July 24, 2011
Several months ago I spoke of the brother of Jared and his pile of rocks (blog entry "A Pile of Rocks" written back in January). This month, my regular reading of the Book of Mormon had brought me once again to that same story. I've found this section of the Book of Mormon, referred to as the Book of Ether, has really grown in depth and meaning for me throughout my mission. Without fail, I find a message of peace, comfort, and understanding, every time I read it. This time, as I read, the message was found in the same chapters that "A Pile of Rocks" was found in, but it was a very different message. Instead of being a message about what I have to offer now, it is a message of what Heavenly Father provided me before I came to earth. The story below can be found in Ether, chapters 2-6.
A group of people, referred to as the people of Jared, had left Jerusalem to find a promised land the Lord had promised them. They eventually reached the ocean and were given instruction on how to build barges in order to cross the vast waters. The brother of Jared went to the Lord after the barges were finished to inquire as to what the people could have for light on their long journey. The response he received was "What will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?" (Ether 2:25). This question really stuck out to me, much more than the response of the brother of Jared, as it did last time. The people were going to have a dark and difficult journey ahead of them, and the Lord was willing to provide them with that which they asked for to provide light and comfort.
It made me think back to a time, a time I actually can't remember. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we believe that we lived with our Father in Heaven, or God, as spirit children before we came to this earth. We obviously don't remember this portion of our lives, much like most people don't remember the first few years of their life. As part of our testing and growing on this earth, we needed to forget and walk according to our faith. It is a time of spiritual darkness, away from our Heavenly Father's presence. I imagine the conversation that might have occurred:
Us: Father, life is going to be dark and difficult, what shall we do to have light? Where shall we find guidance to help us return to thee safely?
Heavenly Father: What will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have guidance?
Us: Could you provide us with prophets, men who are called by thee to help us learn thy plan for us? May we have scriptures, holy writings where we can learn that which we have forgotten?
The scene even came to mind of a more personal conversation I may have had with Heavenly Father. A one-on-one moment to ask for parents who would guide me along the path of truth, leaders in church to help me through times of trial. I can even imagine me asking about a time in my life where I would be in the Philippines, and would be required to speak a language I wasn't very comfortable with. I would have challenges teaching people and talking to them and days I didn't get along with those I lived with. I can imagine asking for him to bless me with a wonderful companion who would help me learn and grow and realize I'm capable of the challenges that lie ahead. And my Heavenly Father loves me, so he allowed it to be so. I'm so very thankful for the amazing companion he has blessed me with for this transfer.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Halfway!
July 24th, 2011
Wow, this week has gone by quickly. I think they get faster the longer I'm here... which is kinda depressing because I really love my mission and want it to last a little bit longer. I've suddenly come to realize just how little time I have left as I approach my "tunga day" (tunga= half/middle/amidst, it kinda means all three, either way, I'm referring to my half way point) this Wednesday- July 27th. In addition to this, my companion got her "trunky letter" -the letter informing her when she is going home and when to check in to the mission headquarters prior to that. They show up about 3 months before you leave and people call them trunky letters because they say you are allowed to be trunky (eager to go home) after you get it. I personally feel, and my companion agrees, that the letters should actually be "motivation letters" to get you working extra hard in those final three months. So, the combination of my "tunga" and her "trunky letter" has really gotten me thinking about how fast these few months have gone and how fast the next few will be as well. It's kinda depressing, but I just have to use what time I have left as effectively as possible.
This week has been so much fun though! It's rained nearly non-stop. A few weeks ago, my companion and I found a map of the Philippines which shows the different regions and gives some information about them. This map claims that Panay island has three distinct seasons, rainy from September to February, less-rainy from March to May, and rainy again from June to August. (You may have noticed, as I did, that this actually means it rains all year long and seasons don't really exist). July though does have a few distinctions from other months. July is part of Bagio season (bagio= storm/typhoon). Panay island is protected by the other islands from the majority of the storm, but we still get the rain. The weather this month is least predictable and varies the most. It's possible to fall asleep to a clear sky and gentle breeze and be woken up a few hours later by pounding rain and wind so hard it sounds like the roof will fly away. This happened twice this week. (another interesting note about weather that I forgot to mention in my last weeks email- though I suppose it's not really weather as geology- anyways, we had an earthquake! It also woke me up and I laid in bed watching the door sway back and forth and feeling a little nauseous. It was a very small earthquake. But an earthquake none-the-less)
Another fun thing this week has been language study. I think my companion and I subconsciously decided that we were going to find all the most entertaining words to learn. These types of words are the easiest to learn because they don't really take much memorizing to know, they are just difficult to spell. Here are a few-
oxsyon: auction (sy makes a sh sorta sound)
sibilisasyon: civilization (b and v are interchangeable sounds in Hiligaynon)
sinsero: sincere (like Spanish, add and o and your good!)
pranko: frank (f and p are like b and v)
harden: garden (I'm not totally sure why)
I love this language!
