Sunday, September 28, 2014

Choices and Cookies!

Elder Nielson's letter this week starts out with a talk he gave in church on Sunday. It is in tagolog. He follows with a letter in English so just scan your way down to the English part (unless you read tagolog of course!). At the end of his letter, I have enclosed the google translate version of his talk which doesn't do a great job of translating it so it doesn't make total sense but you will get the idea.

Pananampalataya
Magandang umaga Brothers and Sisters
Ang talk ko ngayon ay tungkol sa Pananampalataya.
Ito po ang isang pokus sa mission namin ngayon. At ganoon din, malapit sa puso ko.
Muna  may kaunting background sa faith.
1. Ito po ang unang alitutunin ng Ebanghelyo ni JesuChristo.
2. Ito po ang unang katangiang ni JesuChrist.
3. Ito po ang poundation ng religion natin.
4. Sa pamamagitan ng pananampalataya na may mangyayari ang mga himala
5. Ibibigay ng pananampalataya ang kapangyarihan sa atin
6. Kaya natin maging mas mabuting mga tao sa pamamagitan ng pananampalataya.
Sila po ay ang mga katangiang ng pananampalataya.
Maganda  talaga ang Pananampalataya, pero minsan na mahirup na maintindihan na ano ang pananampalataya.
ANO ANG PANANAMPALATAYA?
Alma 32:21
Ok lang ang definition yan. pero, pangbata yan.
Yan ay tinatawag "Seminary Answer" sa amin. Mahina yan.
Dapat maging mas malalim.
FAITH- Action work yan
Kailangan natin ang action or kilos.
James 2:7
Ang kahulagan yan ay hindi basta paniniwala ang pananamplataya. Kailangan natin ang gawa. Kung walang Kilos, mamamatay ang pananampalataya natin.
Parang tanim siya.
Kung Ibibgay ang tubig at pagkain sa tanim, buhay pa siya. Pero, Kung hindi natin ibibgay ang nutrients sa kanya, mamamatay siya.
Kailangan ng tanim ang araw, tubig, at pagkain para mabuhay.
Katulad sa faith natin
Kailangan natin ang pagbabasa, pagsisimba, at mga kilos.
SAAN UMPISA ANG FAITH NATIN?
Sinabi sa BD pahina 641 na "faith is kindled by hearing the testimony of those who have faith."
Ibig sabihin, mahalaga talaga ang patotoo natin at mahalaga na meroon tayong totoong pananampalataya din.
Importante sa mga kapwa natin. Kung hindi tayo magpatotoo o wala tayong totoong faith; hindi nila kaya makakaroon ng pananampalataya.
Sige, gumising na kayo.
Meroon akong commitment para sa inyo. Dahil Kailangan ng mga kaibigan natin ang patotoo natin.
Ibahagi po ninyo ang patotoo tungkol sa simabhan natin, sa isang kaibigan, bago yung susunod na Lingo? 
Ito po ang isang paraan upang ipakita ang faith natin sa Diyos at magtanim tayo ng buto ng pananampalataya sa kaibigan natin.
Matthew 17:20
Katulad sa halimbawa ko kanina, nagsimula ang lahat ng tanim bilang buto. Ganoon din sa faith. Umpisa ang faith bilang isang maliit ng buto. Kung pakainin natin ang buto ng pananampalataya; lalaki siya hunggan sa isang malaking puno. At kung ganoon, meroon siyang kapangyarihan para ilipad ang bundok.
BAKIT MAHALAGA ANG PANANAMPALATAYA?
Sempre, katulad ang binangit ko, mahalaga yan sa kapwa natin. Pero, baka sinasabi ninyo sa sarili ninyo na what's in it for me?
Jacob 4:6
May kapangyarihan sa faith.
Sinabi sa PMG na "Ang pananampalataya ay ang alitutunin ng kapagyarihan, kumikilos ang Panginoon sa pamamagitan ng kapangyarihan, at nakakagawa tayo ng mga himala ayon sa kagustuhan ng Panginoon.
Ibig sabihin na kung nais ng Diyos, makakagawa tayo ng mga himala kung may totoong pananampalataya.
(D+C 42: 48-51 ang isang magandang halimbawa ng mga himala na kaya natin gawin.)
MAGPATOTOO AKO
Sa closing, bilang mga missionaries at mga members, mahalaga na may pananampalataya at ipakita yan.

