Teach your fish how to fish

Teach your fish how to fish

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John Thomas McGuire

This has been an amazing week. Definitely a roller coaster with ups and downs and laughs and cries. So we got a call last night from the APs that Elder Quinco in emergency transferring. I'm so bummed. He has been probably my favorite companion my whole mission. I'm going to miss him a ton. Still not sure where he's going. I'm going to be with Elder Carlson for the next few days because his companion is going home. We get our new companions on Friday. If our revelation and promptings hold up, I'm probably going to be training a new zone leader. This is going to be the first time in my mission where I'll be the senior leading the area for an entire cycle. Perhaps this is the mountain I prayed to come into my life.

Sunday was great though. The whole Nabong Family came to church! All the kids were there early and we were worried that their parents weren't going to make it but then they showed up right before the opening hymn and we all sat together and it was great! The youth just got back from a temple trip so they all shared their testimonies. It was a great meeting. Cian blessed the sacrament. So proud of him. In the afternoon he went hometeaching with our BML, Bro. Nikki. Also, Cian is going to baptize the sisters' investigator this coming Saturday! He is seriously so amazing! Magnifying his priesthood right off the bat. 

Mission Tour was awesome! Elder Nielson met with all the ZLs and STLs and gave us leadership training. It really kinda freaks me out when he says that we're the bishops and stake president and relief society presidents in the future. I mean sure that's fine and dandy and all but I feel like I have a lot more polishing before I could have any calling like that. That's quite a ways away. Big news is that Elder Nielson is going to be reassigned to the states and be the assistant director of the missionary department or something like that. I'd say that he's fully qualified after quarterbacking the rescue effort of Tacloban Missionaries. Elder Ardern will be the new Area President and his counselors will be Elder Echo Hawk and Elder Bowen. 

Seeing everyone at mission tour was a blast! It's so crazy to hear everyones' stories and hear about their areas and just bond with them. For the combined meeting, Elder Nielson trained on Elder Eyring's talk Mountains to Climb. His opening remarks though were about the typhoon. He used John 9. It was straight from God. In verse 3 it says that neither this man did sin nor his parents but he was blind so that the power of God might be made manifest. I love that so much. When I was home that chapter helped me get my head on straight. Sometimes crazy things just happen in life and it's not because we sin, it's just so that we may see the power of God in our lives.

After Mission Tour we had MLC. We're creating the Tacloban Mission Culture. We are so blessed because no where else in the world has such an opportunity like we do. We were pulled out for 3 months and went to go experience the cultures of a bunch of other missions. Now we get to bring it all back and create something amazing using the best ideas from other places. A lot of the focus was on becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ and concentrating on Real Growth.

Thursday was mostly administering. Friday was Zone Training Meeting. I think I get better at giving trainings the more I do it. 

Everyday I wake up I feel so grateful. There have been so many miracles in my life. The hand of the Lord has guided me far more than I could have ever imagined. Sometimes His love is incomprehensible to me. So I just try to love Him back by following Him. I have been so tremendously blessed beyond measure. Life is so amazing! I'm so excited for this coming transfer. We hopefully will have a family baptism on the 31st for the Nabong Family. Please continue to pray that Herald's mom's heart will be softened. He is ready to be baptized but he doesn't turn 18 til September. 

We also have another awesome new investigator named Cristel. She is our Recent Convert, Joy's little sister. She is 12 and is pure Tagalog. So pray that I'll have the gift of tongues. Not sure if there are other missions that require missionaries to learn so many dialects but I absolutely love it! Cristel is progressing. We are working on her growing a testimony of the Book of Mormon. She has been coming to church for 3 weeks now though. This upcoming month is gonna be great!

Love you all and thanks for all the letters and love and support and prayers. Keep on praying for missionary opportunities. Alma 13:24

ps next week I'll try and skype at 10 am here so it will be 7 pm Sunday for y'all. Hopefully Rick's call will get there soon! I want him to go to Philippines Urdaneta Mission so he can meet the Andaya family :)