Simply Doing the Lord's Work

Hello Everyone,

This week was another pretty smooth and busy week for me I did some traveling and I had some fun just simply doing the Lord's Work, there was nothing fancy, no secret tactics or anything it was just as it says in Preach My Gospel that, "Nothing Happens in Missionary Work until You find someone to teach" so as missionaries this is something that we do just about every minute we are outside walking and proselyting and this is something that me and my companion did a lot of this past week so that we can find more people to teach and I would argue that this is sometimes one of the most challenging parts of missionary work as well, I have seen this throughout my mission that sometimes it is difficulty to find the people that are ready to accept the gospel but when you actually find those people and then you know that they are ready to receive the gospel because the Holy Ghost told you that they are ready that is one of the most rewarding feelings as a missionaries in my opinion it is awesome because you know that you found the person or Heavenly Father's son or daughter that is ready to receive the gospel and get on the road that leads back to him and eternal life. I am so thankful for all the blessings and miracles that I have seen and experienced here on my mission I know that I am a part of the Lord's work and that he is mindful of all of his servants and that he loves all of us and I have seen his hand in his work as I have labored here in the Philippines.

Yesterday I had District Conference with all of the branches in the Pamplona District and there was an Area Seventy presiding and his name was Elder Pagaduan (I am sorry I do not have time to explain all of those terms I would if I could) he told a story as he was the concluding speaking the conference and he talked about how he was 1 year old when his parents joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and that his father was a devote Methodist and how his mother was a devote Catholic and I thought to myself and said wow that is exactly how my parents were as well my father was Methodist and my mother was Catholic and so I just thought that was interesting how Heavenly Father is preparing the hearts of his children to accept the gospel I know that there are people all over the world in various countries that are accepting the gospel I will never forget when I was in the MTC Manila and the second day I was there we had a meeting with President Trask (who was the MTC President at the time he is not anymore) and there are gained a witness or in other words the Holy Ghost spoke to my heart and told me that the church was true here in the Philippines just as it is in America and since then and through my service here in the Philippines my testimony has only gotten stronger I know that anywhere we go the church is still true because it is not a church of man but it is Jesus Christ's church and since Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World his church is the same throughout the globe.

I know that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father know us individually and personally and they want us to succeed and they will do anything for us that is according to their will so that we can succeed I know that when Jesus Christ visited the Americas he visited everyone "one by one" as it talks about in the Book of Mormon and I know that as it was in the days of the Book of Mormon it is still the same now that Jesus Christ visits us one by one as we seek and desire his help the atonement is always available to us if we will just open our hearts to him and to Heavenly Father are all his children and he knows us all by name and we know that Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd and he knows his sheep. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live and love us very much and they rejoice when we choose the right and they are sad when we choose poorly and falter but I know that they will never go so far away that it will be impossible for us to catch up and return and get back on the path that leads us back to our heavenly home because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ there is always hope, and a second chance waiting for us just a short distance ahead from where we are, we need on to take hold and press forward..

Love,

Elder Chilson              

Last Zone Conference

Hello Everyone,

This past week was another pretty busy week for me I did some traveling as well in my zone mostly back and forth from Libmanan for various reasons. I would like to share just a little bit about one of my new people that me and Elder Teisina are teaching I will just call him Mike (Mike is not his real name and his real name is not important) This is someone that a few weeks ago we just sort of met on the street and he actually approached us and tells us that there were Missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS that went to his house before and then they after a little while they did not come back and then me and Elder Teisina were like that is awesome we can come to your house and share a message with you about Jesus Christ and then after the last two weeks or so we were not able to visit Mike due to some conflicts in our schedules but a few days ago me and Elder Teisina were able to visit with him and he is a really nice person and I think that he has a desire to learn more about his Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ and I we will do back to him this week and see how he is doing and I just thought that was a great example of how there are forces seen and unseen that are preparing the hearts of Heavenly Father's children to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I think that is awesome you never can tell for sure on the outside but I know that there are many people that are being prepared to receive Heavenly Father's plan for them, I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for all of his children and that is one of the reasons as to why we are here on Earth to learn and to grow and to find out what Heavenly Father wants us to do in order so that we can become more like his son Jesus Christ so that we can ultimately return into our Heavenly Father's presence and live with him forever.

I also had my last Zone Conference here in my mission here in the Philippines Naga Mission and it went pretty smoothly I helped give some training and sang a musical number as well with 3 other missionaries and I think that all of the missionaries in my zone gained some new knowledge and new ideas of new things that they can apply to their areas and I think that is great and Sister Zapanta as well during the conference gave a great reminder in the form of a quote by President David O. McKay he said " What E're thou art Act Well Thy Part" and this to means that with every task that is placed before us we need to do our best in accomplishing that because that is what Heavenly Father wants us to do he does not us to settle for anything that is less than our best because then we will not learn anything if we continue to do the same thing over and over with only half effort then we are not going to get any where. Heavenly Father wants us to stretch and to give our best in all that we do this is something that I have tried to apply since I have been here in my mission and even before I served my mission while I was in high school etc. I know that as we do our best the Lord will make up the rest but if we do not give our best then why should be expect to worthy of the Lord's help I know that he loves us and he wants us to become successful and I know that he will help us do just that because is on our side and as long as we turn to him in humility he will not leave us.

