Failure Is The Best Teacher

“Promptings from the Holy Ghost push past human logic and into omniscience”.

Me, I said that

So when I thought earlier that I shouldn't lock the window, that was an omniscience moment because we just got locked out of our apartment again and ended up having to replace the entire doorknob. I tried doing it with a card but I don't think I have acquired that skill yet. 

*More on that later. I just wanted to start by quoting myself to make me sound like a cool philosopher or something.

ILOILO

Hey besties. I spent most of last week in Iloilo for a Mission Tour and MLC with Elder and Sister Revillo. I learned soooo much and mostly not through words actually said.

We got to stay for both days soooo behold- Iloilo Mission.

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BATCH MATES

I think we got almost all of our batch here…. Let's go batch 766

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OTON

wait Whaaaaat??? Yah thats right I got to work in my first area for a few hours and we had a challenge to find 10 people. Uswag Oton.

This is the bridge where I started crying because I missed my Mom and Sister Francisquete, (love you ma), said “awww do you need a diaper?” Classic.

FAILURE IS THE BEST TEACHER

*WARNING JOURNAL ENTRY INCOMING- DON'T READ IT IF YOU DONT CARE*

☆ The few hours we worked in Oton taught me sooo much and combined with what we discussed in MLC and mission tour, have probably been a few of the most impactful days of my mission. Here's the tea.

Like I said earlier, we had a challenge to find 10 people in just a few hours. I was super excited to work in Oton and it was fun to see my past area. Sister Castañaga and I started finding in an area called Cabanbanan. We were finding a few people here and there but that's about it. I kept thinking how cool it would be to go visit my one baptism in Oton, Ronica. She lives in the area but her actual sitio is a reeeeaaallly long walk away and it's a member compound. It kept coming into my brain, but I was too worried about trying to find 10 people and I didn't think we could find them out there. Plus, lets say we went out there and then she wasn't there- we probably would have wasted an hour to an hour and a half. Anyway, we got to a fork in the road, left to the highway (and probably people) or right to Ronica. We chose to go left and we ended up only finding 9/10 people. The next day when other companionships were sharing their miracles as they worked with Members in finding, I realized I had made a mistake. God was very clearly guiding us to members who would help us find and at the same time providing a very sweet and rare opportunity to see my first baptism again. It literally made me sick when I realized I had completely denied the Holy Ghost in favor of my own superbly flawed logic. While I have found comfort through prayer, repentance and reminders that even apostles sometimes fail to act on promptings it has taught me a powerful lesson. I never want to feel that way again. They say “failure is the best teacher”. Well, I failed to act on that prompting but the past few days of work in Numancia Sister Castañaga and I have been doing our best to follow each prompting, especially when it's inconvenient, and we have seen miracles. 

MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

On the bus ride back to Kalibo Elder Bordeos and I tried to solve poverty in the Philippines using Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We'll keep you posted.

WORK WORK WORK

Met this cool nanay who cried telling us how she wants more God in her life. 

I tired Cous cousing a coconut with some of the cute kids we have on date for baptism.

Tatay Barlie- one of the recent converts in our area! He is so excited about the temple. 

Tried to visit a family we met last week but only their ugly dogs were home. 

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3 NEPHI 11 3-4

3 And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn. 

4 And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not.

Sometimes we miss promptings because we fail to notice the quiet voice of the spirit. But, I know God will continue to guide us with his spirit. It's just a question if we hear it or not.

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SISTER LARSON

PHILIPPINES, ILOILO MISSION