This week, we went SUPER SAYAN. Like the thing that Goku does on dragon
ball Z when lights and energy is shooting out from everywhere and the veins in his neck look like they are gonna explode. That was me this
week.
We had our zone conference on Tuesday, and it
was about John chapter 21 when Peter and the Apostles decided to go
fishing, and then Jesus appeared on the shore and asked Peter 3 times if
he loved Him. The APs showed a Jeffrey R Holland talk that he gave in
the Provo MTC. This talk was similar to the one he gave in conference
about the exact same chapter a couple years ago, but this one was a
little different and it was SO POWERFUL. I cried while watching it. It
was about leaving your fishing nets behind and loving the Lord. I felt
the Spirit so strong and had a seriously big time call to repentance.
Another part of the zone con was about crying repentance and so I
applied that this week as well.
After Tuesday, I decided to let everything go. All my pride, all my excuses, all my favorite sins, all my passions, and habits and wants and desires, and everything else. I decided to just cut the strings that are keeping me from giving it all to the Lord, that are keeping me from reaching my potential as a missionary. I decided to learn the lesson that Peter learned in John chapter 21, when he finally left his fishing nets and became Peter the Great Apostle, when he became the Peter who consecrated himself to the Lord, the Peter who no longer feared man, the Peter who did great and mighty miracles in the name of Jesus. Because in reality, we all have to learn this lesson. Because we covenanted to do this when we were baptized. For men, this covenant was enhanced when we took upon us the Holy Priesthood of God, and for all of us who have been endowed in the temples of God have been bound even tighter in our covenant relationship with the Lord. I decided to be like Peter and to leave my fishing nets behind, and for good. Just like Peter the fishermen was no longer a fishermen when he became an apostle, we also are no longer what we used to be. But sometimes, just like Peter, it takes us a little longer than it should to actually give up the old man we used to be and become the person we covenanted to be, which is a disciple of Jesus Christ. All it comes down to is' "Lovest thou me?" DO WE LOVE HIM? Do we love Him more than what we do (for Peter that was fishing)? Do we love Him more than our phones? Our Playstations? Our favorite sports? Our favorite music? Our favorite pass times? Our money? Do we love Him more than being comfortable? Do We Love more than EVERYTHING? This week I decided to finally answer,"YES!"
I have prayed every morning and every night and told God, "Father I love Thee. But now I am going to prove it to Thee."
This
week we found 74 new investigators in 4 days. We plan on giving at
least 20 baptismal dates this week and finding 80 more. I decided this
week to stop making excuses and fearing men, and to only fear God. I am
talking about walking down a street and talking to EVERY ONE. That is
what we did. No matter what they are doing, no matter what they look
like, no matter what age. We talked to everyone and invited every single
one of them to come unto Christ. Most of them did not seem interested
in what we had to teach them, but about 23 out of the 74 seemed quite
interested and we plan on following up with and teaching them again and
inviting them to be baptized, and in the mean time, finding 80 more new
investigators this week. I plan on extending at least 20 baptismal
invitations every week for the rest of my mission.
This
week I tried to picture what it looked like when Jesus would walk down a
street in Jerusalem, or when Peter walked down a street filled with
people, or Ammon and Aaron among the lamanites, or Enoch, or any of the
prophets, and I am trying to copy that here in the Philippines.
I
have wasted almost a year out here in the mission field not giving it
all to the Lord and I am sick of it. I chose to Love the Lord, and to
prove it to Him.
On Saturday I had quarterly
interviews with President Andrada, and I confessed all my sins and then I
told him how the work was going. By that point we had only found 51
investigators in 3 days. When I told him, His face lit up and he
couldn't stop smiling and he was super happy all the sudden. He then immediately invited me and Elder Roberto to Laoag today to speak at the
Laoag, Laoag East, and Bangui zone conference. He wants us to share our
experience and bare testimony. He said that it takes most missionaries
in th Laoag mission 2 months to find 51 new investigators. SO we are in
Laoag right now haha. I am super nervous to speak later in front of 3
zones and all the APs and President and Sister Andrada. SO I am kinda
freaking out right now.
But I am really anxious to get back to Lasam ASAP and get back to work because there is so much work to be done.
I love you all and here are a bunch of pictures. :) Alma 26:22
-Elder Andersen
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