Elder Schenk is Home!

Anxiously awaiting his arrival, with carefully crafted signs so he would know just how welcome he was, we took over a small corner of the airport nearest the international arrival escalater.  With each small group of 7 or so people getting off of the tram from customs at a time, we would watch for a dark suit to come around the corner.  Each time we saw a pilot or flight attendant our hearts would race, only to see that they weren't our missionary after all.  We waited through many batches of people until finally...

there he was!  Elder Schenk, fresh from the Philippines!

He looked sooo good!  Handsome and thin and happy and glowing full of the Spirit!

 

A happy family reunion!

After breakfast at Ihop, including lots of ketchup for Elder Schenk, although it wasn't sweet like ketchup in the Philippines,

we took Devin home to a warm shower, a nap in his very own bed, then bbq dinner before we went to visit the Stake President and have him released as a full time missionary for Jesus Christ.  He then reported to the Stake Council, answered quesions and bore his testimony in Cebuanio. 

An amazing evening.

Saturday evening a few friends came by to visit, Devin told stories and showed pictures of his mission experiences and we basked in the glory of his smile.

We love you Devin!  Thanks for sharing your testimony with so many and for blessing all of our lives by your good works!

May 29, 2012

Family,
I wrote a long letter to president and we have a zone activity right now so I'll have to make this email a little shorter. Sorry in advance. But to make up for it Ill see you in 8 days (my time).
First for the questions...
I can buy garments here at the distribution center for about $0.35 each, so I'll just buy my own. Save a little cash.
Our baptisms fell through on Saturday because of lack of communication with the ward leaders in Carcar. Our investigators want to be baptized in a font and not the ocean, and in the two areas we are serving in there is no font. It turned out that all Saturday both people who have keys were out of town. Oops... So this Saturday we have two baptisms and the font is ready and the person with the keys is going to give them to the Carcar missionaries before hand. Hopefully no more problems.
When I get home I will need a skin TB test. I had an x-ray and don't have it, but I need the test none the less. If I have been exposed to it, it may affect me at a later time in my life.
We had 19 recent converts and investigators all get in a multicab and take the two hour drive to the temple for the temple tour on Thursday. That was a great success. Then on Saturday we had a youth activity with 18 youth attend. I was in charge of a food eating contest that went really well. Everyone loved it, except for Jhessel who broke a tooth while chewing out of control on some choco sticks. It was a great success.
Sure love you all. Can't wait to see you all.
Love,
Elder Schenk

The Last Mother's Day Call

Doesnt' Devin look great?  This is his companion behind him with the thumbs up.  They are loving working in the Sibunga and Argao area, lots of people to teach, and some baptisms coming up in the next two weeks.  Devin says his mission president is like a father, so loving and encouraging.  He's got a nice apartment, and spends a lot more time on the bus now, going between the different areas.  It's about 20 mins. from one to the other.  His shirts were getting dingy in the city from the washing machines, but now they have them washed by a sister in the branch, and she gets them nice and white again. He gave his good echo boots that he said would last forever to a missionary who was going to the toughest terrain area of the mission, and another pair of shoes finally gave up the ghost.  So he wears the shoes he got on his 19th birthday and the pair we sent at Christmas.  Most of his socks have holes in the toes, but he's ok with that.  He left his extra razor blades in his last area, but he's determined to finish out the last 3 1/2 weeks with the same razor blade.  When he comes home he wants his first dinner to be BARBECUE!  Hot dogs, hamburgers, mom's amazing potatoe salad, the works!  He wants Eric to get him in shape in the next few months, so that'll keep the boys busy this Summer.  He had his hair cut on Wednesday for 50 cents.  I think he's going to miss those prices!  He is so happy right where he's at, and yet he seems excited to come home soon as well.  

