​Hello Everyone!
 
Sorry this email has been a long time coming and sorry it is also a long email. A lot has happened in the past few months so please bear with me.
 
Around one a half months ago my companion, Elder Valencia was admitted to the hospital. Before we went to the hospital Elder Valencia had been fighting a nasty fever for a few days and it seemed to be getting better until it hit almost 104° F. This is when we didn't waste any more time and went straight to the hospital, which is fairly far away. After getting some lab work done, we found out he had so many different illnesses and he was promptly transferred to Tacloban to be admitted to a better hospital there. The main thing he had was Dengue Fever, which is a really nasty illness, but we were thankfully able to catch it in a relatively early stage. We spent the next week and a half in the hospital which was an interesting experience on its own. I navigated the hospital system in a different language and made sure the insurance went through properly. That is never something I thought would occur on my mission. After a long two weeks, Elder Valencia recovered, and we returned to our area. 
 
However, a week before the transfer cycle ended, I went to Tacloban until the transfer cycle started. I was in a companionship with Elder Rawlings and it was just the two of us because his companion went to the office. We had a fantastic week and found so many new people to teach. The area had so many mountains in it and so we spent a good amount of time hiking through the jungle. 
 
When the transfer cycle came around, I got transferred to Tunga, which is the smallest municipality on the island. It was so beautiful there and the people were so nice. Sadly, my companion was really sick since he had just gotten out of the hospital. Due to his illness, the mission president decided it would be better if his companion was one of the same language, so I transferred again. It was pretty sad because we were good friends and were fairly excited to be companions. My new area is in Capoocan where I am companions with Elder Phillips. Our area is humongous, and it has so many beautiful spots, including some white sandy beaches. Since our area is so big, we use every single form of transportation imaginable to traverse it. 
 
The past few months have been interesting to say the least. One thing I learned more in depth about is forgiveness, not only for others, but for ourselves. 
 
In the book of Mathew, Peter asks Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother and Jesus replies
 
22 "... I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven."
 
This commandment to forgive doesn't just mean to others but to ourselves as well. Sometimes it's really easy to doubt ourselves after making the same mistake over and over again. Satan can easily flood your thoughts with statements such as "you cannot change", "look how much you have failed", or "look at how much more they are improving than you". There may be times where these statements have some truth in them, but it is not the design of God to discourage his children. God knows you will mess up and He has provided a Savior just for that. It is written that 
 
"7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered." (2 Nephi 3:7)
 
We must develop a contrite spirit within ourselves in order to do the will of God. That is, the work of charity. We must forgive ourselves in order to properly forgive those who have hurt us. We not only have to trust that the atonement will work for others, but that it will work for us.  This is putting your faith in Him, "relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save." (2 Nephi 31:19)
 
There are times when it is hard for me to feel God's love for me. In those moments, however, it is imperative that I pray. When I pray and read the scriptures, I receive a witness of his love. I begin to understand that as long as I rely on the spirit, I will make the right choices. I know of the love of God because I've felt it. I know as we learn to love ourselves and have patience with our growth, we will be better follows of the commandment to 'love one another'. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
 
Elder Wilhelm

Hello Everyone!

Sorry its been so long again! I'm always falling asleep on Pdays but I will try to do better in the future. Thank you so much for all those who reached out since last email, your kind words are truly a blessing. The past few weeks have been fairly fun and challenging.

One day we were walking to a more remote neighborhood to visit a family. It was a pretty long walk and sadly, her whole family had pink eyes and so we decided to let them rest and come back some other time. When we turned to walk away, however, we were swarmed by children. Now being swarmed is not unusual for a young foriegner so far in the mountains, so I started giving out fist bumps and talking with the children. Slowly, however, I realized that every single kid had pink eyes. After passing through the children in an attempt to avoid contamination, every single person we saw had very bad pink eyes. I don't know how we didn't notice walking in but we had just walked straight into a pandemic of pink eyes. Our usual slow walk turned into a slight jog as we cleared the area before any more gangs of children could surround us. It was like a zombie apocalyse, but for a slightly irritating infection. What made it worse is that the sweat from my forehead was making its way into my eyes. My blonde, poor excuse for eyebrows were of no help, and I could not rub them, for fear of pink eyes.

