Kamusta everyone!
Time continues to fly by here in Baguio. This may be a shorter email because I have been a little under the weather and then I think I ate a papaya that was a little over ripe for breakfast and have been feeling somewhat nauseous since haha. But I am so happy to email you guys this week. Sister Nott and I had a pretty cool realization kagabi (yesterday evening). We just left from the home of a less active family. The mother is actually pretty active but her husband is not a member and lives in Saudi Arabia (many Philippinos go there to work) and her 5 children are all quite less active, especially her oldest 3. I may have mentioned their family before but anyway. We were sharing with them the blessings of the priesthood especially when it comes to temples and how we can gain so much knowledge from temple attendance and also be sealed as a family for eternity.
It was so heartbreaking to see how much their mother desires for them to make the right choices in order to be worthy to enter the temple and be sealed to her and be sealed to their own families. Her husband was a roman catholic and has now converted to muslim and has no plans on changing that. He really doesn't like our church to the point that he won't give her the permission to go into the temple even just to do ordinances for herself. She bore a really sweet and strong testimony that if her sons just did their best to find worthy spouses who they can enter the temple with, then their lives would be so much happier and when the next life came, they wouldn't have to worry about anything! We turned to the sons and asked their feelings about entering the temple. They all said that they have desires to go there some day. But they seem to have trouble connecting their desires, to the actions that are required to get them to their goal. They have this mindset that they can't do it. That maybe this gospel just isn't for them.
Sister Nott and I left the lesson quite heartbroken and we talked about it for quite a while. I was so sad and just kept saying "this gospel is for EVERYONE!" "There is not one person on the earth who cannot live the gospel. Everyone has the capability! Yet there are sooo many people who are not doing it." And Sister Nott said something that I won't ever forget. She said that of course everyone has been given the ability to live this gospel. If not, this wouldn't be the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Our message as missionaries and members of this church is that He suffered for every single one of us. His suffering, that is what enables us to live His gospel. There is not one of us that he has not already prepared the means for to be saved. So this is what I really want to leave with you guys. The title of my email is para sa ating lahat which means for us all. Our Father in Heaven loves us so much that He has given us a gospel that is for us all. Every single one of us. It's not easy, but it is possible for us all to live it. So the challenge is on. Let's continue to live this gospel and continue to receive the blessings that it brings. I will try to do so as well. I love you all so much! I wonder if I have sent pictures recently so Sister Nott and I took a picture real quick this morning so that you all know that I'm alive haha. I hope everyone has a great week!
Love,
Sister Sawada
ps Lyle you are the best! Did Germany seriously win?!?! And did Brazil seriously lose so bad to them?! Ano ba iyan??? crazinesss
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