Palangga Ko Kamo!
Wow, this week has gone by quickly. I think they get faster the longer I'm here... which is kinda depressing because I really love my mission and want it to last a little bit longer. I've suddenly come to realize just how little time I have left as I approach my "tunga day" (tunga= half/middle/amidst, it kinda means all three, either way, I'm referring to my half way point) this Wednesday- July 27th. In addition to this, my companion got her "trunky letter" -the letter informing her when she is going home and when to check in to the mission headquarters prior to that. They show up about 3 months before you leave and people call them trunky letters because they say you are allowed to be trunky (eager to go home) after you get it. I personally feel, and my companion agrees, that the letters should actually be "motivation letters" to get you working extra hard in those final three months. So, the combination of my "tunga" and her "trunky letter" has really gotten me thinking about how fast these few months have gone and how fast the next few will be as well. It's kinda depressing, but I just have to use what time I have left as effectively as possible.
This week has been so much fun though! It's rained nearly non-stop. A few weeks ago, my companion and I found a map of the Philippines which shows the different regions and gives some information about them. This map claims that Panay island has three distinct seasons, rainy from September to February, less-rainy from March to May, and rainy again from June to August. (You may have noticed, as I did, that this actually means it rains all year long and seasons don't really exist). July though does have a few distinctions from other months. July is part of Bagio season (bagio= storm/typhoon). Panay island is protected by the other islands from the majority of the storm, but we still get the rain. The weather this month is least predictable and varies the most. It's possible to fall asleep to a clear sky and gentle breeze and be woken up a few hours later by pounding rain and wind so hard it sounds like the roof will fly away. This happened twice this week. (another interesting note about weather that I forgot to mention in my last weeks email- though I suppose it's not really weather as geology- anyways, we had an earthquake! It also woke me up and I laid in bed watching the door sway back and forth and feeling a little nauseous. It was a very small earthquake. But an earthquake none-the-less)
Another fun thing this week has been language study. I think my companion and I subconsciously decided that we were going to find all the most entertaining words to learn. These types of words are the easiest to learn because they don't really take much memorizing to know, they are just difficult to spell. Here are a few-
oxsyon: auction (sy makes a sh sorta sound)
sibilisasyon: civilization (b and v are interchangeable sounds in Hiligaynon)
sinsero: sincere (like Spanish, add and o and your good!)
pranko: frank (f and p are like b and v)
harden: garden (I'm not totally sure why)
I love this language!
Palangga Ko Kamo!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Nag-CSP Ta!
July 17, 2011
Nag-CSP Ta!
translation (kinda): We did a community service project!
translation (literal): We CSP-ed! In Hiligaynon you can just put "nag" in front of any verb and it makes it past tense.
This Friday was a district service project, helping the Miag-ao elders and members clean their meeting house. It was an absolute blast! The house is owned by the oldest members of the group, a sweet 76 year old lady and her husband who had a stroke and can't walk very well, that's why they decided to have meetings in their house. Of course, this sweet old lady can't clean out the upstairs (which probably hadn't been used in years) all by herself. Neither would she have been capable of pulling up the old, ripped, linoleum and putting new linoleum in. So we did it for her! Below are pictures from this o-so-fun-experience. After the service project, we ate lunch on the beach near the meeting house. Pictures of that are included as well. The whole activity was really unforgettable. Miag-ao is a tiny town on the very edge of the bay-bay (sea-shore, pronounced by-by). The members are so sweet, and watching half-a-dozen missionaries try to figure out how to install linoleum is really fun. (I did help a little bit).
"Before pictures" The upstairs walls had essentially fallen apart down to the studs, so after cleaning the upstairs, we put in new plywood to separate the rooms again for classes.
