October 20, 2015 - Toledo, Cebu

Baptism of Sister Neciel! 

Well it was kind of windy and rainy for a day and a half, but that's really not very remarkable. I heard some people tell us there was supposed to be a bagio (typhoon). Actually there was one time that was funny. Me and Elder Omugtong were on the top of this little hill that looked over a big empty field. We were just getting to know the people in the area, and there were some dark clouds out aways, but no rain or wind. So here we are talking to this tatay, I'm helping him make a silhig (a broom made of the ribs of coconut leaves), when all of a sudden, this burst of wind comes across the field and strikes the hill we're sitting on. Leaves start falling off of the coconut trees, houses start making sounds like they're about to fall apart, and it's obviously about to rain. So we ran away looking for shelter. It was funny, because it felt like a bomb just went off, but we just went on missionarying.

Toledo and Pinamungajarian Zones at General Conference.

Elder Omugtong and I did some barbeque-ing for GenCon lunch. E Omugtong did all the cooking, and I lit the charcoal.

So this week, I worked in Lutopan area. Look up Poog, Toledo, if you want to see the area I was in. Very Bukid. Elder Bacay was my companion. He rocks. He's from Mindoro, a very provincial area. One of the highlights was his pulling off coconuts from the tree at their house and chopping it open with a meat cleaver.

Brother William, the father of our Branch President. He was going to join in the Self-Reliance here, because he wants to make a business making and selling little wood dump trucks. As soon as I saw the picture, he made me think of Uncle Roy, so I love this guy.

We found a members' house with a ton of pictures from the last Gen Con Liahona, pasted all around another picture.

This morning, I was looking for places where the Lord says "Be strong and of a good courage" to Israel, because it's kind of repeated a lot. I ran across a really cool chapter in Deuteronomy 30. It's totally the doctrine of Christ. In verses 11-14, Moses says that the word is not hidden, it's not lost in the heavens, it's not far across the sea, or anywhere impossibly far away. The word is very nigh unto thee. It's in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. The house of Israel has a living prophet, they have the law and the priesthood. The word is there with them. All they must do is keep it.

I know this is true for us, too. We have the choice ahead of us. We have a knowledge of the truth, and we must help others come to this knowledge, that they may repent and live.

Elder Dunford