Hello Everyone! Sorry this email has been a long time coming. The past few weeks and months have been filled with a tremendous number of adventures, both joyful and sorrowful. We have been so busy that we have had to resort to the wildest of shenanigans to keep the work going. Instead of fixing a leak in our aircon, we made a device to catch the water. When our power went completely out, we used our stove fire to heat the iron to unwrinkle our shirts. The amazing cuisine that has kept us alive, is almost entirely made out of hot dogs and eggs. At the current moment, My companion and I have two families that have a goal date for their baptism. We have been hard at work in an attempt to help them prepare for the covenant they will make. In the meantime, we have found a plethora of new people, each with their own unique set of circumstances and problems. I have come to recognize how harsh the world really is when looked at through the secular view. I have seen so much suffering here. Broken homes, abandoned children, and the rampant spread of poverty always accompany the day’s work. In the Book of Mormon, we read of a dream had by the prophet Lehi. In his dream, he saw a road that leads to the Tree of Life and many diverse roads leading to death and destruction. The only way to make to the tree without falling away is to the hold to a rod of iron which extends itself from the world to the tree. Lehi describes two types of people that make it to the tree. Those who "cling" to the rod and those who "hold fast". Those who hold fast, stay at the tree forever, but those who cling, fall away. In the English language, these two groups of people may seem to be doing the same thing, but after careful pondering, I do not think that they are anymore. When I use the word cling, it almost always accompanies the underlying theme of fear. The phrase, clinging on for dear life, is a great example. However, the phrase, holding fast, shows something different. It shows consistent strength followed by determination. The scriptures tell us that the iron rod is the Word of God. When we put our hand on the iron rod, we have two choices. We can look directly at the tree, or we can focus on the fallen world around us. The iron rod won't change, but our perspective can. Those who focus on the disharmony of our world will cling. They will see the suffering, pain, and affliction caused by our mortal condition. Despite the rod, they will fear. However, those who focus their eyes on the tree of life, have no reason to fear. They understand the horrors of the world, but they know that there is hope. In the Bible we read the story of Peter walking on water. At first, Peter successfully walks on the sea, but what causes him to sink? To quote Matthew 14: 30 - 31 "30.But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; He was focusing on the fear rather than the hope. What saved him? "and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" Focusing his eyes back on his Savior and calling out for help, he was saved. In our lives, it is easy to see the winds and waves, but in those moments, we forget about the figure out on the water. We forget the very tree we are walking to. Despite all of the terrible things I have seen, I have never seen a day without the tender mercies of the Lord raining down from heaven. I have seen how much love and care He has for even the poorest of his children. I have a firm witness, that focusing on the Savior in our trials prepares us to face our own storms, because we know, that in the midst of them, is our Savior. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Elder Wilhelm WEEK 60 - CAPOOCAN ON SPLITSWEEK 61 - CAPOOCAN WITH ELDER WAGANWEWEEK 62 & 63- CAPOOCAN WITH ELDER WAGANHello everyone, A lot of crazy things have happened in the past few weeks. The work has progressed a lot, but it has not been without its setbacks. We had two families accept the invitation to be baptized, however we have had many reject this gospel this Christmas season. A few weeks ago, Elder Bosley and I hiked into the mountains in order to teach a progressing family. After some time of trucking through the mud, we finally arrived at the mountain abode. The family was excited to see us, and we taught the gospel of Jesus Christ. They accepted the message and the invitation we bore, but as we began to pack up our things to leave, we noticed something unfortunate. All of the small dogs that had been running around our feet were covered in hundreds upon hundreds of lice. On the way down the mountain, I confirmed that it had indeed spread to us, and we hurried our way back to our apartment. The better part of two hours was spent in an attempt to save our hair. I am glad to report that it was successful. Another unfortunate happening of the past few weeks was the emergency transfer of my companion. It was 9:45 on a Monday night when we received a surprise call from the office. They informed us that my companion would transfer early the next morning. Without almost any warning, we spent the next 4 hours preparing for his departure. The next day, we traveled to Tacloban, and I received my new companion. Due to the transfer, I have become the new district leader for the largest district in my mission. Though I was prospected to transfer this cycle, it seems like my adventures in Capoocan are not yet over. Sometimes, it seems that I keep getting curve balls after curve balls on the mission. A cycle has not gone by when I haven't been afflicted with a strange new disease or ailment. From never ending diarrhea to heat exhaustion and athletes foot to projectile vomiting, sometimes it feels like there is always one more thing. But despite the consistency of the unexpectability, life goes on. I have learned a lot in the field of patience and "to come what may and love it." A while