Hi family!
Thanks for your emails this past week. Don't worry, every one here is fine. I am sad to hear about the losses on the other islands but overall Negros is fine and recovered. There were just a lot of fallen trees but all is well.
I feel like I don't have much to tell this week....Last Saturday we had Zone Conference which was great and I learned a lot. It's always so wonderful to learn from other missionaries and President and Sister Schmutz.
It's super hot in this internet cafe and i'm having a hard time focusing...so sorry if this email is kind of lame.
We had a less-active member come back to church for the first time and I was SO surprised. The missionaries have been visiting her for almost a year and at first she was super hard headed. She has been offended by many members (now remember....being offended is a choice) and just forgot why we go to church each week. We don't go to socialize, we go to partake of the sacrament and to learn. We taught her a lesson and I feel that our boldness what exact enough that she came to realize she needed to come back to the church. Her family are all less active members so hopefully they will all follow. It was so great to see her at church. I LOVE RESCUING LESS ACTIVES! It is the best feeling ever---I am so grateful to be serving a mission here in the Philippines where we focus so much on the less-actives.
We were able to watch the Christmas Devotional and it was great. I was reminded of how magical this time of year is in Utah! The snow, the concerts, the music, the food....but I am grateful to be here in the Philippines. The people here go caroling and it's so funny. I love hearing them sing "We wish you a Merry Christmas" in their cute Filipino accents!!! This is a great time of year and a time to remember our Savior Jesus Christ.
I have started to read the Book of Mormon again and I am loving it. Reading the scriptures is so great, especially on the mission. You just learn so much...your brain is like a sponge! I have learned a lot from the example of Nephi. For 8 years he and his family wandered in the wilderness only to arrive at the land Bountiful- a place so wonderful when compared to the wilderness! In the wilderness they had experienced so many trials and in Bountiful they were living the life! Only a few days after arriving, the Lord called Nephi to the mountain and told him to build a ship. Can you imagine? you have suffered so many trials for such a long time and the Lord asks you to leave your comfort zone and go through another trial? This is just how are lives are. We pass through a time of trial and finally find ourselves at peace, a resting time of sorts, when all of the sudden another trial comes. We need to be more like Nephi, trusting in the Lord and going and doing. He didn't ask, "Why do I need to build a ship when where we are IS the promised land?" He had such faith and trust in the Lord. I am reminded of the quote by Elder Scott that says when we have trials that aren't results of our bad choices they are just evidence that the Lord is wanting to stretch us and polish us a little more. I know that the Lord has a plan for everyone of us and our trials are part of his plan. but if we become more like Nephi and trust in the Lord life will be better. It's much more enjoyable to be like Nephi than to be like Laman and Lemuel- always complaining!!
I love you family, a lot! You are the best. Once again, if you want a scripture case, let me know if you have regular or mini sized scriptures and i will order some for you!! ALSO--- y'all need to decide when I can call you? I have no idea what the time difference is....but i can skype on christmas eve or christmas, Philippines time. I will need to know by next Tuesday....so that i can know what time to get on!! so decide, ok?
LOVE YOU ALL< HAVE A GREAT WEEK
Sister Trayner
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