Those that Hear -- May 25, 2014

May 25, 2014

Hello Everyone,

This week was really great! We have great new investigators!! They are so so cool! Both of them are college professors, so we teach them in English. One is so sincerely seeking for truth, and he follows all of our commitments! His name is Soy Maglinte (lightning in Waray/Tagalog) But he's probably my favorite investigator right now. We spent 3 lessons teaching about the restoration because he wanted to make sure he understood. And we watched the restoration video with them as well. At the end he was almost in tears and he expressed that it touched his heart. He is so curious about Joseph Smith. He wants to know everything about him. He really wants to know the prophet. He was disappointed to learn that he had died a couple hundred years ago. He thought it was interesting that he came from such humble circumstances and only had a third grade education. He said, "Just like Jesus Christ. He was only a carpenter, but he taught the Pharisees in the synagogues at the age of 12." It so cool that he made that connection. This man is so prepared to have the gospel in his life. I don't know if it will take a long time, but I can definitely see him being the next bishop in Catarman. 

In contrast with that experience, the other day, we were trying to find the house of a referral when we passed a different church. The leader of that church came over to us and started talking to us. At first it was a nice conversation, which quickly led into a horribly uncomfortable situation. He was just telling us everything he personally thought about the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, Eternal Marriage, faith, working for salvation, and many other things did he say against us. The worst part was that he wouldn't give us an opportunity to even defend our beliefs. I defended a few points of our beliefs in the most respectful way I could muster, but It was pointless. He didn't really care about what we had to say. We got out of it by talking about the celestial kingdom. Something He couldn't argue with because he knew nothing about it. But, that gave us an opportunity to end the conversation by offering our service to any service projects he had coming up.

To be honest, this is probably only the fifth time an encounter happened like this to me on my mission;  Because Filipino people are very respectful about other peoples' beliefs. But all of the sudden, this preacher, ex-pat from Louisiana, decides to basically attack everything I know to be true. I think for the most part it made me so sad to see someone whose understanding about God's plan for all of his children and basically throw away his opportunity to receive further light and understanding into his life. 

Today I was studying about the waters of Mormon in the 18th chapter of Mosiah. And how Alma taught all and any person that would hear his words. In the dictionary today I discovered that there is a difference between listening and hearing. 

Listen: to pay attention in order to hear
Hear: To gain knowledge of by hearing

This man wasn't listening to us or hearing us. But it made me so grateful that I'm surrounded by a people who are willing to listen to words of God. I know that God chooses simple people to carry out his work because those are the people that are humble enough to hear. 

Let us all be more willing to hear and follow the commandments of God. 

I know that this church is true, and I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. That is nothing that can take this knowledge away from me. I love that we have the opportunity to have eternal marriages. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Love,
Sister Bingham

The Scary Room -- May 18, 2014

May 18, 2014

Hello everyone,

Happy P-day! This week flew at an alarming rate! 

In my mission we have to do a service project each week (as we should). So, we helped clean the church this week because it was stake conference this weekend. After sweeping the whole church (no carpet in the Philippines, just tile) and cleaning white boards black boards and things, me and my companion stumbled upon "the scary room." Which is just a normal classroom that they happen to store all the chairs and all broken things. We went in to sweep and saw a big white board that some kids had gotten their hands on and looks like they were practicing to be hooligans. Anyway, we decide to clean it. We found out they used permanent marker and crayons. So, we hunted down some glass cleaner and started scrubbing. 45 minutes later, we got one side basically spotless....Then we looked at the back... also graffitied. So we cleaned that side too. Then I noticed that there was crayon on the wall, so I started scrubbing there. After working on that for a space of time, we finally thought all was done.

 

Then..... we looked behind the door. crazy crayon party. So we cleaned all of that too. 

By the time we were done, we had to go home and study. It's funny because no one even goes in that room of the chapel. But, personally, I think this relates to the atonement (I know what you're thinking, "Geeze Sister Bingham, why does EVERYTHIG you do have to relate to the atonement. We're sick of hearing about it after a year and a half." but it's good, hear me out.).