I luckily didn't get pink eyes, but I did get pretty sick, so you win some, you lose some. I have slowly been recovering the past week and today I tried doing something I have wanted to try for a long time. Making tortillas. Tortillas are so expensive here, and I miss borritos a lot so I had to at least attempt it. I got a recipe from my Mom who in turn acquired it from a sister in my home ward. (Thank you so much Sister Black, you are the best!) I had all the necessary ingredients and I successfully made the dough. Alas, I did not have a rolling pin. I ended up using a cylindrical ketchup bottle instead, but it did not work very well and the tortillas were very misshapen. The taste, however, was sublime. I made shredded chicken and cheese quesadillas and it was so wonderful. Thank you again Sister Black, that recipe is amazing. 

Making those tortillas taught me two important lessons. Number one, making tortillas is harder than I thought, and Number two, simple things are often more profound than trying to do something complex. The tortilla is such a simple combination of flour and water and yet it is so delicious. It lays the ground work to many complex dishes and yet it is so simple. This is an important principle to remember in our lives. Sometimes we are caught up in trying to have that perfect service project, perfect personal study, the best advice for our friend, or the best dish. I found that this anxiety of not being the best causes many to give up trying. One would think, "How could I make a difference, my effort is so small? I am so unskilled and unimportant."  The Lord, however, has shown us the reality of the world.

Remember what is written in Alma 37:

6 "...but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise."

 7 "And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls."

The fact that by insignificant acts, great things shall come to pass is a wonderful token of truth. We all feel a little small somtimes. This, however, should not keep us from trying. In my mission I have seen the effect on someone from a small instance of kindness. A well taught gospel principle can never measure up to it. Actions really do speak louder than words and the best speech can not mimic a kind deed. I used to be obsessed with the lexicon in which I spoke to people. What words should I use? What will touch their hearts? I had forgotten the teachings of Paul. In his letter to the Corinthians he wrote, 

8 "Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away."

(1 Corinthians 13: 8)

Do not forget that small acts of charity will confound the wise. I implore you to be kind, it truly is the power of the meek. Do not be scared if you feel that your small action will not measure up, it will. I could not put it better than one of my favorite authors,

"Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I have found that it is the small everyday deed of ordinary folks that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love." (Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings)

Don't forget to be kind. It doesn't have to be grand, it can be as simple as a tortilla. The importance lies in its power. That it is charity, the pure love of Christ. He is the example of ministering to the one. May we follow Him, in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Elder Wilhelm

​Greetings! 

My apologies, this email has been delayed for quite some time. My mind has been consumed with the daily rigors of missionary work. The recent happenings of my life have been unpleasent, but I have learned lessons I shall not forget. 

About two weeks ago I was admited to the hospital on account of illness recieved from intense heat, lack of water, and a good amount of stress. The work has not been progressing very well and the investigators we did have seemed to slip through our fingers despite our best efforts. In reaction to the lack of success, I thought, "Well... it's because I'm just not working hard enough." I began to work harder than I had before and went to unhealthy lengths to try and help our area progress. Alas, nothing happened. I began to doubt myself, my ability to speak the language, and the ability to help others feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. I became angry. I worked harder and yet less effecient until I eventually ended up in the hospital. After being released from the hospital I had blamed myself for not being strong enough to overcome the trials in which I had been given. As trials began to heap themselves upon me I began to slowly give up. I slowly convinced myself that God had given up on me. I felt desperetely and utterly alone.

This act of selfishness heavily affected the work. As I looked inward instead of outward it presented itself in my lack of ability to do the most basic of tasks. I had forgotten my purpose in coming to the mission. It had never been about baptisms or miracles, People coming to church or investigators reading the Book of Mormon. My mission was about inviting others to come unto Christ. I forgot the whole point of it all. Its not about meetings, activites on a wednesday night, numbers and statistics, or even baptisms. It was about Christ. That he died for our sakes, rose on the third day, and ascended into heaven. That he is waiting for you. I did not come to the Phillipines to convince people to join my religion. I came to tell them that there was hope, that there is light beyond the vail, and to invite them to act on it. To invite them to draw near to the Savior through covenants. If so, amazing. If not, thats ok too. Christ wants all of his children to feel his love, especially those who don't want it. If I can't baptise anyone but I can make a few people draw even a inch closer unto the Savior, then I have accomplished my purpose. 