I know that Heavenly Father's plan is perfect and I know that it is true and I know that all of our families can gain eternal life it we will just follow it, Heavenly Father designed this plan perfectly so that all of his children could return back to him if they wanted, Heavenly Father does not force anything on us he lets us decide as to what we think is best and he is always there so that when the times come that we need his help he is only a prayer away and I know that Jesus Christ is the one who made this whole plan possible without Jesus Christ there would be no plan and I know that because Jesus Christ rose from the grave so will we and I know that death happens it is part of the plan but I know that death is not the end it is only temporary we will see our families  complete once again when the time is right when we are all called back home to our Father in Heaven we will see our loved ones, friends and family members again and all with resurrected bodies all of the pains, sicknesses, and hurt that we experienced in earthly lives will all be gone because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ I know that it is real and I am so thankful for it everyday of my life because I know that in the event that I makes mistakes, or do things that I wish that had not, I know that I am not alone but I know that Jesus Christ felt that as well and he gives us hope to try again and to continue to more forward even though sometimes it is really hard, I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live and they love us very much and I know that we can always turn to them for help and guidance we are not here alone in this life and they are always ready, willing and waiting to help us in whatever situation we might get ourselves into.

Love,              

Elder Chilson 

Exchanges

Hello Everyone,

This week was another pretty busy week for me with a lot of traveling and having exchanges with different missionaries in my zone, in all honesty when I first got here in the mission I was not that fond of missionaries exchanges because I did not really like being separated from my companion and working in different areas but as I have matured here in that mission my views on missionary exchanges have changed I especially now as a mission leader I have come to see how exchanges are not just required as missionaries but how they are great learning tools as well. This can also be applied to our own lives as well even if we are not missionaries, there are so many different things that we can learn from the different people that we talk to and interact with on a daily basis. I am reminded to a time when I was in 4th Grade and my teacher taught us 3 different ways to solve multiplication equations using the Algorithm, Factoring Method, and the Lattuce Method thought I do not know how to do all of those methods at the moment the point is that as humans we all think different and all or our brains work differently and there is not just one way to do things but that there are many different combinations of ways that we can accomplish tasks that are placed before us and that is something that I have learned from having exchanges with different missionaries that there are many different ways to do missionary work and they are all right because they all accomplish the task at hand of helping Heavenly Father's children return back to him the the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I am also grateful for the chances that I had this past week so provide various forms of service to members and nonmembers, I think that service is just one of the best things that we can do with our time here on Earth because that is what Jesus Christ did while he was here on the Earth he provided service to everyone that he was around and we can do that too we can provide service to our next door neighbor or anyone that we see might need help carrying something inside or whatever it may be I know that when we serve our fellow man Heavenly Father rejoices because that is what he wants he wants his children to be able to help each other. I am so blessed that at a pretty young age I had several examples in my life of people who love to serve others (I am not going to name names but you know who you are) so I am so blessed as to have inherited this skill or trait if you will. One of the biggest reasons that I wanted to serve a mission in the first place was so that I could serve others because at a young age I was exposed to the joy that comes from helping and serving others and I would say that has not left me but that has just increased throughout my life and especially since I have been here on my mission in the Philippines as well.

I know that Heavenly Father is very patient and loving and he wants all of his children to be able to be able to live with him again eternally, and I know that is one of the reasons why I was called to come here to the Philippines so that I can do just that to help his children find and get on the path that leads back to him to our heavenly home. I know that Jesus Christ is the way that makes this all possible with the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can become cleansed from all of our sins and we can become worthy to once again stand in the presence of our Father in Heaven. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live and love us very much and that they are cheering us on to make the right choices and to continue to listen to the words of our prophet and I know that there is safety in the words of the prophets and the words of the scriptures especially the Book of Mormon I know that it true and that it has been given to us at this time for our time and I know that as we continue to read it and ponder its words we will find answers to our questions and we will find guidance, knowledge and refuge in the world that we live in today.  

Love,

Elder Chilson                

Demolish Part of a House

Hello Everyone,

This week was another pretty busy week for me but that is nothing new, I thought that my life was busy while I was in high school and it was I was involved in many different activities and sports at school, but I would say here in the mission I have been more busy and sometimes you really have to make some important decisions because as much as you want to say that you can do it all it is really hard and nearly impossible to do so those are just a few things that I have experienced since I have been here in my mission and that is why I want to share a little bit about our agency and decision making. Our Father in Heaven loves us so much that he gave us the gift of agency or the ability to choose for ourselves this was discussed in the pre-existence before we can here to Earth we all agreed to Heavenly Father's plan where Jesus Christ would come and preform an atonement or pay the price of our sins in the event that we make wrong choices and we sin, we would not be stuck but we would have a way to escape and repent and become clean again so that we can still have a chance to return and life with our Heavenly Father again. Our decision making in this life is really important because the choices that we make now will affect who we become in the future so we need to choose wisely and counsel with our Heavenly Father when we are making important life defining choices he will be there to help us and guide us as to choose the right. 

