June 22, 2014
Maupay
nga Kolop!
I
hope all of you are having a holy, happy Sabbath! Exciting News..... I'm dying
in Catarman. I didn't transfer! Which I'm so happy about, because I get to see
so many miracles, and some of the fruits of the past three months work. This
last cycle of my mission, I decided that I really want to just have strong,
unshakable faith. Not that I don't have faith, but one of my last house mates
made me realize that I should maybe just work on it a little. I have been
trying to develop my faith this week, and some miracles happened!!
-We
had 12 investigators at church!! I think that's more than I've ever had my
entire mission! I kept writing the number in my planner, and then would have to
cross it out and write a different number because more and more investigators
kept coming throughout the whole sacrament meeting. I love these people so so
so so much! I am so happy that they are deciding to come unto Christ.
- My
favorite family (ok, ok, just kidding, everyone is my favorite), the Palo's,
had a miracle happen in their family! Usually the dad, wouldn't let us teach
him, and he kept running away from us, and wouldn't come to church. But last
night, he came to our lesson!!!!!! And, he said that he knew the church was
true, but he just didn't think he could do it (because of his vices). We had an
awesome lesson about the atonement, and about how anyone, young or old, sinner
or super sinner, could come unto Christ. And guess what happened. He committed
to baptism next month!!! I'm so excited for this family!! I have a testimony
that prayer and fasting can change people’s hearts and desires.
-We
went back to a Less Active family that we hadn't been to in a while. The wife
wouldn't listen to us, but the Dad, Brother Christopher did. Brother
Christopher's whole family is LDS. So we just assumed that he was baptized and
inactive. But, turns out, that he had never gotten baptized! He's the coolest!
He has such a good heart. He committed to baptism the last week of July, and he
has been reading the Book of Mormon for a few weeks now since the first time we
visited him last transfer. I'm so excited for him! Hopefully, as we teach him,
and he comes to church, his wife will want to come too.
I realize that these miracles might not seem like miracles to some of you, but
my heart is overflowing with gratitude to my Father in Heaven. I have gained
something so precious to me on my mission. And that is my love for my Heavenly
Father. I think that before my mission, I maybe only read my scriptures at
church. Then I left them in my car the whole week. I think that I never really
repented for my daily mistakes, or really cared about the salvation of myself
or other people. And Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ were probably number 5 or
7 on my priorities list. Since I've re-focused my life, I've never been
happier. I now know that my source of peace and strength isn't if I have a job,
or my grades, or my bank account balance, or even my Boyfriend or my Family.
But, it's my Heavenly Father. I testify that if He comes first in our lives,
nothing can prevent peace and joy in our lives.
This
morning I was studying in Alma chapter 13. In verse 10 it says, "...and it
was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness
before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than perish.
11 Therefore they were called after the holy order, and were sanctified, and
their garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb. 12 Now they,
after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white,
being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence;
and there were many, exceedingly great many, who were made pure and entered
into the rest of the Lord their God."
I
love these scriptures. I think I really love that faith is a choice. We can
choose to grow our faith everyday by being obedient. I read the conference talk
by L. Tom Perry this morning and he said something cool. He said that obedience
isn't blindly following because we are weak. He said that obedience is choosing
to trust the knowledge of our Heavenly Father and not rely on our knowledge.
I
heard a quote from a cute little Filipino boy at church yesterday. He said,
"God gives His strongest battles to His strongest soldiers." I think
in our society today, the strongest battles we face are of those to choose to
be obedient, or choosing to be disobedient. I know that no matter how
complicated society and culture and laws or problems may get, the solution is
always simple--Obedience to the commandments of God.
Let us strive to strip away the sins that doth easily beset us, And Love God. I
promise that as we do this, we will see miracles in our lives, and in the lives
of our family and friends that we could never bring to pass without our Father
in Heaven.
In
the name of Jesus Christ, Amen
Love,
Sister
Bingham
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