May 9, 2012

Family,
We have been having a great week here in Argaw. I love it here. The members have such strong faith and want to be good members so bad. I am grateful for their good examples. There are about 35 who come to church, and we had 25 of them at an FHE at the house of an investigator last night. They are mostly poor fishermen. A lot of people in Argaw fish for a living. It is a little town with nice beaches and beautiful water. I love it here so much! The people are amazing! I get excited every day that we get to work there. We only work there on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays because we work in Sibunga the other days.
I will be skyping next Monday after district meeting, probably about 1pm my time. That is a little late in the evening for you so if another time would work better email me and I’ll be able to check tomorrow. President still hasn't sent my letter yet so he gave us a chance tomorrow to read it. Anyways just confirm so that we can be on at the same time.
I want to finish telling the story I started writing two weeks ago about Nickie. He was a catholic priest who has been all over the world preaching. He has even taught in the Vatican City. He was taught by the assistants to the president here a was converted, but a few days before his scheduled baptism date his uncle took him and imprisoned him in some cell way up on one of the furthest north islands of the Philippines. His family is very catholic. A lot of his aunts and uncles are priests and the female leaders (I forget what they are called). The entire City zone and President Schmutz and a lot of the temple missionaries fasted for him so that he would be released. The only people who had a key to his cell were the highest catholic leaders there. One day while he was praying he heard the door open. He went over to see who had opened it, but nobody was there. He escaped from his prison cell and found some fishermen and got a ride on their boat to another island. While there a 70 year old lady asked him if he was a priest. It was a strange question because he was wearing civilian clothing. He said that he used to be, and told his story. She gave him money for transportation and food to come back home. I transferred after that so I haven't heard, but I would guess he is baptized now. That story gives me goose bumps every time I tell it. I love it. It was so great to be a part of it.
Last Friday we had zone conference with Elder Neilson of the seventy. He told us that we have the most obedient mission out of the 17 missions in the Philippines! He also told us that we are leading all of the other missions in the reactivation and rescue efforts. They receive four statistics from every mission about it. 1. How many less actives have been visited for the first time? (1st place) 2. How many less actives have been to church for four weeks in a row? (2nd place) 3. How many lessons have been taught to less actives? (6th I think) 4. How many baptisms have occurred in result to teaching less active families? (1st place) We have been having great success!

And now for the questions.

Are you doing a lot of cooking now or eating out?
We eat breakfast at the house, usually oatmeal, and then buy lunch somewhere, and then ether eat dinner at a members house or cook something up quick at home before we go to bed. The members here make you eat a lot! I get soo full sooo often. Its great! We had dinner appointments last Friday, Sunday, Tuesday and we have another one tonight and Friday through Sunday this week we should have them as well. That is great news!

What's the weirdest thing that's happened in your new area?
The weirdest thing for me is how many people I know. I got to know a lot of the members or investigators in the Argaw and Sibunga areas while I was assigned in CarCar. I did community service projects at their houses and saw them at general conference and temple tours. There are families who have pictures of us doing service in their house. There is even one family who remembered who I was, realized that I had lost weight and noticed that my acne had gone away and I only saw them for one day during general conference! That blows my mind. I also have pictures of a lot of them on my camera. I also see so many people from the CarCar area. We used to eat lunch at the Ortega family every Saturday when I was assigned there, and now they work right next to my apartment. I can see them work from the window in our study area. My companion is always amazed that I know so many people. It is a lot of fun. And then I go to the temple and know so many people there. There are a lot of workers and stake and ward leaders that I have gotten to know there.

I sure love you guys. I’ll see you on Monday!
Love,
Elder Schenk

May 2, 2012

Mom,
I love my new area. We are assigned to Sibunga area who meets in a meeting house that is really nice and the Argaw group that meets on the front porch of a member’s house. It is so cool to be part of a group. They have no leader, no callings, no dedicated building, just the missionaries to lead them. We conduct all of the Sunday meetings, of which there are only two, sacrament meeting and Sunday school. We also play a big part in the Sibunga branch. We go to Sibunga services on Sunday morning and then to Argaw afterward. Last Sunday Both Elder Ibay and I spoke in sacrament meeting in Sibunga and I taught gospel doctrine, both of which I got asked to do about 5 minutes before the meetings started. Then in Argaw Elder Ibay conducted and spoke in sacrament meeting and I bore testimony. Then I ended up teaching Sunday school there too. It was a busy Sunday. I loved it so much. The office couple, Elder and Sister Ernstrum are assigned to go to church in both of the areas so they help out a lot, but they don’t speak or understand Cebuano, so that limits what they can do.
I messed up last week in my email. Elder Neilson of the seventy is coming to our zone conference tomorrow, not Russell M. Nelson. But Russell M. Nelson is coming to the mission at the end of May, so I will get to hear him just before I go home. That will be really exciting.
Take care. Sure love you all,
Elder Schenk

Letter of Release

Dear Brother and Sister Schenk:

This is surely an exciting time as you await the return of your son, Elder Devin Keith Schenk. He is scheduled to return home on Thursday, 7 June 2012. Elder Schenk has rendered faithful service and has achieved substantial personal growth. His willingness to learn and the effort he has put forth in the growth of the kingdom has been an inspiration to both members and missionaries alike. It has been a pleasure laboring with him in the Philippines Cebu Mission.

