had another week of picking out some goals and working our butts off to achieve them.  He is another really goal oriented person and it makes achieving the goals much easier when your companion is on board and willing to make sacrifices as well in order to achieve the set goals.  I really have enjoyed working with him and I feel like we have already been able to help lots of people come closer to Jesus Christ.  

I had a cool experience at church this last weekend.  Our recent convert got up and bore his testimony in the meeting yesterday.  The first thing he said was "Bali, ginapilit ako ni Auntie ko subong." Which means his Aunt forced him to bear his testimony... haha.  Anyways, I am super impressed with this little 11 year old kid.  His name is Jerick Gaje and he bore a wonderful testimony about how thankful he was to his Aunt (He lives with his Aunt with his siblings) for bringing him to church and helping him become a member of the church.  The Gajes are an awesome little family here in Molo... I love visiting them.  They are loud and fun and love to feed the missionaries.  They remind me a bit of home... except they are all still little kids (the oldest is 12).  There is this one little girl named "Tsing-tsing"  who is HILARIOUS.  I think she thinks that is she doesn't yell and hold out her vowels really long she won't be understood or something.  She's also got quite the attitude and always has something funny to say.  I could try to explain what she says but I just don't think I can communicate it well over the internet with the language differences and such.  The language by the way is still really good.  I love being in the city just because it is easy to talk to them.  Their Ilongo is so understandable for me and I am never lost anymore.  This is another thing I don't think I can completely communicate over the internet... the language situation in the Philippines.  It is ridiculous and you don't even know how thankful I am to be in a place where I can understand everything.  It is such a blessing.

So here is something that joggled me a bit this week.  They are going to start teaching Ilongo at the MTC now... so that the poor missionaries in Iloilo and Bacolod missions don't study a language they won't speak in their missions (Genius, no?).    Anyways, that also means they will want the two missions to be on the same transfer schedule (which they aren't) and Iloilo mission is the mission that is going to have to adjust their schedule.  This will happen in May 2012... which means that I will not be able to come home on September 19 like I'm supposed to.  I now, probably, have the decision between going home on August 30 or on October 10.  So ya... I have been thinking alot lately if I want to just go home the last day of August or extend until October.  I will probably have to make a decision this month or the beginning of next month so that they can work everything out in SLC.  I really would like to come home and jump right into school but I'm not sure if August 30 is still too late for that.  I would, of course, like to see Graham before he leaves on his mission but I'm also not sure is Aug 30 would be too late anyway for that as well.  The more I have thought about it the more I really want to be back at UGA and go to school so if there is anyway possible for that to happen I would come home and do that.  So I will just ask you all to look into that a bit for me so that I can weigh my options.  I also want to hear opinions and other factors maybe that I haven't thought of yet so that I can make the best decision.  But dang... if I were to go home Aug 30 that would mean that my 6 months to go point would be the end of this month.  So that scares me a bit.  So let me know what you all think and gimme some advice because I freaked out a bit when I found this out.  I had it so set in my mind that I was coming home Sept 19 and now it is weird and scary to pick between August and October.  Thanks!

Well that is all I have to report this week.  Elder Faran and I have some really tough goals that we are focusing on this week and we are gonna have to work even harder than we have been to achieve them.  It will be a good challenge.  Anyways, remember I love you all and think about you all often.  Be safe and let me know how everyone is doing! Write me a letter if you have extra time... I'm getting desperate!  

Love,

Elder Lowry

Week 72

Hello Family!

How is everyone over there in your side of the world?  I am doing really great here in Molo!  I am loving the work here and have really settled into this new place.  I think I could spend the rest of mission here if I could.  But I've definitely got one more area.  Yup... I probably only have one more area after this one.  That is crazy to think about!  I'm not trunky... just accurate.  Anyways, this week has been so busy for me and it seems like this morning that I wrote you all last.  I didn't even feel this last week go by.  All I know is that Elder Faran and I have been on our feet and working our butts off.  Then we come home, eat, sleep, and do it again.  We have done a really good job of getting used to each other and I feel like we have gotten in a great rhythm together with how we tech and do the work.  So I expect the rest of this transfer to really be great and I expect to see some great leaps in the work here in Molo 1st ward.  Let me tell you all about the progress we made this last week...

