What matters most...

Yeah Courtney is just about to go home. Time sure does go by fast! Her friend actually got dengue two weeks ago if you didn't  know that. So they have been in the hospital. But she seems like she is having fun on her mission. I know a couple of the going home missionaries in our zone here pretty well so it is going to be sad to see all of them go this next transfer... including my companion. I hope I get to see him after my mission. He is such a great missionary and I don't know if I will ever even get to see him after he goes home, but it will all be good. 

Wow! That is super good that you were able to go and help the Roper's out. I guess they are probably going to be moving pretty soon or going to a home or something like that. They have been really good neighbors... never had to worry about loud parties with them haha. 

That is great that Kyle e was able to speak in Bear Valley ward this week. I am sure he did a great job. 

I will have to think of what it is that I am going to send home in the next few weeks. It will have to be soon because otherwise I won't be able to get it to her in time....

So for my spiritual insight for the week. I just have one small quote from M. Russel Ballard. He said, "What matters most is what lasts the longest." We can use this simple quote to prioritize the things we do in life. For example, playing a video game gives you enjoyment only during the moment in which you are playing. And quickly leaves when the game is done. Playing basketball gives enjoyment during the game, and can give enjoyment afterwards as you enjoy better health. Being baptized can provide a lifetime of enjoyment through the Gift of the Holy Ghost and further blessings in the life to come. Being married in a temple of God for eternity makes an eternity of enjoyment possible. If we think about our actions and ask ourselves, "How long will this last?" we can kow what is of no worth, what is important, and what is absolutely necessary in our lives. And if we make a priority those things that last for eternity, then we will receive blessings that will likewise last for eternity.

I love you all!

Thank you for all that you do!

Elder Schroeder

1. philippine flag at the american war memorial cemetery

2. a picture of some writing on a wall

P.S. this is where Elder Hinckley dedicated the Philippines for missionary work.

Here is a short excerpt from a talk I found on it. from augusto a. lim in 1992 general conference

I would like to express my love and appreciation to my eternal companion for the support and love that she has completely extended to me through all these years of membership in this Church. I suppose many of you already know I came from the Philippines, home to close to 67 million people, the Pearl of the Orient, but now a land devastated by earthquakes, typhoons, floods, and even volcanic eruptions. But I will not, however, talk about the calamities that have caused much hardship and tested the faith of our people, but I would rather talk about the great spiritual blessings that have been experienced in abundance as the gospel is spread in the land.

The restored gospel was first introduced by Latter-day Saint servicemen and women while serving in the Philippines near the end of World War II, but missionary work officially started in the Philippines (from the records of the Southern Far East Mission) on April 28, 1961, when Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, then a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, met with a small group of members at the American War Memorial Cemetery in the suburbs of Manila to offer a prayer invoking the blessing of the Lord on the missionary work in the Philippines.

Before giving his prayer, President Hinckley, in a brief talk, made this prophetic statement: “What we begin here will affect the lives of thousands upon thousands of people in this island republic, and its effects will go from generation to generation for great and everlasting good.” (Philippine Islands Area Conference, Aug. 1975, p. 20.)

After his brief remarks, President Hinckley offered a prayer in which he said:

“We invoke Thy blessing, Father dear, upon the missionaries who shall come here, that Thy Spirit may touch their hearts, that their lives may be clean and virtuous, that their examples may be marvelous before the people, that they may be blessed, as it were, with the ‘gift of tongues,’ that they shall speak the language of the people, that they shall work with singleness of purpose to Thy name’s honor and glory, that they shall go forth without fear, that none shall stay them, and that they shall declare with teaching and testimony, the restoration of Thy holy work for the blessing of Thy children. Father, give them joy and courage and faith and satisfaction in their labors, and make them fruitful.

“We invoke Thy blessings upon the people of this land, that they shall be friendly and hospitable and kind and gracious to those who shall come here, and that many, yea Lord, we pray that there shall be many thousands who shall receive this message and be blessed thereby. Wilt Thou bless them with receptive minds and understanding hearts, and with faith to receive, and with courage to live the principles of the gospel, and with a desire to share with others the blessings which they shall receive. We pray that there shall be many men—faithful, good, virtuous, true men—who shall join the Church and who shall receive the blessings of the priesthood, and who shall accept and grow in leadership, that Thy work here shall be handled largely by local brethren, under the direction of those who hold the keys in this day and time, according to the law and order of Thy church.” (Gordon B. Hinkley, “Commencement of Missionary Work in the Philippines.”)

A few days after that historic meeting, the first four full-time missionaries arrived from the Southern Far East Mission based in Hong Kong. From a handful of members in 1961, the Church in the Philippines has since grown at a remarkable rate, now increasing by more than two thousand members per month. As a result of close correlation by the full-time missionaries and members, membership is now three hundred thousand distributed in forty-eight stakes, sixty-five districts, and thirteen missions. Five of the thirteen mission presidents and all the eight regional representatives, all stake and district presidents are now native Latter-day Saints. Sixty to 70 percent of the more than two thousand full-time missionaries now laboring in the field are also native Latter-day Saints. And now, standing majestically in an elevated grounds overlooking a valley where hundreds of thousands live in the heart of Metro Manila, is the Manila Philippines Temple.

Hope you enjoyed it. It is really great to stand in the same spot in which missionary work started in the whole Philippines! and to know that it was dedicated at that very spot

love you all!