I think it relates to sin. I have been reading in Mosiah this transfer for my personal study. I really love the people of Mosiah. Especially when King Benjamin are asking them what they think about what he's been teaching them. The people all say that they believe the words that have been spoken, and they just want to serve God and have no more disposition to do evil. 

Something weird has been happening to me. I'll just be teaching or something and the spirit will remind me of something I did ages ago that I need to repent for. So I do. But I kind of relate this to us cleaning out the scary room. We all have our scary rooms. The coolest thing about the atonement is that we can clean out those places in our minds we'd rather not dwell. Christ can wipe off the permanent marker, and He can purify our hearts until all the corners of our conscience are clean. I think it can be extremely easy for us to make these scary rooms in our minds and shove all our sins there and lock the door. But, because we're here to repent, and become better, we all have to face our scary rooms. We can choose to be brave and face it now, or we can wait as it gathers dust until we only remember it on judgment day.

I love the Savior. I love what he did for all of us. In D&C 19:15-18, it talks about how we have to suffer like the Savior did, if we didn't repent in this life. I love it. I'm so grateful for repentance. I know that it is not too late to repent and change. I know that Christ lives, and I know He did this for us so we wouldn't have to take upon ourselves exquisite pain that we can't comprehend now.

Thanks for all of your support and prayers! I love you all so much!

Sister Bingham

Weekly Challenge: go in your scary rooms and take care of whatever is in there. Your bishop is there to help you with whatever it is. You can do it! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Somebody's Kid -- May 12, 2014

May 12, 2014

Hello Everyone,

Shout out to all the great moms I know! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!

I got to talk to my family today! That was the best!! And I'm so happy to have such a great mom! 

This week was great! We had such a special baptism. Her name is Juliet, and she's 11. I usually hesitate to baptize minors if their parents aren't members, but Juliet is different. Her uncle is in the stake presidency and they all live in the same household. She has been coming to church for a long time before we started teaching her. Her baptism might have been one of my most favorite baptisms ever. A lot of our investigators came, and her mom came! That was the best part. As sister Juliet was getting baptized, her mother was in tears. The spirit was so strong. After the baptism, we asked her how she felt, and she said, "I'm so grateful that you care about my daughter so much. You give her special treatment! She's only 11, but she's the only one getting baptized today. I'm just so grateful that you show her so much love. No one else really treats her nicely, not her school teacher, or anything. But, your church gives her special treatment." The best part is before her baptism, her Gegie (her mom) didn't want to listen to our message, but now she wants to come to church! We’re so excited for her! 

I'm so grateful for that miracle that happened. I prayed so hard that sister Gegie would come to the baptism. And Heavenly Father answered my prayer. It amazes me every time that happens. Here I am, so incredibly blessed. I have the greatest family on the planet, someone wonderful who wants to marry me when I get home, I get to share the gospel every day of my life, I always have food to eat, clothes are covering my body, and I feel the spirit always. And despite all of the things I already have, Heavenly Father helped sister Gegie witness her daughter's baptism. Even though there are many many many people all around the world who need a bigger miracle than that, it still happened. I'm just blown away at the love our Father in Heaven has for all of us. I'm so happy every day to be a part of Heavenly Father's family. 

A couple weeks ago, me and my companion, Sister Campbell, had kind of an off day. A really great investigator dropped us, and some other things happened. And then, we went to a barangay that is really really poor. I saw a couple of things that disgusted my spirit. The first one was, we walked past a funeral thing where all the adults were drinking, and a little around the corner, there were a group of little boys huddled around a very large bottle of brandy. We were on a motor, so I couldn't take it away from them, but I said, "uy! Don't drink that! It's bad for you! Stop!" and then one of the drunk 7 or 9 year olds stood up and said, "You aren't my mom, Americana!"   The second incident happened just a few minutes after. We saw maybe an 8 or 10 year old girl smoking a cigarette. Again, I tried to stop her, but she ran away laughing. 

