We travel about an hour to our Branch assignment for our Sunday Services. It starts at 9 in the morning and we are always greeted with the warmest of feelings and handshakes. There are at least three people that can translate for us for our meetings. Two are the Sister Missionaries and one is a branch member sister that is a returned missionary. The Sister Missionaries speak English very well...gratefully as it makes communication so much more comfortable. I asked one of the Sister Missionaries where she learned English and spoke it so well. She told me that she went to school all her life in a Catholic school and English was always spoken. Her baptism came after she graduated from High School and is the only member in her family, however they would listen to the missionaries if there were any where they lived. She could translate very quickly all that was spoken. The theme of the Sacrament meeting talks were about "Letting your Light so Shine." The Sunday School lesson was about being "Shepherds of Israel" and the Relief Society/Priesthood Lesson was about "The Holy Ghost. It is interesting how all these topics come together. Letting your light shine means to live the teachings of the restored Gospel and to share it. One of the Sister Missionaries spoke about letting her light shine as she taught the Gospel. A young man waiting to receive his mission call very soon also taught about spreading the word of the restored Gospel. The Sunday School lesson regarding being a shepherd taught us about always being there for the lost sheep and that the Savior is the Good Shepherd and we in turn watch over others as best we can. "The Holy Ghost" in the Gospel Essentials manual taught about recognizing who the Holy Ghost is and recognizing the promptings given to us. Also knowing what is correct and what isn't it. I related a story about our son David as a scout in his youth. He had a key to the building that he was in trusted with and was playing with the other scouts in the parking lot after scout meeting. He had lost the key and was responsible for it. He came home feeling very bad and talking it over with me and how heavily it weighed upon him. I (his mom) advised him that he needed to pray about it and to tell Heavenly Father about his responsibility of the key. Not long after we had all gone to bed I heard footsteps down the hall and then down the stairs. The front door opened and closed and David had left the house. About an hour he returned and I met him at the stairs to ask about where he had been. He said he had a feeling to go back to the church (rode his bicycle) and to look in the parking lot. The lights were on in the parking lot so he could see. He may have brought a flashlight but I don't remember its been awhile. He found the key and returned home. David has had many instances where he was prompted by the Holy Ghost. I can't tell you how much it means to me to know that my children rely on this very special gift that was given to them when they were confirmed after baptism. Bless you David.
I am so impressed with the testimonies that these Filipino people have. Very sincere and strong. They are also very grateful for the blessings of the temple and excited to have another temple here in the Philippines.
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