Downstairs after the old linoleum was already ripped out.
A genuine treasure chest, with all the traditional treasure one would expect to find- an old faded picture of a soldier, old-fashioned clothing, everything!
How many missionaries does it take to install linoleum?
Filipino Carpentry - They are upstairs and I am downstairs!
"After Pictures" of the upstairs
The outside of the Church
Lunch afterwards
Nag-CSP Ta!
translation (kinda): We did a community service project!
translation (literal): We CSP-ed! In Hiligaynon you can just put "nag" in front of any verb and it makes it past tense.
This Friday was a district service project, helping the Miag-ao elders and members clean their meeting house. It was an absolute blast! The house is owned by the oldest members of the group, a sweet 76 year old lady and her husband who had a stroke and can't walk very well, that's why they decided to have meetings in their house. Of course, this sweet old lady can't clean out the upstairs (which probably hadn't been used in years) all by herself. Neither would she have been capable of pulling up the old, ripped, linoleum and putting new linoleum in. So we did it for her! Below are pictures from this o-so-fun-experience. After the service project, we ate lunch on the beach near the meeting house. Pictures of that are included as well. The whole activity was really unforgettable. Miag-ao is a tiny town on the very edge of the bay-bay (sea-shore, pronounced by-by). The members are so sweet, and watching half-a-dozen missionaries try to figure out how to install linoleum is really fun. (I did help a little bit).
"Before pictures" The upstairs walls had essentially fallen apart down to the studs, so after cleaning the upstairs, we put in new plywood to separate the rooms again for classes.
Downstairs after the old linoleum was already ripped out.
A genuine treasure chest, with all the traditional treasure one would expect to find- an old faded picture of a soldier, old-fashioned clothing, everything!
How many missionaries does it take to install linoleum?
Filipino Carpentry - They are upstairs and I am downstairs!
"After Pictures" of the upstairs
The outside of the Church
Lunch afterwards
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Lift Where You Stand
July 17, 2011
This week consisted of a mission tour with Elder Teh, the ecclesiastical leader in charge of the church for all the Philippines. The past week he's toured through all the areas in the mission, holding conferences and interviews with the missionaries. Wednesday was our conference. It was amazing. Elder Teh spoke of things that we can do to make sure that we stay as far from the "line" as possible. The line I'm referring to is the line between good and evil essentially. The place where Satan has more influence in our lives than Christ. If we stand next to that line, it's very easy for us to be tempted and distracted by what lies on the other side. We discussed how the most important thing we can do is turn our backs to that line and stop watching the "action" occurring on the other side. Then, we take steps that pull us further and further away from where that line is. These steps include simple things like daily prayers and obedience to God's commandments. The idea was further emphasized with an object lesson. An elder was asked to come forward and as we mentioned different things we can do to obey God's commandments, he walked further and further away from the line. This brings us to an area of safety where Satan's temptations have less effect on our lives. This was demonstrated by Elder Teh pulling a Toblerone out of his bag and waving it around. The Elder, with his back turned, was unaware of the temptation and it had no effect on him. As soon as he turned around though, noticing the candy bar, he slowly edged closer to the line- where the candy bar was waiting. When Elder Teh invited him back to the line, the elder did so quite willingly. Of course, in real life, Satan's temptations are much trickier and harmful than a candy bar.
Elder Teh was followed by the Mission President's assistants giving training and introducing the new mission motto. July marks the one year anniversary of the Philippines Iloilo mission. So, we changed the motto! The new motto is Lift Where You Stand, based on the talk by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. (talk can be found by clicking his name) We know that we have been called to the place that the Lord needs us to be. Therefore, it is a waste of time to complain about the circumstances (like cold showers and an unending supply of mosquitoes) and do the work the Lord has called us to do. If we all work together, regardless of where we are or what our abilities are, we will be able to lift this work to a higher level. Many people said this mission was the "hard mission" of the Philippines. I've heard other missionaries say that Panay Island wasn't really prepared or receptive to the gospel. Yet nearly 600 people have come unto Christ through baptism in this past year. It might not be like the Manila mission or the Bacolod mission, but it isn't Manila or Bacolod. This is Iloilo! This is where I'm called to serve, and if I do my best, I will do exactly what Heavenly Father needs me to do.
