Philippin' Awesome: #52DAYS

Week 47

Monday, May 8, 2017

Hello Friends and Family,

I hope you all had a great week!

This week I don't have a super crazy story, but I had something really cool happen to me...but I'll get to that later.

So... this week was great we were able to do a lot of good this week. One great thing that happened was we got a referral from our Branch President's family. They are so awesome and really help our work. The referral they gave us was for the "N" Family. Actually, President Fernandez is a cop and his co-worker was a cop too... but he actually just passed away a few months ago, leaving his wife and four children. They are so prepared for this gospel we were able to talk with them for a few minutes and it was sooooo good. Another cool thing that happened this week, was that we went to San Lorenzo again. It turns out that we have some really good investigators, and the area might be opened up again! We have been holding Sacrament Service over there every Sunday too! Other than that, we are working hard to find new investigators and teach more. Our baptisms are looking good for May 20th... hopefully the "M" family will be married this week, then their baptism will be on the 20th of May!

The Cool Story of the Week:

In our mission right now we are doing this thing called #52days. President Cruz was reading in the Old Testament, in Nehemiah, where the walls of Jerusalem are broken but the people "rise up and build" the walls and it only took 52 days. So... right now we are trying our best to be obedient diligent, and really be good missionaries for 52 days so we can purify the mission. Right now we have like 30ish days left. This week in my personal study I prayed and asked God to tell me how to find more investigators. I was reading in 3rd Nephi, chapter 19 and in verse 28 Jesus says " Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me out of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them." On the word purify there's a footnote, and guess where it led... back to Nehemiah and the wall. When I read this verse I was like WOAH. And I continued reading, later in verse 35 Jesus says "And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying he came again to the disciples, and said unto them: So great faith have I never seen among all the Jews; wherefore I could not show unto them so great miracles, because of their unbelief." When I read this verse I wept. This was the first time I have ever cried when reading the Book of Mormon. I really came to know that this 52 days challenge is real and if I stick true to it we're going to have a lot of success and the Philippines, Iloilo Mission is going to baptize so many families. I know the Book of Mormon is true and I cannot deny that. The Book of Mormon has been attacked since it was translated by Joseph Smith and here more than 170 years later it still stands. That's not a coincidence. I love that book so much and it helps me daily. I call it "The Book of Answers" because it has all answers to all questions. Modern day revelation is real and I have a huge testimony of that.

I love the Book of Mormon, and I love serving Jesus Christ.

Have a great week!

Halong kamo,

Love,

Elder Andersen