Week 31: Philippines Government Calls for All Non-Filipino Missionaries to Leave the Country Because of the COVID-19 Virus - No Flight Route to Kiribati
This blog post is based on the conversation with Heidi Gutierrez. On March 19th, I received a message from Elder Bateiti stating that he was at the mission home with 70 other foreign missionaries waiting to get on the bus to Manila. The church had chartered 6 jumbo jets to return missionaries to their home countries.
On Saturday, there was a post from a parent stating that the missionaries had indeed made it to Manila and that the Legazpi missionaries were staying in a hotel next to the airport. Most of the information was about missionaries heading to the United States and Canada. I inquired about missionaries from the Pacific Islands. One of the sister missionaries mother sent me a private message about Elder Bateiti and 2 sister missionaries from the Legazpi Mission.
On Sunday night, Elder Bateiti contacted me on Messenger and here is what he said. Three of us were taken off from the bus. The sister from Australia was crying and she told me while we were waiting at the street for someone to pick us up that this was racist. I told her that maybe something was wrong in the area we are going to land. I told her let's just be patient and have strong faith. I was almost crying seeing their eyes burst with tears. But I am the only Elder so I was encouraging them and told them we are not alone. We spent almost 45 minutes standing near the street with our luggage and luckily one member came and pick us up and took us to the mission home. Right now I am with another Elder from the Philippines.
I am quarantined for one month. No working. All the foreign missionaries are all back in their places except me and 2 sister in my mission. But my mission president said that we will be back in May because all the port lines that we need to land first until we get to Kiribati are all closed down. I am doing good. Last night we had a conference meeting on our cellphone with our mission president. I am back in my first area where the AP's are staying. All the Filipino people in the whole Philippines are quarantined for one month.
I am praying that this one month quarantine will not weaken me and the missionaries here but will be a time for us to strengthen. I am glad and I am feeling peace because I don't know what He wants me to do. All I have to do is just be patient and humble myself. There are many thoughts that comes to me but I am happy for the scriptures you have given me. I will use it. Thank you all for the prayers. I could feel it here because I am blessed by all your prayers. Love you all. I will never forget about you all in my prayers.
- Elder Bateiti
On Saturday, there was a post from a parent stating that the missionaries had indeed made it to Manila and that the Legazpi missionaries were staying in a hotel next to the airport. Most of the information was about missionaries heading to the United States and Canada. I inquired about missionaries from the Pacific Islands. One of the sister missionaries mother sent me a private message about Elder Bateiti and 2 sister missionaries from the Legazpi Mission.
On Sunday night, Elder Bateiti contacted me on Messenger and here is what he said. Three of us were taken off from the bus. The sister from Australia was crying and she told me while we were waiting at the street for someone to pick us up that this was racist. I told her that maybe something was wrong in the area we are going to land. I told her let's just be patient and have strong faith. I was almost crying seeing their eyes burst with tears. But I am the only Elder so I was encouraging them and told them we are not alone. We spent almost 45 minutes standing near the street with our luggage and luckily one member came and pick us up and took us to the mission home. Right now I am with another Elder from the Philippines.
I am quarantined for one month. No working. All the foreign missionaries are all back in their places except me and 2 sister in my mission. But my mission president said that we will be back in May because all the port lines that we need to land first until we get to Kiribati are all closed down. I am doing good. Last night we had a conference meeting on our cellphone with our mission president. I am back in my first area where the AP's are staying. All the Filipino people in the whole Philippines are quarantined for one month.
I am praying that this one month quarantine will not weaken me and the missionaries here but will be a time for us to strengthen. I am glad and I am feeling peace because I don't know what He wants me to do. All I have to do is just be patient and humble myself. There are many thoughts that comes to me but I am happy for the scriptures you have given me. I will use it. Thank you all for the prayers. I could feel it here because I am blessed by all your prayers. Love you all. I will never forget about you all in my prayers.
- Elder Bateiti
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| A Thank You to All the Foreign Missionaries Serving in the Philippines |
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| Tracking the 6 Chartered Jumbo Jets Heading to the US Containing the Missionaries from the US and Canada |
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