Our Calling in the Field

I have been called to be the Mission Executive Secretary. Not that a Mission really needs one but Pres. Malit wanted to have me there to act as a spare councilor because his live so far away. Wanda was called to be over family History for the whole Mission. It through her into apaplexy but she is surviving.
The Pres. assigned us to a little town called Caragara. If you roll your r's you'll get the sound about right. He asked us to design a program to both get more baptisms and strengthen the branches so they can become a Stake. We studied and prayed about it and came up with inspiration that amazed us. As you may or may not know there is a new temple being built in Cebu, which isn't too far from here. About a half days travel and about 400p round trip. We are visiting all the inactives and challenging them to get ready to go to the Cebu temple. The experiences this has brought are fantastic. We are talking it up in all the branches and placing a picture of the Cebu temple with a commitment thermometer next to it. Each family that commits to go will have their name placed next to the thermometer and the red will increase toward the top. So Far it has been fantatstic. We took a couple of Philippino Elders with us who work in the area and they told the Mission pres. that the day they spent with us was the most spiritually charged day of their missions so far.
It was really something to sit accross from an inactive fisherman and tell him that we knew he still had a testimony and that the Temple would be ready in a little over a year which gave him just enough time to get his life in order to go. When he said I can't go to church I have to spend Sunday working to which I had an overwhelming feeling to promise him that he would not loose one penny if he took the time to go to church and observe his Sunday duties. After awhile he also was touched by the spirit and promised he would come to church again and wanted to take his family to the temple.
Then there is the Basketball program. The kids here love basketball so we thought They love basketball and the Church has the nicest outdoor courts in the area. We also thought they like food and we want some one to teach and they want the very best possible for their kids and teaching them the gospel of Christ will give them that opportunity. They get to be on one of our teams and all they have to do is come to seminary and have a treat to qualify. The first day we signed up 7 young men who agreed to the terms. When ever we have a game we will invite their parent to come in to watch and enjoy a treat after they have participated in Seminary.
It is so good to get back into full time service again.