Week 61 - Happy Monday!

Too much has happened this week, I guess that is a good thing though? I will start with some really bittersweet news.. So I will no longer be a Tagalog Missionary for Edmonton. It really does break my heart in a way. I have sort of gotten attached to these Filipinos.. I love their culture, I love the way they interact, I really have just enjoyed being such a part of their family's and lives since this all began. I have really liked serving with Elder Laceste, he is a good man. Probably gotten along with him better than a lot of my companions, okay actually I have been super blessed. I'll definitely miss serving with him though. It has just been really nice to be working alongside someone who desires the same things, but you also have a very similar work style. We have spent a good 3 transfers together, so 4 1/2 months together. We will see what happens in this next stage of missionary life I suppose. I will be back to just the Bearspaw ward, working at my 4th transfer as a Zone Leader. It has been a real good experience so far as a Zone Leader, I have learned a lot more than I feel I have taught. I look forward to more though. Usually you only go for about 6 months, so this could be my last transfer here in the zone.. only time will tell. My comp will be Elder Pitts. Pretty sure he is going to be an apostle someday.. he is super righteous and a really hard worker. This is all good and such, we will see what kind of work we can accomplish. I look forward to it though. 

This week we have really been focusing on teaching doctrine over principle & application. Which is a good note of where we should be focusing our own studies and our own conversions. It has helped me at least! This week with our investigators things have gone well, well with all things considered. We taught Taylor, passed him over to the YSA missionaries.. finally! So hopefully that will continue to progress and they can really get things going. But really one that I thought we would focus on was Joy, another Filipino lady that we tracted into the other day. We found her just after we had a cancellation and so we headed up to the area just north of where we were, then I got a small prompting to go try this block of condominiums where we had worked a couple days earlier. We had one solid conversation then I remembered the other house that we knew had Filipinos in there.   Knock the door and she says to Elder Laceste, "Filipino ka ba?" (Are you Filipino?) says yes, then she says oh come in come in! ha she had no idea who we were yet, but we got in and we began teaching. Things went really well, we taught the lesson of the restoration, and the spirit filled the room. She invited us back, and we will go over there tonight again.. Hopefully that will turn into something really good also.. I will try and keep up with all the Filipino 'Gators. 

Met with Abner.. well to just skip all the mumbo jumbo.. we had a really great lesson there. We brought a solid fellowshipper, who has known him for some time now.. The fellowshipper ended up being super bold and it was good because the spirit was there! We testified, and testified some more. Abner says okay, I will be at church and I will make my decision. We really are working on this whole "real intent" thing right now.. proves to be a lot more difficult than you would hope. Well, no Abner at church yesterday. They will probably teach him one more time.. but there will most likely be a break to be taken there. Too bad honestly. His concern is way more social than doctrinal, just not ready yet to make that separation from his family.. even though they already go to different churches. He says he knows the Book of Mormon is true, it is the word of God. Therefore the Church is True... but not willing to sacrifice his current religion because that is the one that helped him find his way back to Jesus.. we will see what time does to this situation. 

You are probably tired of reading.. well go get a churro and gatorade because there is more! We taught S. Soriano again.. gosh she is solid. She has a testimony of this gospel, she is helping family and friends into the gospel, but she isn't actively participating herself. We are brutally honest and blunt with her, but it has been in such a way that it is genuine.. because truly it is. We shared the Doctrine of Jesus Christ. One thing led to another, and we ended with a teary end of knowing that we must be more than saying the words, but must be doing and living the gospel each and every day. The spirit was so strong in that room, I know it bore powerful testimony to her heart of what she needs to do. Miracles are happening my friends. 

Okay, one last thing. You should all go read the talk.. okay actually here is the link.. 


http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/safety-for-the-soul?lang=eng&query=safety+for+the+soul

I hope it works.. if not copy and paste just be wise. But I invite each of you to find for yourself a conviction towards the Book of Mormon that will not, and could not be shaken by anything that we come across in the world. If you don't have a testimony, get one. If you have one, strengthen it. If you once had one and lost it, rekindle that flame. Honestly, that book has brought me more joy, satisfaction, peace and comfort than anything else in this world. The entire scripture testifies of our Savior, it helps us learn more of why he was so willing to give His life for us. It urges us to recognize God's infinite and personal love for each and every single one of us. And all of that comes from a holy volume of scripture, 531 pages that help us on our journey back to our Heavenly Home.. Okay no more preaching today.

Well done, you have reached the end of this book.. I love you all! Have a real nice week! Stay warm and stay classy. 

Love, Elder McFall