This week consisted of a mission tour with Elder Teh, the ecclesiastical leader in charge of the church for all the Philippines. The past week he's toured through all the areas in the mission, holding conferences and interviews with the missionaries. Wednesday was our conference. It was amazing. Elder Teh spoke of things that we can do to make sure that we stay as far from the "line" as possible. The line I'm referring to is the line between good and evil essentially. The place where Satan has more influence in our lives than Christ. If we stand next to that line, it's very easy for us to be tempted and distracted by what lies on the other side. We discussed how the most important thing we can do is turn our backs to that line and stop watching the "action" occurring on the other side. Then, we take steps that pull us further and further away from where that line is. These steps include simple things like daily prayers and obedience to God's commandments. The idea was further emphasized with an object lesson. An elder was asked to come forward and as we mentioned different things we can do to obey God's commandments, he walked further and further away from the line. This brings us to an area of safety where Satan's temptations have less effect on our lives. This was demonstrated by Elder Teh pulling a Toblerone out of his bag and waving it around. The Elder, with his back turned, was unaware of the temptation and it had no effect on him. As soon as he turned around though, noticing the candy bar, he slowly edged closer to the line- where the candy bar was waiting. When Elder Teh invited him back to the line, the elder did so quite willingly. Of course, in real life, Satan's temptations are much trickier and harmful than a candy bar.
Elder Teh was followed by the Mission President's assistants giving training and introducing the new mission motto. July marks the one year anniversary of the Philippines Iloilo mission. So, we changed the motto! The new motto is Lift Where You Stand, based on the talk by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. (talk can be found by clicking his name) We know that we have been called to the place that the Lord needs us to be. Therefore, it is a waste of time to complain about the circumstances (like cold showers and an unending supply of mosquitoes) and do the work the Lord has called us to do. If we all work together, regardless of where we are or what our abilities are, we will be able to lift this work to a higher level. Many people said this mission was the "hard mission" of the Philippines. I've heard other missionaries say that Panay Island wasn't really prepared or receptive to the gospel. Yet nearly 600 people have come unto Christ through baptism in this past year. It might not be like the Manila mission or the Bacolod mission, but it isn't Manila or Bacolod. This is Iloilo! This is where I'm called to serve, and if I do my best, I will do exactly what Heavenly Father needs me to do.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Hello Everyone!
July 10, 2011
This week has been quite and adventure. Between the weather, appointments, and working with the branch members I've experienced many successes and many days where I was really glad to fall asleep at night and let the day be over. The weather this week has been turning on and off like a child playing with a light switch. Hot and Sunny one minute, super Windy and Rainy the next. The investigators have been acting much the same way, some people nice and sunny and others giving us the cold shoulder. Then the members are just awesome and it's always a blessing to work with them.
Now, for a continuation of a previous blog post:
The Path, Continued
A few weeks ago I related my adventures of the week to the path that each of us walk in life. Due to the experience, I focused on how we sometimes walk dangerous, muddy, paths and we need to be extra careful in order to stay on our feet. This week, I want to focus more on the path when it's straight, paved, and appears easy before us.
Walking home from Zone Meeting last week seemed to be a simple, safe task. The way between the church and the main road is completely paved, free of dirt and stones, and easy to walk. With all my skill and talent, I somehow managed to find the slippery spot in the road and once again ended up on my rear end, this time injuring my arm as it banged against the curb. I stood up and my companion and I continued home. The event isn't quite as exciting as the last, the fall not as spectacular, the injury not as deep, yet I still fell.
In our lives, we still fall. We can be doing all we can to make sure that we stay safe and take the correct path. Even at the best of times, when we are doing all we can and there seems to be nothing to stop us, there can be hidden slippery spots that cause us to fall short of our expectations of ourselves and need to start the repentance and healing process all over again. We have to remember to keep watch even when the path seems easy, because those mistakes and slippery spots are least expected and very sudden. If I wanted to, I could have complained about how it's unfair for me to fall when I'm doing everything right and staying in the safest area I can. But I realized that a fall is a fall, not matter where it happens, and the best solution is really just to stand back up and keep going.
Just another thought
Palangga Ko Kamo!