ago, Elder Joseph B Wirthlin gave a talk in regard to the uncontrollable lives in which we live. He recounted the advice his mother had given him when he had been young. This was to "come what may and love it." You can't always see the sharp turn ahead but the ability to be composed despite the sudden shifts in life will always result in a better outcome. Early on in my mission, the smallest things used to get on my nerves. My constant murmuring and complaining never helped the problem and often resulted in a lower morale for everyone. For the longest time I used to see the misfortunes of life as nothing more than an inconvenience that should never have existed in the first place. Little did I realize that these inconveniences were the plan for happiness. Our Heavenly Father never intended us to come into life comfortable and have it stay that way. He wanted us to experience discomfort. The Lord himself, Jesus Christ, was born in a manger and experienced all sorts of pains and afflictions in his childhood. Despite the conditions however, he "increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." Luke 2:52 I hope that we can come to love the lives that we have been given despite the circumstances. I know that they are given to us so we can increase in wisdom and love of God as well. Through the Savior, Jesus Christ, we can be succored in our afflictions and feel the strength of Lord in our sorrows. He is the bread of life and our salvation. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. WEEKS 55-57WEEK 58WEEK 59Maupay nga aga ha iyong tanan, I'm sorry I have not written in a long time. The past month has been pretty hectic to say the least. I don't present that as an excuse for not writing, it is just a good way to describe the past month. From tearing down a house to having lunch with a general authority, it really had it all. I got sick in multiple fun and different ways in the past few weeks. I got a nasty cold twice, which knocked a good week and a half of work away, and I also was bit by some random animal and got five rabies shots. In addition, I also got athletes foot, which was not the most enjoyable experience I might add. Even though it sounds like a lot, I was blessed enough to catch all of my illness early so none of them became too intense. I really received many blessings in the way of being healed. Another fun experience that I had in the past few weeks was the ability to be a part of what is called a "cottage meeting". A cottage meeting is where leaders from a nearby ward or branch hold a meeting for members or interested parties in a more remote area without access to a church. This one was especially fun because we drove into the middle of nowhere in the jungle to host the meeting. The waray waray that was spoken became very deep there, and they said words that I had never heard before. It felt like I was a part of some secret meeting in a movie, but it was really about helping members in the area. The spirit was exceedingly strong as they talked about opening up a way for the members to partake of the sacrament. It seems that my visits to the more remote part of the jungle are not over but are simply beginning. One of the common themes over the past few weeks have been trusting in the Lord more than you trust in yourself. Sometimes it can become very easy to trust our own judgment rather than the Lords, but in doing so we sacrifice opportunities to serve Him and others. We also sacrifice opportunities to grow. Alma 37:37 states to "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good." From the scriptures we learn that the Lord's purpose is to "Bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"(Moses 1:39) and the only way to do that is to help us grow. When I first arrived in my area, I had a prompting to go proselyting around an elementary school. We had already been to that area and talked to everyone there, and so I quickly put off the prompting and proceeded to go somewhere else. Week after week would go by and I would continue to feel the pressing prompting to visit that area. One day, I decided to finally listen to that prompting. At first, it seemed hopeless, and all the houses were closed and there was no one to talk to. However, before turning around, I noticed a small broken pathway leading into the mountains. Following the path, we were led to a small community that was built in a clearing. Following a strong prompting to talk to an old man, I was eventually introduced to a family who readily accepted our message. All members of the family, some skeptical at first, each received answers to their prayers that our message was true. They have all, including the father, accepted baptism, and are striving to keep the commandments of God. Even with amazing experiences like the one described, it can become easy to doubt promptings or not to follow them out of fear. It is important to remember, however, that the Lord trusts us as we put our trust in Him. The Lord knows all of us very personally, and only gives promptings He knows we can complete. Your reaction to a prompting shows the amount of trust you have in your relationship with Jesus Christ. Do you trust that the Father would give you a prompting to help another? Do you trust that He will help you grow as you follow Him? The closer we draw to Jesus Christ, the more we will understand the infinite love that He has for us and others. The more we understand that His love can overpower our fear, the more we can readily accept our calls to serve. I know that as we submit to the will of the Father, as did Jesus Christ, our ability to experience joy will grow because he is the only source of true and lasting happiness. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Sincerely, Elder Wilhelm WEEK 49WEEK 50WEEK 51WEEK 52WEEK 53-54Hello Everyone!
