1.19.15

Faith

This is not what I expected to see this morning. :( Sad, sad news for the Bacolod Mission.

"Dear Bacolod Missionaries,
On Sunday, President and Sister Lopez returned to the United States so President Lopez can receive urgent medical treatment. It is not anticipated that they will be returning to complete their mission. We ask that you join with the Area Presidency in prayer and faith on their behalf. Arrangements are being made for a couple to be in Bacolod to lead the great work you are doing. In the interim, Elder Mower who serves in the mission office will be able to respond to your immediate needs.
Sincerely,
Philippines Area Presidency


Well, as most of you know already, President Lopez has returned to the States for medical treatment and most likely will not return. It's a sad morning like I said, here in Bacolod. One lesson I learned from President Lopez is that "Where there is fear, there is no Faith." Even without President Lopez I know that this work will go on. He is truly loved, and will truly be missed. We did not see this coming at all. He told us last week that he would not be much help the next two weeks but we did not see this as the end result. I don't know what's going to happen. But I do know that the Lord is "mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in."

This week was pretty good. Elder Lopez and I met 30 New investigators this week! So that's a good start. We also had a super interested investigator move in from another ward, so we'll pick up where the other elders left off. We only had 4 investigators at church, but that's better than 0! Work is always fun and exciting with Elder Lopez, so that's great!

One thing I learned this week in my reading of the Book of Mormon is that the secret to success in life lies within keeping the commandments of the Lord. Nephi repeatedly exhorts his brothers to be "faithful" and "diligent" in keeping the commandments of the Lord. 2 Nephi 1:20 states that those who keep the commandments will be blessed and prosper while those who do not will be kept from the presence of the Lord. It's pretty obvious what we need to do. The question is, "Are we doing it?" The Lord doesn't ask to much of us, and usually we don't give him enough. Let's do our best to improve our lives by doing what the Lord asks of us, and keep his commandments!

I love you all and know that the Lord has a plan for all of us. It might not be what we think or what we want, but He is all knowing, and knows what's best for us. Let's do our best to embrace Him and His love. Hope you all have a great week!