Miracles Continue...

Hello Everyone! I haven't really thought about what I am going to share today so this might be a bit shorter then the last but I hope it will still be as good! I really appreciate all the support you all give me, and I am glad to hear that you all enjoy my e-mails! Makes me feel like an inspired writer or somting haha

Well our week this week was a roller coaster! It started out pretty slow, and difficult! trying to find people to teach and create a teaching pool, then after our awesome District meeting we had with the Zone because of the transfers! Things just skyrocketed! We received 13 referrals this week, and in our mission that is HUGE! The standard is 6 referrals a week but we only end up getting maybe 1 and mostly none weekly. We had all ready contacted all 13 referrals, and taught most of them as well, and most of them seem to have potential to become progressing and maybe just maybe another baptism! I was so pumped to figure that out yesterday when I was doing numbers! ahh... its such a relieving feeling, to know you have names to work with!

Most of those referrals come from an area that I have mentioned before in my e-mails. Its an area that is so far from the church, its called (Guinyangan) if you want to look it up, i probably spelled it wrong but thats the jist. We visited that area yesterday to follow up on what we have done there in the past, because its been a month since we have been back there. To our great surprise, the one member that we have over there has been teaching, and reading with the kids that we taught! what!?!?!? and he told us that he has been teaching them to prepare them for baptism! WHAT!?!? I was blown away, because 8 kids ranging from 12 years old to 18, all of them close friends or cousins approached us and told us they wanted to be baptized, by their own free will and agency! I sat down with them and did a couple baptismal interview questions to check for their testimonies and where they came from, and they all ready believe in the Church, Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon, and we haven't even taught them yet! AHHHH this has been the biggest Miracle that i have seen in my entire mission. The Lord is really preparing for a strong foundation in Calauag because the most receptive, teachable, and strongest testimonies are coming from the kids that we have been teaching! Just like Audrey and Aubrey. Seriously I wish all of you could sit down with them and have a gospel discussion with them and they will blow your mind! Aubrey who is twelve, in gospel principles class will stand up, read a scripture (in english!) and explain the simple doctrines contained with in! its amazing! I love it! and in this far area, we have a 12 year old girl who has all ready read till 2 nephi! So things are getting pretty crazy now in Calauag! the only problem is that our mission has a very strict rules on standards of baptisms because of how often people go less active here in the Philippines. to put it into perspective there are 700,000 thousand members in the Philippines, and only 250,000 are active, so because of that, our rules of engagement are pretty strict and even more strict with people 17 and younger. There is so many things they need to do before they can be baptized to ensure that they will not go less active.

One example is that fact that we need to teach them each individually with their parents present, they don't have to participate but they have to be present, and if they are the only ones in their family getting baptized they have to go to church for almost a year first to show their desire and determination to stay active and endure the end, stuff like that. So its super complicated and its going to take a ton of work, but I am really trying to exercise everyone ounce of faith hat I have on these kids, and i need all of yours as well. Some of these kids parents did not approve or were willing sit in with our lessons, so some of the kids were distraught! that is the correct term, they were so sad, even in tears. One in particular who is almost 18 was just crushed that he mother wouldn't let us teach him. I felt so sad, and almost mad at the same time, and If I could ask all of you keep in these kids in your prayers, and pray that the Lord will soften their parents hearts and allow us to teach them, and hopefully their families as well. I felt such a strong spirit over there and I want to do everything in my power to help them, and reaching to the heavens to obtain even more power! But in the end its god's will that is going to be accomplished but not mine... But I hope and pray that this is the Lord's timing and that I will be able to be a part of it!

Experiences like these just build Faith, and I am so grateful that I chose to serve a mission that I can build my Faith in Jesus Christ. Something that I have learned about miracles in my mission, and probably something that you all know all ready but God doesn't give or show miracles to give Faith, or to create Faith, but to build upon the faith that has all ready been exercised. I know that to be EXTREMELY true, as mentioned by Moroni in Ether 12:6.

I am grateful for my mission, and my experiences, though I haven't been the missionary that I always wanted to be, I have done my best with the experiences i have been through, and though difficult I am not slackening my strength at this critical time, and I am striving to reach higher and higher even till the last day.

This scripture has always given me comfort, aid, and courage in times of trouble, and sorrow. Especially with temptations. Read it, ponder it, and apply it to yourself. 2 Nephi 4: 15-35

I love you all and I will see you in 4!! thats crazy...

--

Elder Kikel

-on the Lord's errand-

San Pablo Philippines Mission