Picture taken at the Mission Home - Thank you Sister Carlos : )

 

Hello! :)

Things here went OK this week. The baptism in Solano went well and started late as usual. Not even Elder Woodruff could get the Filipinos to start on time though. The meeting in Bayombong went well too. The Branch President was able to give some good advice on splitting the area and offered some info that we didn't know... like Bayombong used to be 2 separate branches!

YUP! I did get to go hear Elders Hallstrom and Teh...but they didn't really impress me. The person who impressed me the most was Sister Hallstrom. She gave a very great talk about faith using some very good examples. The first example was Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in Daniel 3:14-18 –

“Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

My favorite example is as follows by my best recollection:

She told a story about a statue of a dog in a train station in Tokyo. This dog's name is Hachikō. The story goes that Hachikō’s master was a professor at the University of Tokyo. Over time they developed a daily routine. Every morning Hachikō and his master would walk to the train station. Hachikō’s master would then board the train and go to work. Hachikō would then go about his daily business returning to the train station at 4 pm every day to fetch his master. This routing went on for some time, then one day at 4 pm Hachikō was patiently waiting for his master to come home...but he never did. His master had a stroke at work and was brought to the hospital where he died a short while later. Hachikō went home thinking he might find his mater there, but he was nowhere to be found. A short while later the professor's family sold his house and gave Hachikō a way to another family. This family could not keep track of the busy Hachikō though. He would wander off every day to his master's house hoping to find him there waiting for him. After a while Hachikō seemed to realize that he wouldn't find his master at the house, so every day at 4 pm he returned to the train station and patiently waited for his master. This continued for 11 years. Sister Hallstrom described Hachikō’s actions like this: "I will return for you every day, BUT IF NOT (ref Daniel 3:18), but even if you aren't there, I will still be waiting for you."

Sometimes the Lord helps and supports us in our trials. Sometimes he doesn't help us so that we may grow. It is easy for us to be faithful when we see that He is helping us, but what about when he leaves us to ourselves so that we may grow? We must always be like Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego and say, "We believe that our God can do all things, and that he can and will help us through our trials, BUT IF NOT, even if He chooses not to help us, we will still be faithful to Him no matter what happens to us!"

That is the greater part of Sister Hallstrom's message. I really liked it.

(I asked Elder Lundy how his ears were doing - because he has trouble with them when he goes over mountains. The Mission Home is on the other side of the mountain.)

My ears are doing well with having gone over the mountains so many times, even through the mountains do split in Lagawe. I’m sick from other reasons right now. It’s getting really hot and I can't get rid of this feeling of always being overly hot. I sweat non-stop. I have full body aches and a stiff neck. And we are always getting to bed late and we chose to wake up at 6 every morning so we aren't late to studies so I’m not getting enough sleep. Yup, woe to me! hahaha lol. No, I’m on the mend right now. It’s not all that bad.

Thank you so much for the package you sent! I do love the goodies. :)

Well, I got to go. I love you guys! :*

-Elder Lundy