We were really able to see the fruit of our labors this last weekend as we went to church and put together our reports for our leaders.  Yesterday we had 8 investigators attend church!  8!  We had two families show up.  We ended the week with 6 investigators with a baptismal date and 5 of them were part of the 8 that were at church.  The one that didn't come to church was part of a family that all went to church this weekend so we will just make sure she joins her family this next week.  Practically, we are on track for all 6 baptisms to actually go through at this point.  One of the families that went to church were brand new investigators.  We just met them on Wednesday!  And they still came to church.  The wife is an inactive member, so that made things a little bit easier.  We actually met the father last Sunday night on the street... he was as drunk as could be but asked us to come over and teach him and his family.  This last Sunday he was at church and really seemed to enjoy himself.  They said they will be back next week.  The other family is another part member family and the Dad and the daughter just need to be baptized.  The father is a really brilliant guy and is fluent in English.  SO our lessons are very funny as they such a mix between Ilonggo and English.  Just basically say whatever comes to mind first.  It is funny.  But he has really taken the Sabbath Day Holy seriously and says he won't miss another Sunday (he used to be a very inconsistent church attendee).  We also met an investigator at church that wants to be baptized... so that was weird.  She has been taught a bunch and her husband is a member that works in Saudi... So we will follow up with her this week.  She just moved to iloilo and is still trying to get settled in she says.  Other investigators seemed to just run at us this week.  We were given 3 families to focus on from Bishop and as we went and contacted them we were able to get about 8 New Investigators!  I was way grateful bishop took our request seriously that we needed some focus families... then I was glad we followed his advice because that is literally where ALL our new investigators came from this week.  I think that is everything.  Overall I was SUPER pleased with our work this week.  We met EVERY goal that we set last week.  Now that has never happened in my mission before.  Awesome.

Last week's District meeting was alot of fun and I felt like we had a really good lesson about how to overcome our investigators concerns in order for them to commit themselves to come to church.  The lesson tomorrow is called "Teach People, not Lessons."   We will be focusing on D&C 50 and how use inspired questions and silence to help us missionaries find concerns and receive guidance from the Holy Ghost more during Lessons.  Something I am really trying to focus on as of late is to try to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost in every lesson.  Sometimes I get so carried away with trying to talk and get my point across I don't give the Spirit any chance to prompt me to the way I need to go.  SO Elder Faran and I have both tried to calm down during lessons and really just try to listen more to the investigators and to the Spirit.  I think it will be a good lesson and help the missionaries seek revelation during every lesson.

This next week promises to be really fun.  I have more splits to go on and Elder Faran have a full schedule with all these new investigators and everything going on.  I am really excited to get another week of work done and to report back to you all afterwards.  I love reporting... it is something I have grown fond of.  When someone tells me to do something or when I set a goal... I really want to achieve it and then report back to that person that I was able to accomplish it.  It gives me lots of satisfaction to be able to do that.  I think that has always been a strength of mine.  This week was a great triumph for Elder and I as we really committed to our goals and worked our butts off in order to achieve them.  I think it was Friday and we only had 3 lessons with a member present for the week... our goal was 10.  We set some goals and really went out of our way every lesson to get a member there and we achieved it!  Sunday night we got our tenth lesson with a member present for the week!  It was that way for New investigators.  We got to Sunday and were still lacking one more new investigator to reach our goal.  We had no time for tracting and no appointments where we really thought we could find more people.  But we went to a Less Active members house and his brother and sister just happened to be there.  So we invited them to listen and got another family added to our teaching pool!  The Lord really is mindful of us when we set goals in Faith and then go out with specific things we want to get done.  He will find the way for us to achieve our goals.  

Well, I think that is all I really have to report.  I, again, am really excited for this next week.  Remember how much I love you all and miss you all.  Thank you all so much for the love and support!  I think you are GREAT!

Halong,

Elder Lowry

Week 71

Hello Family!

