It is crazy how time is already starting to fly by! It is already September! What?! That just does not seem possible! But the work here is good as always. We are working hard and the days just seem to go by so quick! This is now my tenth week in the field and it feels like just yesterday that I arrived in the Philippines. That is so crazy and I am doing really well. Guess what? Still healthy too. :)
So on to some of the cool things that we have done this week.
We had our Zone Conference on Thursday so we woke up and quickly got ready and took the train to Buendia which is where the church and mission headquarters are. in all that took around 1 hour to get there but the train was really quite cheap! haha. But the Conference was so amazing and I loved every second of it. Sister Moreno and I sung "Help Me Teach With Inspiration" from the Hymn Book (281) and it was really good! it was a lot of fun :) But the whole theme of this conference was "Teaching By the Spirit" We learned a ton and it was such a great experience to meet with our zone to get revelation from Pres. Stucki. The Conference Scripture came from the end of Enos 1:12. I cannot remember it word for word but it is such a powerful scripture!
On our way back to Sampaloc we were getting on the train when we began starting to talk to a woman when another joined in the conversation. That woman was a Jehovah's Witness. She began telling us that only 144000 people will be saved by God, and you can only pray that you are one of them. That made me so sad when she said that because we have such a different view of God, that he is our loving Father who wants us to return home with him. I am so grateful for my knowledge that I have in this gospel and that I know that Heavenly Father loves me despite all the mistakes that I make, he still wants me to be happy with him for eternity. I have been so blessed by knowing this.
Also, Yesterday, we had our investigator, Ada, interviewed for her baptism next Sunday. She is so prepared and has such a great testimony of the gospel and has already seen the blessings come into her life. We joke that someone is going to tell us that this has just been a big prank and that she is already a member... she asks us about getting a Patriarchal Blessing! Hhaha. But we are so excited for it and she will be my first Baptism! This is such a marvelous work bring back our fellow brothers and sisters into the gospel. When we talked with her to go over the baptismal interview questions. We got to a question about tithing and we had not finished talking to her about it and she said that's okay I already know all about it! Wow she has the most amazing testimony. She bore it on Sunday in Fast and Testimony meeting and the Spirit was so strong. She said that she has been on a search to find the truth and that she has now found it! It was a blessing to me to hear that she knows the Book of Mormon is true. She is already almost done with 2 Nephi. but she is truly so prepared!
During our interview I was taking to a sister who asked about one of our investigators who we have been working with (guess what she is American!) but she is a 7th day advenist and studying here in Manila. So I really don't know what she really believes in... but I can communicate at least! The sister asked if I think that she has the potential to be baptized. I responded with what I thought was a standard missionary answer that everyone on earth has the potential to be baptized into this church because this is truly the one and only true church of God on the earth. And that we have all already picked the plan of God and now it is our task to do it again. She was really surprised by my answer because she said that she has asked many missionaries that same question and none of them have ever said that... they either say yes or no. I know that this is the true church of God.
Finally, I finished the Book of Mormon on Wednesday!! I am so happy and I have such a firm knowledge that the Book of Mormon is true. If anyone has a question about this church, all they need to know is if the Book of Mormon is true. After that, everything falls into place. I followed the council found in Moroni 10:4-5 and prayed about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and I received another witness that it is the word of God. I felt peace and comfort as I prayed and the thoughts came into my mind although not in my own voice, that of course it is true. I love the Book of Mormon and that is how I know that this church is true, and why I am serving a mission.
I love you all and I am so excited about our work! I love hearing from each of you and hearing how all of your lives are going. You are all in my thoughts and prayers. I miss all of you so much and love you with all my heart. Keep bringing those souls to Christ, including your own!
I love you
Mahal ko po kayo!
Sister Bishop
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