It’s been a fun week in the Philippines. As the months turn towards Christmas, the rain is getting stronger. Some of the locals speculate that a large storm will hit in December. I'm not too keen on getting flooded out and having that affect our work, but it is certainly a possibility. This week we were able to extend baptism to one of our investigators and they accepted! Since we have taught them, they have come to church every single week. They have truly been prepared by the Lord for us. She has told us many times that she had prayed someone from our church would come and tell her more about it. It is amazing to be a part of an answered prayer. Last week I also had the opportunity to go on exchanges in San Isidro. This area is in the middle of nowhere which means a lot of biking through the mountains. This area also speaks Bisaya, so I had the opportunity to switch languages for a day. They speak slightly differently than in my previous areas, but I was thankfully to still be able to understand. The views are stunning there and we hiked to houses where there was almost no trail. It was truly an adventure. In my mission we do a lot of hiking. Sometimes many miles accumulate before we reach our destination. We hike through mountains, across rivers, into valleys, along the beach, wherever is needed. There used to be timed when my mental state would deteriorate by the end of the day. I would begin to think about my feet, my legs, or I would question my ability to do it again tomorrow. I discovered, however, a simple solution to correct my worrisome thoughts. That is, to remember the purpose of my actions. In the most recent general conference, the prophet, Russel M. Nelson, told us to "Think Celestial". Think with the highest point of heaven in mind and don't let your actions or thoughts waver from that goal. Keeping your eye on the goal is important, but it is also important to remember why it is your goal in the first place. When we keep our eyes on coming closer to the Savior, remember that it is through Him that we receive eternal happiness. That by His grace, we receive a forgiveness for our sins. That His love is promised to accompany us for eternity. Growing your testimony is seeing the progress you attain by following Him. It is seeing His help in attaining the goal of eternal exaltation. When we see His hand and recognize his power, all fear washes away. We understand that it is only through His grace that our nature truly changes. My feet don't bother me when I walk anymore. I know my purpose in being here and my eyes are on the goal. I encourage all of you to "Think Celestial" and remember your purposes for having that as your goal. I know Russel M. Nelson is a prophet of a God, and I know that if we follow his council, we will draw closer to the Savior. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Elder Wilhelm Also, if you have not watched President Nelsons talk, I would highly recommend it. Hello Everyone!