While here, Elder Schenk has served with several companions and labored in various areas. He has served as Senior Companion, Trainer, and District Leader. In these areas of increased responsibility, he has served faithfully, performed his duties well, and rendered valuable service.

Here are the details about your son’s honorable release:

1. We will provide an airline ticket for travel from Cebu to the airport nearest his home. He will arrive on Thursday, 7 June 2012.

2. Missionaries must travel directly home. Any exceptions are to be approved in advance by the Mission President and the missionary’s parents.

3. The cost of any change of approved travel plans will be paid by the missionary.

4. He is to report to his Stake President as soon as possible after his arrival home.

Thank you for raising such an exceptional young man. May the Lord’s choicest blessings be poured out upon you and your family always.

Warmest regards,

President Evan A. Schmutz

Philippines Cebu Mission

April 24, 2012

Paste Lan Eric! Choy legi ka kaayo! It means you’re a handsome devil! Nice work becoming the king by popular vote! Amalakaya tried to do that and ended up with the Nephite army chasing him. You were much more successful, and much better looking!
This Friday I am transferring to Sibonga/ Argao branches. I was assigned in CarCar, the next area over, before so I have been to both of them. Now there are only two missionaries for both branches. One of the branches has only been open for a year and neither of them have a church building, just rented houses. It is a HUGE area, the last one on the south end of Cebu on the East coast. This is my 7th area, once again on Cebu. My companion is Elder Ibay from northern Philippines, I think. I met him once. I will be follow-up training him. It is his 3rd transfer. It is a beautiful area out in the middle of nowhere with clean water and nice beaches. Thant will be nice. The city is so dirty.
This next Friday Elder Nelson is coming to speak to us! We are super excited about that! That is two apostles in one year!

If you moved what is your apartment like?
I have been to the apartment before, it is great! They have a huge kitchen and the house had couches in it when they moved in. Usually we just get plastic chairs.

When did you meet with President Schmutz last? What kinds of things has he been teaching you lately?
We had zone interviews last week. He taught us about the true reason why people sin and go inactive. We are to apply it to our less actives and try to build them back up so they are active again, and then apply it in our lives so that we never go inactive. It was a great talk.
Are you taking lots of pictures?
YES!
Have you been feeling healthy and taking good care of yourself?
For the most part yes. No major problems. I just got a chest xray last week so that the mission knows that the outgoing missionaries don't have tuberculosis. I don't.
What kinds of things can we pray about for you?
You can pray for me to have the spirit to be with me to guide me to those sincerely seeking the truth and be converted or reactivated, and also that I will be guided to know what to teach them. Pray also for the Sibonga and Argao branches to strengthen.

Sure love you all. Take care,
Elder Schenk

April 17, 2012

Mom,
My homecoming week sounds great! Friday graduation, and then Monday Hawaii...I can do that. I'm sure there are a few good stories I could think of to tell.
We had success again last week with another baptism on Wednesday, Rizalini Acapulco. She just finished reading first Nephi. I love it when converts grasp on and work hard to strengthen their testimony. We just started working with another investigator, Bebes (nice name!), who is the friend of a member. She is 14, we think (forgot to ask) and was almost baptized at least twice. The first time her dad got mad, so the record says, and the second time her mom wouldn't sign the baptismal record authorizing it. Apparently her mom was just joking and was fine that she got baptized but Bebes thought she was serious. Latter her mom asked about her baptism and Bebes said she hadn't been baptized because her mom hadn't signed the form. Oops. So we are going to have to BRT (build relationship and trust) with the parents before the baptism this time. When Riza got baptized last week Bebes was really wishing she could be baptized too. All of the youth thought that Bebes was already a member because she goes to church and activities. She is friends with the entire ym and yw so no problems there.
Next Friday is transfers. Either Elder Galdonez or I will be transferring. He has become my favorite companion of all. He has also been with me for the longest, two and a half transfers. Ill let you know next week who transfers.
And now for the story. Today we are fasting as a zone. Last night we got a call from the zone leaders saying that we, as a zone, will be fasting for the investigator of the Assistants. He was a catholic priest who has been all over the world preaching and learning. His family is very catholic with his aunts and uncles in leadership positions. He has been converted his baptism was scheduled for today, but he has been taken by his uncle to an island way on the edge of the Philippines and locked up there. Apparently they found out he was going to be baptized and didn't approve. So we are fasting that he can get out of prison and be baptized. It is the best story I have heard of persecution here in the mission. We will watch the hand of the Lord work miracles for him.
I love you all. I am grateful to be a missionary. It is the best thing I have ever done.
Love,
Elder Schenk

