Sunday, September 18, 2016

Week 64....Vintar Philippines


Chill week. It rained a bunch, nothin new there.  We had a movie night at the meeting house on Saturday! We showed the Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration movie and like 50 kids came haha. They were super super noisy and out of control, especially when we brought out the free popcorn and drinks. We were gonna try to like bear testimony and invite them to church and ask if we could teach their fams but it was just to out of control. They all went crazy when the movie was over and ran for the door because it was really hot inside. So while they were all rushing out i just screamed "COME TO CHURCH TOMORROW MORNING!"  SO we had 14 little kids show up at church on Sunday! And we had 2 other new investigators come! SO we had 16 at church! The 14 were still really noisy and disruptive during church but I taught them about the Restoration and got all their names and gave them pamphlets and ask them if I could go teach their fams so we are hoping that can turn into something good!  They were pretty crazy though and they all just asked me to buy them food like the whole time.

We are finding a lot.  We don't have any real progressing yet. It is an open area after all. But we are trying to find the people that the Lord has prepared for us.

I started the Book of Mormon again. I only read a chapter a day and I just try to really ponder every verse and I write down anything that pops into my head in my study journal.  Haha. I read 1 Nephi 1:1 and ended up writing 2 pages about it.  It was about how Nephi has seen many afflictions through out his days yet he was still highly favored of the Lord and he had a great knowledge of the goodness of God. Now how can someone who has seen many afflictions know so much about God and His and goodness and mercy and Love for His Children? Look at the difference between Nephi and his elder brothers. They all abandoned their comfortable life in Jerusalem, lived in the wilderness for the space of many years, suffered all manners of affliction and trials, and crossed the ocean to America. They all went through the same stuff but they turned out so different. Nephi was given power of His brethren and became a ruler and a teacher over them, and his seed would be blessed and have power of the lamanites as long as they were righteous, and God promised to prosper him and his seed as long as they kept the commandments and so much more. Laman and Lamuel were cursed and became a degenerate and ferocious people and the cause of much evil among their seed. How did they turn out so different yet were brought up in and suffered the same trials in the wilderness, they all heard the voice of the Lord and saw angels and were guided by the Liahona in the wilderness, and they were all born of goodly parents.  The difference was that Nephi always trusted the Lord and looked to Him in every circumstance, easy or hard. He never looked at the negative nor complained or murmured like his brethren and even his father at one point. He was always finding a solution and going about doing good and walking under the light of prayer. He was always busy and productive. He was hunting and building and making tools out of ore and he was a savior for his family many times in the wilderness and his soul delighted in the scriptures and seeking the Lord in humble prayer, while his brethren were murmuring and feeling sorry for them selves and longing for their gold and their silver and their precious things and their comfortable life back home. Nephi was an optimist. I want to be more like Nephi. Maybe I need to make it past verse 1 so I can figure out how to be more like him haha.

There is my spiritual insight for you guys haha. Lets all be more like Nephi. Lets quit being lazy and pessimistic and murmuring and lusting for the things of the world. Lets be productive and busy and always abounding in good works and be problem solvers rather than problem finders. Lets let our souls delight in the scriptures and pray mightily before the Lord. Nephi is a beast. He was just a person, just like we are now. We can be like him!

Its my birthday next pday. Yall better not forget! September 26th! Shout out to Elder Winget in Mexico who is my brotha from anotha motha who also has the same birthday as me! 
Pray for me and I pray for you! Ay ayaten Kayo!
-Elder Andersen










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