2-16-25 ISANG TANONG, ISANG SAGOT...

Huuiii aloha mai kākou! Another gahjus week as a missionary in da Peenz! Continuing to learn, and so much more to go! I am daily thankful for the opportunity to be here, and serve these beautiful people. SO MUCH happened but will share but one, of the haps this past week. The experience this past week happened, with all the spiritual experiences, finding 50, setting more dates, and our friends continuing to progress and come to Church. However, last Tuesday night, while in a small compound, there were a group of older men drinking, it was too late to start another lesson, but we had a few minutes before curfew. Beginning to introduce ourselves, within 2 minutes we had 4 of them explaining their life story to us, as we listened smiling. After a few minutes one of the tatays looked at us and after telling the others to stop talking, asked to ask us a question. We love hearing that people have questions! "Why is my life still miserable?" And before we could even make the effort to answer, in came in an older woman, and answered, "Gusto mo ba malaman kung bakit? Isang tanong, isang sagot! Wala kang ginagawa!" And left.. which means, "you want to know why? One question, one answer, you aint doing natin!" Trahs, I was bout for bahs laugh, but thats not what a missionary should do. Tay, sat back in his chair, the lady left, we testified, and tay asked if we could come back the next week to teach him how things can change. But the truth is, how often do we have the same question? Every point of success, livelihood, and social status will bring us to the same question. Whats missing? Why is nothing changing? Elder Holland recited, “one’s life … cannot be both faith-filled and stress-free.” It simply will not work “to glide naively through life,” saying as we sip another glass of lemonade, “Lord, give me all thy choicest virtues, but be certain not to give me grief, nor sorrow, nor pain, nor opposition. Please do not let anyone dislike me or betray me, and above all, do not ever let me feel forsaken by Thee or those I love. In fact, Lord, be careful to keep me from all the experiences that made Thee divine. And then, when the rough sledding by everyone else is over, please let me come and dwell with Thee, where I can boast about how similar our strengths and our characters are as I float along on my cloud of comfortable Christianity.” As Christians, we believe in "by the sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread." And yet we also believe, that "Happy is that people, whos God is the Lord". Why is our lives still the same? Do somtin about it. Choose the Lord, and we will find happiness. Gawin na natin at magtiwala lang tayo! JAHS TRAHS! ELDER ISHIBASHI