This week has been quite and adventure. Between the weather, appointments, and working with the branch members I've experienced many successes and many days where I was really glad to fall asleep at night and let the day be over. The weather this week has been turning on and off like a child playing with a light switch. Hot and Sunny one minute, super Windy and Rainy the next. The investigators have been acting much the same way, some people nice and sunny and others giving us the cold shoulder. Then the members are just awesome and it's always a blessing to work with them.
Now, for a continuation of a previous blog post:
The Path, Continued
A few weeks ago I related my adventures of the week to the path that each of us walk in life. Due to the experience, I focused on how we sometimes walk dangerous, muddy, paths and we need to be extra careful in order to stay on our feet. This week, I want to focus more on the path when it's straight, paved, and appears easy before us.
Walking home from Zone Meeting last week seemed to be a simple, safe task. The way between the church and the main road is completely paved, free of dirt and stones, and easy to walk. With all my skill and talent, I somehow managed to find the slippery spot in the road and once again ended up on my rear end, this time injuring my arm as it banged against the curb. I stood up and my companion and I continued home. The event isn't quite as exciting as the last, the fall not as spectacular, the injury not as deep, yet I still fell.
In our lives, we still fall. We can be doing all we can to make sure that we stay safe and take the correct path. Even at the best of times, when we are doing all we can and there seems to be nothing to stop us, there can be hidden slippery spots that cause us to fall short of our expectations of ourselves and need to start the repentance and healing process all over again. We have to remember to keep watch even when the path seems easy, because those mistakes and slippery spots are least expected and very sudden. If I wanted to, I could have complained about how it's unfair for me to fall when I'm doing everything right and staying in the safest area I can. But I realized that a fall is a fall, not matter where it happens, and the best solution is really just to stand back up and keep going.
Just another thought
Palangga Ko Kamo!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Dasig gid and Oras
July 3, 2011
Time is really fast, especially when you absolutely love your companion and the area. This week has flown by so quickly. In fact, it's been so fast that I didn't realize until yesterday that I hadn't written about any of it in my journal. So, I've dedicated a large part of my p-day to updating my journal so that all my posterity can realize how wonderful life is here in the Philippines. I feel kinda bad for my journal- it hears a lot about the rough weeks and the bad days because I have lots of time to write on those days. On the other hand, I'm so busy when I'm having great weeks that I never write about any of it. As amazing as everything is though, there are still moments that stand above the rest, tiny miracles that remind me Heavenly Father is guiding every step we take, often literally. This week, the miracles mostly displayed themselves through new people we met as my companion and I have been praying for the ability to recognize those who are prepared to hear the message of the Restored Gospel.
Contact #1- The neighborhood we live in has lots of loops, turns, and pathways for getting from place to place. There are a dozen different ways to get from the front of the neighborhood to our house and most of them even take the same amount of time. We rotate between pathways in an effort to "keep things interesting" and "mix things up a bit." As we walked home Tuesday afternoon, I felt like we needed to "mix things up" again and turned down one of the roads we don't usually walk down. Walked toward us along this road was a sweet old man who (like most people here) was very excited to see two Americans and became even more excited when we stopped to talk with him. The entire conversation consisted of us speaking to him in Hiligaynon and him responding in English because he wanted to practice. He told us that each time he saw us he wanted to talk to us, but we were always going somewhere. We set up an appointment to return to teach him later that night when his wife got home. The lesson with this couple was so much fun. For the first time (I think ever) I could easily think of questions to ask in order to get to know them better. They were so excited to listen to us and definitely want us to come back and to teach them again.
Contact #2- We met Brother R while wandering around our neighborhood after our morning appointment canceled on us. We turned down a street hoping to refind someone we had met the previous week and instead found someone new. As soon as we started walking down the street, we noticed someone wearing a bright white polo. My companion told me later she instantly knew that we just needed to talk to him. When we asked how many children he had, his responded with a smile and said, "oh- gamay lang, walo pa lang." (oh, just a few, only 8). He then dove into telling us about his 7 daughters, 4 of which are already in or done with college, and his youngest child and only son who is still 7. We shared with him briefly about how God has restored the fullness of his plan for families to be happy here on earth despite challenges that we all face and we asked if we could send the missionaries in his area (he unfortunately doesn't live in our area, but the elders in dumungas will hopefully do a great job of teaching him) to his house to teach him and his family more. The normal response to this question is "I'm too busy", or "my house is hard to find", and occasionally "sure, if they want to." Brother R's response was significantly different. He said he would love to have them visit and learn more, he pulled out his business card and wrote his new phone number on it, then flipped it over and drew a map on the back so that they would be able to find his house, labeling important landmarks like the nearby high school. It was probably the coolest referral we ever got.