Dear Family and Friends
 
As you can see, a big portion of my email is in Tagalog. This is because I had to give a talk yesterday. Yesterday's talk is the first talk of my whole mission where I actually had notice and time to write it. Hope you enjoy the nose bleed (only Filipinos will get that joke).  Now don't start thinking that my ward here is nice and organized cause it is so far from it that I don't know what to compare it to. But I will tell you about all those stories after my mission. Hint, has something to do with secret combinations, Gadianton robbers, king men, and free men. Well I have said too much now and probably endangered my life by doing so. The last part about endangering my life was a joke but it is up to you to decide if the rest of it was or wasn't... (Joking!!)
 
Well I am definitely at a bit of a low for my mission right now. I am being forced to choose between unity and obedience. I have chosen obedience so far but it really sucks. It's like choosing between a dry old cookie that tastes like dirt or a dry old cookie that tastes like poop. Again I will tell you all of these stories after my mission. Just remind me to tell you these stories when I go home - I mean, I am almost half way done. 

In other news I am probably in the best shape I have been in my whole life. I am addicted to working out and boy am I getting sexy. Well not quite sexy yet but at least I am not a little twig anymore. I even have a butt now but I think that is solely due to the rice. Most Elders get big ugly rice guts, others get rice thighs. I on the other hand luck out and get a nice rice butt which I needed if you remember how poky that thing used to be.

We are also super poor right now. For breakfast, lunch and supper we eat nothing but rice, eggs, and tuyo. Tuyo is sun-dried fish. Yes not baked, fried, boiled, or cooked in any way - just dried. The bones get really brittle and eatable in the sun so you can eat the whole thing. Even the head. Yum, Masarap! I may have high blood pressure before the end of my mission because of how much salt is on that stuff.
Baptisms. I have baptisms coming up. Hopefully 1 on the 18th and like 4 or maybe even 6 on the 25th. Things like that change really quick so I will keep you updated. 

Wow - the Watson's are going to the Naga Mission! That's pretty cool daw. All of my MTC teachers served in the Naga mission. Actually right now I only live a little ways away from the mission border. I could totally see them becoming office couples or something like that. Tell them to take the language thing seriously. Most senior couples don't but I think they could learn a lot ha-ha. The secret is actually talking to people that you don't know.

Well I am glad you all had a good week. Hopefully you like my email this week. Love you all lots bye.

Elder Nielson


Good morning Brothers and Sisters
The talk today is about Faith.
This is the one we now focus on the mission. And as well, close to my heart.
First have some background in faith.
1 This is the first alitutunin JesuChristo's Gospel.
2 This is the first character of JesuChrist.
3 This is the religion poundation of us.
4 By faith with miracles happen
5 of faith will give us the power
6 So we become better people by faith.
They am the qualities of faith.
Faith really beautiful, but once you understand what mahirup faith.
WHAT IS FAITH?
Alma 32:21
Ok definition just that. But, wear that.
Ie called "Seminary Answer" us. Poor that.
Should be deeper.
Action FAITH- work ie
We need action or motion.
James 2: 7
The kahulagan ie not just feel the faith. We need the work. If no Action, die faith.
Crops like him.
If issues a water and food crops, he was alive. But, if we do not issues a nutrients in him, he will die.
Plants need sun, water, and food to live.
Similar to the faith we
We need reading, attendance, and behavior.
WHERE WE STARTED THE FAITH?
BD page 641 told that "faith is kindled by hearing the testimony of those who have faith."
I mean, really important and crucial testimony of meroon have real faith also.
Important to both of us. If we do not testify or do not have real faith; So they will have an faith.
Go ahead wake you.
Meroon my commitment to you. Because we need for the testimony of friends.
Please share you testimonies we simabhan, with a friend, before yung next Sunday?
This is the one way to show we have faith in God and we plant the seeds of faith in our friend.
Matthew 17:20
Similar to the example I mentioned earlier, it all started as a seed crop. So also faith. Over the faith as a small seed. If we feed the seeds of faith; man he hunggan a large tree. And if so, is the power to ilipad meroon mountain.
WHY IS FAITH?
Sempre, similar to the mentions I, ie important to both of us. But, you might say to yourself to what's in it for me?
Jacob 4: 6
There is power in faith.
PMG said that "Faith is the alitutunin authorizes, the Lord acting by authority, and makes us of the miracle by the will of God.
That means that if you want God, we can make miracles if you have true faith.
(D + C 42: 48-51 is a good example of the miracles that we do so.)
I testify
In closing, as the missionaries and members, it is important to have faith and show that.
 
District meeting at Elder Kikel's apartment (church was locked). Ironing board desk of course! Looking pretty sauve!


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