December is the time we remember and celebrate the birth of Christ. As missionaries for the Lord, we have a great opportunity to give our service, and truly celebrate what Christmas is all about by as we strive to develop those Christlike attributes and come closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But, we must remember to"see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength.And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he shall win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order" (Mosiah 4:27). So in this spirit, the Agoo, Baguio, Bauang, and La Trinidad zones came together on December 18th at the Legarda Chapel in Baguio to celebrate our Christmas conference. The day prior, the San Fernando, Bacnotan, Candon, and Benguet zones came together and celebrated.
It was a great time for the missionaries of these four zones to gather together and celebrate this holiday season. The conference began with workshops by President and Sister Jackson, who is the area doctor for all of the missions in the Philippines. President Jackson gave a great workshop on how to remain healthy and happy throughout our missions, and reminding us missionaries to enjoy the journey. Followed by President Jackson was President and Sister Ferron. Sister Ferron gave us a christmas present of all of the members in our respective wards who's addresses are unknown. This will be a great finding tool for us to rescue those lost sheep who may have been forgotten, and to then invite the whole barangay to listen to the gospel. There is much work to be done, and many people to find, and we are the right missionaries for this task.
After the workshops given, we had a great lunch break of traditional Filipino foods, with a gift from President Balledos of two Lechon (pork).
Lowlands Celebrations:
After our lunch, we were given counsel from President Balledos about our great calling as missionaries during this Christmas season. The greatest gift that we can give to our families is our service to the Lord. He reminded us to let not our hearts be troubled, and to fear not and go in haste to bring others to the knowledge of the truth and the goodness of Christ the Lord.
Once all of the workshops were given, then came the fun. Each zone presented a 10 minute presentation centered on Christ's birth. The Agoo zone was the funniest with their interpretative dance of the birth of Christ. Next was the Baguio zone as they told the story of the nativity through the words of prophets from the scriptures and an angelic choir. Bauang zone had a primary presentation as they shared their testimonies about the Savior, and sang Christmas songs. Lastly, was the La Trinidad zone where they sang the famous Filipino Christmas song, "Christmas in our Hearts" and acted out the nativity.
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| Agoo Zone |
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| Baguio Zone |
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| Bauang Zone |
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| La Trinidad Zone |
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| Agoo Zone Presentation |
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| Baguio Zone Presentation |
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Bauang Zone Presentation
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La Trinidad Zone Presentation
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Candon Zone
San Fernando Zone
Bacnotan Zone
Bangued Zone
Bacnotan Zone Presentation
Bangued Zone Presentation
After the presentation, we had the gift exchange where Elder Krutch from La Trinidad Zone and Elder Talisa from Candon Zone dressed up as our Santa Claus and presented the gifts to us missionaries. We are lucky to have such a kind mission president who gave each of us a personalized towel with our name and the Baguio Mission inscribed on them.
The closing activity was a special treat from President Balledos to get us inspired for the new year. We were allowed to watch We Are Marshall, a movie about the Marshall University football time that died in a tragic plane crash, causing the entire community to come together and rebuild themselves and remember the honor of those young men and community members who lost their lives. This was an inspiring movie to all of us missionaries to show that we can overcome adversity and we are here to win the souls of the people in our perspective areas to help them gain eternal life and exaltation. We were all very uplifted and inspired by this great movie, and proudly sang the Baguio Mission Song and chanted "We Are Baguio"!
It was a great day and evening of this Christmas conference of 2013. We were happy to celebrate as missionaries of the Lord, and remember that we,"have been recommended as one worthy to represent the Lord as a minister of the restored gospel. [We] will be an official representative[s] of the Church." How great is our calling!
Bacnotan Zone Presentation
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