We received this following letter from Alex's mission president this morning:
Dear Philippines Laoag Mission Family,
I am writing to inform you that we are to be impacted by a super a typhoon named Lawin. This typhoon is very destructive. The Church has been observing this storm for days and has made numerous preparations for its arrival.
The main track of the storm is projected to pass over the areas of Laoag Mission and mostly to the Cagayan areas. Current forecasts show it as a Category 4 Typhoon and it is projected to reach land Wednesday night and clear land by Thursday night.
All of our missionaries assigned in Cagayan, Bangui and Pasuquin were all evacuated yesterday and they are all here now in Laoag City. They are all check-in in a hotel just across the mission home. All of them are safely gathered-in. The rest of our missionaries are just here in Laoag City and nearby towns. Their apartments are located in flood free areas and are far away from the sea. These apartments are strong structures and can withstand the typhoon. We alerted all of them to store sufficient drinking water and food to last through Friday. They are advised to just stay in their apartments from Wednesday afternoon to Friday morning.
In the mission home, we have stored sufficient diesel fuel for our generator. We have sufficient food storage to feed our missionaries for one week.
We pray that we will be safe and protected as the super typhoon passes by in our mission.
Sincerely,
President Robert M. Andrada
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
October 17
I bet you're worrying a little bit right now cause I didn't get to email earlier. Don't (: We're fine here in Laoag. There is a typhoon coming but the eye isn't coming through here. Its gonna miss us. I don't really have tons of time to email right now, but I just want you to know I'm alive and well, and that you shouldn't worry.
Love ya!
Elder Childs
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
October 10
Hey Everyone!
This week we got to watch General Conference!!
General Conference was really uplifting. One of the themes that I saw from conference was that of God's love for us. I really felt that all our Heavenly Father desires is for us to just be happy. We are His children, and short of taking away our agency, He will do everything He can to get us on His team, and keep us there. He will line everything up for us, He will make anything happen that needs to, just so that in the end, we can return and live with Him again. After the conference I decided that I want to be better at helping everyone around me feel His love. Its one of my goals for the next couple of weeks.
Yesterday we had a cool experience. There is a member family in our ward that is really poor, and they started a house fifteen years ago, and have been unable to finish it since. So they have been just living without floors, windows or doors, and with a roof only over one room of the house. But last week a member of the stake presidency told us that there was a foundation that was going to pay for them to finish their house, and that they wanted us to come and help out. So when monday morning rolled around, we headed over to the Regpala home. When we got there we started looking around to see what we could do to help, and as we did, I saw through the broken walls of the home, a big white guy with a full beard walk up and start talking to some of the children playing in front of the house. At first I thought he was a preacher from a different religion, but when we went over to talk to him, we found out that it was actually an RM that served in the Baguio mission! There were five of them that came, and they were the ones who were running the foundation that had paid for the Regpala home. They had come over as well to help out with the building. It was fun to get to talk with them. I was so so grateful that they were helping out my friends with their home. If there is anyone who deserves the help it was them. they are the nicest family and their faith is so strong, but they come from such a poor background that they haven't had tons of opportunities in life. I was so grateful to those men, and to the Lord, that the Regpala family was receiving some much needed help. And now their house is nice and complete and they are that much happier and safer. God really does bless His faithful children.
So in the Spirit of God's love for everyone, I think that service for everyone would be a good goal for me. Serving in any way possible, whoever it is. I have really noticed the relieving power of service in my life. Whenever I get stressed or feel like I can't go anymore, it only lasts until I stop being so self centred, and start looking outside myself. When I do that, when I find someone to serve, somehow, all of my stress or my fatigue seems to melt away like the snow under a warm spring sun. God comes into my life and gives me new strength, and a new perspective. But it does not happen until I decide to be more than just the natural man. So serving everyone will be my new goal. I really like the Proverb shared in General Conference,
"Ye lift me, and I'll lift thee, and together we'll ascend, eternally"
I don't know, it just seems like my life is getting so full of blessings, that Heavenly Father is giving me so much more than I deserve. I haven't always been the most grateful person, but I am beginning to see the infinite reasons for me to be grateful.
Love,
Elder Childs
This week we got to watch General Conference!!
General Conference was really uplifting. One of the themes that I saw from conference was that of God's love for us. I really felt that all our Heavenly Father desires is for us to just be happy. We are His children, and short of taking away our agency, He will do everything He can to get us on His team, and keep us there. He will line everything up for us, He will make anything happen that needs to, just so that in the end, we can return and live with Him again. After the conference I decided that I want to be better at helping everyone around me feel His love. Its one of my goals for the next couple of weeks.