Well- other than that the week has been filled with good lessons and bad lessons, great days and punted days, and lots of rain. In the few weeks I've been in Oton I've come to love the place and the people so much. I've had the opportunity to think about why I'm really here and what my purpose is as a missionary. I've been filled with this great desire to tell everyone that God loves them, and because he loves them he's given them a way to return to live with him again. Through his plan we can live with our families forever, we can find peace in this life, we can discover stability as the world literally shakes around us. These are the blessings of the Gospel. It isn't just a list of dos and don'ts to be "saved," but it's a plan designed by a loving father so that we can find joy regardless of our circumstances.
Time is really fast, especially when you absolutely love your companion and the area. This week has flown by so quickly. In fact, it's been so fast that I didn't realize until yesterday that I hadn't written about any of it in my journal. So, I've dedicated a large part of my p-day to updating my journal so that all my posterity can realize how wonderful life is here in the Philippines. I feel kinda bad for my journal- it hears a lot about the rough weeks and the bad days because I have lots of time to write on those days. On the other hand, I'm so busy when I'm having great weeks that I never write about any of it. As amazing as everything is though, there are still moments that stand above the rest, tiny miracles that remind me Heavenly Father is guiding every step we take, often literally. This week, the miracles mostly displayed themselves through new people we met as my companion and I have been praying for the ability to recognize those who are prepared to hear the message of the Restored Gospel.
Contact #1- The neighborhood we live in has lots of loops, turns, and pathways for getting from place to place. There are a dozen different ways to get from the front of the neighborhood to our house and most of them even take the same amount of time. We rotate between pathways in an effort to "keep things interesting" and "mix things up a bit." As we walked home Tuesday afternoon, I felt like we needed to "mix things up" again and turned down one of the roads we don't usually walk down. Walked toward us along this road was a sweet old man who (like most people here) was very excited to see two Americans and became even more excited when we stopped to talk with him. The entire conversation consisted of us speaking to him in Hiligaynon and him responding in English because he wanted to practice. He told us that each time he saw us he wanted to talk to us, but we were always going somewhere. We set up an appointment to return to teach him later that night when his wife got home. The lesson with this couple was so much fun. For the first time (I think ever) I could easily think of questions to ask in order to get to know them better. They were so excited to listen to us and definitely want us to come back and to teach them again.
Contact #2- We met Brother R while wandering around our neighborhood after our morning appointment canceled on us. We turned down a street hoping to refind someone we had met the previous week and instead found someone new. As soon as we started walking down the street, we noticed someone wearing a bright white polo. My companion told me later she instantly knew that we just needed to talk to him. When we asked how many children he had, his responded with a smile and said, "oh- gamay lang, walo pa lang." (oh, just a few, only 8). He then dove into telling us about his 7 daughters, 4 of which are already in or done with college, and his youngest child and only son who is still 7. We shared with him briefly about how God has restored the fullness of his plan for families to be happy here on earth despite challenges that we all face and we asked if we could send the missionaries in his area (he unfortunately doesn't live in our area, but the elders in dumungas will hopefully do a great job of teaching him) to his house to teach him and his family more. The normal response to this question is "I'm too busy", or "my house is hard to find", and occasionally "sure, if they want to." Brother R's response was significantly different. He said he would love to have them visit and learn more, he pulled out his business card and wrote his new phone number on it, then flipped it over and drew a map on the back so that they would be able to find his house, labeling important landmarks like the nearby high school. It was probably the coolest referral we ever got.
Well- other than that the week has been filled with good lessons and bad lessons, great days and punted days, and lots of rain. In the few weeks I've been in Oton I've come to love the place and the people so much. I've had the opportunity to think about why I'm really here and what my purpose is as a missionary. I've been filled with this great desire to tell everyone that God loves them, and because he loves them he's given them a way to return to live with him again. Through his plan we can live with our families forever, we can find peace in this life, we can discover stability as the world literally shakes around us. These are the blessings of the Gospel. It isn't just a list of dos and don'ts to be "saved," but it's a plan designed by a loving father so that we can find joy regardless of our circumstances.
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