Welcome home talk given in Thomas, Idaho July 29, 2018

Good morning brothers and sisters

Even coming home was a trial when the Salt lake express ended up being my connecting flight home.

Trials in the MTC--(Journal entry)
The beginning of this week was pretty hard. On Sunday night, after praying one of the most sincere prayers I've ever prayed, I lay in bed filled with self doubt. I just felt like there was no way forward and that I would never be able to learn the language or become fluent in the gospel. I had prayed that somehow I would be able to get through this. As I lay there, I felt the Spirit very strongly testify to me that Jesus Christ knew what I was going through. I felt the enabling power of the atonement as I heard the Spirit whisper to me "Stop doubting yourself, you know you can do it. You have faith in Christ don't you? Then why are you worried when you know he will help you through this?" After that, I distinctly felt as if there were angels in the room. I felt as if my Grandpa Gull and Furniss were there. No, I knew they were there. I realized I have had guardian angels around me this whole time, helping me through my struggles, always there with an outstretched hand to get me to where I need to be. I will never be able to express in words how grateful I am for the atonement of my Savior. Without him, I wouldn't be able to make it on my own out here. I am so thankful for Him.

Trials are part of the Plan of Salvation

President Spencer W. Kimball taught: “Before we came [to earth, we] were given certain assignments. … While we do not now remember the particulars, this does not alter the glorious reality of what we once agreed to.”

Remembering my past experiences

I reached a point in my mission where everything seemed to be going smooth, and then everything hit rock bottom. I experienced a very difficult trial. Something that made all my past hardships seem like nothing. I had pretty much had enough of what I was going through and just kept asking “why me?” Am I not doing good enough? Am I not a good enough servant? It was at this point that I realized I had to go somewhere else for help; that I couldn’t get through this trial on my own. I asked my house mates for a blessing after which I felt a lot better and at peace. I continued to do my best and kept a hope that everything would work out. I continued to read my Patriarchal blessing and found immense peace in that. A couple days later I was reading in the New Testament and came across a scripture in 2 corinthians.  2 corinthians 12:


9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities,... for when I am weak, then am I strong.
I reflected on the times in the past that I had been tested and tried and had asked “why me?” I then realized that the Lord had been preparing me and strengthening me for much worse trials in which I would have to fan the flame of my faith even harder to overcome.

The role of the Holy Ghost in times of Trial 

In chapter 14 of the book of John in the New Testament The Lord promises us that the Father will send the Comforter (John 14: 16, 18, 27). I often hear people say the phrase “the calm before the storm” I view the comfort of the Holy Ghost as “the calm after the storm”. Our Father in heaven desires for us to have peace and joy in this life, in fact that is His work and glory. It is the reason He sent His Son. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28).

Exercising our Faith in Jesus Christ

On my mission plaque is the scripture in Philippians 4:13 which says “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” I didn’t realize how real this scripture would become for me throughout the next two years of my life. We know from the scriptures that we can do anything if our faith is sufficient; for God is a rewarder to those that diligently seek him. Ether 12 has heaps of amazing insights on the power of faith. Verse 12 states: For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.
We learn that through faith we can see miracles. And that God will make himself known to us through our faith. Verse 4 is one of my most favorite verses in all of scripture. “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.” Our faith in Jesus Christ will anchor us in the midst of our trials so “that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built.”

Story of  Edjohn’s family: 
Before the baptism of his wife and grandson, Brother Cejalvo and his family were smacked with trial after trial. Brother Cejalvo almost lost his job and house, and his wife was hit by a motorcycle while crossing the road. Brother Cejalvo and the rest of his family were about to give up. My companion and I prayed hard to know what to teach one morning as we were planning for the day. We couldn't really think of a perfect thing to share so we just decided we'd go throughout the day and hope we would know what to say. When we got there, we opened up the Book of Mormon to 3 Nephi 13: 31-34 and read that with them. Talk about an amazing lesson!

We went to Edjohn and nanay Maria Fe last night for our last appointment and taught them about temples and eternal families. The lesson went great, and we invited them to come to the family history center in the church on Tuesday to start their family history work.
At the end of the lesson, Brother Cejalvo bore a powerful testimony. He said:

"Yesterday I had to work in the fields so I wasn't able to go to church. I asked Edjohn to help me in the fields but his reply was 'pa you know I can't help you, I have to go to church, I'm getting baptized this Saturday.' That right there was a turning point for me. Edjohn gave me strength that day as I went out to the fields, in fact I couldn't stop smiling as I worked throughout the day." He then said, "Do you remember that time that I was about to give up, and lose my house and everything I had? You guys shared those verses with me in the Book of Mormon which gave me hope. You gave us all hope, and because of that we are all here now and you have strengthened and bound this family together. I don't know where we would be without you Elders, because of you I have witnessed that Heavenly Father knows me and has a plan for my family."