Yesterday we had a cool experience. There is a member family in our ward that is really poor, and they started a house fifteen years ago, and have been unable to finish it since. So they have been just living without floors, windows or doors, and with a roof only over one room of the house. But last week a member of the stake presidency told us that there was a foundation that was going to pay for them to finish their house, and that they wanted us to come and help out. So when monday morning rolled around, we headed over to the Regpala home. When we got there we started looking around to see what we could do to help, and as we did, I saw through the broken walls of the home, a big white guy with a full beard walk up and start talking to some of the children playing in front of the house. At first I thought he was a preacher from a different religion, but when we went over to talk to him, we found out that it was actually an RM that served in the Baguio mission! There were five of them that came, and they were the ones who were running the foundation that had paid for the Regpala home. They had come over as well to help out with the building. It was fun to get to talk with them. I was so so grateful that they were helping out my friends with their home. If there is anyone who deserves the help it was them. they are the nicest family and their faith is so strong, but they come from such a poor background that they haven't had tons of opportunities in life. I was so grateful to those men, and to the Lord, that the Regpala family was receiving some much needed help. And now their house is nice and complete and they are that much happier and safer. God really does bless His faithful children.
So in the Spirit of God's love for everyone, I think that service for everyone would be a good goal for me. Serving in any way possible, whoever it is. I have really noticed the relieving power of service in my life. Whenever I get stressed or feel like I can't go anymore, it only lasts until I stop being so self centred, and start looking outside myself. When I do that, when I find someone to serve, somehow, all of my stress or my fatigue seems to melt away like the snow under a warm spring sun. God comes into my life and gives me new strength, and a new perspective. But it does not happen until I decide to be more than just the natural man. So serving everyone will be my new goal. I really like the Proverb shared in General Conference,
"Ye lift me, and I'll lift thee, and together we'll ascend, eternally"
I don't know, it just seems like my life is getting so full of blessings, that Heavenly Father is giving me so much more than I deserve. I haven't always been the most grateful person, but I am beginning to see the infinite reasons for me to be grateful.
Love,
Elder Childs
Monday, October 3, 2016
October 3
Hello Again,
We were pretty busy in the office this week getting ready for transfers and auditing, so we didn't get to go out as much as I would have liked, but we did still have some good experiences. Maybe I'll just share this one.
One of my favorites was with a new less active. He randomly texted us on sunday evening and just asked if we could come and talk with him. He thought that our number was still the number of an old missionary, but he was still glad to talk with us. So we went over to visit him, and he came out and was really nice, and ready to talk about his faith and coming back to church. He said that he had been thinking a lot about him not getting to go to church, and he said he really missed it and wanted to go back. He is a manager at a restaurant and they aren't allowed to have a day off on sunday. He hasn't been able to go back to church for a long time because of it. But he said that he talked to his co-managers and they were willing to let him have the closing shift on sunday so that he could go to church. It was really fun getting to talk to him and it was a testimony builder for me because he had realized that he needed to change, and had done his part, and God had done the rest. Now he will be able to go to church every sunday,and he will be able to get ready to receive the priesthood, and eventually be married in the temple.
Sometimes following Christ takes courage, and we have to take the first few steps on our own, but then after that, after we really show our desire to do what God wants instead of what is easy, God will give us wings and take us the rest of the way. Just remember that following God is not always easy, but is always worth it.
Love you all,
Elder Childs
We were pretty busy in the office this week getting ready for transfers and auditing, so we didn't get to go out as much as I would have liked, but we did still have some good experiences. Maybe I'll just share this one.
One of my favorites was with a new less active. He randomly texted us on sunday evening and just asked if we could come and talk with him. He thought that our number was still the number of an old missionary, but he was still glad to talk with us. So we went over to visit him, and he came out and was really nice, and ready to talk about his faith and coming back to church. He said that he had been thinking a lot about him not getting to go to church, and he said he really missed it and wanted to go back. He is a manager at a restaurant and they aren't allowed to have a day off on sunday. He hasn't been able to go back to church for a long time because of it. But he said that he talked to his co-managers and they were willing to let him have the closing shift on sunday so that he could go to church. It was really fun getting to talk to him and it was a testimony builder for me because he had realized that he needed to change, and had done his part, and God had done the rest. Now he will be able to go to church every sunday,and he will be able to get ready to receive the priesthood, and eventually be married in the temple.
