Time Spent Out of the Office

Every six weeks we have a zone conference for all the missionaries.  The ten zones are divided into three conferences.  The conference starts with a group photo, then training, lunch, more training, role-playing, practice teaching and contacting. 

 At the end of the day, the missionaries can pick up a Liahona (church magazine), mail, packages, and housing supplies that they have requested. 

We enjoy the opportunity to get out of the office, and see and talk to the missionaries face to face. 

Saturday night, two of the Cauayan missionaries called us at 5:45 and asked if we could go right away with them to visit some single women.  We gobbled up the piece of Shakey’s pizza we had just started, quickly changed our clothes and got on our way.  We started off in a very humble ‘Barangay’ which is the Filipino word for neighborhood.  As soon as we got out of the car, we were surrounded by little smiling children eager to shake our hands and touch us.  The smell of outdoor cooking fires filled the air.  It was dark and the only visible light came from a few of the houses that had electricity and a group of relatives cooking a meal and visiting under a tarp equipped with a single light bulb. 

Using the flashlights on our phones, we walked down a narrow, muddy path to the home of a Beautiful young woman and her mother. 

Rose is standing next to me

The missionaries passed out laminated copies of the song, “Families Can Be Together Forever”.  After we sang, the mother asked me to say a prayer. I felt prompted to pray that the Lord would bless them with their righteous desires and that their home would be filled with love.  The mother's eyes were moist with tears. There was a warm feeling in my heart as the missionaries taught a lesson about our Savior and God’s plan for us.

We walked a little further to a little home, where we were greeted by some young children in a room lit only by a tiny oil lamp hanging from the ceiling.  Behind the home, we found their mother washing the family’s clothes in a large tub on the ground.  We directed our flashlights to her task.  One Elder quickly dropped to his knees and began to help her with the washing and the other missionary immediately followed.  The single mother had just returned from working all day in the cornfields and was now faced with many other chores to take care of her children.  These young insightful missionaries knew at that moment, what this mother needed most was help.

Outdoor cooking fire

The last place we visited was the home of two young sisters whose father had died and their mother had left them.  The single room they lived in was neat and tidy with very few furnishings.  We all sat on the floor as the missionaries taught a lesson.

 We arrived back home with muddy shoes, muddy pants and skirt, but our hearts were filled with love for the people that we met and for the young Elders who sacrifice two years of their lives to bring hope and teach faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement.
 - Sister Roberts