These are his exact words.

The change we have seen in this family is incredible. I have truly witnessed the power the Gospel of Jesus Christ has to change lives. My companion and I couldn't hold back our tears as we listened to Tatay Jonathan last night. I love that family with all my heart. Edjohn is getting baptized this Saturday, and I am beyond excited.

The Refiner’s fire
Sister Reyna Aburto said: “Hard times don’t define us—they refine us. My hope is that my sisters and brothers will understand that everyone goes through hard times. Everyone struggles. If we turn to the Lord, He will give us what we need to get through them. If we are humble, the Lord will use these experiences to refine us and help us to become what He wants us to become. In addition, Satan discourages us with feelings of inadequacy. He makes our work appear too difficult or intimidating. However, we can trust God! He loves us. He wants us to succeed.”

I heard a great quote once that said “Faith can move mountains, but don't be surprised if God hands you a shovel.” As we go through life’s ups and downs we need to remember that it is for our benefit as the Lord said to the Prophet Joseph Smith while in Liberty jail “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.”

Have hope through the Atonement of Jesus Christ

“And again, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you concerning hope. How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope? And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.” (Moroni 7:41-42)

Gordon B. Hinkley said:
“We have every reason to be optimistic in this world. Tragedy is around, yes. Problems are everywhere, yes. But...you can't, you don't, build out of pessimism or cynicism. You look with optimism, work with faith, and things happen...There is a lot we can learn from this. When life gets tough there is a lot more we can do than just crawl up into a ball and hide. We can "Cultivate an attitude of happiness, and cultivate a spirit of optimism." Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we are able to look forward into the future and have hope, even through the difficult times. I hope you will all remember that when times get hard, the Lord is always there for you, and he desires to help you.”

The virtue of patience

“Life is full of difficulties, some minor and others of a more serious nature. There seems to be an unending supply of challenges for one and all. Our problem is that we often expect instantaneous solutions to such challenges, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required.” -Thomas S. Monson

We had been teaching Nanay Gonzales for over two months and everything was going great with her except the fact that we couldn’t get her to church to save our life. All of her kids were baptized but she would always come up with a reason as to why she couldn’t come to church. After dealing with this week after week, my companion and I had had enough. We decided we would visit her one more time and if she didn’t come to church the following Sunday, we would drop her. We went into the lesson with heavy hearts, hoping that the Spirit would guide our words to spark a change in her heart. We were prompted to read 3 Nephi 27. We read verse 21 which states: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do;” Her perspective on as to why we kept coming back to teach her, why we kept inviting her to come unto Christ completely changed after that lesson. She realized why we were there. She opened up to us a few concerns that she had had and we were able to easily resolve them. That experience was a testimony builder to me and her of the power of the Book of Mormon. After reading that chapter, she continued to read the Book of Mormon on her own and hasn’t missed a week of church since. Everything works out in the right time; the Lord’s time.

I am so thankful to know that no matter what trial I have to go through, I can rest assured that it is for my good. I am thankful that “I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.” And most of all I am thankful to know that my Father in Heaven has a plan for me, and that he knows me perfectly. I am thankful for a loving Savior that makes it possible for us to change and come unto him through His infinite Atonement. I am thankful for a family and community that is willing to support me no matter what I have to go through. I know this Gospel is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and that God called a Prophet in these last days; Joseph Smith to restore the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth again. I am thankful to my Father in Heaven for giving me these last two years to serve Him with all my heart might mind and strength. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Cabangan WARD na po!!

Magandang hapon po sa lahat ng aking mga kamag-anak at kaibigan! (Good afternoon to all my family and friends!)

We had another awesome week with some awesome news! We got Nanay Gonzales baptized which was fantastic! We also received the news that San Antonio district is going to become a stake on August 5th! That means Cabangan is becoming a ward!! I also served in San Narciso for 6 months last year in the same district so this is a pretty big deal for me and everyone in the San Antonio District!

We went to Nanay Gonzales's house to go over baptismal interview questions for her interview, and she pulled out a notebook. Nanay had read every pamphlet we had given her and  filled up about 10 pages worth of Book of Mormon verses and additional answers she had found while reading the pamphlets. I was honestly shocked at how prepared she was for her baptism. After her baptism she bore a beautiful testimony and thanked the Elders for not giving up on her. When she got done, I asked her how she felt. She told me that she was SO HAPPY and testified to me that Heavenly Father really knows her. She said she was super stressed because she didn't know how she was going to organize her week so she could come to her baptism. Everything worked out though!

