IT IS SIMPLE!

Magandang Araw Po,

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

• CHRISTMAS came and went. We had NINE MEAL APPOINTMENTS! Each appointment acted as if it would be our last meal for a few days because they cooked for at least 20 people even though there were only a few of us. By the end my body acted so much and I couldn't even look at food. When I got home I took 4 charcoal pills (I don't know why, just figured it would help), and I slept through the night sitting up against the wall. I physically couldn't lie down without feeling like vomiting. Ultimately I super good Christmas. No way to get homesick when food is constantly being thrown at me hehe.
• Bebs and Bob got MARRIED!! Her husband is a foreigner but they have been together for 6 years. Due to the fact that he is a foreigner the marriage process was quite a struggle, but it's all done now and we are so happy for them!!! #My4thWedding

Elina Orbina Cahilig was baptized on December 28. This is the mom of the family that we helped when they were in need of a new home. They were the first family I found here in Lemery, and Sister Elina has the most faithful and heartfelt prayers I have ever heard in my entire life. I have been a witness of their growing faith as they have overcome some very large trials. No matter what they were enduring I have never once seen their faith waver. I wish to share one of these experiences. When their new house was still in the building process and was without walls and an unfinished roof we invited them to come to church. The issue was that the next morning they were expected to move into the new house even though it was incomplete. Elina told me that they were unsure what they were going to do in order to finish their home by the following day, but she said that she knew as long as she went to church that sunday the Lord would provide a way for them to finish the home. Sure enough they came to church, and that night someone offered them the materials they needed to finish the home. The fact is, God's plan is simple: Follow Him and he will provide the Blessings. HAVE FAITH.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE:

When you attend church this week, forget about everything worldly for at least the two hours that you are within the walls of the Lord's church. Don't think about your problems or about the distractions that take away from the peace of church. Simply focus on God and having faith in him. HAVE FAITH.

Elder Hemmert

Lemery, Batangas

THAT TIME OF YEAR!

Maligayang Pasko (Merry Christmas),

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

• This past week was full of fun activities and lots of very large blessings. I don't care about the trials we endured this week, because all of the positive things outweigh the bad (as they always do). One very fun activity was that we had a very large Christmas party in which ALL of the missionaries gathered together and had a workshop, games, skits, and gift exchanges. I can honestly say that Balayan Batangas Zone won it all! We ROCKED!!!

This week I want to share a story that was shared to us by my Mission President. This was always a FAVORITE OF MINE as a kid:

"Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes when the first tree said; “someday I hope to be a TREASURE CHEST, I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty.”
Then the second tree said; “someday I will be a MIGHTY SHIP. I will take mighty kings and queens across the waters and sailed to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.”
Finally, the third tree said, “I want to grow to be the TALLEST AND STRAIGHTEST TREE IN THE FOREST. People will see me on the top of the hill and look up to my branches and think of the heavens and God, and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me.”
After a few years of praying their dreams would come true, a group of woodmen came upon the trees. When one to the first tree he said, “this looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell this wood to a carpenter and cutting it down.” The tree was happy because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.
At the second tree the woodsman said, “this looks like a strong tree. I should be able to sell it to the shipyard.” The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.
When the woodsman came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down, his dreams would not come true. One of the woodmen said; “I don’t need anything special from my tree, I’ll take this one,” and he cut it down.
When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a FEEDBOX for animals. He was then placed in a barn filled with hay. This was not what he prayed for. Then the Second Tree was cut and made into a small FISHING BOAT. His dream of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into LARGE PIECES and left alone in the dark.
The years went by and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and a woman came to the barn, she gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feedbox that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event, and know that it held the greatest treasure of all time.
Years later, a group of men got into a fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out of the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn’t think it was strong enough to keep them safe. The men woke the “sleeping man” and he stood and said; “PEACE” and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the king of kings on its boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree, it was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of the hill. When Sunday came, the tree realized that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because JESUS had been crucified on it."  

