Sister Brittany Robertson: Week 26

First off, let me explain the subject. Boodle fight is where you have a feast and eat with yours hands and can't leave until everything is eaten. We got invited to one and it was awesome. I loved it. I love this culture and being a part of it. I will attach pictures of what it looks like. Apparently its some army tradition back then. I don't know, but it was awesome, thats all I know.

I am loving the changes we're experiencing!! Both here in the mission, having a new mission president, and all the changes in the church, I get to experience lots of change and I love all of it. Just reminds me how true it is that God still talks to His leaders today. The heavens are open now more than ever and I love that and truly believe we are preparing for the greatest time in history- the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ to the earth.

I love hearing about y'alls running. Imiss running. I actually went running this morning and it just reminded me how much i miss it and love it. Definitely want to train for something when I get back. I was more in shape than I thought I would be cause its been so long so that always feels good. My lame morning workouts have been helping after all(: Thanks to moms great pinterest finds of home workouts! Ive been loving it. Nice to have a set workout instead of making things up. Crazy that I love running so much haha I still remember when mom told me we would run a half marathon and I cried cause I hated running so much. Thanks mom -- you're the best! You push me to be the best!!

Not much to account on this week. Just a regular ole' missionary week full oh happiness, challenges, and teaching!! Oh how I love this life. One weird thing that happened was all week I had super super bad joint pain in my elbow. Like it super bad hurt to bend or to straighten. Not sure what it was, because my feet and knees would on and off hurt as well. Sister Sumagpao recommended I go to the hospital but I really didn't feel like doing that again so I just saw if I could tough it out, and today, its all gone. Weird. It lasted from last Sunday to yesterday, super badly hurt, but now it's all gone. Not sure what thats all about.

Oh also I hit my 6 month mark this week. Thats crazy. I don't know about y'all but it does not feel like I've been gone for 6 months. Time goes so fast, especially when you enjoy your companion, the work, and you're having fun while doing work. It's just crazy. I cant quite get over it. I've been away for 6 months. Thats a long time. But feels so short.

Other than that, I just want to share about my amazing church attendance yesterday. So, Jeffrey R. Holland is here in the Philippines to break ground for one of the temples, and so the Philippines, not sure if it was the entire Philippines but Im pretty sure it was, held a huge multi-stake conference. So the building was in Manila, but it was broadcasted throughout the Philippines to all the stake/district centers. So all of Sipala District came and we watched the stake conference. Elder Holland said that is a new thing they are starting up so that the apostles and Prophet can talk to more people in one visit, rather than just to one stake at a time. Needless to say- it was AWESOME. I love love love Elder Holland and just wow- everything he says I just soak up.

As usual, I wish I could just copy and paste everything he said here cause it was just so good. But I will just paraphrase and summarize. He talked about the new home-centered church and its purpose. But first he started off talking about how for years and years the presidency has been trying to cut down the responsibilities of the bishops. Of course having a dad as a bishop, I'm aware of the weight and I don't even see all of it. So I enjoyed him talking about this. But he joked that, "bishops last about 5 years and then they die. We hold a little funeral service, put a lily in their hands, and then look around and see if anyone else is willing to die." Hahah it got a pretty good laugh. Bishops are worked to death was his point. And he just made the point that all these changes that are being made in the church are not some new revelation- they have been working on these changes for decades, and the Lord just now decided it was the right time to bring it to pass. I don't know. Cool to think of.

We are the chosen generation. And then he went into the fact that there are 168 hours in a week. Before this change, most people were spending 3 hours worshiping at church out of 168. In fractions, 2/168 and 3/168 don't have much of a difference. But he said it was reduced to 2 so that we can focus on the other 166 hours of worship in the home. He explained it better than me, but hopefully you get the point. That the 168 hours is the goal of worship. Not only 2 or 3. He said activity in the church is an assessment of all 168 hours, not just the 2 or 3. Being "active" in the church does not mean spending 3 hours at church every Sunday. But rather, spending 168 hours finding ways to worship our Father in Heaven. And then he also said this time is the time to prepare for the Savior to come to the earth. He said, "When Jesus Christ comes, we need to look like His church." So all of these changes are making His church look more like His church and not ours. "We are going to be the ones to present the Church of the Lamb to the Lamb. We were chosen before this life to be on earth at the time of the preparation of His church to present it to Him. No other dispensation has gotten to do that."

Anyways, I could go on forever quoting him and his wonderful insights. It was all just so good and the spirit was so strong. We really are a chosen generation and we need to act like it. The second coming is on its way. Obedience is the first law of everything, not just heaven. It's so crucial that we are obedient to ALL His commandments. For that is how we will return to live in His presence again. I love this church, I love this gospel. and I love this work. It's all so true. No doubt in my mind or heart. This is the one true church of Jesus Christ himself. What a reason to rejoice.

Sister Robertson