We were hoping to get Amnel baptized last week. We were supposed to get him baptized with Nanay Gonzales but we weren't able to contact him. So we are hoping to be able to teach him this week and get everything ready. His Grandma agreed to speak at his baptism which is going to be awesome, cause she is the kindest old lady ever!

Speaking of old ladies, a couple of days ago we were passing a Nanay (old lady) on the street and I said "Hello po Nay, magandang hapon!" Well that was the wrong thing to say cause I straight scared nanay and apparently she had been taking some Jedi classes cause her umbrella went from cane to lightsaber in .003 seconds. I don't know if that's just like a natural instinct that old ladies have, but I sure was impressed by her reflexes!

Well I am excited to see y'all next week! Take care and continue to be a light! Love ya!

-Elder Furniss

Naglalakad sa mga pilapil (walking through trails in the rice fields)

"The rains came down and the floods came up" has been the theme for these past couple weeks. Rainy season in Zambales is INSANE!

We had a really good week though this last week. We were able to teach a lot of our investigators, the Branch President worked with us a  couple times, and I had my last Zone Conference! It's going to be so hard to say goodbye to all these people in a couple weeks!

We scheduled Nanay Gonzales' baptismal interview for this coming Friday. She is getting baptized this Saturday and we are all so excited for her! We were also able to teach her son and are planning for him to get baptized at the end of this month. I love the Gonzales family! Her other son (who is a recent convert) passed the sacrament yesterday as well.

About Zone Conference, our topic was taken from a talk given by Dieter F. Uchtdorf called "A word for the hesitant missionary."  This was one of my favorite quotes from his talk;

"A favorite saying of mine often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi reads, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” Implicit in this saying is the understanding that often the most powerful sermons are unspoken.

When we have integrity and live consistently by our standards, people notice. When we radiate joy and happiness, they notice even more."

We as members of the church stand as a light to others, it says in Matthew "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Aren't we all so blessed to have the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives? I am so thankful that I have been able to share it with others not only through words, but through many acts of service to my brothers and sisters. Because I have seen so many lives change from this, I cannot wait to continue to do so throughout my entire life.

"I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy. "

I hope you all have a fantastic week! I sure am thankful for you!!

-Elder Furniss

Matheteusate

June 18, 2018

Good afternoon family and friends!

So I forgot to tell y'all last week but we had a mission conference and Elder Juan A. Uceda of the Presidency of the Seventy came and spake to us. Some of the things he talked about were very powerful. His wife talked to us about "being the missionary your momma thinks you are." Funny thing is that's the last thing my momma said to me before I entered the MTC. It was pretty cool.

Elder Uceda shared D&C 36:2 which says-
 And I will lay my hand upon you by the hand of my servant Sidney Rigdon, and you shall receive my Spirit, the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which shall teach you the peaceable things of the kingdom.

He told us that it was Christ's hands that set us apart, he was just using one of his servants (a stake President) to do it. He also said from the second that our stake President took his hands off our head, we were different. We are disciples of Jesus Christ.

He also shared Matthew 28:19-
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

He emphasized the part where it says "teach." If you look in the footnotes it says in Greek it is meant to say "to make disciples" The Latin root is "Matheteusate" which was translated into English as "teach" which is "a very weak translation" he said. He said we are not merely called to teach. But to in fact, make disciples. He said "you can talk and talk all day. Most missionaries think if they talk and talk all day with investigators that that is teaching and that they are doing their job. But no, people learn the Gospel not by being talked to all day, but by doing. Talk less and do more. Go and make disciples.

It was a very inspiring conference.

On Friday, we went to teach Nanay Gonzales. She is keeping her commitments and actually reading and praying with her kids. She opened up to us about her concern of not being able to go to church because of her little kids. Elder Penrose and I felt prompted to read Enos with her. We told her that just like Enos, you can receive answers through prayer. We then talked about fasting and how you can receive answers through fasting. I felt like we were really guided through that lesson. But here's the cherry on top. Their whole family (except the dad because he had work) came to church and stayed for all of it. We also re-extended her baptismal date for July 7th.

Amnel also came to church and it getting baptized on the 7th as well.

I had my 20th birthday as well last week! That was pretty cool. We actually had the mission conference on my birthday so that was a really awesome birthday present. Well, I hope you all have a fantastic week! I can't wait to see you next month!

-Elder Furniss

Ano ba yan? Ang huling kalipatan? What the Heck? The Last Transfer?

This week was wild! We got kabahays (housemates) Elder Spring and Elder Lim so we had to give up half of our area to them. Most of this week was just spent showing them around and doing baptismal interviews. It's also my last transfer in the mission...ano ba iyan?