April 11, 2012

Maayong gabii sa inyo tanan. How are you all doing? Sounds like you had a fun Easter and are doing great. Easter here in the Philippines is a little different. I actually forgot it was Easter until it was mentioned in a conference talk. I never heard the word Easter, and if you aren't Catholic you don't celebrate it. They call it holy week with each day having a special name and something that you do. They even take a few days off from work as a public holiday. And yes, some guys get nailed to the cross. They don't truly appreciate the Atonement and why Christ suffered for us.

Thinks are going well here in the mission. We are having a lot of success. We have a baptism tonight, Rizalini Alcapulco. We only started teaching her 2 weeks ago and originally planned her baptism for next Saturday, but she kept pushing it up until today. She is a great investigator. She is the cousin of the wife of our bishop and is living with them while she is on her break from schooling. Before she even moved here she had told her aunt that she wanted to be baptized. She had gone to a few different churches and decided that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true one. Elder Plania, who was my companion in Consolation, is her cousin and is in our district and Riza asked if he could baptize her. So he gets to do that.

And now for the Question and Answer part.
I loved the Talk in priesthood session from Elder Bednar who talked about his father joining the church. It addresses a lot of the concerns with the members here. I also loved all of the talks Sunday about parenting. Good parenting is soooo important. I can see a huge difference in the people I work with depending on how their parents raised them.

What did you do on Easter, have an Easter dinner somewhere?
Easter was like any other day. Nobody acknowledged it as Easter.

Did you get your package yet? Did you like the stuff in it? Did the chocolate melt all over?
I did get my package. It was great, and the chocolate made it just fine. Everyone was jealous that they didn't get one. I think they are just jealous that I have the best mother in the WORLD! Their moms didn't send them anything.

Sure Love you all! Take care,
Elder Schenk

April 4, 2012

Family,
(please correct the mistyped, miscapitalized or mispunctuated words, this keyboard has a few flaws...)
It has been a HOT week here in the Philippines! I am sweating and we are in an air conditioned room. It has been a great week though, one full of great surprises. The first surprise we had was on Sunday. We had 7 investigators and 12 less actives come to church! 7 of the less actives came for the first time in a few months. That was really exciting. It makes missionary work a lot of fun when you have success in bringing souls unto Christ. We also have 4 investigators with baptismal dates for April. They had all been for the 21st, but on Monday we had another surprise when Riza asked if she could move her baptismal date. She wants to be baptized sooner! Not a problem! She will be baptized on her grandfather’s birthday, Friday the 13. Hopefully everything goes well. Her cousin, elder Plania, who used to be my companion, is in our district and Riza asked if he could baptize her. That will be great.
The Ricafort family is doing great. They have been to church twice in a row and three of them have a baptismal date for the 21st, noel, the father, and his two daughters, Marjorie - 9, and Bella Mae - 8. The rest of their family is all members.

What shoes are you wearing for basketball? Did you end up buying tennis shoes?
I bought some used Nike’s for under $5. I have been using those. We play every week now. I am getting a lot better. That makes it fun. But you have to play early in the morning because by 9:00 it is too hot.

Can you get Eric one of those cool belts?
I did that a month ago. Anything else to buy? I asked about some pearls the other day. They have some deep sea pearls that are super expensive, about $80 for one pearl, or some lower quality ones that aren't perfect circles but are still good that are really cheap. You can buy a one foot strand (approximately) for $5-$10. But you have to make it yourself. I can get those for you if you would like.

Do you have any new ideas about what you want to study in college or what career you are interested in?
I have had a lot of ideas and was not planning on anything to do with computers, but the other day I decided electronics is what I love and am good at. I might try more on the making and repairing of hardware and not so much on the using the computer part. I can’t stare at a screen all day. I have also thought about finances or business.

What has been a blessing from serving your mission that you may not have mentioned before?
I think one of the greatest blessings has been what I wrote Eric about. I have learned how blessed I am and how important I must be to the plan of God, and how important it is for me to be the very best that I can be to fulfill my purpose. One of the prophets said that it should be a matter of pride that you will do more than anyone else, according to your individual capabilities, to further the kingdom of God on earth. He said that it has always been his goal to do his part here on earth. I have learned the importance of doing that.