I had forgotten that it is not in our strength that allows us to overcome our trials but in the strength of the Lord. It was in the strength of the Lord that Moses parted the red sea, that Stephen preached against the Pharisees in the Sanhedrian. I, however, want to focus on the story of Elisha. The king of Syria, desiring to beset him, sent an army of men upon Elisha and his servant. His servent, probably being no older than a deacon or priest said

"Alas, my master! how shall we do?" (2 Kings 6: 15)

Encompassed on all sides of the city by the great hosts of their advesaries, this young man felt fear. He felt enticed by Satan to doubt the Lord his God. The prophet Elisha, however, did not feel as intimidated. He knew where he had placed his trust, and it was not a foundation that could be shaken. Elisha's response to the youth was simple and profound,

"16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them."

They that be with us? They were just a boy and a old man, and not necessarily fighters at that. Yet, Elisha knew that it was not just them on that battlefront. He knew that God does not suffer His children to face their trials alone. As Elisha prayed, the young man's eyes were opened and he saw,

"Behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha"

In our lives we were never meant to go through our trials alone. We were never meant to lift up the weight of our sins and carry that burden. The Savior has already done that. The heavy lifting has been done. While we run through the valley of the shadow of death we shall not fear evil for we run with chariots of fire, and they light the way before us. Remember the words of a hymn. 

"Fear not, though the enemy deride;

Courage, for the Lord is on our side.

We will heed not what the wicked may say,

But the Lord alone we will obey."

May we not fear the enemy and remember in whom we have entrusted our souls. In Jesus Christ, the Savior of all mankind. May we lean on him for strength when we have none left. I know he will not abandon us because he did not abandon me. He stood with me throughout it all, I just couldn't see it. I invite you all to carefully observe and record the Savior's prescence in your own lives and to find solace in the understanding that He is with you. That he will not leave you alone. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Elder Wilhelm

Hello Everyone!
 
I hope that everyone has been having a good week. This past two weeks were a little rougher than most, but I learned a lot of lessons I wouldn't have without it. From almost getting hit by a super typhoon, to being dropped by almost all of our investigators, the past two weeks had it all. 
 
Almost the entirety of our teaching pool rejected us this week leaving us with almost no one to teach. The week prior me and my companion were unfathomably sick, therefore we didn't work for a solid 4-5 days. Anyone who has been on a mission knows how much of a killer that is for the work. Recovering from sickness isn't the easiest in the Philippines and coupled with the vast droves of rejection, our mental capacity was at a breaking point. And then, the most unexpected thing happened. A bug flew directly into Elder Stout’s ear. 
 
This bug did not just fly in there and cause a minor annoyance. It proceeded to lodge itself so deep that the earwax prevented Elder Stout from getting it out. We went home immediately and used the collective three braincells that most young men have to remove the insect. Our efforts, of course, were completely foolish and vain. We then, wisely, contacted the mission leaders and promptly went to the hospital. The hospital is a good 1.5-hour journey, so it took up the rest of our day just to get there. When we finally got to the hospital they told us they couldn't see anything in the ear, so we would have to visit the ENT the next day. This was pretty frustrating because it would take up a majority of our Saturday which is the most critical day since most people can only meet with the missionaries on Saturday or Sunday.
 
The next day we went back up to the city and after a lot of searching, we found an ENT clinic that was open. After waiting for a few hours, we saw the doctor and he said there was nothing in his ear but he should take all this medicine anyway. We consulted the mission leaders, and they told us to buy the medicine just to be safe. We tried using the mission insurance card, it got denied, and so we had to come back the next day with more money! We luckily had enough to pay for the appointment but not the medicine. This meant that after church on Sunday, our second most busy day, we would make the long journey to buy some medicine. The travel expenses coupled with the medical expenses have left us nearly destitute for the next week (also transfer week). It was not the most enjoyable time, but I learned so much the past week of the Lord's goodness, mercy, and longsuffering toward his ungrateful and sinful children. 
 
I'm not going to lie and say I handled these weeks with the grace of a trained dancer. I will admit that I did my fair share of murmuring as we encountered trial after trial. They were seemingly endless and kept piling on an already hazardous week. Then, on Saturday afternoon we walked deep into the jungle to one of our recently baptized converts and a progressing investigator. We taught them a lesson and the whole time it was filled with attentive listening, good questions, joy, and the spirit. By the end of the lesson, I had such a joy and confidence that I hadn't felt in a long time. A hope that despite my trials, God was still looking out for us. Then, I began to feel embarrassed. I had spent the whole walk into the jungle complaining and murmuring that all our work had been for nothing. That all of our investigators had dropped us, and that I wish we were just given a break. 
 
