CORONAVIRUS PHILIPPINES

Magandang Araw Po,

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.”

Elder Hemmert

Lemery, Batangas

NO LETTER

EPILEPTIC SEIZURE CAN'T STOP US

Magandang Araw Po,

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

• The other night I was walking on a narrow path between two rice fields. It was pitch black, and I felt quite confident that even without a flashlight I would be fine. BIG MISTAKE, because not too long later I slipped into the rice field and lost my shoe in a foot of mud. From there I had to reach in and grab it out of the mud and walk about a kilometer without a shoe.
• I have a new companion. Elder Julian from Isabela, Philippines. He is energetic, and we are getting along SOOO WELL.

Sunday, March 1, was the wedding of Aillen and Crisostomo Icamina (Two people that we are teaching). It was a simple wedding held at the church, and ultimately one of the most beautiful weddings I have attended. However, earlier in the morning a frightening event occurred. After church concluded, Elder Julian and I went to fill out a few papers, but as we were leaving to do so I had a strong feeling, which I later realized was a prompting of the Holy Ghost, to turn around and talk to the soon to be bride and groom. As I approached them, sister Aillen collapsed back in her chair and began convulsing. Before she hit the ground I caught her in more or less a baby cradle and lowered her gently to the ground as she shook. I tossed my bag under her head as to keep her from hitting the floor. From there a few members came quickly to help by moving chairs away from her and giving her space. Brother Crisostomo was calm through it all, because he said this was not the first time; however, I, on the other hand, was quite terrified as this was my first experience with any sort of Epileptic fit. Not long after, Sister Aillen fully recovered, and a few hours later was married to her husband, Crisostomo.
I am simply glad that the Holy Ghost guided me toward Sister Aillen, and that I was ready to listen and act on the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE:

Take on Prophet Russel M. Nelson's invitation as we prepare for April.https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/blog/my-2020-invitation-to-you-share-the-message-of-the-restoration-of-the-saviors-gospel

Elder Hemmert

Lemery, Batangas

WEEKLY CHALLENGE! DO IT!

Magandang Araw Po,

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

• My companion Elder Gabriel is now on his way home to Tarlac, Philippines. He finished out his two years strong! Now I am waiting to meet my new companion.
• Funny Story: I have a random assortment of Pass-along cards that have little messages and questions on them. Well, all of them are randomly shuffled together, and the funniest thing happened when I approached a SUPER OLD women. I reached in my bag and pulled out a card to give her. However, the card I happened to grab was, "What Happens After I Die?" My companion immediately died laughing because of course that was the card that I gave this EXTREMELY OLD lady. My companion could not stop laughing, so the lady began laughing as well. Ultimately, I wasn't able to share with her, because we could not stop laughing, and afterward my companion said, with a smirk on his face, "that was the perfect card for her HAHA."

How does The Book of Mormon bring us closer to Christ?

Raul Dela Cruz is the brother of a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. Raul has never been interested in the church or listening to the missionaries. This all changed with the help of the Taal Volcano. Raul ended up evacuating to one of the chapels of the Church of Jesus Christ, and there he stayed for 4 weeks. In that 4 weeks there were no opportunities to work, no TV, no distractions, and a bunch of Book of Mormons. With nothing else to do, Raul grabbed a book and began reading. Though he struggles with reading at his older age, he did not put the book down. He began to feel the influence of the Holy Ghost telling him that what he was reading is of God. Before he knew it, he had gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon. On his return to Lemery, Batangas Raul attended church and asked me to teach him and baptize him. All it took was his willingness to read.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE:

I testify of the power of The Book of Mormon. I invite you this week to schedule one of the most important meetings you will have this week. Write in your planner on an open space, "1 hour for me and the Book of Mormon." Don't schedule anything that will conflict with that Spiritual appointment.

Elder Hemmert

Lemery, Batangas

VOLCANO EVACUEES OR VACATIONEES?

Magandang Araw Po,

It's more Fun in the Philippines:

• We are now back in Lemery, Batangas! When we arrived everything was covered in ash, so everyday has consisted of short service projects in which we have cleaned schools, homes, and helped people recover in anyway possible. It has been so nice to be back, and we are excited for the blessings to come. Many of the people that were evacuated are now back and have been given large amounts of relief goods. Some are still living in the Chapel due to damage done to their homes from earthquakes and ash. Unfortunately, cracks can be found in many homes, and some are no longer safe to live in. One funny thing mentioned by a member is, "Those of us that evacuated to the Chapel were treated so well that we did not feel like Volcano Evacuees but rather Volcano Vacationees."
• Before we left Muntinlupa we had the opportunity to climb one of the tallest buildings and look over the entire Las Pinas city. Once we arrived in Batangas we had another opportunity to climb except this time it was on Mt Talamitam. From the top we could see much of Batangas and enjoy the beauty of God's creations. Enjoy the pictures of these fun adventures.