I sure love you all. I’m excited for conference!
Love,
Elder Schenk

Dude what’s up little brother? Kamusta man ka dong?
So your all getting ready to head out to college like a big boy. Nice work. My keyboard sucks, by the way, so there may be a few errors, like capitalization of letters. Sorry. I’m super stoked for you to get out and experience life out of the good ol' sheltered Schenk home. Though college and my mission my eyes were opened after I saw bad parenting, drugs, drinking, breastfeeding in public, naked babies crying in the street, homeless families who live on the skywalk over the highway, broken homes, broken families, you really begin to see how wonderful your life is. When you get out you will realize that you are in the 99th percentile of "THE MOST BLESSED PEOPLE IN THE WORLD-- TEMPORALLY AND SPIRITUALY" category. Your parents rank among the very best. Don’t be like I was when I first went to college and not write the family or call home. That’s no way to thank your parents. I’ve repented. I write them a letter every week now and will continue that for a long time.
Take care. I love you to death!
Elder Schenk

Dad,

Hey send some of that cold weather this way. This has been the hottest week of my life! Check the temperature here in Cebu and let me know how hot it really is. Give me both Fahrenheit and Celsius. Is it up to 40c? It just hurts to be outside between 12:00 and 2:00.
Love you dad, enjoy skiing!
Love,
Elder Schenk

March 27, 2012

Hey family,
Things are going well here. We are having a lot of success with referrals in my area. That is so nice. We have two more baptismal dates for the end of April. Brother Noel Ricafort is a part member. His family was baptized back when they lived back in Mas Bati, another island here in the Philippines. He was the first one taught and believes the church is true, but was never baptized. On Sunday he came to church and brought his less active family with him. We have also had the bishop come with us to teach them and another member of the Bishopric. That has been great for fellowshipping. They live in a little one room house that was literally built on top of the metal roof of his brother's house. They have no electricity and have to go down their breaking weak ladder to get water. Sister Ricafort has some sort of illness that has caused her to become very skinny, she is practically skin and bones. She is also pregnant with her ninth child. They are such a kind quiet family. We brought different kinds of sweet bread and cookies when we had FHE with them on Monday and even the little kids were shy to eat them. Usually the kids here will do anything they can to get a bite of food. They are very humble.
Another investigator we have is from Mindanao, another island in the Philippines, who has been to church many times but has never been taught by the missionaries. She just moved into our bishop’s house this last week. She is the cousin of the bishop’s wife. We committed her for baptism on the first visit and she came to church on Sunday. I am grateful to be having so much success here.
Now for your weekly questions:
Have the new missionaries in your mission been in the MTC a shorter time?
As far as I know they are still there for 9 weeks.

When and where will you watch conference?
We watch conference the week after you on April 7th and 8th. We will go to our stake center in Labangon.

What kind of transportation do you usually use there in Capitol?
We ride geepnies (the long trucks with a bench going down both sides and no back door) and hubble hubble (motorcycle) here.

 
Have you taken pictures of your apartment?
Yes, just for you Mom.

Do you give the new member discussions or does a member of the ward?
We give them. We are now responsible for teaching our recent converts until they get to the temple for their endowment and family sealing.

How do you like the new shoes we sent awhile back?
They are great! I am down to them and the Rockports you bought me for my 19th birthday. The Rockports are my favorite. They are still comfortable! The Bass ones you bought me for Christmas are holding up great here in the city.

Sure love you guys. Take care. See you in a few months.
Love,
Elder Schenk

March 20, 2012

Good evening Family,
We are doing good here in Capitol. Elder Galdonez and I get along really well. We laugh a lot. He is also a good teacher, so that helps a lot. Our recent converts are doing great! They pay tithing and are receiving callings and the priesthood. It’s great. Delia has almost finished 2 Nephi and Flor is somewhere in the Alma 20's. They love to read. I figure Flor read almost half of the Book of Mormon in just over a month! For all you members out there, are you also hungering and thirsting after righteousness? Let each of us daily drink deeply from the living water found in the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon--which above and beyond any other book will change our lives and bring us to the Savior. "Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him" (Moroni 10:32).

I’ll answer your questions now.
Your shirts look nice and white, so you must be doing a good job on your laundry. Do you go to the laundromat?
I usually take my laundry to the laundryman because there is just no time to wash your clothes by hand. There are much better things you can do with your time. We have about 6 options within walking distance of our apartment for laundrymans. The city is great that way.