Walking back, I realized I had forgotten my Lord. I had forgotten that despite my trials I needed to:
 
"...press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end.." (2 Nephi 31, 20)
 
That scripture began reverberating in my head. "A perfect brightness of hope". Was I representing that very well? Not at all. I needed to change, repent, and walk with a "steadfastness in Christ". I thought of the story of Nephi. Despite being hung to a mast for three days, he never murmured against his God. He remained, in all darkness, a perfect image of hope. I learned that relying on the Lord is to remember the words of Paul to the Philippians (Chapter 4).
 
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13)
 
Sometimes we expect that the strength of the Lord will always give us some untold super power to easily overcome all our trials. This, however, is not always what I think will be given to us. Sometimes the strength of Christ gives us the ability to have hope. That even through the tears in our swollen eyes and our cries unto Heaven, we have a hope for good to come. God spake unto Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail. In D&C 122 it reads:
 
7. ...If the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
 
8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?
 
Let us not forget the Lord in the time of our affliction. He is our Savior, our Redeemer, our All. He descended below all things and yet he kept his light aflame. Through him, all of our trials, tears, cries, and anguish will be for our good. Of this I testify, in his name, even Jesus Christ, Amen.
 
Elder Wilhelm

Good Evening!
 
As the title suggests, this week has been full of many 'exciting' events. Some of them, I am bound by law not to talk about, so you'll have to wait until I come home. Many investigators refuse to see us again, but we had a few that are sticking with us!
 
A phrase I heard a lot this week is, "Walay tawo diri!" Meaning "There is nobody here." I truly don't understand why people say this because we trying to talk to anyone and everyone about the gospel not just the matriarch or patriarch of the family. If we show up on your doorstep and you say something, we are going to try and talk to you. I'm sorry that is just how this works. It is such an oxymoron to say that nobody is here. The first time I heard it I thought it was a joke and laughed in response. They were not joking. One time, a bystander chirped in during one these interactions and asked if they were not a person. They were not amused by that statement, but I am so grateful someone stood up for us. Thank you very much random mailman. Of all the excuses not to talk to us, "There is nobody here" is not one I thought I would hear.
 
Anyway, on a positive note, we have two baptisms this week and two marriages! We get to spend the whole day at a marriage and baptism event so that is going to be exciting and relaxing. Marriage in the Philippines is a very long and expensive process, so everyone is very excited when it's finally through. Me and my companion have had a very long couple of weeks, so this is going to be just the break we need. 
 
One of the things that has enveloped my mind in the past few weeks has been not judging others. I struggle quite a bit with this, as evident from the second paragraph, and  in the past few weeks I have been working on it. One of the most important teachings Jesus taught us was that we should, 
"Judge not, that ye be not judged"(Mathew 7:1). I often look at a situation or interaction at face value without considering what the other person is feeling or thinking. Trying our best to understand one another despite our differences is the best way to follow the commandment given by Jesus to "Love one another." I know that Jesus lives and that he suffered for our sins so that we can live with our Father in Heaven again. He is our Savior and Redeemer. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
 
Elder Wilhelm

Multi Zone Conference - Baybay, Biliran, Carigara & Ormoc Zones

Ormoc Zone

Birthday lunch at McDonalds...treated by mom and dad!

Proselyting in the Jungle

Skipping rocks on the ocean

Boat packages finally arrived for both of these missionaries (it only took 3 months to get to them!)

Maayong Gabii! (Good Night)
 
Hello everyone, one week has passed away again and it feels like yesterday that I was whisked out the door. My parents told me I had been away for around 5 months. It has felt more like 5 days. Similar to last week we've been so busy all the time. It's absolutely wonderful but truly exhausting. We have so many kind families that we're visiting, and we have had the blessed opportunity of bearing our testimonies to many people. 
 
I would like to take a moment to reflect on a wonderful lesson I was taught as a young man. One day in young men’s quorum our teacher, Brother Murdock, told us to avoid using the word 'like'. He instructed us to count how many times someone would say the word 'like' while talking. The results were like... astounding. All of these years later I still have an uneasiness every time I use that word in a sentence. (Ignore the first paragraph)
 
With that being said, I've had to completely throw that lesson out the door in the Philippines. There are so many ways to say 'like' that it is hard to fathom. The few that I can think of off the top of my head are Kuwan, morag, parehas, and sugad. They throw them in at random places and sometimes completely replace verbs with them. These filler words are so devastatingly hard to deal with that my brain sometimes shuts down. Any skill I have seemed to gather in the language goes out the window when five strategically placed kuwans riddle the sentence. Once you get used to them they can be fun to slip into conversation, but receiving them is always frustrating. 
 