WEEKLY CHALLENGE: When life doesn't seem to be going your way, just remember that God has a plan for you. He doesn't look at your current credentials, but rather he looks at your future potentials. And his plan for you may be hard to see right now, but just keep moving forward and he will guide your steps. SHARE a message about Jesus Christ to someone you care about, so they can remember the true meaning of Christmas.

https://www.comeuntochrist.org/light-the-world/the-christ-child

The Wedding King

Magandang Araw Po,

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

• I am known by many missionaries as the "Wedding King." Well, that's actually a title I gave myself, but I really have become the go-to-man when missionaries have questions on how to get people married. Due to my experience with helping many of the people we are teaching get married, I have come to understand very well the process of marriage here in the Philippines. Also, be prepared, because in the next few weeks I will be assisting another family on their marriage papers. Another success by the "Marriage King." (You can say I am preparing for my future family HEHE)
• If you read my last email about ATTITUDE I'm impressed that you read my emails. Thank you. But also, Our mission president, President Cauilan, seemed to like my email because he shared it in our Missionary conference last week. Share ko lang.

December 7 was the baptism of Aurea Deomampo (17). She had been taught by missionaries for over a year, but her parents never approved of her baptism. Many of her cousins, however, are members of the Church of Jesus Christ. When I got to this area, Lemery, I began getting close with Aurea's parents. I would always joke with the father, eat anything and everything the mother cooked (a good way for people to like you here in the Philippines), and I shared small Gospel messages in passing. Over the last 3 months I got quite close with the parents, and finally one day I asked if it would be okay for their daughter to be baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. They approved and said that they had been waiting for me to ask hehe! When the day of Aurea's baptism finally arrived, she shared, with tears in her eyes, how grateful she was that her parents finally approved of her baptism. EVEN COOLER, is the following weekend she was able to travel to the temple and perform baptisms for the dead!!!

Elder Hemmert

Lemery, Batangas

A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E

Magandang Araw Po,

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

• I am LOVING LIFE with my new companion, Elder Gabriel. He is my first Filipino Companion, and has got to be one of the coolest missionaries around. He is from Tarlac and only has 2 more months in his mission, but that won't stop these man from working hard!

As Zone leader in the Balayan Zone I am in charge of watching over 10 missionaries. Here in Batangas I felt as though we were losing energy just a little bit. I felt that maybe my 10 missionaries were getting tired; however, that has all changed with the new cycle/transfer. Half of our zone left us last week, and they were replaced with many new faces. These new missionaries are excited to learn, improve and give it their all. Much of this excitement comes simply down to the fact that these are great new missionaries, but I like to make a comment or even suggestion in how we can create a spirit of excitement within our own families, classrooms, friends, or whatever it may be. It only comes down to one word: Attitude.

First off, before the transfer even occurred I had a list of the incoming missionaries. I began spreading word to the zone that the incoming missionaries were some of the best missionaries I knew. The funny thing is, I had no idea who these missionaries actually were, I had NEVER met them. It didn't matter who they really were, I wanted my 10 missionaries to get excited for their new companions. Pay attention to the ATTITUDE. We were Positive, Energetic and Hopeful.

Secondly, when transfers came I picked up all of the new missionaries by myself and was in charge of bringing them back to my zone and introducing them to their new companions. While traveling I told them that they were extremely lucky to join such a wonderful zone. I told them they had lots of great things to look forward to, but that they would need to work hard. This got them excited for the things in store. Notice the ATTITUDE. Purely Positive. Never Negative.
Finally, I have been receiving calls and texts all saying how happy each companion is here in Balayan zone. Any negative comments have been shoved off and replaced by the positive things.

Now let us examine the word A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E. If we replaced each letter with it's equivalent number in the alphabet we will find something quite divine. (ex. A-1, B-2, C-3)

A-1

T-20

T-20

I-9

T-20

U-2

D-4

E-5

Add these numbers up and we will find that they equal exactly 100! Attitude is 100%
Ultimately, this new excitement in Balayan zone is grounded in our attitude, and I assisted in this by spreading a sense of excitement, positivity and hope throughout the zone.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE:  If we want to have a happy life, why would we talk about the negative things? Focus on the positive, and we can have a spirit of joy within our families, church, or any other group in which we affiliate. Spend this week talking only about the positive things in your life and about others. At the end of the week evaluate your effort and reflect on the feelings you had when you were positive.

