THE QUEZON QUIBBLER: A Long Account of a Short Event

Dear Hermana and Hughes Elder,

The thunder is rolling tonight. Dad LOVES the storms here--he would be happy with a mild typhoon every night, especially if it came while the missionaries were sleeping so they didn't have to go out in it. They are troopers, and go everywhere with an umbrella--they use it in the sunshine for shade, and in the rain to attempt to stay dry.

Tuesday and Wednesday we had a very mild typhoon, but our electricity went out and since the driveway is behind an electrical gate, we were locked in for a few hours and missed district meetings. Some of our missionaries reported uprooted trees and flooding, but no major damage was done.

Wednesday morning Dad went to Hagonoy to visit some missionaries in a little town on a marsh next to Manila Bay, where the roads were so skinny--with water on both sides -- that Dennis (the driver) had to get out and check that they wouldn't slide off! In that area there is flooding EVERY DAY at high tide, and the elders just plan to wade to and from their appointments. We are so thankful for Dennis--driving here is super stressful and it's easy to loose the Spirit in the fear of a bus or jeepney driving you off the road. Dad is driving like a Filipino now (AGGRESSIVE), so they pretty much watch out for him!

This was supposed to be our week of rest, pondering and planning before we begin zone interviews next week, but it turned out pretty busy. Our mission was invited in July to attend a special missionary meeting with Elder Neil L Andersen, along with another mission -- the Quezon City Mission. Dad has been worried about it for awhile--the logistics of getting 178 missionaries there before 8am in Manila traffic, having 360+ 18-22 year-olds together in one place and staying reverent, how to pose that many for a photo with Elder Anderson, shake hands, etc. He planned and prayed and taught the missionaries about reverence multiple times. The result was A MIRACLE!! (Very appropriate, since one of Elder Andersen's conference talks that he often repeat is, "It's a Miracle!") .

He assigned the assistants to plan the travel, and each zone hired a jeepney to take them. Missionaries had to leave early (some woke up at 1am) to meet at a designated chapel to catch the ride. We were all supposed to be there by 7:30am. (The conference began at 10am, but we needed to practice getting in place for the photo, shaking hands, a song we'd prepared to sing for him, and then be in our seats for his arrival.)

Jeepney home from meeting-packed full!

The day before the conference we had a good training with our first batch of missionaries at their seventh week. After office meetings, we went to Chiles (the best restaurant in our mission) for dinner with all the senior couples (four from Baliwag came to our home after to spend the night and drive with us the next day). A couple of young missionaries took off for the day and when they were located Dad had to meet with them far into the night. The next morning I woke up 4am to get breakfast for our guests and found the kitchen flooding from the shower in an upstairs bedroom. And suddenly there were a dozen missionaries in the house who came early to meet and follow us up. It was a party!

We left late, but made it by 7:45am and found that all the missionaries arrived in time. The very farthest zone, who thought it would take four hours to navigate traffic, were the first ones there, arriving at 5:30am! President Koster of the Quezon City Mission had everything organized perfectly. We practiced for the photo, practiced the song, practiced the row-by-row handshake, and then Elder and Sister Anderson and Elder and Sister Bowen (area president) arrived. We had the honor to greet them outside, and they were so kind. While we were waiting after the first photo of the other mission for Elder Anderson to shake the hands of all those 175 missionaries, Sister Anderson asked me how I was doing. I must have blubbered something because she then reassured me for a few minutes that everything would be alright.

After our mission photo and handshake (he shook about 400 hands!) we went in for the meeting. The missionaries were so reverent and we were so proud of them! When they sang their special musical number and got to the part, "We are as the armies of Helaman" I lost it. The Spirit was so strong! Sister Bowen testified in English and in Tagalog, and the missionaries loved her Tagalog. Elder Bowen taught about the gold mine of less actives and how we need to help the bishops bring them back to church and we will be blessed with more converts.

Sister Andersen spoke about the love of Heavenly Father for each of us. She explained that it was easy for her to feel His love because she had such a loving earthly father, but even if we didn't (and there are some of our missionaries whose father abandoned or abused them) we can trust that our Heavenly Father does love us.

Elder Andersen praised his wife for her deep faith and expressed his love for her. He talked to us about spiritual gifts and how we each have some of them but we are not limited by the gifts we have at age 20. We need to seek the gifts we need to make us better. He said as an apostle, he "had to believe he could get better!" He asked us to consider what gifts we wanted and to pray for them and work for them. He said, "I promise you as a servant of the Lord if it is righteous, you will be able to receive that gift."

He encouraged the missionaries to think beyond their missions. He was wearing a suit coat and the AC was not working well and as he walked down the aisle talking he stopped in front of a broken one and said, "If you develop the skills to fix air conditioning in this country, you will be able to put food on the table for your family!" He taught the importance of learning skills to earn a living. He encouraged the missionaries, "Whatever you do, do it well!" Be good at your profession.

He talked about Mosiah 4:10 and encouraged the missionaries to become deeply converted. He said "testimony is what you know. Conversion is what you become."

He taught about the merits, mercy and grace of the Holy Messiah, and put this quote from President Kimball on the screen:

If a person hasn't suffered . . . he hasn't repented. He has to go through a change in his system whereby he suffers and then forgiveness is a possibility.

He taught us that the Atonement of Jesus Christ makes grace possible, and that grace "enriches the gifts God has given you."

He counseled us to "memorize scriptures from the Book of Mormon and have them in your mind." He asked the missionaries, "Where would you find the great sermons about the Atonement of Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon?" And he told us to read the New Testament, in addition to the Book of Mormon.

All through his teaching, he was down with the missionaries, not at the pulpit. He walked up and down the aisles and asked lots of questions of the missionaries. And he listened to their answers and accepted them. It was so cool! They were so attentive and reverent and the Spirit was so strong. I sat there feeling so happy with their opportunity to hear an apostle, and couldn't help feeling very sad for the two elders who had lost that privilege the day before by their disobedience -- obedience really does bring miracles!

When he came up on the stand again, he told President Koster and Dad to each take 60 seconds to tell something that stood out to them from what he's discussed. Dad was very surprised --they told us before that he would not have the MPs speak, but he thanked them for their reverence and emphasized that the mission is the foundation for their lives but they could build on it to become exceptional and he testified of Jesus Christ. He was short and powerful.

Then Elder Andersen stood back at the pulpit and closed with his sure witness of the Savior Jesus Christ--that He was resurrected and that He is not a stranger to the apostles and prophets. I felt a personal witness that he really is an apostle and a witness of Jesus Christ.

A full chapel (our mission in back rows).

As we sang the closing hymn, "Onward Christian Soldiers," I felt so thankful for this blessing. We walked out of the chapel and down the elevator with them, and Sister Anderson pulled me aside and gave me some more counsel. It was a little embarrassing as I was crying all through it and my nose was dripping and everyone else was waiting for us, but she was very kind. Finally, they drove off and we all breathed a big sigh of relief. When we went back up to the chapel, all the missionaries were still sitting there reverently!! They were amazing.

After that it was back to the real world and a treacherous drive (not with Dennis) down tiny winding roads crowded with shops and people to find a chapel for a fellowshipping fireside where Dad gave another great talk. He was SO tired when we finally got home! Tonight he is in Baliwag District (over two hours away) giving a training to the leaders in preparation for District Conference next week. And he has a rebaptism after that. He is working so hard. I'm glad Dennis can drive him home because he must be exhausted again.