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Showing posts from January, 2022

High on the City Wall

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This week in Zone Conference (a large missionary meeting) one of our fine young mission leaders told of a prophet in the Book of Mormon named Samuel the Lamanite.  He was commanded to go to the city of Zarahemla and preach to the people and try to persuade them to repent of their evils.  The evils of their time sound quite familiar and are described as follows in another part of the book: "And many more things did the people imagine up in their hearts, which were foolish and vain and they were much disturbed, for Satan did stir them up to do iniquity continually; yea, he did go about spreading rumors and contentions upon all the face of the land, that he might harden the hearts of the people...." (Hel 16:22).  We are certain that Samuel did his very best, but his efforts proved ineffective.  He was about to return to his own land but felt inspired to try one more time.  The people would not permit him to enter into the city.  Undeterred, he climbed on the walls of the city an

Manigong Bagong Taon! (Happy New Year!)

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2022 As this new year begins, we celebrate 2021, and rejoice in the miracles we have been able to see and be part of here in Cauayan. (1213 new members of the Church in 2021). We eagerly look forward to what lies ahead in the new year! Early next month, the last 3 Elders to be called to this mission and arrive here before the pandemic will go home. They came as a large group, but after the evacuation (when they had only been in-field 2 weeks) and then the Sisters going home 6 months ago, they are the last ones left.  When they go, we will be the only ones left who were here prior to the pandemic.  All the rest are COVID missionaries. A few days after Christmas, we were happy to welcome 10 new missionaries into the field.  They, along with the 10 that arrived in November make up 1/3 of the mission.  Because each new missionary also has a Trainer, 40 of our 62 missionaries are in a training companionship.  The mission is changing quickly, as we go from an old mission to a very young miss