Week 80: For a Witness

Hello everyone!! I hope everyone had a great week! It's been another good one here for me. We had transfers this week which was kinda crazy but fun. Kind of a lot more responsibility as an assistant and my head was kinda spinning the whole time but also so much fun. We spent Tuesday sending home some missionaries who had finished their mission.. one of them a sister who was in the MTC with me! That was so weird! 18 months goes by so fast!!! It's flying. Time is actually just flying by. IT'S CRAZY. We also welcomed the new missionaries in, it seems like another good batch ready to work and be obedient.

I'm loving my mission so much. The work is going so well. As we have tried to shift our focus on finding/teaching people who are READY to accept the gospel, we have seen so many blessings and I'm surprised at how many people actually *are* ready to accept and act on coming to church. Yesterday, we had 16 of the people we're teaching come! More families came for the first time. It was a stake conference and the whole building (both stories) was absolutely packed but we made it work. It was so good.

The work is hastening. The time is close. I can feel and see a hastening, even in my time here. I am inspired to work harder and to be more diligent in the little things. We are taught in Matthew 24:14 that the gospel of Jesus Christ will flood the earth before His second coming. "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." There are so many out here who have been prepared. It's true.

Lots of other missionaries have been applying this same thing. Last night in follow ups I asked the zone leaders how the "finding PSA" is going, and it's crazy how much it's working. Areas that have begun to find and only teach those who are willing to come to church have seen miraculous changes and progression. It's amazing. The work is SO good. It works.

One of the families we found a couple weeks ago got married this week! Sister is a returning member and she now has a family! :) We helped them get married through the city. The mayor had a "mass wedding" I don't know if they do them in America but basically they just marry like 20+ couples at the same time. It was pretty cool. Here's some pictures.

complimentary cake, flowers, and wine! (They didn't drink the wine haha)

After the wedding, we had the baptism! We were so happy for them. They are awesome and excited to be sealed in the temple in a year! :)

We also baptized another person we've taught, he's a friend of one of the recent converts in the ward. Referrals are pretty awesome.

PS those baptism pictures aren't very good but that's okay.

11/17/2019

Some of the people we're teaching who came to church! This was a family that WALKED like more than a quarter mile to get a ride to church.. With two little 2 year old twins and a three year old.. The two teenage girls also saved up their allowance all week to be able to come to church :) pretty awesome.

This other lady completely surprised us when she came. We weren't able to teach her that much due to her work and she didn't seem like she was going to make it to church, but we told her that if she finds a way she can do it and she'll be blessed. After the conference, I saw her in a crowd of others. She had made lots of friends already and yelled to me a kind greeting: "Nakapantalon ako!!" which translates to "I'm wearing pants!" hahahaha.

Well, that's another week down! Pretty crazy! Time is running by too fast. I love it here. The work is so great. It's a witness to me every day of God's love for His children and for me and for you. It's a witness to me that this is His true gospel and His church and kingdom on the earth. The gospel and the work will continue forth until His coming. I'm in it till the end.

Make it a great week everyone! Let's do some good :)

Elder Childers