I was so sad for these little spirits who had no idea what they were doing to their bodies. My appreciation grew enormously for my mother. I have recently been studying in the book of Omni. I know, you're all saying, "What? Where is Omni??" It's in the Book of Mormon. Haha But in the first 10 verses of Omni (there is only 1 chapter) the record switches hands 4 times. The first, Omni, tells us how he protected his family, but didn't keep the commandments of God. Then, it goes to his son, who also didn't keep the commandments, and it goes that way until it reaches Chemise, who says, "Now I Chemise, write what few things I write, in the same book with my brother; for behold, I saw the last which he wrote, that he wrote it with his own hand; and he wrote it in the day that he delivered them unto me. And after this manner we keep the records, for it is according to the commandments of our fathers. And I make an end."

As to say, Chemise thought that he was doing the right thing. When obviously, he was being somewhat lazy in his writing. The same is true for all of us. How will our children know the commandments of God, and how to live a happy and fulfilling life, if we don't teach them? I'm reading now in Mosiah, and King Benjamin is talking about how we should be grateful for the scriptures, because we are not "perishing in ignorance," Like our brethren the Lamanites. 

I guess the common theme of my studies this week is just how important parents are. I'm sure that if it weren't for my parents, particularly my mother, I wouldn't be on a mission right now--because no one would have made me go to church when I just wanted to watch cartoons. Because no one would have sat me down and told me I was beautiful and the only thing that mattered was what is on the inside of my heart, not my outward appearance. And because no one would have showed me what a happy eternal marriage looks like. 

I know that we all know people who are perishing in ignorance, because of their parents. I'm so happy that I'm not one of them. I love that my parents have taught me so many things in my life. I think the most important has been to love God above anything else. I'm thankful for my mom, and for her keeping the commandments when no one else was. I'm thankful and proud that I'm a Bingham. And I'm so thankful for the heritage of good women and mothers that I am a product of. 

I know that this church is true, and I know that the impact of women is great. I know that all of us are somebody's kid. And we are all children of God. I know that kindness and love can change lives, and help those who are perishing in ignorance. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Love,
Sister Bingham
 

 

Increasing Expectations -- May 4, 2014

May 4, 2014

Hello all!

This week was really great. We were in Tacloban for a few days going to meetings and the mission conference. Elder Neilson (the area president of the Philippines) came. It was really cool to see the whole mission together again. 

We had some great workshops with him! We (as leaders) had a lot of meetings about how to increase the expectations of the mission. I'm really excited for the changes that we made. 

Sorry, this e-mail isn't a long one, but I just want to voice some thoughts that I had during the conference. He just talked a lot about how we need to raise the expectations for ourselves. I took that to heart. I think that there is nothing wrong with re-setting the expectations for ourselves. I went on exchanges with a sister this week, who said that she doesn't know where to start. I told her that she just needs to work on the small things that she can change now, and then the big things will work themselves out. I know that this is true. 

Our cute little investigator, Juliet, passed her baptismal interview the other day! She is getting baptized on Thursday. It is her birthday today, she is now 11. We are super excited for her to get baptized! She is a child, but her baptism means a lot. We started teaching more of her immediate family members, and her aunt, sister, Jilyne Palo is getting baptized with a few of her kids on the 24th. Her sister, Jelly who is 18, committed to get baptized the first week of June!!  I think this is the start to get their whole entire extended family into the gospel. I'm really grateful for Juliet. She is so cute, and she shows her love in such different ways. She has taught me so much about the gospel. I love her! 

I'm so thankful for Heavenly Father. He doesn't give us what we want sometimes, but he ALWAYS gives us what we need. And he has plans for all of us. It's cool that I get to be part of His plan to help Juliet's family have eternal life. 

I love being a missionary! And I love all of you!! Thank you for your prayers, and for reading my e-mails! It's been exciting to think of how many people read these. I'm grateful for all your hard work in hastening the work of Salvation. I know that we will never regret opening our mouths and that small things bring to pass great things. 

Love,

Sister Bingham

      It is so great to see this mission back intact!  Lots of happy and hard working missionaries!!!