Another Transfer in Inabanga!

Family and Friends!

We had a great week here in Inabanga! Things are going really well and the best thing that happened was that Roel finally came to church!! We went on splits Friday so I wasn't there when they taught him the sabbath day but the zone leader, Elder Ramada, taught it and got him to come. We actually weren't at church this last sunday becasue I had a fever Sat. and Sun so that was a bummer we couldn't see him and be with him but he said that he liked it and had a great experience. He said the members were really nice and welcoming to him and he said he loved that the classes are a question answer discussion thing instead of someone just spitting out stuff to you. Ah we're so happy he finally came. I hope he continues to come and that his parents, whom we're also teaching, will start to come as well. Dennis, the brother in law of the Berdin family, decided that he wants to get baptized and so we are now teaching him. Hopefully he is ready and can be baptized before I leave. That's the goal. I love that family. I do have some sad news, some really sad news. Junior, the recent convert who had tb and who was deathily skinny, passed away yesterday. We all thought he was going to get better but I guess the Lord has different plans and those plans are always the best. I feel so bad for his poor family. We are visiting them tonight and it's going to be a very sad and hard thing to see. They are the sweetest family and have endured so much hardship. They have basically no income, no food, and the smallest house you have ever seen yet they are the nicest sweetest people. The wife had her parents die when she was 12 and she led took care of her family and now she has been leading and taking care of this family alone and will continue to do so. I don't know how she does it. She hasn't once complained. She just continues to press on. An amazing example of faith. It's transfer week this week but nothing is really happening in our district here. We only have one change. I'll be another transfer here with Elder Meliang which will be great! I'm pretty much out of time. So sorry this is so short this week. I think I got all of the real important things that happened. Things are great here. Thank you for all of your prayers and emails! I love and pray for you all! I know this gospel is true. I know that are purpose in this is life is to follow the Savior in all things. I've loved reading about His perfect life, His complete humility and submission to the Father's will. I love Him and know He loves all of you. I hope all of you can feel of that love always. 

Love,

Elder Fox  

Looking At The Things Which Are Not Seen

Family and Friends!

This week has overall been another great one with Elder Meliang despite some discouraging moments that have happened the past couple days. I want to thank all of you for your many prayers. I feel and receive strength and power from them so thank you. They lift me and give me the strength to continue onward. The power of prayer is real. In whatever moments of need we may find ourselves in, we can pray to Heavenly Father and He will aid us with His eternal and infinite love. We can be healed and strengthened through the Atonement of His Son Jesus Christ. 

Yesterday we visited Roel. He is an investigator and has a baptismal date but hasn't yet come to church. I think i may have mentioned a little about his situation but his father is sick and is in the hospital right now and they are struggling money wise. You can tell it has been really challenging for him and his family. He got kind of emotional in the lesson talking about it. The Spirit was so strong in the lesson as it always seems to be when we teach him. At the end of the lesson we invited him to pray and he asked Elder Meliang if he could just pray because he, Elder Meliang, was closer to God than he was at the time and that God would listen to his prayer. We then explained that when we pray we become closer to God. That gap decreases. And that God our Father wants to listen to us and talk to us always especially when we are suffering or we have problems and challenges in our lives. We told him that Heavenly Father wanted to hear from him at that time. He ended up praying and I know that God heard and listened to the prayer of one of His worried sons. I know God lives, that He is our Father and that He listens and answers our prayers. 

Another aspect or part of the church that I've gained a greater appreciation of this last week is that we have living prophets and apostles in our time that lead and guide us on our pathway home. I recently studied Elder Andersen's last conference talk on spiritual whirlwinds. In one part he brought up the family and gay marriage and stuff and then he said something that I didn't hear when we watched general conference and it's something that hit me. He said, "Why do we continue to talk about this? As Paul said, “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.” They see the things that aren't seen, the things we can't see. What an amazing blessing the Lord has given us with living prophets and apostles who see the unseen and tell us what we need to do to navigate safely home. 

