Darn! They're taken by God!

Kamusta ka na?

It's More Fun in the Philippines:

-I went on Splits with one of my companions from the MTC, Elder Garner. We literally ended up finding the entire day, because all of our appointments feel through. We probably walked 10 miles

-As we were buying a drink from a tindahan (small store), a girl asked if we were single. I told her we were missionaries, and her friend quickly responded with "Darn, they're taken by God!" It definitely gave us a good laugh because it is SOOO TRUE!

Just a few days ago we met a man that used to attend our church and was even baptized in our church. We sat down and offered him a prayer and scriptural thought. As we spoke with him he opened up that he has been wanting to come back to church, but he said he couldn't. We asked him why and he mentioned that it was because he had made too many mistakes. I reflected on his statement for a moment as silence filled the room. I broke the silence by asking a few simple questions, "Do you believe that God loves you?" He took a deep breath and responded with Yes. "Do you believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior?" He paused and once more said Yes. "Do you believe that the power of Jesus Christ's Atonement and suffering can make us clean from sin?" With another heavy breath he said Yes. "Do you believe that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ your sins can be made clean?" He paused extra long here... took a deep breath... and responded with a near to tears, YES.

I told him, and NOW I TELL YOU: I know God loves each of us so very much. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior. He suffered and died for each one of us. YOU are not an exception to this. He suffered and bled for YOU! He payed for YOUR sins. His arm of mercy is extended to YOU. No matter your past mistakes or current situation, YOU can find happiness in this life and in the next. Your pains and sins can be made clean through Christ and his Atonement. And I say these things in His holy name, the son of the living God, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Elder Hemmert

There is still time....

Magandang Hapon po,

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

-We have set a mission goal to hit 2 baptisms per companionship per month for the months of April and May, and then 3 for the month of June! I'm excited for the following months!

-We met a cute little family this week named the Balagas. The wife works at a call center for America. Which means she has to work a night shift because the time in America is 13 hours different. I have a small piece of ADVICE: when you call a call center and realize they aren't native English speakers then try to be as nice as possible. When you are mean they can't understand your English and then they just think all Americans are super mean. HAHA! She said it herself...

This past Monday a lady yelled for us "ELDERS!!" We came to her and she said she used to be a member of our church but hadn't come for over 20 years. She said she wanted to come back but was too shy to go by herself. The following day we visited her family with a few other members of our church, and we got to know the family. The Realango family has been living in a small house for the past 5 years without electricity and work has been quite scarce for them. They have four kids, and all-in-all are a very beautiful family. We invited them to church and they are so happy to come, and also the husband, Edgar, is not a member and has asked that we teach him about our beliefs. The said they have recently felt like something was missing in their lives, and they said as we began talking to them they realized that we were the thing they were missing. I know that our Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us. He sent his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to be our Savior and Redeemer. His gospel is what can and will fill the holes in our lives. No matter where we currently are in life, or what decisions we have made, there is still time to come unto Christ.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE: Pick someone that could use some help right now, and then pray for them by name every day this entire week.

Elder Hemmert

This is a great video of Elder Hemmert at a dinner appointment, the highlight is at the 12 second mark!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BxhyMZARLE&feature=youtu.be

BE BRAVE & OPEN YOUR MOUTH

Kumusta ka na,

It's More Fun In The Philippines (highlights):

-We met a few old Nanays that were sitting on their porch, and we offered them a prayer and a little taste of our message. We asked if we could return and share with them about Jesus Christ and our beliefs on a different day, and they said "No, we are ALWAYS busy. We literally never have any time." It's so funny because we get responses like that extremely often. I suppose it is not their time to listen to our message. Maybe in a month or in a year they will be willing to at least hear what we have to share.

-We had zone conference, and we got the new version of the Preach My Gospel.

