Craigs in Cauayan

After our week of Zone Conferences, the week of Christmas seemed very quiet.  It was very different, not running around shopping, but instead celebrating in a quieter way.  I liked that. On Saturday, the 21st, we started our day in Ilagan, speaking to a group of youth about preparing to serve missions.  The youth of the Church here in the Philippines are really amazing.  They are impressive in their desires to serve.  Many serve missions, and they come home and strengthen their wards and branches.  They are often the ones sitting on the front row at conferences, listening intently and taking notes.  They are humble and teachable, and there is a light in their eyes.  They are the future, and they will be great! Later Saturday we attended a couple of Christmas parties, one in San Mateo Branch, and the other here in Cauayan. And a baptism of a wonderful couple, the Garcias, that we were privileged to go with the miss...

It seems like we were still in July with this tropical climate, but last week were our Christmas Zone Conferences.  We held two conferences, one for the South Zones on Tuesday, and the other for the North Zones on Thursday, so that we could enjoy some special entertainment by the youth in the Cauayan District.  I always love Zone Conference, but being Christmas, this was an even more wonderful week. We started out each day as we would any regular Zone Conference.  We both spoke on the Savior and His mission and ministry, and how that can bless our lives and missions as we truly understand and appreciate His marvelous gift to us.  As part of my message, I recited The Living Christ, that I memorized in 2018.  This wonderful testimony of Christ by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has taken on new meaning to me as I have studied its message and learned the words,  paragraph by paragraph.  I add my testimony that "He is the lif...