Leaving EARLY!

Kumusta po mga Kapatid,

First off, my departure date has been MOVED FORWARD! I was supposed to leave for the Philippines on October 10th, but I just got news that I will be leaving on October 1st instead! I'm so excited! Also, if you haven't heard, the Philippines (my mission specifically), is currently being hit by a major typhoon. When I get there I imagine I will be helping with a lot of service and clean-up. I'm excited to get there and offer service!

On another note, 20 new Elders and 6 new Sister missionaries joined our zone on Wednesday. Elder Stacey and I are now zone leaders for 64 missionaries! When the new missionaries came in we welcomed them and took them on tours around the Mission Training center. They are all super awesome, and they are already loving it here. We were given their pictures before they came, so I memorized all of their names. However, the pictures didn't know show the fact that most of them are way taller than me, and it feels a little weird that I'm their zone leader even though I look like a child next to them... and I'm 3 inches taller than my companion, Elder Stacey, and he has only shaved once so far, so imagine how he feels (He told me to include that part hahah).

We are trying our best to make them feel loved, and I pray every night for guidance to be a good zone leader. I have an extremely difficult time falling asleep at nights, because I'm always trying to find ways to solve any issues in the zone. I'm doing the best I possibly can, and I know the Lord is helping me.

LISTEN TO THIS: In trying to find ways to be a better zone leader and missionary I realized I needed to set better goals. I am so busy here that finding time to set goals can be difficult; however, looking back, I realize three weeks have already flown by, and I can't just let days go by without goals in mind. So this past week I have begun setting daily goals, weekly goals, and monthly goals. I keep a notecard with me, and throughout the day I add goals that I want to achieve. Some of my goals include: Learning 50 new Tagalog words a day, writing and practicing at least 12 Tagalog phrases that I want to use to teach people about the gospel, Ponder and Pray about the Book of Mormon everyday, and many more. Day to day my goals change, and I reflect back on how I have done with completing my goals. I'm not always successful, but the progress has been phenomenal! For example, Elder Stacey and I had a goal to teach an entire lesson in Tagalog with ZERO notes. Well guess what, we practiced just a little extra, prayed a little longer, and we officially taught a 20 MINUTE LESSON with ZERO NOTES!

A PIECE OF ADVICE: Grab a notecard or something that is easily accessible (I suppose you all have phones so go to your "notes" section or something), and throughout the day write down at least three goals that you want to achieve. Reflect on those goals that night, and decide how you will achieve them. If they are long term goals, then make some daily goals that will help you reach that end result. Goal setting can be difficult, but I promise, if you will set goals (WRITE THEM DOWN), and reflect on those goals often, then you will progress so much quicker than you ever would without them. Daily goals are key!

Sincerely,

Elder Hemmert