This week has been fairly uneventful, but a few things worth mentioning occurred. I recently have been having some tooth pain and so last Wednesday me and my companion were able to go to Tacloban (the main city in our mission). I went to the dentist and was fairly nervous because... health care is not always the best where I live. However, I was pleasantly surprised with how amazing the dentist was. He did a filling on one cavity, and I didn't even feel it. The pain is gone, and I really hope that the cavity is too. On top of all that it was only 25 dollars so that was a major bonus. Earlier this week we also found a family that has started to progress. At first we weren't entirely sure if we should teach them but felt that we should try. They started becoming more engaged with the lesson and we returned one more time to meet with them and gave them a Book of Mormon. They said they would read the Book of Mormon and had many questions but told them to save them for next time so we could explain more in depth. All of their children listen very well, which is quite unusual for children as many parents know, and so we are so happy to truly teach the whole family and watch all of them grow. There are some days in missionary work where you feel like you on fire, and there are some when you don't. This last week was mostly latter, but on the mission I have learned an important principle in personal growth. When one grows, it is often assumed that it will happen in leaps and bounds, and that one must always have the perfect study, workout, or exercise in order to improve. Sometimes I would procrastinate my improvement because I don't have enough time, or it won't be the best practice. On the mission, however, I have learned that it is the small daily things that can add up to great skills or feats. In the Book of Mormon Alma Counsels that: 6. Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; 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. (Alma 37:6-7) When memorizing languages, you can't memorize all the words in one day, and memorizing a lot in one day won't help you retain them very well. It is much better to memorize a few at a time and continue to use them as you build your vocabulary. Careful consistency in small means and efforts is the key to long term and permanent growth. Likewise, is our spiritual growth. The soul and testimony is often compared to the seed of a tree. One cannot expect the tree to grow in a rushed manner, and one cannot force the growth. Slowly but surely, our tree will continue to grow as we consistently feed and nurture it. Daily scripture study, prayer, weekly church attendance, while small, will add great things to our testimonial trees. Having faith in Christ isn't one decision, it a series of small decisions that make up a lifetime. I know He will help us with the big things in our lives as we continue in the small things. I know God loves us and that he sent us His Son to help us grow, slowly but surely. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Hello Everyone!
I hope everyone is doing well. I have been able to see a lot of amazing miracles this week both in myself and with the people around me. Recently I have started to learn an ancient Filipino writing system called Baybayin. One of the other Elders in our house is fluent in it and has started teaching me. The letters are very flowy and are all based on the shells that are frequently found on beaches here. Anyone that knows me well knows that my handwriting is less than adequate. Since I've started learning Baybayin, however, my bad pencil grip suddenly changed into how one is supposed to write. My handwriting continues to get better and better. I consider this a real miracle because I have been trying to fix my handwriting for over a decade with no luck, until now. Other than that, my week has been full of finding amazing new people all around our area. We found a new person all the way out in the jungle, and they are progressing super-fast. They said that they had passed our church before and wanted to go inside but were too nervous. They said they had prayed that someone would come and help them get inside that church. She then recounted that we had showed up shortly after. She has accepted everything we have taught her so far and has already come to church. She is already such a blessing to the ward because there are many members in that area that can't go to church because it is too far and expensive, but she said that she could give many of them a ride. What a miracle! One thing that I have learned since being on my mission is the reality of hoping for and believing that miracles will occur. Sometimes I think it is easy to fall into the trap of only doing the things we are told to do because we are told to do them. I have found that when we have belief in the things that we are doing, the result will often work in the correct direction. But belief alone in ourselves will not spring up into miracles. We need to believe in God. To believe in God is to believe that things will get better. It is to believe that there is sun behind the darkest of clouds and have faith enough to see it. To have faith is to move forward, unwavering in following the commandments of God while knowing that no matter what happens, He has a plan for us. God is the only sure thing. Whether there be prophecies or knowledge they shall pass away, but the prophecies and knowledge of God are eternal, full of truth, and are unchanging. I implore you to set your foundation in the One True and Living God. For it is written that, "12 ... it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation;... which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. " (Helaman 5: 12) I know that belief in Christ will spring up into miracles and through His Atonement alone, do we have the ability to endure to the end. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen. Elder Wilhelm 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 WEEK 38 . ALBUERAWEEK 39 . ALBUERAWEEK 40 . TACLOBANWEEK 41 . ALBUERAWEEK 42 & 43 . TACLOBANWEEK 44 . CAPOOCAN |