On Sunday the blessings were unreal as the entire chapel was filled to the brim with people to the point that every chair was used and people had to stand in the back. With this in mind, 5 minutes before church began I was asked to be the first speaker. With no way to say no, I simply agreed and approached the front to speak to the massive group of worshippers. With no preparation I managed to give a talk that I felt was one of the best talks I have ever given in church. Thus God's Promise Blessings do always come about, "treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man." Through daily feasting on the Words of Christ I have gotten to the point that the Spirit is capable of bringing to my remembrance the items that I have studied.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE: Trust in the Promised Blessings of the Lord. In a simple form, God has promised that those that keep His commandments shall prosper. Grow your faith in this promise, and have faith and hope that these blessings will eventually enter your life.

Elder Hemmert

Lemery, Batangas

DON'T EAT THE PEANUTS!!

Magandang Araw Po,

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

I simply have one WILD story to share with you. Last Friday while teaching one of our investigators he fed me some fried peanuts. He told us that they were old, so my companion didn't eat them, but I didn't want to offend him by not eating, so I ate them all hehe. BIG MISTAKE!!! Not long later, my stomach started churning. This continued through Saturday and progressively got worse. At each appointment on Sunday my stomach churned and I could hardly cover up the fact that I was uncomfortable. Well, Sunday night we went to a dinner appointment with some members. I didn't feel like my stomach could handle most of the food that they cooked for us, so I kindly thanked them for everything they cooked and simply ate the rice and soup while avoiding the other oily foods on the table. Not long after I felt a sudden and intense urge to use the restroom. Without asking, I frantically ran into the bathroom. By the way, this home is a very small apartment and the bathroom is connected to the living room in which we were eating at. The only barrier between the bathroom and the living room is a curtain! At this moment I had what is known in the Philippines as LBM, or Loose Bowel Movement. There was no stopping it, and everyone was quickly aware of the seriousness of my sickness due to the fact that curtains are not great sound barriers. The members began laughing extremely hard, I was dying laughing, and on top of all of this I was not sure how I was supposed to enter back into the Living room and face all of them hehe! When I finally came back out they were still laughing and luckily were very understanding of the fact that I was sick. They asked me what caused the sickness, and I told them it was peanuts. From there they went out and bought me MORE PEANUTS and told me that I needed to eat them to get rid of my sickness. I was like WAIT WHAT!! That can't be right. They then proceeded to burn the peanuts on the stove until they turned black and the room was covered in smoke. From there I was told to drink them with water and then rub the leftover charcoals on my belly. I agreed and did it, but let me tell you, it was a wild experience!!! Lets just say nothing will ever embarrass me because I've experienced the worst of it!

Elder Hemmert

Muntinlupa 2B

VIRUS SPREADING!!

Magandang Araw Po,

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

• Volcano Update: There is still chance of a second eruption, so we are still not allowed to return to my area in Lemery and Agoncillo. As of right now Elder Gabriel and I are working in Muntinlupa.
• We had the baptism of Alex Nieves this last Saturday. His entire family has been members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for over a year now, and now after the long wait, their father, Alex has been baptized and confirmed a member. They are already scheduling their family sealing in the temple.

I wish to discuss a virus that has begun to infect much of the world. However, I will not be discussing the Corona Virus or any other sickness of health. Rather this is a spiritual and mental sickness that very much affects our physical progression as well and can be found in many forms and symptoms. I and many others have at times contracted this detrimental illness. Many doctors have diagnosed this issue as something of negligence. In a simpler form it can be described in no other way than laziness.

-We know from Hebrews 9 that Jesus Christ was willing to "Sacrifice of himself." This was a single act, and effectively removed all suffering that people would endure. Imagine, if he had not been willing to "Sacrifice of Himself," we would in no way be able to overcome sin and death.

Now, how can we follow the example of Jesus Christ and "Sacrifice of Ourselves?" Often times we expect others to take care of little issues we notice, and we aren't willing to "Sacrifice of Ourselves." We may entertain thoughts such as, "someone else will pick up that trash," or "someone else will say Hello to the new kid at school." Well pretty quickly these thoughts pass through everyone's mind and at the end of the day the floor is still dirty and the new kid still has no friends. These are only a few shallow ways in which negligence have entered our day to day life, and oftentimes there are much deeper was in which this affects our lives.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE: This week, be willing to follow the example of Jesus Christ and "Sacrifice of Yourself." Be the first one to volunteer. Be the only one that stands up for a righteous desire. Spend time serving others. The blessings will come.

Elder Hemmert

Muntinlupa 2B

NO LETTER?

VOLCANO CATASTROPHE

Magandang Araw Po,

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

To get you all updated in just a few words, everyone is still safe and recovering so no complaints on our side. However, I did have the opportunity to go back to Lemery Batangas in order to grab a few items. The Assistants to the President drove us to Lemery and as we approached the city we went past a group of soldiers with large guns wearing camouflage. However, they didn't stop us to ask questions. The city itself was covered in ash and hundreds of government employees were rapidly working to clean the highways. Aside from cleaners and soldiers there was NOT A SINGLE PERSON, so we aren't sure how we got through. Roads were cracked from the intense earthquakes, and many homes are no longer safe places to live due to broken walls and cracked foundations. Fortunately for us, our apartment is still strong, but there was one issue. Last Sunday when we evacuated we did not have time to go home, so the windows were left wide open. Well, now the inside is covered with ash! That will be quite fun to clean when we finally go home! All of the people and members have evacuated to distant cities and many have found shelter inside the many Church buildings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Check out the website I have added in order to see what I am talking about (I know about one-third of the people!).