Do you cook much in the city or mostly eat out? What do you eat these days?
When I first transferred here we ate out almost every meal. Now with two new Filipinos who know how to cook we rarely eat out. It’s cheaper and tastes better. We eat a lot of pork, usually with a sauce, or in soup. Sometimes there are vegetables too, which I love. It is always over rice. Sometimes at night we get BBQ which just means they shishkabob pork meat and fat and liver and chicken meat and skin and heads and feet and intestines or hot dogs or other byproducts that I’m sure aren't good for you but taste good. Then you put sweet ketchup on it and dip it in a soy sauce, vinegar, lime, and pepper sauce that you make as spicy as you can possibly stand. It’s good. For breakfast we usually have sweet cheesy hot dogs or eggs or ham or corned beef.

What have you been doing for P days lately?
That depends on where you are assigned. For p-day activities in the city we usually go to the Cebu zoo. In the mornings we usually play basketball at the church by the temple. We also go to Carbon which is the biggest market in Cebu where you can get second hand clothes and souvenirs and homemade Filipino stuff.

What day do you plan on arriving home?
I think we fly out on June 7 here. We will probably be getting home June 8 early in the morning in America. We haven't gotten our flight plans yet so I don't know for sure. I’ll let you know as soon as I know.

I like the question and answers. It gives me ideas on what to write about. Keep it up.
Take care, Love you all,
Elder Schenk

March 12, 2012

This letter came in the mail along with a cd full of pictures posted on page 4 of this blog.
Family,
I'll write one in English and one in Visaya so you can translate.  Here is the last thing that I will send home from the Philippines before I come home.  I have another 4 gig sd card that should be full by the time I get home.  I am doing great here in the Philippines.  I love serving a mission so much.  No doubt, it is the best thing I have ever done.  Each day I learn something new.  I have learned to love the Book of Mormon so much.  I used to have a favorite person, but now I have a ton!  Captain Moroni is my favorite. But I also love Abinadi, Nephi the son of Helamon, Jacob, Alma the Elder and Younger, there are so many heroes to choose from.  If you ever get bored, just read the Book of Mormon. 
Sure love you all, Take care,
Elder Schenk (I'm going to miss this name in 3 months)

March 13, 2012

March 13, 2012

Thanks for your email Mom, it is always fun for me to hear about the little things that go on in your lives. I don't have any of that here. You mentioned that President Kaopua spoke in your conference, what is his calling now? I seem to forget a lot of the details of home while on the mission. I have almost put away completely thoughts of home while here. It helps you to not get trunky.
Our baptism on Saturday went great! Kristy is the girlfriend of Allen, one of the more active members of the ward. His Father is the first counselor in the temple presidency here. They put on quite a show and a lot of people attended. Our recent converts who were baptized just the week before, Flor and Delia, brought their investigator friend, who we have had a hard time teaching because of schedules and such, and she had a great time at the baptism. They walked there as 3 families with seven kids running around. The investigator felt the spirit tell her to keep investigating, praying and reading, and then to apply what she learned. She is progressing now, we are just working on the husband. Flor has read up to Alma 20 in the Book of Mormon. He just started a month and a half ago. Delia is now in 2 Nephi. They are doing great. Flor will receive the Aaronic priesthood on Sunday.
This Friday is transfer day and we found out today that neither of us will be transferring. We get to focus on Capitol together for at least one more transfer.
I am glad you got my pictures. I’ll have at least another 4 gigs when I return home. I have been taking a lot of pictures lately.
Sure love you all. Take care,
Elder Schenk

March 7, 2012

Family,
We had and exciting weekend with two baptisms, Delia and Flor. They were so prepared. They love the gospel so much. They have both had rough lives with many relationships and have finally found the companion that they want to spend eternity with and, even more, they have found the gospel and dedicated themselves too it. What great examples! I honestly wish I could be more like them. President Schmutz came with his wife and also the APs and the office couple. That was fun. We had a good program. I was able to baptize Flor.
We have another baptism scheduled for this Saturday, Kristy Medellin. She is the girlfriend of a member in the ward. She has graduated from college as a doctor and is now doing her internship at the best hospital in the area, which just happens to be in my area. She is really smart and learns fast. In all of the lessons she may have had two questions. Her boyfriend, Allen, will baptize her.
Let the YW know I got their package. Tell them thank you. It was fun.
Take care. Have fun with Katie while she is visiting.
Love,
Elder Schenk