As we know there is oppositions in all things so of course Satan wants us to make the wrong choices and he wants us to think that we cannot become clean again and return to the presence of our Father in Heaven but this is simply not true as I explained above Jesus Christ came down to Earth and preformed a perfect, infinite atonement for all of us as he was instructed to do so by his father. I know that Satan is always there tempting us to make the wrong choices and to commit the "little sins" in the event that no one will notice and we will not need to repent. I know that we live in a world of confusion and people usually put themselves first before God but I know that if we always put Heavenly Father first and we pray and talk with him openly daily and we study and ponder his words in the scriptures and if we set aside time on the Sabbath so that we can go to church and worship him and partake of the sacrament we will be blessed for our efforts and we will not regret it it says in 3 Nephi 13:33 and Matt 6:33 "33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." I know that this is true and that we will blessed according to the desires of our hearts, it all depends on where our hearts are at. 

Also I had a special chance to help provide some service to a member in the branch where I am serving this past week me and my companion helped the Elders Quorum literally demolish a part of the house of the member because they want to build it up again with cinder blocks so we used hammer ans crow bars and took apart the house essentially it was just some nails and some 2x4's and so we just disassembled it and I enjoyed it and I was just really thankful for the chance that we had to serve a Child of God we should not pass up on opportunities so serve one another especially our friends and neighbors there are people out there that need our help and most of the time we will be sent by Heavenly Father to help them as his disciples and obviously it is inconvenient and we might not think that we have enough time to help but we just need to look past that and identify what is the most important either doing whatever worldly thing that we have planned on our agenda or making a small sacrifice helping a son of daughter of our Heavenly Father who needs our help. Obviously this is a little bit of an extreme comparison but I think that you understand the point. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us very much and that they want us to do our part in helping our brothers and sister return back to their presence. 

Love,

Elder Chilson           

Humility

Hello Everyone,

This week went pretty smoothly with the beginning of another transfer, there were some missionaries that got transferred from my zone and then there were other missionaries that came took their place and they came and got right to work, of course no two transfers are the same so anything can happen at anytime because after all we all just servants of the Lord so as missionaries we need to be humble and ready to submit to his will and to follow the instructions of our Mission President because he receives revelations that come from Heavenly Father as to how we can improve ourselves and become better representatives of his Son Jesus Christ. I know that my Mission President received a call that came from God just like I did to come and to serve here in the Philippines Naga Mission and I know that it is not by accident that the two of us are here at the same time in the same mission, the Lord has a work for us to do and that is what I have been doing my best to accomplish over the time that I have been here in the Philippines that work that the Lord has placed before me. Things have been a little different now that me and Elder Teisina are the only missionaries now in the Sipocot Branch but that is how a mission is I would say because like I said earlier I am not here on a mission to do whatever I think is best on a given day and time, but that I am here to find out what Heavenly Father wants for his children and how that I can help them prepare to return back to him when the time comes that he calls them back home.

Humility I think is something that takes a lot of practice and patience to obtain, recently I have been thinking a lot about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and for me that is a great example of humility that the Savior demonstrated for all us, as we remember when Jesus Christ's ministry was about to end on Earth a few of the last things that he did before ascended into heaven was, first he had the Last Supper with his Apostles he showed his Apostles how to preform the sacrament, how to brake bread and bless it and then he blessed the wine (now we use water) we remember that the bread represents the body of Jesus that he sacrificed for us all and then the wine symbolizes his blood that he shed for us all, the he took a walk to the Garden of Gethsemane to which he suffered for all the sins of the world, he took upon himself all of the sins, pain, sicknesses, everything that we could possible experience here on Earth he experience and he paid the price for all of our sins so that if we repent we can become clean and have the chance to return to live with our Father in Heaven. The Savior of the World even Jesus Christ while he was in the garden asked his Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt, here we will see the humility of our Savior because he submitted to the will of his Father he asked if there was any other way to accomplish the task at hand but if there was no other way he said that he would do it because that was the will of the Father. Then we know that Jesus Christ was crucified and then we was laid in a tomb and then on the third day he rose from the grave breaking the bands of death for everyone who would ever live here on Earth, because Christ rose from the grave and was resurrected us too will receive resurrected bodies, I think that this is a great example for all of us that whatever Heavenly Father asks us to do we need to be ready to follow his counsel because he knows what we need to become who he really intends us to become. 

I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us and it surrounds the event that I mentioned earlier the Atonement of Jesus Christ I know that as we strive to apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ in our lives we will find that our everyday tasks will become easier and we will see that it will be easier to forgive our neighbors, we will feel the love of our Savior in more abundance in our lives I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real and that it is here to help us as we continue forward on the path that we are on that leads us back to our Father in Heaven.

Love,

Elder Chilson