The more I learn about other languages, the more I learn the power of the word. For our word should be our testimony. The testimony of our gifts, our kindness, and of our Savior. This last general conference was riddled with so many talks about being kind to others. Using our language for good rather than evil. A very wise man once told me that of all the things he had done in his life, the times he had regretted the most were when he was not kind to people when he could have been. I echo this thought and regret. I have been truly unfairly hateful to some people in the past, and those are times I can never take back. I have lost so many friends in the pursuit of my own pride. 
 
It has, however, shown me the importance of one’s words. On the mission I have had so many opportunities to bear my testimony and witness as a disciple of Christ. When me and my companion finish a lesson and bear our testimony, the Spirit is always the strongest. When we edify others, we edify ourselves. In the story of Alma, we learn that he could not reclaim his people.
 
"Save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them." Alma 4:19
 
The power of one’s testimony is real. When we bear witness of the Father and His Son, we are blessed and bless others. Pure testimony is pure power and there is no other way about it. It was our primary weapon before this life, and it continues to be the same in this one. The sword of truth knows no equal. In the end when all mortal form is stripped away we will be left with nothing but our testimony. I leave you mine that Jesus is the Christ. Our Savior and Redeemer. That the Great Atonement was made by Him. That we need not fear, only trust in Him. He loves you, more than you can know. I say these things in his name, even Jesus Christ, amen.
 
Elder Wilhelm

Sunset! ​

Pasta by yours truly ​

KITTY! ​

Hello Everyone! Maayong Adlaw gihap! 
 
Sorry I have not written in a few weeks, I have been extremely busy. Our companionship is doing super well, and we've been able to witness many miracles from the Lord, Jesus Christ. When I was a child I remember being constantly humored with the stories of missions and what can occur within. They were always riddled with acts that can only be described as miraculous. These past few weeks I have been able to witness the abundance of God’s love in my life by exercising complete faith in him, and the tales I have gathered are miraculous indeed. 
 
For example, we were visiting a Sister who had stopped progressing towards baptism after her husband harshly rejected it. We visited her and talked about prayer and its importance. I then felt the impression to extend baptism to her. I quietly mentioned the prompting to my companion and immediately without hesitating he said, "Ok then let’s do that." There was no flinch in his movement or speech as he steered the lesson toward baptism. After we extended she sadly rejected the offer but said she would continue to meet with the missionaries. I was fairly distraught at this decision. I thought I had completely mistook the spirit and made the worst possible call at the worst possible time. Sunday came and we were in sacrament meeting. None of our investigators came to church and we were a little sad that our efforts to invite came up short. All of a sudden this Sister walked into the room, almost as in a rush. She had not been to church in almost 2 months.
 
Sometimes we have the flawed thought that spiritual promptings will resolve in a certain way. We reach out to somebody, and they don't respond, we try to render service and it is rejected, we preach the gospel to our friends, and they say they are not interested. Why does the spirit continue to prompt us if it doesn't ever work out? We hear all these stories of spiritual promptings and how obvious the effect is, but that simply is not how most of them are. God is the master of all things which is to say that He has accounted for all things. From the beginning he has planned for your failure and triumphs. For you skinned knees and bruised elbows. For your tremendous highs and terrible lows. Recount some of the most wonderful blessings you have been given. Can you recount all the steps needed to get them? Don't try, you would be thinking for eternity. For that is how long he has spent planning for them.
 
When we reach out because of a spiritual prompting we may not see any results. But we may be step 43 of 5 million. You may be planting the seed that will sprout a blessing 40 years from now and you will never know it. To have faith in Jesus Christ is to trust the Holy Spirit. I don't think we have the ability know everything and that is why faith is so important. Remember what God said to Job. 
 
Job 38 4-6
"4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 
5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? 
6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone."
 
