District Leader Call

 July 31, 2019

Dear Brother and Sister Hemmert,

It is my pleasure to inform you that Elder Hemmert has been called to serve as a District Leader in the Philippines Cavite Mission. As a District Leader, he will serve and lead 4-10 missionaries. His responsibilities include setting a proper example of spirituality, obedience, hard work, proselyting skills and other aspects of missionary work. His administrative duties include evaluating and training missionaries, planning and conducting weekly meetings, interviewing baptismal candidates and generally looking after the well-being of the missionaries of his stewardship. Also, he will be charged with inspiring and strengthening their faith in Jesus Christ, and to keep their commitments so that they will enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

We are grateful for his dedicated performance and his strong testimony and willingness to work hard to bring about success. We appreciate the love and encouragement you give him. It is our opportunity and blessing to be able to work with him. Thank you for sending us such a dedicated servant of our Father in Heaven.

Sincerely,

Darwin S. Cauilan

President, Philippines Cavite Mission

It is DENGUE-ROUS

 Hello Po,

Well the email is short this week, but here is the run down:

1) After I recovered from Dengue, everyone in my apartment came down with dengue as well. My companion was hit the worst and spent 4 days hooked up to an IV at the hospital. This entire past week I spent running back and forth between the hospital and the appointments we had scheduled. All in all, we all lost some sleep, but we are all recovering now. Elder Burton came home from the hospital yesterday, and is now resting up as I go on exchanges with the zone leader and district leader in order to get work done.

2) Even with all of the chaos, we had the baptism of Maricar (17) andMarjorie Emata (18) last Friday. We found these two sisters about 9 weeks ago, and after introducing a few members to them they began attending church. Even before they were members they visited the other people we were teaching, and they would invite them to church. Ultimately they like to have fun and enjoy sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to their friends.

Elder Hemmert

Smile: It's all for your good

Kamusta ka na?

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

• So you know how I got sick? Well, now the other three missionaries in my apartment are sick!!! Dengue is typically passed because mosquitoes bite people affected by dengue, and then that same mosquito bites someone that is not sick. However, I bypassed the middle man and just went ahead and bit each of the three missionaries, so now they have dengue. JUST KIDDING!! THEY DON'T HAVE DENGUE!! It's just a fever, and they are recovering very well.

I have a lot I want to talk about, but not a lot of time. So for a short email this week, I just want to let you know how much fun being a missionary is. I seriously love serving a mission. Don't get me wrong, it's no vacation and definitely has its ups and downs; however, it's all good stuff. Every day brings new experiences, or in other words, new opportunities to grow. I find that most days my cheeks hurt from smiling by the end of the day, and here are the reasons: (1) I have met so many people that I have come to love. I desire the best for them and it makes me concerned when they get into hardships, but even in their struggles they often find time laugh. They are a reason for me to smile. (2) I have a wonderful companion, Elder Burton, that is not afraid to work hard. He laughs at the simplest of my jokes, and is always by my side. My trials are his and his are mine. Without my companion I would feel incomplete. He is a reason for me to smile. (3) This area in GMA Cavite is VERY HILLY. Each day I lose my breath to the hundreds of stairs that I have to walk and I without fail I sweat through my clothes before the night hits. I've gotten used to it, and now just laugh through the sweat and hills. Another reason why I smile. (4)  But most of all is the message that I am sharing. It was provided, outlined, and highlighted as important hundreds and even thousands of years ago, and continues to be circled, underlined, expounded, and explained. It is the message of a Father's plan for his children to be happy and is centered around one son that was willing to sacrifice ALL for his brothers and sisters. That sacrifice is the GREATEST reason why I smile, and is why I am serving a mission.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE: There are hundreds of reasons to smile. I only shared 4, but the list is without end. This week, find reasons to smile even when you want to frown. When you see the stairs that you have to climb or the sweat you have to endure, think of that son that climbed to Calvary and endured the "sweat" of Gethsemane.

Elder Hemmert

I SURVIVED DENGUE!

Kamusta na Kayo,

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

First Sign of Dengue- Elder Hemmert thought they were
cockroach bites as this is common in the Philippines.

• THATS RIGHT!!!! I SURVIVED DENGUE!! First off, I just want to say thank you to everyone that sent prayers my direction. As I was recovering I can absolutely say that the prayers helped and I recovered much quicker than we were expecting. For those of you that are interested here is how it all happened. Exactly two weeks ago I was bit by a mosquito and my eyes began swelling rapidly. The following day rashes broke out, and a fever of 105 degrees hit me like a truck. We made many visits to the hospital to watch my white blood cells and platelets which continued to drop each day. I tested positive for dengue, and was told that I must be confined in the hospital. Instead of sleeping at the hospital I chose to go home and for over a week I did not leave my bed. Each day I just slept and avoided itching the rashes that were getting increasingly larger and more itchy. My body and joints ached from exhaustion even though I wasn't exerting energy. However, after much rest, hundreds of prayers, and a miserable two weeks I am feeling much much better. We are now leaving the house and I  m back to work with a BIG smile on my face. Ultimately, here is the summary of dengue in 6 words: Tried it. Do NOT recommend it.

On a better note, on the first day of dengue (before the fever hit), we had the baptism of Edmond Monzales and his two kids Edzekiel Monzales and Angel Kate Monzales. They are such a happy family, and always put a smile on my face. Edmond's wife has been a member for a very long time, but only now has Edmond and his kids decided to join the church. Edmond began reading the Book of Mormon, and he quickly came to love the Gospel and the church. He changed his work schedule so that he could attend church, and we got him married to his wife Geraldine one week before their baptism. They are a wonderful family, and they are now preparing to enter the temple to be sealed for all eternity.

Elder Hemmert

Painful rashes cover the entire body w/ Dengue Fever, but Elder Hemmert
is still smiling....melts a momma's heart. 

Dengue News...

Hello Sister Hemmert,

This is Elder Burton, your sons companion. He gave me this email so I could let you know that we went to the hospital today and that he has Dengue. He is doing well. I am taking good care of him. He is currently resting at the apartment with three other Elders. I am here to email you and my family. Sorry you had to find out this way, but I will do everything I can to help him recover. 

I have to go. I hope you had a great week and are doing well.

Elder Burton

This was the letter we received letting us know that Britton was ill. It was very scary and upsetting. Luckily we were surrounded by family as it was the 4th of July. As the week progressed, we asked for fasting and prayers, and our boy had a truly miraculous recovery. The following are pictures we would get as updates from the mission nurse who kept in touch with us daily as he recovered.

We laugh, because this felt like a POW picture!
"NO, really Ma, they are treating us great, I am healthy!" haha