Sunday, February 26, 2017

Being an Agent

​Hi.

This week was awesome. It was jam-packed with so many things, I don't even know where to begin. Well first and foremost, we had a baptism! Brother Harold was baptized! It was such a blessing and honor to be part of his conversion. Next week Sister Marilou is going to be baptized! We're super excited for her. Elder Bednar also came and gave a talk to all the missionaries in the mission. It was awesome. We also had stake conference on Sunday. About 900 members from all over Naga showed up. That was super cool also. 

But Elder Bednar's talk was actually the message that I wanted to share this week. Something that he emphasized frequently in his time with us was about becoming an agent in our lives, acting out of our own free will and agency, instead of becoming  objects, merely acted upon. That's totally true! It's so much easier to just do things because people tell you to do them instead of being accountable and just taking charge. I believe that our agency is such a blessing from our Heavenly Father. He knows that we'll learn and grow from our mistakes, making us the people that He wants us to become. Cool, right? 

"And now remember, remember, my brethren that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free." Helaman 14:30

If we use our agency with righteous intentions, I know we'll be blessed. Hope you all had a good week! Until next week.

-Elder Bondoc

The baptism and everyone who attended!
Brother Harold!

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Making a Bad Hair Day into a Good Hair Day

Hey.

Sister Xyra was baptized on Saturday! It was such a successful baptism. A lot of people were able to attend. It was such a spiritual experience. Loved it. We have another baptism this upcoming week. His name is Brother Harold. He's been taught by the missionaries for a really long time and is ready to be baptized! Super excited. Another thing. So I totally forgot to mention in my last email that almost all of my hair got chopped off. But yeah it happened. And now everyone who I ever run into tells me that my new haircut takes about 12 years off what I currently look like. That makes me an 8 year old in a necktie and name badge sharing the gospel. Kinda weird. But we had exchanges with the Assistants and the Calabanga District Leader. That was awesome. I love learning from other missionaries during exchanges.

But yeah. The whole haircut thing. So that leads into what I learned this week. Sometimes we get those really  bad haircuts in life. Even though we give the clearest instructions and planning to get a good haircut, the outcome sometimes is SO far from what we expected. But when you think about it.. the hair GROWS BACK which is kinda like life. No matter what happens things work out. So I guess I was kinda rattled this week, especially every time I looked in the mirror and saw "8 year-old me" but I'm over it. Life is awesome. Sometimes you just gotta laugh at life and all the bad haircuts you ever get. It'll grow back. I know it. I have no doubts.

 "Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven."-Judges 16:22

There's hope.

But really. This week was awesome. No complaints. I'll talk to you guys again next week.

-Elder Bondoc


Sister Xyra! And 20% of what was left after the incident.

Some of the other baptismal candidates and some of the members that attended. a blast!

Sunday, February 12, 2017

True Repentance

Hi.

So this week was awesome everyone. I'm going to be straight to the point. This week was awesome. My new companion, Elder Lanuza, is the MAN! He's from Cainta, Rizal and is my batch going home! He's awesome. We get along super well and have really high expectations for our area and the mission. He's super humble too. Anyway, we were able to work this week and found a lot of success. We're hoping to see the fruits of our labors in the coming weeks. We also had a community service project. That was awesome. We helped a member haul huge sacks of dirt into their house to help level the flooring in their house. They're extending their house, but needed some man power so we were happy to help.

Something that I learned this week actually has to do with repentance. This was a recurring topic in many of the lessons that we taught. Something that I learned is that repentance is an ongoing process. It's not merely stopping the sins that we've committed. In order to say that we've fully repented of our sins, we must accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, that through Him and only Him can we fully overcome our sins and shortcomings. It's cool to think that there's someone who's 110% willing to lift us and strengthen us every step of the way. I love that. Christ loves us. I know it. "...Repent, for except ye repent, ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of heaven." Alma 5:51. 

Love you all! Until next week!

-Elder Bondoc

​The District

Sunday, February 5, 2017

Things Will Work Out

Hello.

No time so this is gonna be quick. Sister Diane was baptized! That was awesome. We also had Zone Training. The missionary schedule has changed! We now have flexibility with our current schedule. Sweeeet. Overall a really good week, just like any other week. I'm also not being transferred. Elder Tabasin is being transferred, and I'm staying here for another six weeks! My new companion is going to be Elder Lanuza. Super stoked.

This week was awesome. I got to read a couple of talks by President Gordon B. Hinckley. He always had a great attitude and outlook on everything. He would always say "Things will work out." And it's true! No matter how hard life gets, in the long run, God's plan just unravels. Life is great. Hope you all have a good week! Until next week!

-Elder Bondoc
The baptism!
Cool sunset.