Sometimes following Christ takes courage, and we have to take the first few steps on our own, but then after that, after we really show our desire to do what God wants instead of what is easy, God will give us wings and take us the rest of the way. Just remember that following God is not always easy, but is always worth it.
Love you all,
Elder Childs
Monday, September 19, 2016
September 19
Hey Everybody!
I have had another good week. We were a little bit busy in the office, so we didn't get to go out tons, but almost every day we did. One thing that I've thought about though is how important it is to stay completely away from any sin. We were teaching Dennis the other night about the WOW, and it was good. He had heard it before and he knew it all, but he still would sometimes drink alcohol with his friends every once and a while when they came over, but he said only a little, and he felt all right about that. Truth be told, it probably doesn't really have that big of an effect on his health, if it really is only rarely, but as we tried to explain it to him, the thought came in to my head that there are some times when we keep the commandments, not for ourselves, not because there is any visible worldly benefit, but because we love our Heavenly Father and just want to do what He wants for us. There shouldn't always have to be a reward for us. Sometimes it is enough that our Heavenly Father has asked us to do it.
When we really understand that principle, we will really feel the blessings of God's love in our life, and we will really become happy. But when we try and justify just a little sin, because its not really super against the commandments, we will be missing out on so many blessings. So I've been working on willing obedience, willing strict obedience to God's commands, because that is what He asks of me, and because he loves me, and I love Him.
Thats all for this week.
Love, Elder Childs
I have had another good week. We were a little bit busy in the office, so we didn't get to go out tons, but almost every day we did. One thing that I've thought about though is how important it is to stay completely away from any sin. We were teaching Dennis the other night about the WOW, and it was good. He had heard it before and he knew it all, but he still would sometimes drink alcohol with his friends every once and a while when they came over, but he said only a little, and he felt all right about that. Truth be told, it probably doesn't really have that big of an effect on his health, if it really is only rarely, but as we tried to explain it to him, the thought came in to my head that there are some times when we keep the commandments, not for ourselves, not because there is any visible worldly benefit, but because we love our Heavenly Father and just want to do what He wants for us. There shouldn't always have to be a reward for us. Sometimes it is enough that our Heavenly Father has asked us to do it.
When we really understand that principle, we will really feel the blessings of God's love in our life, and we will really become happy. But when we try and justify just a little sin, because its not really super against the commandments, we will be missing out on so many blessings. So I've been working on willing obedience, willing strict obedience to God's commands, because that is what He asks of me, and because he loves me, and I love Him.
Thats all for this week.
Love, Elder Childs
Monday, September 12, 2016
September 12
Hello!!!
I have had another really good week!! We were a little bit busy in the office, but it was alright! At the end of the week Brother Edwin Tesora was Baptized and confirmed, so I can't complain. It was so fun for me to see him make that step. It was something long awaited, and worked on by three different bishops, but now he has a strong testimony and is now geting ready to make his temple covenants and be sealed to his family for forever!!! It was a real pleasure to witness.
Elder Nuada's birthday was on Sunday, and the bishop's wife's birthday was yesterday, so they invited the missionaries over to celebrate. It was delicious!!! The bishop and his wife are so awesome! Sister Simeon (the bishops wife) has cancer right now, and has been going through chemo therapy, but despite that, she is still such a happy person and does all she can to serve. Its a great example for me. Its so easy to turn inwards in those times of trials, but she is really turning outward. The bishop is just the same way. They are awesome.
Other that that we didn't have too much of an exciting week. We were pretty busy in the office getting ready for the upcoming zone conferences, but now that's all taken care of.
I have thought a lot this week about something that some missionary sometime put into my phone. Every time it would turn on it said, "What we love, we give time."
Since I've gotten into the office, our time is really on demand, and the scheduled hours of study are not always there. Or even often. And at first, my studies really suffered. But I noticed that there was a lack in my life, and when I thought about it, it was not super hard to figure out. So I really started to make that a priority. It wasn't always easy to find time, but I made ways, and I really saw the blessings. I saw the guidance of the spirit, I saw personal revelation, and I saw peace.