The scriptures tell us who laid the corner stone. We are told to have faith in Him. The sister I spoke of may not be baptized this week or this year, but she went to church last Sunday and the spirit was present. I know it was one of the steps on her journey. I testify that God loves her, and he sent two young men from thousands of miles away to help her testimony grow. One step at a time. I testify that our Lord loves you. He sacrificed His life for yours. He overcame death and went to prepare more blessings in the world to come. We need only follow Him. The Redeemer our Savior. In his name, Jesus Christ, I leave my testimony, amen. 
 
Elder Wilhelm

Maayong Gabii tanan! (Good night everyone)
 
I have indeed been transferred once again to a completely different zone. Since I've come to the mission I've been transferred to three different areas and have had to learn a total of four distinct dialects and languages. Waray Waray H, Waray Waray S, Tagalog, and now Cebuano. I don't know why I keep being sent around the mission, but it has definitely given me a lot of experience in terms of language learning. I haven't been able to learn a language super in depth yet, but I have gotten good at learning the basics fast. 
 
That being said, a lot of wonderful miracles have happened in the short time that I've been here! At one point a man stopped on the side of the road and told us to jump on his motorcycle because he wanted to be taught a lesson. We explained to him that Habal-Habal (motorcycle riding) was against the rules of our mission, but we waved down a small tricycle and told it to follow him. This was all very suspicious, and I told my companion to be ready to bail at any point. Thankfully, he wasn't trying to kill us, and it became a wonderful experience. Turns out he's a super inactive member that hasn't been able to come to church because of his work. His family aren't members so we taught them and said we would be back next Sunday. The spirit was super strong and I'm grateful that the Lord put that experience in my life. 
 
My spiritual thought comes from Gen 26:24 where it says,
 
"And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake."
 
There have been a lot of times on the mission where I have been fearful of what others think. From being scared to talk to people because of my poor language skills to being scared to stand up for what I believe in, there is often moments when I am tempted to fear man more than God. There are times when I think I may feel a spiritual prompting but will dismiss the feeling out of fear of what others may think or say. And because of that I have often felt that I am the "wicked and slothful servant" that had buried his talent in the sand. Whenever I come across these moments when I am tempted to sin or shy away from my responsibility I try to remember and repeat my favorite part of Psalm 59,
 
"1 Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity and save me from bloody men.  
3 For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O Lord. 
4 They run and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me and behold."
 
This short plea for mercy and protection gives me the courage I need to follow spiritual promptings even though I'm scared. It gives me strength to resist temptation and follow the Savior's example. I know as we seek his guidance we will find the strength we need to move forward. To fear no man, do no evil, and live like Him. 
 
See you all next week!
Elder Wilhelm 

Wow! Geese! ​

​Mahupay na Gabi everyone! (Good night everyone)
 
I'm sorry this email will probably be short as I have very little time to write it. The past two weeks have been full of crazy experiences that are both terrific highs and unfathomable lows. I would like to include a couple examples to illustrate the tomfoolery of this week. 
 
One day we came back to our apartment, and we were distraught to find that we had locked ourselves out. The usual option would entail us calling the owner of the house and dealing with it from there. I, however, was very impatient and extremely thirsty for a glass of juice that I had saved for myself that morning. So, I decided I would try to climb our house to the second floor and break in through the balcony door. And I did exactly that! The juice I had saved tasted all the better as I proudly opened the door from the inside. 
 
I also completely lost my shoes for a solid 15 minutes in a flood but that is probably a story for a different time. 
 
My spiritual thought stems from a way to experience the spirit more strongly in your life. While important, sometimes studying the scriptures or listening to general conference talks is not the best way to study the gospel. There are many times when it comes much better through service. Remember in Lehi's dream when he partook of the fruit. 
 
"12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit."
 
Immediately after he partook of the fruit he was desirous that others should have it. If you have tasted of the fruits of the gospel, share it with others! This does not always have to be through a scripture verse or a spiritual thought. It can be a helping hand, a friendly smile, or reaching out to an old friend. Be Christlike, what can I say more? D&C50:22 states that
 
"22 Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together."
 
As you preach the gospel through your actions you will be edified. As we minister to the one, we will draw closer to Christ. Remember 
 
" Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."(Matthew 25:40)
 
Do these things because you love others or in other words, because you love Christ. 
 
Elder Wilhelm
 

A nice Catholic family that fed them

Getting treated to a nice dinner

Holding a fish

P-day favorite place to eat
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Where are my shoes? They were there 20 minutes ago!

Graduated from training

Sleepy Pete

Mango Graham...yum