Things are good, as usual, here on my side of the world.  This week sure seemed to fly by fast... it could be do to the fat that I always felt behind and any spare moment I had to myself I am fighting to keep my eyes open.  The city life is tons of fun, but so much more busy!  Then I have a couple more things I have to do every week as a district leader and I am fighting just to keep up.  I guess it is better than being bored, eh?  I have to laugh because whenever there is a storm or something in the Philippines I get all the emails checking if I was OK... but I never even know about it.  This week was probably the close I have come to having a natural disaster happen to me and no one knew about it.  In one area over from mine an electric fire started in the squatters region in Iloilo... took out over 300  houses and blazed for about 5 hrs in downtown.  Squatters are people who live on land they don't own because they are way poor.  It is a place tucked away in the city and due to the small alley ways no firetrucks could get to the fire in order to stop it.  With no way to stop it they just had to prevent it from spreading to other places.  It was far from where we live and I never saw the fire.. just the smoke.  Crazy, no?

My first full week as a district leader was fun.  I got a nice surprise right when we started our district meeting when Pres and Sis Pagaduan came and sat in... I was only a LITTLE nervous.  I got to choose what to teach so we talked about helping our investigators and members always be striving for lasting conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Both Pres and Sis said they really enjoyed it and I feel like it was not too shabby.  The lesson tomorrow is "Receiving Revelation through Church Attendance."  I am excited for this lesson because I feel like I have done an ample amount of research on this over the past couple weeks.  I think it will be a good lesson.  I don't now if President will be there again but I know the Zone Leaders will.  I feel well prepared and the first time teaching jitters are gone now. 

This week of work was pretty slow due to a big festival that happened in Iloilo called Dinagyang Festival.  It is Iloilo's version of the Ati-atihan that happens in the Aklan.  Lots of street dancing and tribal representation.  I didn't get to see any of it though.  It ended on Sunday and killed all chances of having investigators at church.  We still had two... but we were hoping for about six.  Ah well, good thing there is another Sunday this weekend.  We gave out some more baptismal dates and we are really trying to help them progress towards that goal.  I think the trend is to get the commitment and then do nothing to achieve it... so we are trying to correct that logic and get more people excited about changing their lives.  We had 5 people with dates in the middle of the week, but because they weren't at church we only ended the week with three.  We will follow up the others this week and try to get them back on track.  Work in the city is really quite fast paced and tough to keep on top of.  It requires alot more organization and concentration just because your teaching pools are substantially bigger than other areas I have been to.

I have been doing really good on my goal this year to read the Book of Mormon all the way through every month.  I am on Mormon and on track to finish before February rolls around... only to start right back up again.  It has been awesome for my teaching as I can usually use something I read in one or two of my lessons that day.  It definitely gives me more freedom on which scriptures to use just because I am more familiar with them.  I have also really enjoyed studying with Elder Faran.  He really is just a smart guy and has lots of insights.  I have really enjoyed this companionship with him so far.  He is a way cool guy!  

This week is looking to be a nice week of hard work.  I don't have anything extra to do except District meeting and I might go on some splits.  It looks like another nice week of eating, sleeping, and teaching! Thank you all for all the love and support you send my way every week.  It really does help alot to know I have a family and all my friends cheering me on at home.  I got to talk to my MTC companion Elder Christensen this morning and we were just talking about how quickly the time has gone by.  The sisters in our MTC district only have one more transfer left (after this one)... then they go home.  I'm not being trunky by the way... just accurate.  I really do feel like I am working harder than I ever have in the mission and now that the language is not an issue at all I can really focus on just getting missionary work done and as much of it as possible.  I feel like this is really my time to shine as one of the more senior missionaries in the mission.  Bring it on!

Halong kamo!

Elder Lowry

Week 70

Hello Family!

