Urdaneta Mission

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

March 2016 Mission Leadership Council!

March 2016 Mission Leadership Council!

This past Mission Leadership Council was held on March 2nd, 2016. The Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders came together once again to discuss and to council with one another. One highlight of the Council this time was the discussion about the 2016 Easter Initiative: Hallelujah! For more information, please visit FollowHim.mormon.org to find out more about the Church's Easter Initiative this year.

Elder Lind doing his personal study while waiting for the Council to start.

Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders stand to recite the Missionary Purpose, D&C 4 and the Standard of Truth

Elder McBride and Elder Sabiano, our Assistants to the President, with their jerseys that are awarded to top baptizers each month. They are our top baptizers for the month of February with 8 Baptisms! Congratulations!

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

February 2016 Batch Orientation Meeting!

February 2016 Batch Orientation Meeting!

After a day of work and a good night's rest with the Urdaneta Zone Missionaries, the new missionaries gathered once again in the Mission Home for their Orientation Meeting. At this meeting, the Office Staff will orient the new missionaries to various aspects of the work, be it referrals or finances etc.

(left to right) Front Row:Sister Buna Cruz, Sister Majerano, Sister Manahan, Sister De la Austria
Back Row: Elder Rota, Elder Reyes, Elder Adeva, Elder Olasiman, Elder Alayon, Elder Fiel, Elder Angot

Trainers for the new sisters with Sister Deyro

After a good lunch, it was finally time to meet their trainers!!

And off they were to their first areas, ready to serve the Lord.

Message from the President

The Miracle of 12 Weeks

As soon as missionaries are in-field they start the First 12 Weeks training program. Their magnificently inspired trainers teach them about the rudiments of the work of the Lord, introduce the mission culture, and refine their teaching skills. The training in being exactly obedient goes on continuously until the end of the mission term. All of them would learn what Elder Sta Maria summarized:

“I observed as we continue trying to become exactly obedient, we felt that God is reaching out and helping us to find people to teach and our prayer was answered right away and especially this area became more fruitful than I ever expected. I felt like when we are doing our best everyday He also do his best to help us in doing His work. Now I realize the importance of being exactly obedient. It’s not just for safety nor restrictions but it’s also the way for God to bless us.”

Mission life is bumpy life. Many ups and downs. Many highs and lows. Jubilee (of baptisms) and misery (of being punted). This is exactly what missionary life ought to be – compressed life experiences in 24 months or 18 months. What is important is you did your best! Sister Piutau related this account:

“Although the sun burns, and we walk for miles, by the time the sun sets, there's nothing that satisfies me more than knowing that we've tried our 100% best.”

On their last 2 transfers, every elder and sister that I know who has set his/her mind to baptizing a family or one more before going home indeed baptized some more. How is it possible that on the last months of their mission they can do this? They intensely exercised their faith to find, faith to teach, and faith to baptize. They actually did what Helaman described,

“…wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.”

The wonderful thing about it is that you don’t have to wait until your last 2 transfers to baptize. Imagine that every transfer cycle is your last. Every area is your last. And you will do your utmost best as if your time is running out. See the miracle unfold!

Weekly baptism is a reality! Those who have done this will testify of it. These are the joyful, joy-filled, joyous missionaries! Indeed, we retain the recent converts and nourish the less active members but our main purpose will always be to teach repentance and baptize converts.

I believe that when we work relentlessly every day as if it is our last transfer, we will find, teach, baptize and confirm those whom the Lord has prepared for us. Witness the miracle of the last 12 weeks every transfer cycle!