November 28, 2012

Hey everyone!! So let me tell you about the week. It was awesome!! First off, we had two more baptisms this week!! That makes three for the mission so far. It was so great and it was an awesome service. Two sisters were baptized last Friday and then confirmed the following Sunday. We asked one of the priests here to do the baptizing. We really try to get the members involved as much as we can so that is why we asked him. He agreed to do one of them but he didn't think he would be able to do both. So they asked me to do the other! So yes, to answer all of your questions, I had my first actual baptism with me doing the baptizing. It was great. I felt the spirit so strong and I know the sisters did as well. The following Tuesday we taught them again and it was a great lesson. They talked about how great the baptism was and they expressed how they just wanted to read the scriptures more and more. At the end of the lesson they even asked for an assignment to give them! We also had a ton of lessons with less active members so far this week. We had a devotional last week with Elder Brent H. Nielsen, one of the area seventy here. It was mission tour last week which was also another great part of the week. In the devotional he expressed how important it was to establish the church here in the Philippines., He said it wasn't about the number of baptisms, but about how many of those stay active and eventually make it to the temple and endure to the end. It was great advice and Elder Pugmire and I really focused on that. One of the things he said was to reteach the lessons starting from the beginning to less active families. So we did just that and we saw so many blessings from it. We taught one family the restoration and it made them want to go back to church and read the scriptures again. That made me feel great. So we're going to continue to listen to the council of Elder Nielsen and teach the lessons to these families and eventually establish the church. Another sweet part was it was Thanksgiving!! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! It was awesome. A senior couple here in our area that we get to serve with actually made us Thanksgiving lunch! It was delicious and made it feel like real Thanksgiving. Then at night we came back and had turkey sandwiches! It totally reminded me of awesome Thanksgiving times back home. Elder Pugmire and I read a ton of scriptures on gratitude on that day. It was sweet since it was Thanksgiving. It made me really realize how much we are blessed and giving thanks to our Father in Heaven is very important because of all those blessings. Lastly, today we went to the temple! It was actually a temple trip to the Manila temple and not just a tour. The temple is so great and I love going there. I am so happy and grateful we get to go each transfer. I guess we get to go once a transfer since we're in the Philippines and it is close enough. I learn a lot each time I go and I love the Spirit I fell there. I already can't wait to return! So that's a whole ton of info about me! I hope you're all doing great. I sure am. The weather is hot, the food is tasty, and the people are amazing. I love you all!!!

Elder Stephens