Conference Weekend! Week 15

This week has seriously been amazing. Conference may be the greatest thing ever and I just feel totally ready to just teach everyone here in Candelari!. I definitely know this is not possible, but that's how I feel. I wish everyone could just know the wonderful things and the counsel we received this weekend!.

Our work this week hasn't been the greatest though and we got punted a lot, but the cute family I told you about last week, we had a really really good lesson with them this week. Their names are Marites and Gregorio and they have 4 kids; JM (6), Aleah (5), Liyka (3), and Krissie (5 months) (I think) and seriously they are the cutest little family ever.  They aren't married and so we had planned to bring that up with them.They need to be married to be baptized. Sis. Lorente and I were super nervous to bring it up.

 

 That day we were able to work with some members though who just got married in the temple  2 weeks after I first got here. Before the lessons we told them that we were going to bring up marriage and then asked if they would be willing to share their experience during the lesson.

 

During the lesson I was kind of procrastinating bringing up marriage. Finally I did. A whole lot of Tagalog followed that I did not understand! The couple and Sis. Lorente all discussed the different needs and costs for the marriage and I was just super lost. Then after a few minutes of them discussing marriage, Sis. Lorente just looks at me and says "we can help them".  After that we had thecouple share their experience in the temple.They had a little picture of the Manila Temple so we showed them that too.

 

 It was just SO perfect to have them there to share their experience! The spirit was so strong at that lesson and I know everyone could feel it. The family is willing to work on saving money to get married and then we want to have their baptism later that night. Our goal date for them is November 30. 

 

We are really doing all we can to help them gain their testimonies so that they will be ready for their baptisms. I am still so happy we found them! It really is a testimony builder to me every time we teach them that Heavenly Father is preparing His children.

They are really our only real progressing investigators, the rest either punt us or don't keep their commitments, so that has been really hard. But we keep trying!

Conference really was so great though. We watched the Sat. sessions at our church building with the members then Sunday we went to Lucena for the Sunday sessions. They were all in English. I really have never had such a spiritual experience at conference before. I was so filled with the spirit and this time, everything just seemed so urgent! I loved every minute of it. And I loved even more that so much of it was just centered on missionary work, the Atonement, and preparing ourselves for these "perilous times". We are so lucky to have a living prophet and to have these leaders who are so close to Heavenly Father and are able to receive these revelations for our protection.

This week I also finished the Book of Mormon and I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had to read it and think about faith. Faith is everything! I have never read the Book of Mormon this fast in my entire life and I can't wait to start reading it again. 

 

I know that it is a true book. I know that it has the power to change lives. I know that it is the best way for us, as missionaries and especially members, to grow closer to Heavenly Father and strengthen our own lives. 

I love the Book of Mormon and I love sharing it with other people we meet and explaining that it was originally written on golden plates because the words are too precious to be written on anything else. 

 

I am so happy to be a missionary at this critical time of Heavenly Father's work and I know that the harder I work to help Him and to serve Him, I will gain a better understanding of who He is and who Jesus Christ is. 

 

I have also started reading Jesus the Christ because I have such a strong desire to know who Jesus Christ really is. I know His atonement is real and that it changes lives and has changed my own, but I want to know more about Jesus Christ Himself. We really are so lucky to be members of this church and have all these amazing resources!

I really hope that we will all take the prophets council to BE MISSIONARIES!! There are so many people who need to know about these things and there are so many lives we can bless! We have all these amazing promises for doing work, and I know that God will give us all the help we need!

Love,

Sister Mecham