I was surprised that no one asked me what happened for transfer then I realized that you all saw the comment one of the members left on my blog.  Ah well... I did indeed leave Miag-ao last Friday.  I knew since Wednesday morning though when President called me and asked me to become a District Leader.  So I said my goodbyes and was left wondering how fast four months seemed to just pass me by!  I was also left to think of which district I would soon be leading.  I was really hoping to go back to the Aklan... but I ended staying in Iloilo.  Now I am in an area called Molo and I am in the first ward.  There is also another companionship that serves in this same ward and it is none other than Elder Quinantoto... my trainee in the mission!  My district is the biggest in the mission with 12 missionaries.  I have the office Elders, the APs, and two other areas other than mine.  SO I am smack dab in the heart of Iloilo City and loving the city life.  I have been in really mountainous the middle-of-nowhere areas and I was excited to hear that now I get to see what life is like in a Filipino City.  

This week was really interesting saying goodbye to a little group and walking in to a thriving ward.  The work right now in my area is still rebuilding after a really strong harvest over the last few months.  So we have lots of investigators that are still really new and they seem to be progressing really well.  I am now with Elder Faran... he is in the batch right behind me.  Again, I knew him in the MTC.  He is from Buffalo New York and is a really cool guy.  He is actually going to be an engineer as well one day... so he is a Math genius.  We were able to give an investigator a baptismal date just yesterday for March 3.  Her name is Olivia and even though it was the first time I met her I felt like she will really progress in the gospel.  We also had a baptism on Saturday!  Ya... my 2nd day here I had a baptism... this area is gonna be a cake walk for me.  haha.  It was a part member little kid who bore wonderful testimony after he was dunked.  Last night I was able to teach him for the first time and he really has a big capacity to retain the gospel.  He is one smart little kid.  Outside of the lessons he is wild and doing annoying little kid things (he is 11) but when we sit down to teach him he is like a completely different little kid.  He gets on to all of his sisters for being loud or disruptive and answers questions as well as the adults do.  SO I feel really good about him and I am glad he got to join the rest of his family in the church.  I had some meetings that evening and every thing was so rushed neither Elder nor I brought cameras!  I was so upset!  But it was a wonderful meeting and it was so good to see lots of members out there to support little Jerick Gahe!  

Life here in the city seems like it will really suit me and I will really like this area.  We also live in one of the biggest apartments with two other Elders.  It is my first time to live in a four Elder apartment.  The other companionship is Elder Hadfield from New Zealand and Elder Lacsi from Mindanao.  It is also really nice to live in the city because we actually have a grocery store.  We live less than half a km from it as well.  So I can actually get nice groceries from a reliable source.  Never had THAT happen on my mission before. So I am just soaking everything up right now.  I know the city is sometimes smelly and hot... but so is the rest of the island than.  I am only seeing positive things so far about this area.  It is like it's too good to be true.  

So tomorrow I have to teach my first district meeting and it can be about anything.  SO I am a bit nervous on what to teach in order to get the district excited for this transfer and setting some good goals for steady improvement.  I have been crunching some numbers and have made some good graphs to help us see sort of where the district is at right now so we can make some realistic goals on where we can be by March.  I am stealing all my idea from my District Leader while I was in Manoling.  He really got all of us excited for the work and for helping not just our areas progress, but the entire district progress.  Those were some awesome weeks of missionary work.  So my goal is to get that happening here in Molo district.  

Well.  I think that is about all I have to report right now.  The ELders and I from the district have a bowling appointment before too long.  I love you all and appreciate everything you all do for me.  I really hope you all know of my love for you all.  But, as you all already know, I only have eight more months til I get to see you all again!  

Halong kamo

Elder Lowry

Week 69

Hello Family!

