Charity Never Faileth

Family and friends!!

I am really really low on time this week from just being slow at responding to your emails so I'll try and give a good update on the week. First of all and most important the B family was baptized last Saturday! It was an awesome experience. Everything went great. Elder McQuiston and I both got to baptize which was awesome. At the end of the service they all bore their testimonies and they all did a great job. One of them is 12 and he started to get emotional during his brief testimony. It was so cute. They are a great family and are great members of the church. The 18 year old has already said he wants to serve a mission which I can't tell you how excited we were when we heard that. We are giving him a PMG so he can start studying and also we are going to have him start working with us which will be awesome! I love them so much and can't wait to watch them grow in the church. That was the biggest highlight of the week. District leader is going well. It's getting better. Tomorrow's workshop is on Elder Tad Callister's talk, "Becoming a Consecrated Missionary" so hopefully it'll turn out well. Just quickly I want to summarize a little thing that happened last night. We got home and our ward clerk/youth president and our branch mission leader, Mario, were there. We all ended up getting into an argument on some problems in the branch. It wasn't a big deal but I withdrew myself from the argument and just started thinking. I finally got the Spirit back and it taught me a cool lesson. The question came to my mind, what is the solution to every problem in the world? And then I thought how was the greatest problem this world has faced solved? That problem being the fall of man. Well it was solved through the Savior and His atonement. It was solved through love, through charity. Charity is the solution to every problem. For charity never faileth. Then I opened up matthew chapter 6 if i remember right. And read towards the end of the chapter what the Savior's command to us about loving our enemies and how the Father makes His Sun to rise on the wicked and the righteous. And also His rain to fall on the wicked and righteous. Charity, the pure love of Christ, is the key. Love them that hate you and that despitefully use you and persecute you. I'm so grateful for the lesson that I was taught last night. I know that charity never fails and will solve any problem or challenge we may have. It's not easy, the Atonement wasn't easy, but it's possible and it must happen "for all things must fail," and only those who are found with this love can enter into the kingdom of God. I love you all and pray for your happiness and joy. I pray you all will have a great week. Hold to the rod which leads to the tree, or to the pure love of Christ.

Love, Elder Fox

We Are All Enlisted

Family and Friends! 

This week has been another great one. I don't have a whole lot of time this week to write but here's an update on the B family. They had their interviews this last saturday and they are good to go. They will be baptized this coming saturday which we are really excited about. They chose to be baptized in Tubigon's church instead of the ocean which we are kind of bummed about but it's okay because this is their baptism not ours. There will be five of them being baptized. The son in law won't be becase he has some word of wisdom issues. He was really drunk one of the times we were over there and he was really funny. Not to make a joke out of something that is really sad but it was funny. I feel so bad for him though. He comes from a broken family and they said that he just does whatever he saw his parents do which aren't very good things. I really hope he gets a desire to change his life for the better. He's a really nice guy. so that's the update on them. Our other progressing investigators have issues with the word of wisdom as well which we just found out so we'll be working with them on that too. I love the people we visit though. They are the best and it's so fun to spend time with them and share this gospel. I can't remember if I wrote about the O family but they are awesome. They are recent converts and they are the ones that gave us the B family as a referral. The dad has a really bad back and has a really hard time walking. Elder Tolman, my batch that was assigned here before me, carried him to the car so he could come to church and be baptized. After his baptism his back started to feel better and he was able to walk a little more. But his condition took a big downhill turn and now he can hardly sit up. He just lays in bed all day everyday. He hasn't been able to eat a lot so he's also gotten really really skinny. I'ts so sad. His wife and 4 little girls who are 14 and younger and who are the cutest girls ever have to do everything. But despite all of this he or them never doubt the Lord. Their faith is shining as strong and as bright as ever and it's been amazing to watch. I love that family so much. Their examples of trust and faith in the Lord have strengthened mine so much. I love the people here and I love what i'm learning on my mission. James and everyone else preparing to go get so excited because it's the best. If you want to get pumped watch Elder Holland's talk "We are all enlisted". Ive listened to it so much and get so excited to work every time I listen. Also I studied Mormon chapters 8 and 9 this morning becase in Holland's devotional talk on the book of mormon he mentions these chapters and says that one of the passages in these chapters impacted and changed his life forever and that he is eternally indebted to Moroni who wrote those words. That got me curious so i read them and they are just as powerful as he said they were. Moroni writes with incredible power and as I read the spirit filled my soul and pierced my heart. I had and have no doubt that the Book of Mormon is true. That those who wrote it, were prophets and wrote it for our day. I encourage all of you to read those chapters. Well I'm out of time. I love and pray for you all. I love this gospel and I love the Savior. He lives and loves each one of you. Have a great week!

Love, 

Elder Fox

The Lord Will Make Us Capable

Friends and Family!

Well it's only been 4 days since the last time I emailed because of the whole change of pday thing. First of all happy birthday Nate dogg!!! It's your birthday right now in the Philippines so technically you could start celebrating right now if you want. The big 16! That is so crazy Nate! You're going to be a priest now which is so cool and you get your license! Wow that's so awesome. I hope you have an awesome birthday. I'll be thinking about you all day. I wish so bad that I could be there for it but just know I'll be celebrating and thinking about you. Have an awesome big 16! Alright quick update on the B Family. Well there's not much to update you all on. They are still aweome and continue to come to church and keep their commitments and tell everyone they are mormon. Hopefully we can get them all prepared and ready for May 24th. Speaking of baptisms I had my first baptismal interviews last night. I interviewed two girls. One was 10 and one was 8. I'm not going to lie I was pretty nervous for the interviews being my first time but they went really well. I was worried about the language and the decision about whether or not they were ready to be baptized and so i prayed for help from the Lord. As I was praying and stuff I just had the thought come to me that I have been called to be a missionary and a district leader at this time and if I had been called by God to do it then obviously I could do it because if I couldn't have then He wouldn't have called me. and thats been a comforting thought and realization whenever I get nervous about something. I'm so grateful for that answer to my prayers. I'm reminded of the scripture in 1 Nephi when Nephi says if the Lord commanded me to do all things, I could do them. I know this is true with all of us. Not because we are necessarily capable on our own to do them but because the Lord commanded us to do them and He will make us capable. How grateful I am for that knowledge that when we are called by the Lord to do something it's because He knows we can do it with His help. we can do all things with His help. We must realize that we are unable to accomplish the tasks placed before us but we must also realize that we can do all things through Him who passed through all things. My love and gratitude for the Savior has grown so much and continues to grow each day. I love the Book of Mormon becasue it leads me straight to Him. The Book of Mormon is true and I testify like Joseph Smith that "a man will get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." What a wonderful book it is. It is the word of God and it is the "word which healeth the wounded soul" (Jacob 2:8). I love this gospel. I love all of you and I will see you next week!

Love, Elder Fox

 Elder Fox, Elder Andres and Elder Johnson on a boat from Jao Island to Talibon

Elder McQuiston and Elder Fox on a chocolate hill

Baptism in Inabanga