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 . CAPOOCANMerry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone! Sorry I didn't write last week I got very busy, a lot had happened in such a short time. The past two weeks have been pretty rough. I got fairly sick last week and adjusting to the Philippines has definitely been interesting, but by relying on the Savior and trying my best to improve I have found a lot of joy here. Most of the mission was able to attend a Christmas conference in Tacloban City and it was a blast! I was able to meet a ton of other missionaries, play basketball, and feel the spirit. Its always fun to go up to the big city because we get to buy things we usually can't get. After the conference I went on exchange with Elder Andrada down to Abuyog! Its a beautiful area and was a nice change of pace. It's a biking area and is made up of around 76 Borangay which is a whole lot (Borangay loosely translates to developments... kinda). To put it in perspective, the area I'm in only has two. Elder Andrada taught me to cook a whole bunch of food, we fought off a scorpion, went running on the beach, but the best part was the people there. They were so forgiving with my terrible Waray and I learned so much from them in such a short amount of time. Life is definitely different and challenging over here. Sometimes with the environment but also sometimes with my companion and other missionaries. I love what Paul wrote in Corinthians 13. It says that it is not just about being long suffering in your trials but enduring them well. It is necessary that you endure all things with charity in your heart lest they profiteth you nothing. The mission is definitely teaching me how to not only endure hard things but endure them happily and cheerfully. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of such an act. He submitted to the Father's will and drank from the cup of bitterness with a heart full of love for those he was about to save. By relying on His example and His atonement we too can find joy in our trials and the people around us. I know this to be true because I have experienced it here. Thank you all for the emails, it really means a lot to me! I'll see you all next week. Hinay, ngan kita kites! Elder Wilhelm CHRISTMAS ZONE CONFERENCE IN TACLOBANSPLITS IN ABUYOGMahupay Naaga!
This is week has been a wild ride to say the least. I finally got into the field and its definitely difficult but also sprinkled with the tender mercies of the Lord. My first zone is in Tolosa which is just south of the main city of Tacloban. There's not much on the main street and most of the town lives in the jungle. It’s been very interesting proselyting under coconut trees and banana leaves, but I think I'm getting used to it. My trainer is Elder Ramos, and he is super nice! He's helping me learn the language and get adjusted to missionary life. Its definitely been difficult but anyone whose gone on a foreign mission, especially Asia, knows that your body needs a few weeks to... adjust. Other than a few hiccups though, I have been trucking along trying to learn the language. Waray Waray is truly a different language than Cebuano, so it has taken a lot of effort to try and get off the ground in the language. Living out in the jungle is definitely a different experience than I'm used to. We don't have AC, but we have a couple fans which are really nice to come back to after a long day. We often come across oddities in the bush though. Like today for example we woke up to find a severed gecko head on our doormat. Very strange but I guess that’s just the Philippines. This week I also got the opportunity to baptize someone! Brother Charles has been taking lessons from the missionaries for about a month and decided to get baptized last week. My trainer asked if I could do it and he agreed! During the baptism he couldn't stop smiling, although he was nervous. He's a bright soul who has a love for the gospel. Even though we don't speak the same language, his attitude, and the composition of his character shine through. I'm excited to keep meeting with him as the weeks continue. I'm sorry if this email is a little all over the place but I'll talk to you all next week! Kita kites! Elder Wilhelm |