This was a good week. Yesterday we had 134 people at sacrament meeting in Canlaon. Much better than the 77 my first Sunday here. Elder Edem, Elder Bragas, Elder Cudac, and I have truly witnessed miracles in this area. Together we had 16 investigators at sacrament meeting. This area would really explode if another companionship was placed here. The field is white all ready to harvest--we just need the laborers!!!
So here is the news . . . I was assigned as an Assistant to the President today. Honestly, I have mixed emotions about it. I am excited because it is a great opportunity, but I am a little sad about some of the changes. Please pray for me. I am going to need them!
It is my first day as AP and I am already not going to get a P-day! I have until noon to do what I need to get done and then we are super busy. We have 15 new missionaries from Tacloban arriving today and I have to give one of the trainings for them. I can't believe they are adding missionaries to our mission. We are already over capacity, but it's all good! The more, the merrier! I really am praying that I show up and I see Elder Murdock, but I don't think I am that lucky!
One of the great things that I realized this week as I reflected on my mission is this: When you look for faults in people, you find them. As you may have noticed, it has been over a month since I have complained about President Lopez. I took a long time one day and thought about everything. I realized that I had started looking for faults in him. I stopped looking at the things I admired about him when I got here, and started looking for reasons to complain and to do my own thing. Funny how during that time, it was probably one of the harder parts of my mission. For the last month I have really tried doing what President Bangerter told me to do. I'm trying to look for the qualities he has that qualifies him to be such a great mission president. It actually started about a month ago when Elder Nielson of the Quorum of the Seventy came to visit. He said that missionaries are assigned to mission presidents, not missions. I think this can apply to all of us though, no matter what situations we are in. Looking for the bad in people is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. It stands in horrible opposition of it.
On Wednesday we had our zone training with President Lopez. He showed us a video of what it looks like in Tacloban right now, and within seconds I was bawling. I cannot believe the destruction over there. I hope all of you know how much I love these people, I have really grown attached to them. Somewhere between getting mad at being called "Joe" 24/7 and all the poverty, I have truly fallen in love with these people. The worst part is that even if you were to visit here, you could never understand by just spending a week with them. I have never met a kinder people in all my life. They would bend over backwards just to help a complete stranger who doesn't speak their language and is fresh out of America. So many times I have seen people who own little more than the shirt on their back take a family into their home because the family lost theirs. Everyone here believes in Jesus Christ (except the Muslims in Mindanao), even if that faith is a little misguided. It hurts to know that such good people had to suffer so bad, because they don't deserve it. But, if there was ever a country that will pull together, it is this country.
Also on a sad note, Brother Contreras, the father of that family that I haven been teaching in Canlaon, the ones I really care about, came to church on Sunday! Okay, that part isn't sad, but it is kinda sad that the day he comes is my last day in the area. I guess now is the time I really need to trust in Heavenly Father.
I love you all so much! Kody is going to bring home a state championship! I'm telling you, it is meant to be!!!!!!
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