Elder Hemmert

TYPHOON!!! THANK THE GIVER!!!

Magandang Araw Po,

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

• We are awaiting what many are saying to be the largest storm of the year tomorrow afternoon. So far the sky is mildly clear and there is almost no wind, so we will see what happens. Mostly we are just a little afraid the strong winds will ruin the home of one of the families we are teaching. It has been quite the process for them to earn enough money for the supplies required to build their house. We helped them finish it a few days ago and they are now living there. Many prayers will be sent their way if the winds get strong, and most likely we will be visiting them to help in any way possible.
• My companion, Elder Eldredge will now be headed up to Molino Cavite as the next Assistant to the President. Basically this means he will be in charge of helping all 175 missionaries in the entire mission and he has to take care of much of the planning as far as conferences and meetings. This is my third companion to become AP immediately after leaving me hehe. I'm super excited for him and I know he will do great.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE:

This past week I spent every day writing in my journal three things that I was grateful for. Some of these items were large and others small, but each one was specific (even including names often times). I felt a much greater love for those around me and I noticed more easily the blessings of the Lord. I invite you to spend a week writing, each night, three specific things you are grateful for. Don't forget to give thanks to the giver of these blessings in each one of your prayers.

Elder Hemmert

Lemery, Batangas

SUMMITS AND SUPER HEROES!

Magandang Araw Po,

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

• Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Seventy and his Wife came to speak to us this last friday. It was a very uplifting event, and I'm so grateful for the words which they shared.
• We hiked a Batulao Mountain in Nasugbu with a few members. Check out my photos for some good stuff.

When I was younger, I remember always looking up to missionaries as if to think they were in some way super heroes. I thought they were without faults and always knew what they were doing. However, now as a missionary myself, I realize that this is very rarely the case. In fact, I rarely know what it is that I must say or do; rather, I go into situations feeling like Nephi as he said, "I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. Nevertheless I went forth...." I do my best to stay confident and trust in the Lord, but it isn't always easy. In unison to the difficulty of staying confident and faithful, I wish to share one experience that proved to me this week that the Lord blesses His children as they trust in Him and follow Him. Saturday night I received a text that there were no assigned speakers for the following day at church and I was expected to speak the following day. As night had already rolled around by this point I decided I was better off getting some rest than I would be staying up preparing. Sunday morning I woke up and offered a prayer for the Lord's guidance as I would be speaking at church, and with that I grabbed a few notes from my studies on "How to find opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those around us?" Ultimately, I was unsure what entirely I would be saying, but when the time came for me to speak I stood at the pulpit confidently and began what would end up being the best Sacrament talk I have ever given. When the meeting concluded, many of the people in attendance approached me and thanked me for the words I said and the clarity in which I expressed eternal truths. One even went as far as to say that my Tagalog was even easier to understand than many of the Filipinos that give talks (HA! I doubt it!). The Lord has blessed me greatly as I constantly strive for righteousness and improvement. At the end of the day, I share this with you to show that just as the Lord has blessed me he can also bless you. All it takes is a desire to improve and a willingness to act on the promptings of the Spirit.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE: Grow a desire for improvement and begin working toward those desires by setting goals and praying for guidance. However, don't feel bad if you feel inadequate or lacking confidence as you first start out. Simply put your trust in the Lord and remember to allow yourself to be a beginner, because no one starts as an expert.

Elder Hemmert

Lemery, Batangas

I RODE A CARIBOU!

Magandang Araw Po,

It's More Fun in the Philippines (Highlights):

• P-DAY in Mindoro. We got to spend our rest day sightseeing in the BEAUTIFUL MINDORO!! We traveled to Tamaraw Falls, enjoyed the view from a super large suspension bridge, and I RODE A CARIBOU!!! Ultimately just loving life over here!!
• BAPTISMS: Francia Caputol, Audrey Aliling, and Ela Dela Cruz were all baptized this last week, and they were so happy to participate in that saving ordinance as well as covenant with God to follow him. It wasn't an easy process for them to prepare for baptism, but I know that God is smiling because of their obedience to his commandments.