While walking one day we watched a kid jump over a 8 foot concrete wall. We thought nothing was back there, but we wanted to know where the kid was going, so we peaked over and realized there were TONS of squatter homes back there. Basically people that didn't have a home had made a bunch of small homes where they have been living. We looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders a little and said, "Lets do it." So we jumped the wall and went to the first house to ask them some questions and get to know them. The first people to see us were a bunch of little kids and it was very obvious that they had never had a white man at their house before. All of them were going crazy, some of the kids were yanking on our bags and pulling our shirts. Other kids were running around to show their friends that white people were at their house. The mom and dad were curious to know why we were there, so we said we were missionaries and asked if we could offer their family a prayer. It was a great experience, but with us through all of this was a 20 year old man from our church that is preparing for his mission. When we left he said he felt very awkward through the whole thing, because it's not common that people jump walls to talk to strangers. He is right, it is weird, before my mission I would never have been willing to jump a wall and knock on someone's door let alone talk to a stranger. However, as I have gotten more and more comfortable talking to strangers I am now willing to open my mouth and become friends with everyone I meet. As I have faced my fears, the things that used to make me uncomfortable are now totally normally.

MY ADVICE: Don't be afraid to do something that is new. As long as it is a good thing, then be willing to get out of your normal routine. As you do so, the things that make you uncomfortable or scared will quickly become normal. This especially applies for missionary work and sharing the Good News (Gospel) of Jesus Christ. It may be hard to open your mouth to share the Gospel or Doctrine of Christ to others; however, as you strive to share you will find that it will become more and more normal. You will feel blessings come to your own life, and you will see blessings come to those you share with. I know that this message, the message of the Restoration of The Gospel of Jesus Christ, blesses individuals and families. I know that the work of sharing the gospel is the greatest work on the Earth because it is HIS work. BE BRAVE & OPEN YOUR MOUTH.

Elder Hemmert

GETTING LOST & MOVING OUT

Magandang Hapon Po,

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

-We obtained a referral to go teach someone in a part of our area that I have never been to. All we had was the name of the person and a street. Without a map or really much direction we headed off to find her. 30 minutes later we were totally lost! We asked every person that walked by if they knew the street or person, and each time they pointed us back to the way we had come from. Rather than heeding their advice we kept trudging along, and after two hours we finally found the street. The first person we found on the street ended up being her and she proceeded to introduce us to her entire family. We got close with all of them, and they even said they would attend church this week.

The biggest thing that impacted me this week involved a family of 4 that we helped move houses. Their old house was quite large and very nice. We boxed up their belongings and loaded them on to a small vehicle. Many of the items in their home they told us to leave behind. I figured they were just going to get the other stuff a different day, so we only loaded up a few items. All in all, the stuff we loaded would have fit in about 2 wheelbarrow loads, and that includes their bed mats. They were extremely sad to be leaving their home. We then drove with them to their new home. Once we arrived we loaded up our arms and walked down a narrow foot path to their new place. Between the 6 of us we could easily carry all of the stuff. We came around the corner of the footpath and they led us inside a boarding house which consisted of a narrow concrete hallway with rooms on each side. Their new home was one of these rooms. It was 6 foot by 12 foot, and completely empty. We dropped the stuff inside the door. They would be living here from now on. Their bathroom and kitchen would be shared with 15 other people and about 150 cockroaches as well. It hurt my heart to see them go from a home of comfort and cleanliness to something that as of right now they could hardly consider a living quarter. Members from the church and close friends quickly came over and helped them unpack their few belongings and brought food to fill their shelf. Arrangements were quickly made to repaint the walls and put in more lights. They promised to make the new place feel just like home. Although the situation was not ideal, we would all try to make the most of it!

WEEKLY CHALLENGE: The fact is, we will always be thrown curveballs. In fact, the only thing that is permanent is change. We are bound to experience change, and we might as well expect the unexpected. These 4 people I have spoken of never expected to be sleeping, eating, and spending day to day in the current place they are residing. However, they are still pressing forward. My advice, make the most of what you are given. If life is going great, then be grateful. If life is not treating you well, then remember, the sun will still rise in the morning. Keep pressing on and find happiness on the way!

Elder Hemmert

LOVE EVERYTHING THAT COMES YOUR WAY!

Kumusta Po,

Its More Fun in the Philippines (Highlights):

Wedding of Nanay Gina Reyes

-Today I went to the marriage of one of the people I used to teach. She will get baptized on Saturday. I'm so excited for her.

My email this week is a bit short, but I want you to know that I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES. This place is amazing! When I first entered the mission, cultural changes were different, weird and even uncomfortable. However, I recently learned something of great importance. I have decided to love EVERYTHING that comes my way. If there is something about the culture I am not used to, I have come to accept it and love it. If someone turns us down when we try to share with them, I choose to be grateful for the opportunity I had to meet them. There are many things that are new with the people, culture and language, but I have chosen to love it all. I find that as I learn to love the heat, love the food, love the language, and especially love the people; I have felt SOOOO MUCH JOY! 