For now my entire zone of Batangas has been temporarily reassigned to different areas of the mission. I am currently in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila.

Quentin L. Cook visits evacuees:https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/elder-cook-makes-unannounced-visit-to-taal-volcano-evacuees

Elder Hemmert

Lemery, Batangas (temporarily in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila)

VOLCANO ERUPTION!!!

Magandang Araw Po,

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

WELL, HERE IS HOW IT ALL WENT DOWN!!!

Sunday afternoon we were only 3 Kilometers away from the Taal Volcano when it erupted. Smoke and ash immediately poured out of the top of the volcano. Not long after the eruption a storm began to break out from the smoke in the air. Lightning struck from the middle of the smoke cloud, and not long after earthquakes began rolling through. Originally we weren't too worried, and we continued visiting with people. However, as the sun went down the earthquakes became more frequent and were no more than a few minutes between each other. On top of that, the lightning was at this point without stop. Although the sun was gone it was not fully dark because of the constant lightning. Most of this occurred in only about an hour of time. With the sun now gone and everything seeming worse we began receiving texts that everyone in our area and everyone near it must evacuate immediately. I began calling the other missionaries near us and told them all to grab a few days of clothes and to immediately head to Nasugbu where I planned to meet them. We were the furthest away and had no time to get home, so with none of our clothes or stuff we hitched a ride in the back of two pick-up trucks in order to get to Nasugbu. When we finally got there we were just barely able to catch the final bus at 8:00PM with the other 8 missionaries. After about an hour of driving, the bus driver told us that roads were now closed and the bus would have to go back to Batangas (the place we are trying to get away from). I told him we would just get off the bus right there, and although he was very against it he allowed us to get off. Imagine, we are in the middle of nowhere, it is pitch black, and we are a group of foreigners that jumped off a bus in the middle of the highway. From there we waited as a few other missionaries brought a van to pick us all up. We were wearing masks as ash fell over us. After waiting for quite some time, we got picked up and headed to Cavite. The roads were covered in thick mud and the sky rained what seemed like muddy ash. One of the elders had to jump off every 10 minutes to clean the windshield because the windshield wipers could not handle the thickness of the mud. At midnight we rolled into cavite and headed in for bed. The following day we couldn't leave the apartment, so we pulled out a radio to listen to the news. As we listened they asked if anyone had died, and the man responded by saying no one had died, but there were reports of 10 foreigners that were abandoned in Tagaytay last night, and no one knew what happened to them. HAHAH!! We were all huddled around the radio and we just started yelling, "THAT WAS US!!!!"

Ultimately, we are all safe, but much damage has been done to places near the volcano (my area especially), and prayers for those people that live there is much needed. Most of them have escaped, but they don't have a great home to come back to when all of this is over.

Elder Hemmert

Lemery, Batangas (But in Molino, Cavite)

PRAYER WILL GIVE YOU HUSBAND

Magandang Araw Po,

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

• News came in that we will be getting an extra 2 missionaries here in Lemery which will make us 4 in our branch! We have been awaiting this for a very long time, because our area is way too big for only 2 missionaries.
• It's a new year and I can tell it is going to be a good one. Just like Russel M Nelson said, "The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. WHEN THE FOCUS OF OUR LIVES IS IN GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION... AND JESUS CHRIST AND HIS GOSPEL, WE CAN FEEL JOY REGARDLESS OF WHAT IS HAPPENING OR NOT HAPPENING IN OUR LIVES."

BAPTISM: Genevive Hardy (Bebs) was baptized on December 4, 2020. Sister Bebs has been prepared for baptism since last October, but she needed to first marry her husband that was working abroad. Her husband is from England and their relationship always makes us laugh. We love them both so much. When Bob, Beb's husband, came home in December their marriage was rushed before Bob would have to head abroad again. Due to problems with their paperwork the marriage was seemingly less and less possible in such a short time frame. After rejection multiple times, Bebs called us on the verge of tears. She didn't know what to do and neither did we. The City Hall would not accept their paperwork. After that phone call we knelt in prayer. Conlcuding that heartfelt prayer we texted Bebs, "We know you need more than just prayers right now, but we want you to know that we just finished kneeling in prayer for you and Bob." Not long after sending that text Bebs called us with excitement in her voice that they got approved and the wedding would occur on December 29. With that the two of them were married and the following week Bebs was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Each time we see her she has a huge smile on her face and is so happy that she was baptized and her husband was even here to witness it. (Also, she bore her testimony at fast sunday!)

Elder Hemmert

Lemery, Batangas