Last Sunday, after coming home from a beautiful service at church we ate some lunch and prepared to go out to all of our appointments. However, with the heat and lack of water we felt a bit low energy. In order to guarantee a successful day I made sure to say a meaningful prayer in which I asked for ONE spiritual experience that would be worth writing in my journal that night. With that we left the house seeking spiritual experiences. We went to our appointments, and went to a few people we didn't originally intend going to, but the spiritual experience didn't occur until we neared the end of the day. It had gotten dark and we entered a neighborhood in which we would teach our last appointment. Before reaching the home of our final destination I had a strong urge to turn around and go to the home of a member of the church. Spiritual experiences were in fact what we were seeking, so we found ourselves turned around and entering the home of this member. After speaking to the member for a few minutes a boy walked in (the grandson of the member) and he decided to listen in on our conversation. After speaking with him we came to realize that his dad had left him at an early age, and his mom was working abroad. This little boy asked if it was okay to attend church and we quickly responded, "OFCOURSE YOU ARE WELCOME!" We hope to continue to teach him in the following weeks. This truly was a spiritual experience, as we were able to make conscious choices that led us to finding someone that wants to come closer to christ.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE: Pray for ONE spiritual experience this day, and then spend all day seeking that experience. Make sure to act on any promptings you receive.

Elder Hemmert

Lemery, Batangas

BAMBOO MAKES GOD HAPPY

Mapagpalang Araw Po,

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

• I know I have said it before, but I LOVE MY MISSION! I honestly feel like I am living in paradise while sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. We work CRAZY hard every day, and we enjoy every moment of it!

One family we are teaching is trying to build a new house, but they ran out of bamboo. When they expressed this concern I immediately realized I could help them, so I stood up and called a member to see if he could assist us. No later than 30 minutes we were changed into work clothes and the member picked us up. We headed up the mountains and parked the tricycle that we were driving. From there we hiked into a gorge and cut down, collected and loaded up bamboo. We drove that bamboo back to the home of the family we were teaching. All in all, it only took about 4 hours, from the moment that the family expressed their concern of not having enough bamboo all the way to the moment that we stacked the new bamboo at their house. Rather than talking about what we wanted to do in order to find bamboo for them, I jumped up and acted immediately. We had to drop everything we were doing in order to make this work, but ultimately we accomplished what God had planned for us that day. I feel like God was happy for the quickness in which I acted, and he is even happier because we served His children.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE: What is one thing you did today that most likely made God happy? Think about it a bit, and then go out and do one more thing to make God happy. Strive this week to do 1 special thing everyday to make God happy.

Elder Hemmert

Lemery, Batangas

Video: Elder Hemmert hiking in the Philippineshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzUcdom2srg

$3 MILLION ISLAND & SPIRITUAL PARADISE

Magandang Araw Po,

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

• Spent our rest day doing everything under the sun, and it was heavenly!! We hiked to the top of a  ountain called "kamay ni jesus" (hand of jesus), visited a tiny island that has only a single house on it (it's on sale if you have 3 million dollars sitting around), and we even got a free boat ride (commercial company so not bawal) from the resort company because some foreigners had paid for it and they were SOOO nice to us. I live in paradise. Just look at the pictures. Video of Island: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheHJEItUo Video of Christ the Redeemer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds-QN2xFxs4

