Monday, April 11, 2016

God's Abounding Love

Hello!

So this week was chalked full of some great experiences which I can hardly wait to explain to all of you! First and foremost, we were blessed to have the opportunity to watch General Conference. What a privilege it was to hear from prophets and apostles of the Lord. Calling it spiritually refreshing would be a complete understatement. Only here on my mission have I realized just how important and how refining it is to watch and learn from those who have been called of God to lead and guide His Church. Other than that, this week Elder Duero had the chance to lead the area and all teaching appointments, which he did outstandingly. Through his efforts we found new investigators in Tambangan, a neighborhood in our area that hasn't been visited by missionaries for a long time. Super cool. I love my companion. 

Anyway, this week I'd like to share a quick message about something that I learned from a talk at General Conference. The talk is called "Tomorrow the Lord Will do Wonders Among You" by Elder Jeffery R. Holland, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In his concluding talk of General Conference, Elder Holland emphasized that sometimes in times of spiritual highs and peaks, that we inevitably have to "...return to earth, so to speak, where sometimes less-than-ideal circumstances again face us." It is a saddening truth to know that we can't always be the person who the Lord wants us to be. The fact is we fall short. But there is hope. No matter how many times we fail, no matter how many times we get back up, the Lord is always there cheering us on. Elder Holland made a great statement that I'll never forget:

"My brothers and sisters, the first great commandment of all eternity is to love God with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength—that's the first great commandment. But the first great truth of all eternity is that God loves us with all of His heart, might, mind, and strength. That love is the foundation stone of eternity, and it should be the foundation stone of our daily life. Indeed it is only with that reassurance burning in our soul that we can have the confidence to keep trying to improve, keep seeking forgiveness for our sins, and keep extending that grace to our neighbor."

As children of God, we are obligated to love Him and show that love to Him. He is our Creator, that Almighty being that knows each of us individually. In order to show that love, we strive to be obedient to His commandments. But there is a comforting truth that always resides with our Father in Heaven. He loves us. He grieves when we grieve and rejoices when we triumph in righteousness. He truly is our Father in Heaven. A loving, caring, being who awaits to help us in our times of struggle. So no matter how hard the circumstance, how challenging life may be, God is there cheering us on. He wants to bless us and yearns for our eternal salvation in His kingdom. He lives and loves us so dearly. And that is something that we should never forget.

Man, I love being a missionary. It's stuff like this that helps me keep on keeping on. I hope your week was a successful one full of happiness and peace. Though I may be on the other side of the world, know that I love you! All of your support and prayers mean the world to me. This truly is a great and marvelous work. Until next week. 

-Elder Bondoc

Sunsets are a great thing. 

I figured I'd attach a picture of my shoes. I've worn these shoes just about every day for close to a year now. 




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