Stand As a Witness

Candace was asked to write a letter for Youth Conference so the majority of this letter is the letter I will be reading to the youth. Enjoy.

Shoot, I know EXACTLY what Ry is talking about. Bahahaha, i just sat here laughing reading those emails. Too funny. It is quite the adjustment. Sounds like he's dealing with a lot of the same things we do here. traffic, food, communication, no sleep. All sounds much too familiar. He's got a great attitude though and let's just admit it, he's pretty much the greatest kid ever. He'll figure it out. So I'll save all my other stories for you next week. I took good notes, so I had some pretty stellar ones, but next week na lang. but PS before I forget, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BOO, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BOO!!!! Haha, it sounds like "happy birthday to YOU". Wow, I no longer have a sense of humor. That just screamed mom joke. (sorry ma) So now I have just about 5 minutes to try and write this "stand as a witness" thing. Ha, we'll see what we can whip out. 

Everytime I hear stand as a witness, I always think of reciting the young womens theme every Sunday; but as a missionary, this phrase has taken on a whole new meaning for me. Everyday when we walk out the door, we are the representatives for the Lord in our area. And people recognize that. Especially here in the Philippines where people know Jesus Christ and love Him as their savior. Even if they don't recognize that the message we bear is true, they still recognize that we are messengers of Jesus Christ. So for me, it's made me more aware of what I do, say, and even think, everyday. When you're entrusted to be the representative for the Lord, you've been trusted to do as he would do, say what he would say, and think what he would think. As members of the true church of Jesus Christ, all of us have taken his name upon us with a covenant to stand as a witness. It's hard. Most of the time it comes coupled with opposition from others and a struggle against your own weaknesses. My companion right now, Sister Suarez, is a perfect example of standing as a witness. When she listened to the missionaries, she immediately knew their message was true. She was the first to be baptized in her family, a family with a very Catholic background. For the first year after her baptism, she stood alone. Even though there was opposition, she remained faithful to her testimony. Eventually her 2 siblings were baptized, then her father, then her mom, and her last sister was baptized last year. She told me, she's now on a mission because she finished her work with her family. It's time to bring the gospel to others. She also said the reason her family was baptized is because they had seen a difference in her, a change for the better. 

There is a reason we're asked to stand as a witness, and that we covenant to do so. It's not just about bearing our testimony or standing for truth; it's that in the process of doing that, we become more like the savior. We learn to act as he would act, say what he would say, and be what He is. That's the whole point of the gospel. And the very essence of who we are will stand as an eternal witness to those around us, and also to Him who we serve.

Cg, that's all I got. Hopefully that's what she's looking for. sorry so short. So next week on the list of stories, just to get you all excited you know :) 1: Old granny with a purple lace bra, 2: 80 year old Tay who worked with us yesterday, 3: you thought this one was gonna be about some old person too huh, nope. sweet story about one of our investigators! 4: the simple blessing of water, 5: that's all. 5 just sounded better than 4. I swear I had more stories than that. Anywho...love you all (as usual) and gotta say, pretty glad I missed out on all the airport farewells; would have been a mess right along side you. Mush, where is your heart for heavens sake. Twit, would you teach that girl to cry please? If anyone can do it, you can :) haha. Mahal ko kayo! hanggang sa susunod na linggo!! Bye! :)