Speaking of apostles and prophets on of the elders gave me 42 talks from Elder Holland, and tons more of Elder Bednar, and Elder McConkie, and others. I've been listening to all of those in the morning and at night. It's been awesome. I don't have much more time to write but I love you all. I know our Heavenly Father lives and I know that Jesus is the Christ. He is our Savior and through Him we can have peace and happiness in this life as well as in the eternities to come. He is the way, the truth, and the life and I love Him. I pray for all of you and hope you can feel my prayers as I have felt all of yours. I hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Elder Fox

The Power of The Atonement

Family and Friends!

Things are awesome here in Inabanga! It's a great area and Elder Meliang is a great companion. I forgot how much I've told to you about him but he is the only member in his family and has been a member for a year and 8 months. He has been praying for his family that they will listen to the missionaries and we just found out that his older sister just started listening to the missionaries! I think you can imagine how excited he is. I'm so happy for him. What a miracle and a blessing. Another miracle and blessing happened yesterday. We had set some goals for the total lessons and new investigators and by Saturday night it wasn't looking like we were going to reach it. We prayed that we would and we made a plan of how we were going to accomplish it and we accomplished our goals! We were so excited. It was just getting numbers, our numbers or lessons were quality lessons. It was a great week and I'm so excited to go at it this week. 

Elder Meliang is a great missionary and like I've said before, he brings the strongest spirit into the lessons. It's been really fun to teach with him. We still have lots of things we can improve on but it's been really fun. I'm starting to learn how to really listen to them, then listen to the Spirit and then speak or ask a question. It's been really challenging and I'm still not good at it but I'm getting better and it's so much fun. The lessons and the work is just better and more fun. I love it and I'm so grateful for the Spirit and it's role in our lives and in this work. What an amazing gift we have been given. I know that it will guide and direct us in all that we do if we are worthy and let it guide us. 

We only had Michael come to church yesterday which was great that he came but disappointing that all of the others didn't. We are working on a way to help them come. Anabel continues to run away from us but we continue to teach Juvi, her "husband". He is the man and wants Anabel to start listening and joining him at church and in reading and praying so bad. I love them. 

We had a zone training meeting last thursday and for president Tanner's workshop, he showed a talk by Elder Holland about words. I don't know what general conf. session it was but I think it was 2007. Anyway it was an amazing talk and I'd encourage all of you to listen to it. He talks about how destructive words can be to someone if we are not careful. It inspired me to try to become better and not just refraining from talking bad about someone with others but speaking good things about them when others might be speaking bad. Lately I've been really praying for charity, for the pure love of Christ. The love that is long suffering and kind, that inspires to reach out and serve others, to lift those that are down. The love that never fails. Christ's love never fails us, it's always there. Elder Holland said in last general conf. "Christlike love is the greatest need we have on this planet." I love my Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for the love and the mercy They have for me and for all of us. I hope and pray that all of you can feel of Their love for each of you. I know They love you. 

I'm grateful for repentance. I've had the opportunity to interview quite a few people for baptism the last couple weeks and I'm so grateful for that opportunity. I love interviewing people and hearing their feelings about the gospel and most of all about repentance. One in particular sticks out in my mind. She was beyond excited to be baptized. i've never seen someone so excited. Her husband is in prison and one of her daughters is a member. She had done some things in her past that weren't great but she didn't know any better but as she was telling about some of those things she started to cry and talked about how she had repented and how through repentance the guilt and the heavy feelings were gone and she had peace. She said she used to get really angry at people and now she doesn't anymore. At the end of the interview I congratulated her and she got tears in her eyes again and they were tears of excitement. It was one of the best experiences so far on my mission. 

What a wonderful example of what repentance and the Atonement can do in our lives. What wonderful gifts we've been given and what wonderful blessings come if we use them. The Atonement is real and it's a gift that has been given to us for free becasue we are sinners. I love the Savior for He truly is my Savior. I love Heavenly Father for sending His Son becasue He loves me. They live and love us and I hope you all know it and can feel it. I love you all! Thank you for the prayers and the emails. I pray for all of you too. I hope you have a great week and that you can feel the Spirit and the power of the Atonement more in your lives.

Love, Elder Fox