August 27, 2012

Hello Everybody!

Oh what a week!  I loved it.  It sounds like you are all doing great! I think its crazy that Laura was picking out dresses, but that is super exciting.  I wish that I could have heard Grandpa play his harmonica!

President Carlos wrote you? He didn't mention a zip line did he? haha I hope what he had to say was nice.

I want to tell you all this story about that dad that we have been teaching.  So the whole time we have been teaching him and his kids he has been out of a job, and so it was always on the back of my mind that when he got a job that he would just go less active again.   So last Monday he got a job and was working the whole week and we didn't get to teach them until Saturday night.

We had planned to teach them about keeping the sabbath day holy and that was before we even knew that he had a job.  So we get to the house and we were talking with him and he told us about him finding a job and he said that it was a blessing from Heavenly Father because of all the changes he has made in his life.  hen he told us that he would have to work on Sunday.  And I was pretty bummed about that.  Then we taught them about keeping the sabbath day holy and the dad just went quiet and didn't say a whole lot after the lesson.

Then Sunday morning we were waiting in front of the church, it was 8:55 and sacrament started at 9:00 and they still weren't there.  So I said a little prayer asking the Lord to let them be able to attend.  They still didn't show.  Me and my comp go sit and wait there for a minute or two.  I was still feeling pretty down, then I looked out the window and I see him and his kids running inside.   They all came and sat next to us and the dad asked if he had missed anything! haha It was so great to see these people live the gospel and to see the sacrifice that they are making to live it.  It was a great Sunday.

I love this work! and I can't say it enough! I know that this work is true and I know the Gospel is the answer to all of our questions.

I love all of you.

Love,

Elder Proctor

August 20, 2012

Hey all you Proctors! 

How is everything going back there? They keep telling us that there is a storm heading our way but nothing to worry about.  I havent gotten any of the packages you sent, I think its because there is a flood in Manila and so it has slowed things down. 

This week has been a blast, training is fun because its like a part 2 to my training i have been learning a lot and am doing my best to be a better missionary everyday.

And its been fun having a greenie as a companion, haha I play harmless jokes on him and its fun haha, like the other night we were walking down this dark road and i thought I'd give him a little scare haha we had a good laugh, luckily my comp has a good attitude about it haha 

I want to tell you about the awesome day I had yesterday, that Less active dad that we have been helping come back, was ordained and set apart as a priest yesterday! and his 2 boys are going to be baptized soon, which means he will get to baptize them! It was so amazing to see the change in this mans life, all because of the Atonement. He just had to apply it and the rest just took off. Its going to be such a blessing for his family, oh ps we have been inviting his wife to sit it while we teach his sons, before she wouldnt want anything to do with it but now she is listening to the gospel and she just seems happier, all of them do. I love serving these people.

Then later we went to the church to watch the broadcast for President Monson's 85th birthday, It was way cool. I started to tear up when that lady sang "All I Ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera and then I couldnt hold it back when that guy sang "Bring him home" from Les Mis. It was Heavenly Fathers way of reminding me of how much I love my family.

I love all of you and I Love this work.

Love,
Elder Proctor

August 13, 2012

Hey Ya'll,

Wow what a week.  Thank you all for the birthday wishes and for the packages(that are still on the way.)  Congrats to Laura and Tyler.  I don't know what to say, I just know that Heavenly Father loves our family. 

 

So I got my greenie this week, his name is Elder Juzgaya from Quezon City.  Its weird to be training because it feels like yesterday I was on the other side of the training, but it is great because it is another opportunity to learn and to grow. 

 

Bad news, Elder Cook won't be visiting our mission any more because of the flooding in Manila, so that kind of stinks. 

 

Just to let you know I had a great birthday.  Our bishop ordered a cake and then invited us over for dinner, they spelled my name wrong at the cake place but the love was still there :) and we had some awesome lessons.   It was great.

 

I love all of you and I love this work.

 

Love,
Elder Proctor

August 6, 2012

Hey Ya'll,

 

I cant believe that James is back, you should get him to write me something. haha If not that's okay.

 

So as far as news goes, I found out this week that I will be training a new Elder this next transfer. I am way nervous and twice as excited. I will tell you more about that in next weeks letter.

 

This last week we visited a less active member.  It went pretty well until we asked him if we could share a message with him.  He started to tell us about all of his problems and all the reasons that he had gone less active.   He told us that he didn't want us to share with him. 

 

My Companion then shared with him the change that happened to his family when they returned to activity.  He told him about how they all used to fight and never got along, until they became active in the church. While this was going on I couldn't help but think about my family. My comp was talking about the fights his parents used to get into, and it made me realize that I have never seen Mom and Dad fight.  I haven't even seen them raise their voices at one another.

 

As we were walking away from this members home, I could hardly hold back the tears as I thought of how blessed I was to have such a wonderful family. I have a hard time at describing how much I love you guys, but there is this country song that describes my feelings towards my family. It goes "They're the world my world revolves around, my sacred piece of solid ground, the flesh and bone that give me strength to stand, They're the fire in my drive, my drive behind my coming home, They're the living breathing reason that I am"

 

I love all of you so much, I am so grateful for our amazing family. And why is our family so amazing? Well its no secret, its because we are rooted in this gospel. I know this Gospel to be true. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus live. 

 

I love all of you.

 

Love,

Elder Proctor