The Lord has said, "Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; and speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be be confounded before men; For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say." (Doctrine and Covenants 100:5-6)
Well, let me explain how true this scripture verse is. We had begun a lesson with a family, and my companion, Elder Eldredge, and I had already decided on a lesson that we would teach. I started in on this lesson, but felt a strong pull toward teaching a different lesson (The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ). I shoved off this impression and continued in on my teaching, but only a minute or two later I ran into a wall when all of a sudden I could no longer speak. I blanked and shut down. I could not get a word out of my mouth. I paused and after a long silence I simply told my companion to jump in. I did not "Speak the thoughts that [the Spirit] put into my heart." Thus I was "confounded before men." Elder Eldredge went in speaking and after a few minutes I began sharing once more. As I started sharing I was quickly pulled once more to share a different lesson (the Restoration), only this time I OBEYED that prompting. As I shared my companion testified of my words and he added to it. We ultimately changed the lesson, but saw huge blessings from doing so as those people we taught got more and more intrigued. The lesson ended well, and on our way out I apologized to my companion for pausing in my speech and changing the lesson. He then excitedly admitted that he had also felt a great need for sharing the Restoration, and he was glad that we were on the same page. As we heeded the promptings of the Spirit our mouths were filled and the promise came to pass that "it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say."  

WEEKLY CHALLENGE: Seek the promptings and guidance of the Spirit in your decisions this week, and then HEED and FOLLOW those promptings.

Elder Hemmert

MY BROTHER IS MY COMPANION!!!

Magandang Araw Po,

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

• TRANSFERS!!! My new companion is Elder Eldredge from Highland, Utah. He is AWESOME! I promise that we are working super hard and are very productive, but honestly it doesn't feel like we are working because we have so much fun. Ultimately, every day feels like some long party in which we go around sharing the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and helping people come unto our Savior. He reminds me of Colby, so I basically feel like I am serving a mission with my own brother which is by far the greatest dream in the world!!!

WEEKLY CHALLENGE: With the chaos of transfers I don't have much to say, but I invite each one of you to get on your knees later tonight and offer a prayer of thanksgiving. Say nothing but everything you are grateful for.

ELDER HEMMERT
Lemery, Batangas

VIDEO--ELDER HEMMERT BEING ELDER HEMMERT: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBek106h0O8

Video of Filipino Robots:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIlmX6OytJQ

THE GREAT BASKETBALL MIX-UP

Magandang Araw Po,

It's More Fun in the Philippines (Highlights):

• Catherine Enriquez was baptized on October 18. This was also her Birthday, so she turned 19 on the same day that she was baptized! Catherine or CatCat or Kath (a lot of nicknames) has been attending church for quite some time, but she just never felt ready for her baptism. As I explained in my email a few weeks ago we simply invited her to pray to know if she was ready for her baptism. She ended up receiving an answer, and she quickly prepared for the great day of her Birthday/Baptism.
• FUN FACT: One cultural belief is that people in the Philippines are darker skinned because of the heat while people in the US are white because it is "always cold" in the US. The funny thing is that they use soaps to make their skin whiter while Americans use lotions that make our skin darker. BALIKTAD!!! (reversed!)

We have a family that we are working to get back to church after what has now been years of them not attending. They are very nice to us, but still hesitant to come back. Last week we invited (slightly forced) the 16 year old son of that family to join us for a few of our appointments on one of the upcoming days. When the day finally arrived for him to come with us we stopped by his house to pick him up. On our arrival he was dressed in basketball clothing and he had also invited one of his friends to join. As we began walking we quickly got to know the friend and we shared a few laughs. However, the laughs stopped when one of the boys asked, "Marami ba ang ibang maglalaro?" (Are there a lot of other people playing basketball?). Confused by their question we asked what they were talking about which they responded by inquiring who would be playing against the four of us. We quickly came to realize that somehow they got the idea that we invited them to play basketball, they had no idea we were actually headed to a few people to share short messages about Jesus Christ. With this new realization we busted out laughing and explained to them that we wouldn't be playing basketball. Of course they were shocked, but we convinced them to stay with us for the next few appointments. Ultimately, we got very close to the two boys and we are now regularly teaching the new friend. It was quite the way for the boy to be introduced to our message, but as we know, the Lord works in mysterious ways! Maybe one of our rest days we will actually go play basketball with them HAHA!!

ELDER HEMMERT

Lemery Batangas

Fun Video of "TACO TUESDAY FILIPINO STYLE": 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrkIFWkTMwk