Singing Praises!

To My Marvelous Family,and whomever else may read this =D

Couple things to address first:

My Comps famous =PHaha...nahh...just a lot of people (at least members) in the Zone and Bacolod Area...all know my comp jumped off the bus (the ceres =P) yup yup hahaa. (He fell...kind of...and he's alright...hasnt stopped the work!)

I Also still have letters i need to send out...old ones haha. for lauren. and sister johnson. etc. oh and bordy's resume i made a brief one for him to expound on (yeah...i have those here...i need to mail them though...)

ANDD! If its not happening already...please forward the emails to Ethan and also my Brother David, and Anjelica.

So! Yes, Sister Stadler was in my Batch at the MTC, and she is wonderful. Havent seen her since the first day here...but she is a wonderful Sister. She will work wonders, i know it, for I have seen her spirit. and its quite beautiful. so yes...thats her blog =P

Eating! oh yess...i love eating! Hmm...my current addiction is a chocolate candy somewat like a tootsie roll but not really. Its called "Chubby" and its the chocolate kind. Thats my munchy food. aaandd...actually...surprisingly haha...we dont always eat that much. And im fine with that. We dont come home for lunch often...sometimes eat out for lunch, but not often...breakfast...ehh...sometimes. and dinner is uually the meal we have when we have a meal. ELder Stockton likes to cook (rice rice rice! tuna, fish, vegetables, fish, spicy stuff...corn beef...anyhing...on rice! Its all sudan.) And its fantastic.ive cooked peanut butter on bread (their peanut butter is cool!) made maya pancakes and some rice dishes...but not a whole lot. Lumpia...my candies, my cookies (Creamos! like an oreo sorta...filipino style) and oatmeal...and whatevvss...munchies is pretty much it =P) but i LOVE the filipino food when we eat out or at a members house.

had Balut =p! smelled. bad. but ate it. and yeah...wasnt too bad ;) suspense was awesome though.

And WOW! JUST the other day...ive never been so full in my life! (or it felt like it!) Momma Flor just...wow...shes a grndmother alright! Rice with Talipia fish for Sudan. And my plate...was bottomless. Id just take a bite...come back to the plate...and there was no sign that ever i had touched my plate! She's quick. sooo...i left that house...after sitting on the couch trying to regain myself for 10 minutes...and i literally could not walk...i could not...and we went, taught another lesson...and i waddled my way back to the house. oh dearr...it was wonderful. it was terrible. i felt like i was gonna die. wanted to die. but it was great. sooo...much...riceee...haha! and mango juice!

enough bout that! Package: yes, i sent that home. and no, i dont need anything back...i am perfect as i am fo quite some time =) As i said...just pictures and maybe candy =D!

it is now 1240ish PM...and i am emailing...this is about the time. And I dont read emails til after i write (I print them out and read them later on tonight at the house)

Sooo...it doesnt feel like december...no snow! Haha...i literally forgot thanksgiving ever happened...christmas...well...i remember ONLY because of the music here and there amidst the hip hop and rock =P!

But yes...oh Mom, thought of yoou =) And Louis Armstrong...and how you love Christmas Musicc...and kinda reminisced for a bit about Christmas at our house...or things that happen round the season. Loved it (memory triggered at a members house with christmas music playing in the background over dinner)

No...not sure what mail there is. Apparently there is Fed Ex...dont know much about here how it works...however, the filipino form of fed ex is LBC, very fast cars and motorcyles transporting round the filipines =p! But yeah...dont know how it all works...just that if ever we get packages...usually its through LBC (maybe fed ex)

Yes...we DO live in a house lala. Haha. Its a great house...wonderful lil house...many kinks as i metnioned before. Rats and whatnot here and there...but oh well...they out of sight and out of mind =pp!!

PICTURES! Yes...i sent some home from the mtc (i hope...i told someone to send them) and i will send you thi card probably afte this transfer ends...soo...yup, hows that sound? BY THE WAY...i think i might have almost broken you camera...haha! Its usuable...i think still...probably. yeah kinda...oh well. i can still take pictures so i will...its just scratched and has dirt in it (and the memory card is still funky!)---------ALRIGHT! Enough with the little thingslet me tell you of the True Story, The One that Matters.

This week has been wonderful, Mother.Again...ever night I Come home exhausted...yet I Love this.I know the cause for which i give my energy...and i know there is an even better way. I shall endeavor to find it. But I Am exhausted and quite Happy.

This week...there were many challenges with appointments and church and members and the like...but soon to b addressed.

We have just established...that we are going to strive, even all tht we are...to fill the Chapel as much as we can for the weeks leading to Christmas. As of now...church here is quite different. and yet...hmm...how do i describe...ive been pondering often...of the way to search my heart concerning church. and ive come to find that as i trust Him...he helps me to Find the Love. It is not The Church back home. Yet, it is His Church. I Wish to help this church...yet...i do not wish to merely Americanize it and bring an "American Spirit" to the church...no. But Rather...to Find the Gospel...the Gospel Spirit & Purpose of Church...and Bring it Here. To Establish the Kingdom here. for truly, there is so much that the people here do right. and there are so many similarities. In fact, Mother...we could learn so much from the Spirit they bring to church. And yet, it is young here...and growing...and there is much we can teach them, can help them grow...and truly FEEL that Gospel within these very walls of the consecrated building. We shall learn and grow together.

Together...we shall find the Spirit of the Gospel...and With this...Build THE Kindom...as the Lord Directs, for the Philippines.

I was disheartened...and yet...in awe...to see only 27 members at church just yesterday (in one of our two wards/branches) (they are both rather small)...in awe that these people who came...despite everything! Feel the Spirit strong enough at church and Recognize God and Jesus Christ Here...that they COME. And it was enough to soften my heart...grown up in America, as church is over there...and realize...there is something else here...the Spirit. And somehow...among the conditions here...i felt its purity more than ever before...and it is this purity that keep these members attending. This is why...we have decided...to Bring As Many People to this Chapel in the Two Weeks as we Possibly Can. And we Shall. I Feel This. If We Serve with Our Might. For the INvestigators NEED the Members. And the Members NEED the investigators...all NEED To feel the Purpose. The Very Spirit...and we Can feel it stronger than ever...with Each Other.

Thus...we are in the infant stages of our journey. And one day...i know it will gain momentum and take off...and the cycle will begin again as the ward will then be split and repeat to grow again in members. One day this will happen. But why not now? If it will happen "one day"...why wait? Let Us Grow this Kingdom NOW. For the Members...for the Children of the Covenant, and those Wandering, those Investigators, those Prepared Souls...If We can do but anything...we can do this. We Owe them this much, yea, all our conviction and heart and strength.

For them, We will Exhaust Ourselves.

The church may not understand how to teach, quite how to run the church, the members responsibility, their callings, etc. They dont understand...yet shall we thrust forth our might into giving them the NEED to grow. We Will Teach Them, and give them the people they need...that they will HAVE to grow, to learn, to understand. And they will find a love. they will find the love and the purpose. But we need to first...show them that WE are willing to do all we can...so that they too...can see the Purpose: Because We Love Them. They Will Find: "I Can Love Them" "He Loves Me...He Loves Them..." "I Can Love Them."

And they will find that desire...to help Build the Kingdom.

This is the Spirit of the Season for Us, here in the Philippines...my companion and I, and Even The Heart of Missionary Work.

We Shall Give Them the Greatest Gift we can...so they too...will feel the Joy, and in turn, the Desire and Joy to Give.

Oh how my heart Sang Yesterday! For it Doth Always Sing...but yesterday...we heard the words of our Precious Brethren, Called of God. And I Prayed to the Father...that He Might Surround Me as I LIstened...and He Did. Oh those Marvelous Spirits! The Apostles, the Prophet, The Choir...

Truly...I See Christ. I Feel Him.And He ie E're with All These His People.I Shall Help Them...They Recognize Him...in some way...Yet, Shall They Feel His Love, I Promise They Shall!And they Shall Know Who he is: Christ, Our Savior.

These people know Christ, mother.They Just dont know they do...Shall Not We All...Help One Another See?

I Loved Hearing the Words. Thank You, Father...how I Could Ever have doubted...i do not know. Unwilling to go to see a conference...or to serve, to help missionaries, to fulfill a calling...how could i ever not have known...for in all these ways: I feel my saviors love.

"Let Our Hearts Rejoice" (2nephi 9) Come to Him. I Shall Forever.We Shall Forever. Thank You, Father.

How Could I Be The Very Person Hindering Mine Own Heart?This is All I've Ever Wanted. And i Promise You...This is All We've Ever Wanted.

A Baptism this week...a beautiful family...The Alvez family. Only the mother Nanay and Mar Joy a daughter at the moment...but we teach the entire family...and i know, they all soon to follow...to enter into the covenant...to recieve the wonderful comforter...to forever feel Christ...and to become a family, forever. I See This. And I Am overjoyed. Her Testimony had me Dumfounded...in Awe. Nanay stood...and Smiled...and struggled...and wept. And wept. For many long moments...wept. And then sat down. It was Perhaps One of the Most Beautiful Testimonies I've Ever Witnessed.

There are Many People Close to My Heart Right Now, Mother.So many, i have not the time...nor the words to say, nor capacity of heart...for truly...it is not my heart. It is His.

And Suffice it to Say Mother...I Believe in Christ. He is My Love.He is the Love. And Together...We Shall Share Our Love.

I Love my Friends--Brody, Alena, Andrea, Ethan, Jane, Susie...I Love my Family. I Love these Missionaries, yea, all Missionaries. I Love the Philippines, and All the People Therein. All the Children of the World. I Love My God, Our Father....Yes...I Love Our Family.

And this is the Light. This is Who We Are--Within.

Oh Shall we not become his Seed? Shall we not Taken Upon Us His Name--And be of the Seed of Christ?Yea, We Shall. And We'll Come Singing to Zion. For We Know: Thy God Reigneth!

Blessed be Our Family. Blessed Be Our Father. And Unto Him, We Shall Sing, for all Eternity.

(Mosiah 15)

--Elder Lewis