Another wonderful week here in the Philippines as a full time missionary!
On Tuesday was my first zone training with my new zone (Antipolo)! I love my zone leaders Elder Dickens and Elder Galia. They gave a great workshop about the inspired teaching cycle. It's been a common theme for the Philippines Quezon City mission- becoming the tools for the spirit to use by teaching effectively and with power and authority! PMG says- effective teaching can be hard and takes great effort on the part of each companionship. Elder Barrientos and I have been applying this cycle and our lessons have been very powerful. We have been able to teach according to the needs of our investigators and give them a commitment to act.
Wednesday was Zone Conference with 3 other zones at the Aurora chapel. I know I always say this but I always look forward to trainings and conferences to be able to learn from President and from my leaders! I was so happy when I walked into the chapel and saw my MTC companion Elder Sanft! Man it was great catching up with him. I love that elder. Sana one day we'll become companions again haha.
There are many things that the spirit taught me at the conference but one thing I learned that I'll share with y'all is that becoming a consecrated missionary means leaving everything on the altar of sacrifice and giving my whole soul to the Lord! (Omni 1:26). I had the opportunity at the conference to bear my testimony in front of the zones. It was so awesome. After we watched the video of the Jeffrey R. Holland's inspiring talk about the atonement and missionary work, President Revillo chose a few of us to bear testimony of the Savior.
On Thursday Elder Rawson (TA) worked with us. Exchanges are my absolute favorite thing ever talaga. The evaluation especially. It gives us the chance to discuss what we did well during the day/lessons and what we can improve on. It really humbles me knowing I have so much to learn and that really I am nothing without my Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ. In one of the lessons to one of our progressing investigators, Brother Arnel, we were focusing on the Atonement. We realized in our evaluation how hard it really is to teach about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Elder Rawson explained that we have to continue to truly come to understand our Savior's Atonement and apply it in our lives every day! I'm so grateful for this mission, my time to serve the Lord for 2 years and to come to know him better every single day.
I also learned that I as a missionary must help the investigator understand the WHY and then teach them the HOW? (example: repentance).
Elder Barrientos and I continue to find those people that the Lord has prepared for us here in Cogeo. I had a cool experience this week when I felt a prompting from the spirit to stop and go back to talk to this guy. We taught him right away and he told us that he believed that Joseph Smith is a true prophet. He's a golden investigator talaga! Hopefully he'll continue to progress because as of right now we don't have any progressing investigators. Every area that I've been in so far in my mission it's been like this, like starting over finding new investigators! But we're staying positive and we know that we can baptize in April and May.
That's all for this week family. I feel your prayers and I appreciate your love and support. All I ask is that you continue to pray for this area and my investigators so that we can have some progressing investigators. I'm doing well. The language is getting better but is still frustrating. Love y'all. Talk to y'all next week!
P.S. Today we got to attend the Manila Temple and do a session! It was so wonderful. I love the house of the Lord. It was exactly what I needed- it had been 4 months!
Also.. I got an allergic reaction this week... I'm not sure from what but it was pretty bad haha. I have red dots all over my body.. and I'm talkin like my whole body.. and it itches.. like crazy! haha but it's all good:) the life of a missionary in the Philippines :)
Love,
Elder Johnson
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