This week was a good one full of some actually pretty
good work!
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| District activity earlier today. |
We had exchanges this last week and my companion
was Elder Anselmo. He's a good missionary who enjoys doing the work, and within
two hours of working with him we were able to find 12 new investigators by just
knocking on people's doors! The rest of the day we went around and taught some
great lessons to our other investigators we have here. It was really good to
get out and just work all day and not worry about anything else!
This last week we taught some of our inactives in
the branch here in Libon. It's really interesting to see how their lives have
changed ever since they stopped going to church. Before, they had steady jobs,
they were doing well with their family, but now their life is just slipping
away. We are trying to show them that if they want their life back, they need
to live according to the teachings of Christ in order to invoke the blessings
of heaven on themselves and on their family.
It's interesting to see the lives of the people
here. Being a missionary here in the Philippines gives a one in a lifetime
chance to meet as many people with as many different backgrounds as possible.
It's amazing to see the differences in their lives and exactly what causes
these differences, and I can confidently say that those who are following the
things that we are teaching to them live MUCH happier lives than others who
reject our teachings and messages. I just hope that eventually they will see
that our message is one of hope.
I watched a video the other day that told a story
of two young brothers about 60 years ago who found a pair of old boots and a
jacket right next to a wheat field. They looked out into the field and noticed
there was an older farmer out there who was working. They could tell that the
boots and jacket were his, and upon finding the boots, the younger brother who
was about 10 years old wanted to hide the old man's boots and jacket and wait
and watch from a distance for him to return. The younger brother thought it
would be funny to see his reaction as he frantically searched for his hidden
items. But the older brother had another idea. Instead of hiding the old man's
belongings, he suggested that they each leave a silver dollar in each boot, and
then watch and wait for the man to come back. Reluctantly, the younger brother
agreed, and that's what they did. Upon arriving back at his boots and jacket,
the brothers watched as he slipped on one boot and took it right back off,
noticing the silver dollar inside. He removed the dollar and looked around for
whoever it was that put it in there, but he could see no one, for the boys were
hidden out of sight. Then he slipped on the other boot and noticed the other
dollar that was carefully placed inside. When finding these two dollars, he
immediately knelt down and offered up a prayer out loud to God, saying his
thanks to God because he desperately had been needing money for his wife, who
lay ill due to a sickness that threatened her life and did not have the needed
money to purchase the medicine. He then asked to invoke the blessings of Heaven
upon the people who had placed the money in his boots. The young brothers
walked away from this experience and the older brother said to the younger,
"There, now doesn't that feel good?"
Just do good to others, and the same will always
be reciprocated to you in the end. I love you all and hope you have a fantastic
week!
Elder Austin Russell Cook
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| District activity earlier today. |
P.S. Mom I’m doing well! I’m all healthy and stuff, but
the conditions here are still the same. Earlier today it was raining really
hard, so we took a shower under the rain water that drained off of the roof of
the church because it's actually cleaner than the water in our apartment.
#GoPhilippines
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