WEEK 65 PHILIPPINES

Family and Friends,

We have had lots of success these past couple weeks and I know it is because of prayers, fasting and faith.

Last week we met a lady as we were walking that said she was very interested it what we had to teach. She willingly set an appointment with us to come back and teach. We wen to her house on the scheduled date and taught the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Kaifoto and I were both surprised at the amazing question she asked. We felt that she was going be baptized very quick. We set up another time to visit with her and again she willingly accepted. We planed on teaching about the Book of Mormon and reading the introduction. We started the lesson and asked if she had any questions. She started of with "Why was the book hidden away for so many years" and "Who did the golden plates get translated by those 'two stones'?" Elder Kaifoto looked at me and we were both amazed. We continued to teach and answer her questions as she asked them. She then went on to ask questions about specific people. We were shocked. She said she hadnt read it but that she had heard briefly about it. There was something more to this because those are deep questions. 

At the end of the lesson we asked if she had anymore questions that would surprise us even more. This was her question, but our answer. "Do I need to be baptized again?" The response was "No only once in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" Her response was "Oh! Well then I've already been baptized! Do I need to be taught again?" We all just started laughing because it made sense. She went and got her baptismal certificate and sure enough  3 years ago she was baptized. She never told us that until the third time we met with her. She only said she had talked with the missionaries because they were teaching her cousin. It was a great laugh but we are now teaching her husband and daughter. They are amazing.

This is the true church of Jesus Christ on the earth today.

Love,

Elder O'Neil

WEEK 44 "Success"

Friends and family,

I just want to start off by saying thank you so much for the wonderful gifts and letters I received in my package! I have read the letters over and over and love the wonderful pure testimonies that are borne in them. I reflect daily on the blessing of my family but even more so this past Thursday for Thanksgiving. I truly am thankful for you.

I'm following up on my letter from last week about Hermas and Ednalie. We have been praying so hard for them this week that they would continue to feel the spirit of our lesson last week and turn it into action my reading the Book of Mormon. We had the wonderful experience of going and teaching them again yesterday. When we showed up Hermas was outside reading from the pamphlets we left them and also form the Book of Mormon. After his question last week about what was "bawal for Mormons." We got the impression that we needed to teach the Word of Wisdom. We started the lesson and explained what we were going to be discussing. We talked about the things that we shouldn't put into our bodies and then asked him if he had any problems with them (we were under the impression he was drinking coffee). He said along time ago he was a drug user, chain smoker, and an alcoholic but one day he looked into his kids faces and realized it wasn't doing anyone any good to continue in those ways and stopped then and there. He went on to tell us that as he has been reading the Book of Mormon he has lost all desire to drink coffee and threw it all after he finished the first chapter of 1 Nephi (this is also without even knowing it wasn't good for our bodies or against the Word of Wisdom). With a big smile on his face he said "Elders, this book has power to do miracles. I am watching them in my life right now." I testify that this book does have the power of miracles within its pages. The book in and of itself is a miracle. 

Ednalie was at work when we stopped by and also wasn't able to make it to church with Hermas. We stopped by the fish market where she works on our way home from their house just to check in with her and see how her reading was going. She too has found peace and blessings as she reads and said she hasn't been able to put it down. She said as she reads she is gaining more and more courage to not work on Sunday and attend church instead. We committed her to come to church and know that she would be taken care of is she put the Lord first in her life. Please pray for her.

This is the church of Jesus Christ. We have a true and living prophet here on the earth today, President Thomas S. Monson. We are all children of a loving Heavenly Farther who knows us individually. I too love you and and grateful for you and your support in my behalf and in behalf of these wonderful people in I have the opportunity to serve in the midst of.

Elder O'Neil

WEEK 39: PHILIPPINES

Friends and family,

The work has really made a turn and is now booming here in San Juan. If we truly plan for success our Heavenly Father will help us gain that success. No matter what stage of life we are in, the Lord is going to help us because we are His children and he loves us.

My self and Elder Reed have made an effort to talk to everyone we can to help him with the language and as well as to help us find people to teach. Each night in our planning this past week we planned that we would talk to a certain amount of people of our way from our appointments. We had so much success and so many people that have asked us to come by again this coming week. We planned and that Lord has helped us gain that success.

We were at a bus stop earlier this week when we saw a man that kept glancing at us as though he wanted to talk. My companion suggested that we go and talk to him so I approached him and started to speak to him in Tagalog. Out of nowhere he started speaking to us in English, and he was amazing. My companion was relieved because he could be a part of the conversation and understand what was going on. Joey is form the Philippines but has lived in Japan for 22 years. His friends are all English teachers from the United States so he had come to speak just as they do. He said that he wanted to approach us so he could use his English just as practice so he wouldn't lose it but was to scared to and was relieved when we approached him. He got on the bus with us and was very kind to pay for our bus fare. We taught him a brief lesson one and asked that we come and visit him as his house because he felt something that he wants in his life. Please pray for Joey.

Elder Reed is so fun to have as a companion! He have had so much fun and I have a some great laughs as I have watched him adjust to some pretty interesting things this week. He's making so much progress and Im trying to stay up with him. I love him. Please pray for him and his family.

Elder O'Neil