So first of all I just have to thank you all SO much for all your help with my survey.  I really liked all the answers and it has really given me alot more things to look into over the next week.  I have done alot of thinking and studying this last week and came up with lots of different ideas and it seemed to all dead end into one thing.  So I was confused on what to do next.  The emails were so different from how I was thinking about it... so now I will see where all these ideas take me.  There was, however, one person who summed up my whole week of research in one little comment on FB... I don't think I know this person but I like how she thinks!  It was Natalie Kilgore Giddens.  Good two cents Sister.  I have been asking people the past year and few months if they believe the church is true.  They all have a strong testimony that Joseph Smith is a prophet and that The Church of Jesus Christ was restored through him.  They believe that The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ, etc.  But somehow they do not attend church or act according to this knowledge/testimony.  This week I have divided the different classes of "knowing" the Church is true.  First step: obtain Knowledge.  We obtain the knowledge through others sharing their knowledge with us.  We can also read to gain knowledge.  But knowledge is just in the brain/mind.  Useful... but this is only level one.  The next step would be to confirm the truthfulness of this spiritual knowledge.  Or receive a testimony.  A person can pray and feel the Spirit and know the truthfulness of the knowledge they gained.  This extends the knowledge to the heart.  This is how people come to feel the gospel is true.  The person is definitely progressing by this point but much more is needed to obtain a true conversion.  Look up Conversion in the Bible Dictionary... the last part is what really hit me.  Recall Peter's experience the night before the Savior.  Even he... who traveled with the Savior for three years was not yet fully converted to Jesus Christ's gospel.  Complete conversion requires that we have endured many things and will yet endure.  It means that we accept the challenge of the Savior to "be perfect" even as our Father in Heaven is perfect.  I think if this is truly our goal we will be at church every week ready to be uplifted.  

So I just shared most of what I have come up with this week.  I am really going to print out every answer I just received and look at them all individually and see what I can find.  I really REALLY appreciate the time everyone took to help me out.  I hope that the questions were though provoking enough to help you all as well.  I will have more this next week for everyone.  Just to let you all know I made a survey for the members as well with most of the same questions.  Everyone that filled it out was at church this weekend.  I think what could help me the most is trying to find a way to help others understand what I have already found out.  I feel like I have gained alot from this study, but now my struggle is how to communicate this to the members effectively.  What are some things that have helped you all receive the testimonies or strengthen your testimonies to the point that you feel the need to go to church?  How have other people helped you feel that need/desire?  Just help me get some ideas to get the active members involves as well.  I feel like this group is a bit too segregated right now.  I liked what Linda said about being a community.  I need to get that going right now.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH... You don't know how much those answers meant to me.  You are all beautiful people.  

This week was alot of fun for me.  We had some investigators come to church... three in fact.  Two still need to get married, but I am really feeling like they are inching closer to it.  The other one has been three weeks in a row.  Her name is Lea Noquera and is doing really well.  She still has a couple things we need to help her with but I think she could be baptized this month.  I don't know if I will still be here though.  I think there is a 70% chance I will leave this week.  Transfer week is upon us once again.  I will know Wednesday night whether I have another 6 weeks here or not.  I really do not wanna leave, but with how things are working out this transfer it just makes sense for me to leave.  I'll let you all know this next Monday.

We are also really excited for a family that we have been teaching... The Lucero Family.  They are doing a great job progressing and gave us firm commitments to come to church this next Sunday.  Another guy Elmer Faelman is a new investigator that we have only seen twice so far, but he has really shown some progress.  We are setting a goal to have him at church this weekend as well.  

We are working lots with Less Active families as well.  It is really really tough to help them come back to church.  There is only so much you can do for them... I guess that is why I am focusing so much on studying out how to help them understand so much.  I feel like I am becoming more effective already.  

I also have done something else to help my study and myself as well.  One of my New Year's Resolutions is to read the Book of Mormon every month for the rest of my mission (at least).  I have read it 8 times in my life already... so this goal will double the amount of times I've read it cover to cover.  It is pretty lofty... but luckily being a missionary I have lots of time to read the Book of Mormon.  So right now I am in Mosiah 25.  I am on track to finish before February.  I feel like this goal will really help me be a more effective missionary.  I have already experienced it actually.  What do you think?  good goal?  I have really enjoyed so far... I feel like I will really KNOW what is in the Book of Mormon by the end of my mission.  

Well, I don't think too much else has happened this week that I need to report.  This week has just been very contemplative for me... thinking studying, more thinking, and lots of reading.  I am doing really well here in Miag-ao.  I love my mission, I love this place, and I love the people.  So all in all I am happy and I can't believe that I only have like 8 months left to enjoy it.  

I love you all and miss you all so much.  Keep up the great emails and the awesome support.  I am glad I have such awesome people to fall back on... it makes the mission so nice and easier to have an awesome support group like you all.  

Halong,

Elder Lowry