February 28, 2012

Family,
Things are going well here. It sounds like it has been cold back home, cold and rainy and tons of snow in the mountains. That's great for skiing! Someone turned the heater on really hot here in Cebu. The last week it has been scorching hot! Last night we went into a lesson sweating and about halfway through the lesson we had thunder (dog-dog, the "o" is the same sound as in "do", cool word in visaya) and lightning and pouring down rain. The weather changes fast here. Usually if it is really hot in the morning that means it will rain really hard in the afternoon.
Sounds like you are making some good progress in the North Wing. I am really excited to see it.
And now about Eric. I heard you got accepted to BYU Utah. Nice work. You can still come to BYUI with me if you want. That would be sweet! And you can also transfer back to BYU someday. You just have to be careful when you pick classes, some aren't transferable. Carson wants to come with us, so that would be a lot of fun. Though, I don't think I'll get a jeepney when I get home. The back windows don't close, not good for the cold weather. Great for transporting 20 people though!
The music you sent me, mom, was not mp3, but I had a member convert it for me, so I can listen to it. If you haven't sent me the package yet just don't worry about sending it. I don't need anything and will be home soon anyways. Save some money on postage, put it in savings, and retire a day earlier.
We are so excited because we have 2 baptisms this Saturday and another the next! It has been a long time since my last baptism, I am well overdue! I can't wait! This week is Delia Baylosis and Flor Poso's baptism. Next week is Kristy Medellin.
Take care way back there in America.
Love you all,
Elder Schenk

February 21, 2012

Pamilia,
Maayong gabii sa inyo tanan. We are doing well here in Capitol. We have two baptisms coming up on March 3, Flor and Delia. They are such great investigators, probably the best I have had my entire mission. Flor came to priesthood session of Stake Conference on Saturday and they both came with Their young son for the Sunday session. They have read every assignment and kept every commitment we have given them. They understand everything we teach the first time we teach it and directly apply it in their lives. Delia is in her 40s and Flor is in his 50s and they keep thanking us young missionaries for teaching them. They feel so ignorant even though they are well learned as to things of the world. Flor is an engineer and is really smart. It is such a miracle that we can be the ones teaching them, and not the other way around. I feel so blessed to have the knowledge of this gospel in my life and to have been raised with it in my family. What an incredible blessing. And even more, I am a 6th generation member of the only true and living church upon the earth, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, from multiple ancestral lines. How many people can say that?
You asked last week about the candy here. They do eat cough drops all the time, especially the little kids. They love anything that is menthol flavored, even shampoo and soap. The classic snack here is a roll with Coco-Cola. Even the babies drink it here. They have bakeries everywhere with tons of styles of bread. We stop for a bread snack about 3 times a day. You can get a roll for P5. They also like shrimp flavored puff things and chicharon, pig fat that is fried until it gets hard and crunchy, its pretty good, just expect an early heart attack! They even have fake chicharon that is just a flavored cracker. They also eat a lot of hot dogs for breakfast, but they are sweet and they die them red. You eat them with rice and put soy sauce or sweet ketchup on them.
Amping lang mo. Kita lang ta sa sunod.
Love you,
Elder Schenk

February 14, 2012

Family,
We had a great week and saw many miracles here in the Capitol Ward. Our investigators, Delia and Floro, are doing great. They came to church again this week and are rapidly progressing. Floro comes home at night and just reads anything he can get his hands on, Ang Aklat ni Mormon (The Book of Mormon in Tagalog), pamphlets, the gospel principles book, he loves it all. Sister Delia is just a ball of faith. I love them both. Floro stopped drinking and smoking the first time we met with him. We didn't commit him or even talk to him about it, he just decided it was the right thing to do. Last night we taught them about the Word of Wisdom. They were surprised to hear that tea and coffee are bad for the body. They drink coffee every morning, but said starting the next morning they wouldn't drink it anymore! They are like one of those great investigators you would hear about in the Liahona. They are the best investigators I have had in my entire mission!
Valentines day is also big in the Philippines, but nobody has the money to really celebrate. There was a lot of red yesterday though.
We got to go to the temple today. That was a long overdue pleasure! I haven't been able to go the last few months due to temple cleanings and such. But today was so nice and peaceful. I learned a lot.
I love you all. Work hard. Focus on the important things in life and put the most important things first on your schedule. Don't shirk in your church callings but do all you can to magnify them. One person makes a HUGE difference and when they don't do their part everything seems to fall apart. Keep working hard and enduring to the end. You're not done until you die, and your not dead yet. If you will, great blessings await you. (see 2 Nephi 31:19-21, Mosiah 2:41)
Love you all! Amping!
Elder Schenk

February 8, 2012

I am online now if you want to chat a little. Ill be on for the next hour or so.

