Called to Serve: From Kiribati to Legazpi

     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....

Mauri Everyone,      The work is kind of hard now but that is what has been prophesied for all of us.  If any of you have heard of it and yes you all have heard of it.  Last Monday, we received strict guidance about the Covid-19.  The family that we have been teaching for four visits now don't want us to come again because of this sickness.  We understand their situation.  Even the people we have been talking to while walking are so panicked and that makes them afraid to talk with us.  They don't even want to look into our eyes.      There are some rumors about people who are infected.  Just as they say in the report that last month there were 40+ people but right now there are 98 people who got it and even die from it.  That is the whole Philippines total number.  We are worried and we have been preparing for it.  Last Friday, we run to the market to get some alcohol hand spray for killing germs.  W...

Kumusta,      Here we go . . . this week was so cool and I could tell that it tamaroa and awesome or in my 2 dialog so brang maganda or magayaon!!!  The cool thing is that we were given a referral from one of the members we were teaching a couple months ago.  The Fernandez family - last Friday we were able to talk with her and she is super nice.  She has been a Roman Catholic member and now if a born again religion.  Here's the coolest thing - after our lesson with her, she allowed us to introduce ourselves to her grand children and her older daughter that was just coming back from work.  As we close with our word of prayer, we ask her if she has anything we could say to our Heavenly Father for her in our prayer.  As she talked to us, she started crying but we take it slowly and we could feel the spirit so strong.  We are so looking forward to our next visit.      The last cool thing this week was we were able to find ...

Kumusta,      This week is another awesome week and it's kind of challenging.  Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday but that is not important.  It's a little hard but time flies!  Haha!!  Adjusting to the trials I am still facing each and every day really makes me strong.  I can tell you that as I am 25% completed in my mission.      The best moment was Friday, Zone Conference with half the Legazpi missionaries.  Everyone came except the islanders.  The workshop was led by President Abraham and the zone leaders.  Guess what . . .we had a workshop on Preach My Gospel Chapter 6:  Christlike Attributes.  He pointed out two pondered questions one day before the workshop.  1)  How has the Book of Mormon helped us in the mission field? 2)  How can we help others have the same experience?  He shared D&C 29:7, "And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect he...

Kumusta po sa indong gabos/Mauri ni kabane ngkamii,      This week was so brang mabilis which means fast.  Hindo ko naniniwala.  I can't believe that February is almost over.  On Tuesday and Wednesday, it was so brang mahinit which means hot just like my home but I guess that is was worser than my island.  Maybe because we are so close to Mount Mayon the volcano.  On Thursday we led the district council meeting and the Holy Spirit was so strong.  We could see that we are way closer to our goals and the work in our district is on fire.  We make sure that each and every one of us are still in line with the goals we set each weekly planning and according to the revelation that President Abraham received for our mission.  Beside that we do the workshop in ways to find peoples to teach and what can we do to increase new peoples.  It is so important to us as God's servants to help each other in order to improve and make the work go ...

Mauri Everyone!      I had many highlights for this week and I really want to share about my exchange with Elder Dustin (American Yuda).  Last Wednesday, we decide to have a tracting in Binitayan area.  When we got there, we were so amazed to find two members that were sick and two separate households.   They ask for a blessing and we asked them, "Are you sure you need a blessing?".  They said yes so we offered them a blessing.  After that I just realized that last Sunday they didn't show up at the church.  It seems like this area has a flu sickness spreading after a heavy rainfall last week. We were able to talk with Arcencio's wife because she is the only one welcoming us in.  She was telling us about her husband got sick and that he is in the hospital.      We met a lady named Josephine.  She is 70+ and she told us many things about her background.  She had been in many churches until now she is in the...

Kumusta,      This week seemed fast para satin kasi lagi kami busy buong days hangang yesterday.  Gusto ko insulat ng aking weeks lets masalita English para mas understand all of you.       Here we go!!  About my new companion - my companion didn't transfer so we both stay in our Malilipot area.  ahahaha peru oklang kami.  So about this week, we have been visiting Nanay Linda.  The thing here is she is progressing.  She read 1 Nephi and 2 Nephi Chapter 4.  She is progressing but her concerns are that she has many friends and peoples that often sees for local medicines and she also had a small canteen that makes her more friendly to the peoples.  She just attend one time church until now because she is very busy.  We have been tracting a lot and the thing here is the peoples are so busy because if they do not work, they will have nothing to drink or even eat.  The missionary work here seemed to be getting ...