I'M IN THE PHILIPPINES! I'm currently in the MTC in Quezon city. It's way nice, and there are only 200 missionaries here! I will leave for Cavite on Wednesday! Oh that reminds me, I am 14/15 hours ahead of most of you in the USA. It is super weird because I left for the Philippines on Monday afternoon, but when I landed it was Wednesday morning! I lost an ENTIRE DAY in travel time! It was a little bit sad to say goodbye to everyone from the Provo MTC, but I'm so happy to be here.
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| President and Sister Carlos w/ Elder Hemmert & Elder Garner |
My mission president is President Carlos. He showed up at the airport and picked me up along with the 50 missionaries that came at the same time. When he saw my name he immediately told me that he knew my grandpa, and he used to be a member of the presidency back in Keizer, Oregon. How crazy is that! And the secretary in the MTC presidency, Brother Lee, was from Salem, Oregon also!
I can't even express in words everything that has happened so far, but I love every bit of it! My new companion is Elder Garner and we have gotten along very well. We will be attending the Manila temple later this day. Oh, and we can leave the MTC campus to go to the nearby market. I bought some super delicious pastries, because ALL OF THE FOOD HERE IS AMAZING!!!!! We have rice for every meal, and I love it! Also, it's quite humid and warm. It's kind of a mild time of year and will soon be getting very rainy. All the Filipinos are saying that it is a very nice temperature, but I start sweating the moment I step outside! It's so awesome! I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PLACE!
Anyways, since this is my first day I don't have too much to say, but I do have one more thing. Back in Provo I said goodbye to being zone leader and passed that responsibility onto two very good elders (Elder Smith and Davis). I enjoyed being zone leader, because it really taught me to show charity and love to others as I came to know all of them. Now, in the Philippines, I have been called as district leader! I went from zone leader to district leader! Why do I keep getting called to leadership roles. I don't have any extra qualities that make me more qualified than others; yet, I keep getting called to those roles. I suppose the Lord is trying to humble me and make me realize where I need to grow. The Lord gives "men and women weakness that they may be humble." Without weakness we would begin to think we could do everything on our own. We would allow pride to take over. However, we are not capable of handling everything on our own. We are not perfect and we have weaknesses, but as we turn to the Lord, "then will [He] make weak things become strong unto them." (Ether 12:27). As I take on this new role as district leader I will turn to the Lord for strength. I know that as I turn to Him, He will strengthen me. The Lord will never leave us comfortless.
My advice this week is a little different and may feel weird at first: Try to develop humility. Recognize that you can't do everything on your own. Seek help from others, and most importantly, seek help from the Lord.
Sincerely,
Elder Hemmert
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