When life gets busy, our scripture study always seems to get put at the bottom of the list. It is always a thing that can be done "later". Unfortunately, in the busyness of life, "later" often never comes. But when we show God that we really do love and appreciate the scriptures that he has given us, that we value the opportunity to receive personal revelation, we will be guided more than we can imagine. So hopefully personal scripture study will be at the top priority of everyones list. That we will schedule our life, around our time for studies, and not the other way around. If we do that, we will see blessings. I love you all,
Elder Childs
I have had another really good week!! We were a little bit busy in the office, but it was alright! At the end of the week Brother Edwin Tesora was Baptized and confirmed, so I can't complain. It was so fun for me to see him make that step. It was something long awaited, and worked on by three different bishops, but now he has a strong testimony and is now geting ready to make his temple covenants and be sealed to his family for forever!!! It was a real pleasure to witness.
Elder Nuada's birthday was on Sunday, and the bishop's wife's birthday was yesterday, so they invited the missionaries over to celebrate. It was delicious!!! The bishop and his wife are so awesome! Sister Simeon (the bishops wife) has cancer right now, and has been going through chemo therapy, but despite that, she is still such a happy person and does all she can to serve. Its a great example for me. Its so easy to turn inwards in those times of trials, but she is really turning outward. The bishop is just the same way. They are awesome.
Other that that we didn't have too much of an exciting week. We were pretty busy in the office getting ready for the upcoming zone conferences, but now that's all taken care of.
I have thought a lot this week about something that some missionary sometime put into my phone. Every time it would turn on it said, "What we love, we give time."
Since I've gotten into the office, our time is really on demand, and the scheduled hours of study are not always there. Or even often. And at first, my studies really suffered. But I noticed that there was a lack in my life, and when I thought about it, it was not super hard to figure out. So I really started to make that a priority. It wasn't always easy to find time, but I made ways, and I really saw the blessings. I saw the guidance of the spirit, I saw personal revelation, and I saw peace.
When life gets busy, our scripture study always seems to get put at the bottom of the list. It is always a thing that can be done "later". Unfortunately, in the busyness of life, "later" often never comes. But when we show God that we really do love and appreciate the scriptures that he has given us, that we value the opportunity to receive personal revelation, we will be guided more than we can imagine. So hopefully personal scripture study will be at the top priority of everyones list. That we will schedule our life, around our time for studies, and not the other way around. If we do that, we will see blessings. I love you all,
Elder Childs
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| Brother Edwin Tesora's Baptism! |
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| On Our Way To a Family Home Evening After the Baptism |
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
September 7
Hey everyone!!
It has been another good week here in the Philippines Laoag Mission!!! I hope you have had a good one this week as well. Some updates on life, we will be having a baptism this Saturday!!! It is the baptism of Brother Edwin Tesora! He is the only one in his family who hasn't been baptized, and now he will be baptized and headed to the temple next year! I am so happy for him. He has really embraced the Gospel and is ready to live these sacred covenants. We also have some baptisms that should be on the way. If you guys ever wanted to pray for them it would be a huge help! The first one is Brother Dennis. He had a son that passed away a couple of months ago, while the missionaries were teaching, but instead of turning from God, he is turning to God, and is really trying to find out if this is God's church. He is super nice, and such a joy to talk to. the second is Sister Heil Aguino. She is a 15 year old and is getting ready for baptism, she should be there in a couple of weeks. The second is sister Michell. She is so smart and goes to church every week, but she just really wants to know for sure that Joseph Smith was a prophet before she is baptized. She is really doing some study in the BOM right now, and hopefully she will be baptized this month! The last is Sister Marites. She is so nice and has really seen the light of the Gospel come into her life, but her husband died a year ago and she is struggling being the sole provider of her family. She is trying to find a job, but if she can't find one here, she will be going to Manila. Please pray that she will be able to find good work here in Laoag.
This week I have thought a lot about change. Change should be a regular thing. Whether you are ten, fifty or one hundred, change should be something that we do every day. A thought that came into my head as I thought about this was this,
Stagnant is the pool of water
that remains in a single place
always it must be moving onward
to retain its cool clear taste.
Our lives are just like the water. We must change. We must grow. Every day that we live is a day to become something better than we were yesterday. We don't have to do it alone, we have the atonement, but we do have to do. Something it says in the true to the faith is that repentance is not an easy process. It isn't just something that you say sorry and then everything goes away. We must really feel sorrow, and then make changes in our lives and in ourselves to reflect that sorrow. Change is essential.
Another thing that President Andrada said while we were eating one day was that these days, many people are too smart to commit outright sins. There obviously are people who do, but many people in the world, and especially in the Philippines are really trying to do what God wants. So Satan has changed his tactics a little bit. Instead of outright sins, he gives "time wasters" We are not helping the kingdom grow, or preparing ourselves for the Celestial Kingdom, if all we do is sit in front of the TV all day. Or Play video games, or whatever other kind of time wasting device you can think of.
