Sweet success at last

Our direct assignment is to get the membership attendance of the Carigara District up to where it can be made a stake. Simple right? Well, how do you do that. We decided that the temple was the answer. There are many inactive members in the district and we decided that we didn't lack for members what we lacked for was activity. We need at least 25 active full tithe paying Melchizedek priesthood brethren in each branch. How do we do it. If we go to all the inactive and rejuvenate their testimonies and show them the wonderful benefits of the Temple they will have to be active to achieve a recommend status. They will have to pay a full tithe to go and most of them would have to receive the Melchizedek priesthood. What we found was that the inspiration we received to do it that way was just right. Those people still had the flame of testimony deep down in their souls and they have a very tender feeling toward the temple and the sealing of families. They really love their families and honestly want them for ever. When approaching the roughest of them all we have to do is ask- is there a God brother? This always makes them become very serious. Then we say"did he restore his church to the earth?" They are still very somber when they almost retrospectively say "yes he did." Then we tell them how God wants to give us all that he has and has given us the way to do that and all we have to do is reach out and take it but we must reach out. Then we describe to them the new Cebu Temple which will be ready for patronage in one year and three months and invite them to come with us to the temple. Some times we ask the children if they want to be a forever family to which they always answer affirmatively. One interesting note is that we usually start by using an interpreter and by the time we get part way into it, the interpreter will say "they understand you, go ahead." When they finally commit to go to the temple with us we congratulate them and then ask them if they have ever seen a "Forever Family" they say no. Then we pull out our camera and take a picture of their family and bring it back as a 4x6 picture and show them a forever Family. We have been doing that every day since we got here and its just now starting to pay off. Telisi branch averaged 55 in attendance now about 100. Capoocan averaged about 60 and are now close to 95. Carigara 1st branch were around 80 and are over 100. Carigara 2nd was around 80 and are now in the 90's. San Miguel we don't have new figures on yet. The most exciting thing is that this Sunday we had three or four new inactive families in each of the above mentioned branches. What a sight. You should have seen the members rally around them. It was one of the most heartening thing I have ever experienced. Amazingly, among them were old branch presidents and councilors. A district young men's pres. etc. So they weren't anonymous people they are people that really understood the gospel and are happy to be back. Well, as they say the proof is in the pudding. They are not active yet nor are they in the Temple but what is happening certainly raises our hopes and makes us know that what the Lord asked us to do was right on the money.