MY ADVICE: Love EVERYTHING that comes your way!! If you feel frustration or sadness, try to address your feelings by loving everything that caused you to feel that way. We are bound to be thrown curveballs and feel frustrations, but if we learn to love these experiences, we can all feel so much more happiness. So my advice, LOVE EVERYTHING THAT COMES YOUR WAY!

Elder Hemmert

Elder Hart-Stephens w/ a 10 inch Burger

Happy Day of Hearts

Erik Ivan 9 years old

Maligayang Araw ng Puso, (Happy day of hearts. Or Happy Valentine's Day!!)

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

-We had a baptism this week for a nine year old that comes to church every week with his guardians. He is a really great kid and was SOOO HAPPY to get baptized!

-Elder Egli and I got Super Bad Food Poisoning!! We ate some bad liver and ended up getting crazy sick. The whole night we were up "taking care" of the sickness. Then the following day we tried to work, but we ended up crashing super hard and weren't able to get much done. Luckily Filipinos are extremely nice, so they were taking care of us, giving us medicine and giving us everything they thought we needed haha. However, the next day we went to work and made up for the sick day.

New Companion Elder Hart-Stephens from New Zealand

-Also, my companion, Elder Egli, was transferred to Assistant to President. My new companion is Elder Hart-Stephens. He is from Auckland, New Zealand. I already know we are going to get along SUPER WELL!! He is super awesome!!

Kapangyarihan ng Panalangin: (Power of Prayer)

This past week we have been trying to find new people to teach and bring to the gospel (Good News) of Christ. We found a few families that said they would come to church. This past Saturday we opened a fast from food and water for 24 hours (as a way to receive blessings by our faith and work). We fasted and asked our Heavenly Father to please bless the people were teaching that they would have the means to get to church. We prayed for them by name. Sunday morning we waited for them at church, but when church started they still hadn't come. We went in and took our seats among the other people in the congregation, but my prayers did not cease. I prayed that Heavenly Father would provide the means for even just one investigator to come to church. We sat and the service began. Not even 3 minutes into the start of the meeting a miracle occurred as ELEVEN people we were teaching came flooding through the back doors. I waved for them to come sit with us and they did. They were so happy that they made it, and of course, SO WERE WE! I was smiling from ear to ear that entire time!

CHALLENGE: Pick someone that you believe could use a little help right now for whatever reason, and pray for them BY NAME. Then after praying for them by name, get up and go do something to help them. Jesus Christ will answer our prayers only if we are also willing to act.

Elder Hemmert

Hello Po

Hello Po,

It's More Fun In The Philippines (Highlights):

-I went on splits twice this week and led the area both times. Although the language is still a struggle, but I'm finally feeling a little more comfortable. I can actually converse and joke with people.

-We saw a massive wagon made out of bamboo that was full of handmade goods, and it was being pulled by a massive cow on the highway with tons of cars around it! It was hilarious! So yeah, you could say the Philippines is AWESOME!

But the biggest thing that happened this week began a little sad. There is a 17 year old girl we were teaching that was preparing to be baptized on February 9th, but this past week her dad called her from the province and said she had to come home right away. She packed her bags and told us she was leaving. We quickly rushed to her house and discussed with her what her plan was. She said she was super sad to be leaving, especially because she was really excited to be baptized. We taught her that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is all over the world and that she could be baptized in her province. Now she is in contact with missionaries in her province and she is preparing to be baptized soon. Obviously we were sad that we could not be a part of her baptism, but we are simply happy to know that she will be baptized. We are excited for the day that she will receive that necessary saving ordinance. The ordinance of baptism in itself shows our faith in Jesus Christ. It shows our desire to follow the example of Jesus Christ. He is our ultimate example, and through faith in him miracles are truly wrought to pass. As we develop our faith in Christ we will desire to stop repeating sins and we will come closer to him as we are purified by his Atonement. He felt our pains and sicknesses. He is our Savior and Redeemer. He is the only begotten of the Father, and his gospel is our path to Eternal Life. I love him, and all I desire is that all people will come unto him and partake of his everlasting life.

Elder Hemmert