We really need to be careful, be diligent that we are always trying to change, change to become more like our Savior and if we do, we can look back at the end of our lives and say that we've done something important. We will be able to say that we've helped others grow closer to Christ and done so ourselves, and we will be happy.
I love you all,
Elder Childs
Answers to random questions:
We have a laundry machine right now. You put it in the wash and when that's done you drain the water and put some more in for the rinse, and then when that's done you put it in the dryer, but it doesn't dry it all the way. It just spins super fast so that the water all gets wrung out, but then you still have to hang it out for a day until its all the way dry.
We don't have house help. That is sadly something that was done away with a while ago. Not super long ago though. I'm not really sure why it stopped.
In the office it's just me and my companion and then the senior couple. I'm in charge of all the supplies, my companion is in charge of all the money, The senior couple takes care of records and travel stuff. They're a fun bunch! The senior couple always buy us food so that's good!
We do eat with members but not every day. They make good food. There are lots of ward family home evenings too so that's good as well.
It has been another good week here in the Philippines Laoag Mission!!! I hope you have had a good one this week as well. Some updates on life, we will be having a baptism this Saturday!!! It is the baptism of Brother Edwin Tesora! He is the only one in his family who hasn't been baptized, and now he will be baptized and headed to the temple next year! I am so happy for him. He has really embraced the Gospel and is ready to live these sacred covenants. We also have some baptisms that should be on the way. If you guys ever wanted to pray for them it would be a huge help! The first one is Brother Dennis. He had a son that passed away a couple of months ago, while the missionaries were teaching, but instead of turning from God, he is turning to God, and is really trying to find out if this is God's church. He is super nice, and such a joy to talk to. the second is Sister Heil Aguino. She is a 15 year old and is getting ready for baptism, she should be there in a couple of weeks. The second is sister Michell. She is so smart and goes to church every week, but she just really wants to know for sure that Joseph Smith was a prophet before she is baptized. She is really doing some study in the BOM right now, and hopefully she will be baptized this month! The last is Sister Marites. She is so nice and has really seen the light of the Gospel come into her life, but her husband died a year ago and she is struggling being the sole provider of her family. She is trying to find a job, but if she can't find one here, she will be going to Manila. Please pray that she will be able to find good work here in Laoag.
This week I have thought a lot about change. Change should be a regular thing. Whether you are ten, fifty or one hundred, change should be something that we do every day. A thought that came into my head as I thought about this was this,
Stagnant is the pool of water
that remains in a single place
always it must be moving onward
to retain its cool clear taste.
Our lives are just like the water. We must change. We must grow. Every day that we live is a day to become something better than we were yesterday. We don't have to do it alone, we have the atonement, but we do have to do. Something it says in the true to the faith is that repentance is not an easy process. It isn't just something that you say sorry and then everything goes away. We must really feel sorrow, and then make changes in our lives and in ourselves to reflect that sorrow. Change is essential.
Another thing that President Andrada said while we were eating one day was that these days, many people are too smart to commit outright sins. There obviously are people who do, but many people in the world, and especially in the Philippines are really trying to do what God wants. So Satan has changed his tactics a little bit. Instead of outright sins, he gives "time wasters" We are not helping the kingdom grow, or preparing ourselves for the Celestial Kingdom, if all we do is sit in front of the TV all day. Or Play video games, or whatever other kind of time wasting device you can think of.
We really need to be careful, be diligent that we are always trying to change, change to become more like our Savior and if we do, we can look back at the end of our lives and say that we've done something important. We will be able to say that we've helped others grow closer to Christ and done so ourselves, and we will be happy.
I love you all,
Elder Childs
Answers to random questions:
We have a laundry machine right now. You put it in the wash and when that's done you drain the water and put some more in for the rinse, and then when that's done you put it in the dryer, but it doesn't dry it all the way. It just spins super fast so that the water all gets wrung out, but then you still have to hang it out for a day until its all the way dry.
We don't have house help. That is sadly something that was done away with a while ago. Not super long ago though. I'm not really sure why it stopped.
In the office it's just me and my companion and then the senior couple. I'm in charge of all the supplies, my companion is in charge of all the money, The senior couple takes care of records and travel stuff. They're a fun bunch! The senior couple always buy us food so that's good!
We do eat with members but not every day. They make good food. There are lots of ward family home evenings too so that's good as well.
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