It's More Fun in the Philippines:
- With increasing concerns over CoronaVirus, many safety measures have been taken in the Philippines. Manila has now been put under lockdown for the following month, and we are preparing for the possibility of lockdown here in Batangas. Ultimately, corona has not spread very far in the Philippines; however, the Philippine government are putting in place strict protective measures to avoid the growth of the disease. We feel quite safe right now, and we are still going out to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all those willing to listen. We have taken protective measures including the avoidance of handshaking, and using hand sanitizer often. In the event of a lockdown, we may not email for a few weeks.
In accordance with government and church orders that we must avoid gathering in large groups, this last week we did not have a church service. However, we still desired to make Sunday a day of worship and love, so with the assistance of a few members of the Church of Jesus Christ here in Batangas we spent our entire Sabbath Day visiting part-member families. Within their homes we met as small groups and conducted short Sunday services in which the sacrament was administered and accompanied by faithful messages about our Lord Jesus Christ. I basically attended church 9 times in one day hehe. It was a special experience, especially as we had the opportunity to teach parents and particularly fathers with the Priesthood how they could conduct spiritually strong sacrament services within their own homes during this current time in which church will not occur on a weekly basis. I saw as Fathers felt a greater responsibility to uplift their families and invite the Spirit in their own homes. Although we do miss attending Church each Sunday, I know that the Lord has a plan for us, and everything in our lives has a reason.
Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God."
Doctrine and Covenants 90:24: “Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly.”
Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God."
Doctrine and Covenants 90:24: “Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly.”
Elder Hemmert
Lemery, Batangas