So Elder Penrose and I were out finding on Tuesday and we stumbled upon a less active part-member family. They have a son that hasn't been taught by the missionaries or baptized yet so we were able to teach him and get him a baptismal date for July 7th. Him and his older brother came to church and stayed for all three hours!

So we got a calling in the branch as Sunday school teachers for the youth. Elder Penrose and I taught about developing Christ-like attributes. We had them read D&C section 4: 5-6 which is about Christ-like attributes and had them pick one from those verses that they are struggling with and to work on it. I took the challenge as well.  What Christ-like attribute can you work on developing?

Well, my little brother just emailed me and said that he's finished the Book of Mormon before he leaves on his mission. I'm so thankful for family that continues to inspire me to do my best and treasure up the word of God. I was reading in Alma last week and in Alma 37 it says:  "...the words of Christ, if we follow their course, [will] carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise."

No matter what we are going through, we can find hope for a better tomorrow and receive personal revelation as we treasure up the Book of Mormon and all of the Holy Scriptures. Like Neal A. Maxwell said "God does not send thunder, when a still small voice is enough."

I am so thankful for the opportunity I have been given to be a missionary! I hope you all have a great week and stay close to your Father in Heaven.

-Elder Furniss

The new kabahays

My boyz Tatay Sentino and Pimentel from San Narciso!

Our investigator's son put his sandwich in my shoe...salamat!!!

Mango stained shirts and trenchfoot...HAPPY LANG

Hello friends and family!

Well it is officially rainy season, which means my feet are going to be raisins for the next little while. We went trudging through what felt like a signal 5 typhoon a couple days ago but hey we were actually able to teach a family that we hadn't been able to teach for a few weeks so it was worth it.

Update on Charlie: We still haven't been able to teach with his cousin; he was busy last week so we'll see if we can get him this week. We taught Charlie about the Sabbath day and he said "Ok so you're saying I need to get active in my church again?" and we said "No, Charlie we are inviting you to come to our church. The whole point of us coming to visit you is not to help you get active in your church or to have bible study. We are inviting you to come and see what this church is all about and we want you to find out if it's true." So we were pretty bold with him but it's just frustrating because we hit a wall every time we bring up church with him.

We were working out in our far area (Reserva) on Friday and some of the little kids were climbing up in a tree to get some fruit that kind of looks like plums. Anyways, I was talking with one of the members by the house and I just heard a "SNAP" and saw the kid hit the ground. We ran over to see if he was ok, and he just looked up at us and said "Happy lang!" (I'm all goods, no worries), with a purple stain from the fruit around his mouth. It was HILARIOUS! We were all laughing about it for the rest of the day.

So we were in Sunday school yesterday, and they started a discussion about how to determine if a prompting is coming from the Spirit or if it's just your own thoughts. The members couldn't settle on an answer, but as they were discussing it a scripture came to my mind in Moroni, which I shared with the class.

Moroni 7:13

But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.

It's so awesome how one single verse from the Book of Mormon can answer the complex questions we have. The Book of Mormon certainly is a powerful tool. I have seen the blessings in my life from treasuring up the Book of Mormon. I invite you to read it everyday!!

I love you all and hope you have a great week! Ingat kayo lagi! (Take care always!)

how you know you are at a filipino party...

tiyaga tiyaga lang

Magandang hapon kapamiliya! (Good afternoon Family and Friends)

We had a good week this week. We were able to extend a baptismal date to Charlie and it was pretty shocking how good our lesson went with him.

As we were walking to teach him, Elder Penrose and I both had a distinct impression that we should just read the Book of Mormon with him. So we got there, and shared 3 Nephi 27. Wow let me tell ya, the Book of Mormon is a game changer. Our last few lessons have pretty much been us trying to explain why baptism is essential and kind of turned into a low-key bible bash. So this time, when we let the Book of Mormon do the work, and along with a little help from the New Testament we were able to get the wheels turning in his head.

"And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world. Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do;
Therefore, if ye do these things blessed are ye, for ye shall be lifted up at the last day."

We extended a baptismal date for him for July 7th. His cousin is our old Branch President here, and we are going to teach with him tonight. I'm excited!

We went hiking up to the waterfalls last P-day which was heaps of fun! Cabangan is such a beautiful area. MABUHAY ZAMBALES! (Zambales is the life!)

Mahal ko kayong lahat. (I love you all!) Take care and keep close to the Savior. You are amazing!

Romberto's baptism last week

My goal is to get diabetes from eating too much mangoes.

Romberto made a sweet drawing last week. He surprised us with it when we got there.