Elder Schenk

We are fine. We got the earthquake and everyone freaked out that their would be a tsunami and ran around like chickens with their heads cut off, but we had no damage here. They were just concerned after what happened in Japan. Dumagete in Negros got a decent dose. They have some broken roads and fallen homes. We had just gotten home from district meeting so we just waited it out in our nice strong house. Ill write you a longer email in a minute.

E. Schenk

Nope our pday didnt change, we have just been priveleged with general authorities visiting the last two weeks. We had Elder Ardern yesterday. I'll tell you about it in a bit. We should be back to emailing on wednesdays next week.

ES

Family,

We have had a great week here. Yesterday we had the opportunity to have another member of the area presidency, Elder Ardern, visit us for our zone interviews yesterday and he interviewed us all. That was a great experience. It was great to feel of his spirit and to be able to learn from him one on one. I have now been able to meet all three members of the area presidency multiple times. There are some great perks to being a missionary.

We have had some great success in our area this week as we had seven investigators come to church and also seven less active members there as well. The attendance was the highest I have seen it in the last two months. It made for a great fast Sunday. And then we had a member, Brother Samson, feed us mashed potatoes and pork chop for dinner. That was delicious as well.

We are grateful for the progress we are having with Delia and Floro. They are both new investigators and have almost been taught for two weeks now. The wife, Delia, came to church the day after we visited her for the first time. The husband then started joining in the lessons and came last week. President Byram, 2nd councelor of the Cebu Philippines Temple, sat next to Floro in priesthood meeting and told me yesterday when I saw him that he thinks that Floro will be baptized. He jut felt good about him. I feel good about him too. Last night as we taught them about faith and repentance and explained what they need to do to get baptized, I felt such a peace come over me assuring me of their sincerity in receiving the gospel. They have a baptismal date for March 3. Pray for them.

Sister Ruiz and her four kids also came to church for the first time on Sunday. Brother Ruiz had work, but he should be there next Sunday. They need to get baptized too.

Ill try to get the picture dvd made this week. I found a place to get it done. I would also love general conference on SD. Just make sure that it is in mp3 format or my player wont read it.

Love you all,

Elder Schenk

Here are some pictures. Amping! Elder Schenk

Brother Enriquez and I and the Coltura family after an FHE.

 Me in my new area!

 My district here. Back row from L to R: Elder Del Norte, Elder Tingabngab (I really struggle to say that one), Elder Schenk, Elder Galdonez (my comp), Elder Parkinson. Front Row L to R: Sister Surisetty (From India), Elder Villegas, and Sister Welling.

Amping!

Elder Schenk

February 2, 2012

Family,
I am doing great this week. We have been extremely blessed here and are seeing miracles almost daily. I love being a missionary. The blessings come so freely. In 3 Nephi 24 Jesus Christ promises us that if we will pay out tithing and offerings that he will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing upon us that is so great that "Walay lawak sa pagdawat niini." or sa English pa, that there will not be enough room to receive it. That is how I feel as a missionary, like I am at the bottom of a waterfall holding out my cup for a drink and am just getting way more blessings than I bargained for. I like that. So all you priest aged young men, and others preparing, and even you older folks who are now empty nesters with no kids at home, or will be in 7 months, serve a mission! The prophet has called for it. Now it is your time to come forth and hasten the second coming of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. The blessings are greater than you can imagine!
Right now we are working with quite a few people to try to get them to progress in the gospel. This week our focus is on:
Baptismal Dates

KC Mata age 16
HoneyBabes Mata (Nice name!) 14
Earl Arda 24
Teresita and Ruben Ruiz 29 and 33

Less Active Members

Fe Toquero 30
Pablo and Gina Vercede 30's
Nephi Bontuyan 18
Ashley Celis 17 (boy)
Ricafort Family
Bienvenid Estrada 45
Burnadet Pokong 35
Getutua Family
Villarine Family
Sara Family
Brian Bakus 24
Nocos Family
Gimena Family
Dagpin Family
Samson Family
Coltura Family
Francis Ingals 38

Each person on this list is special to us. We are striving to help them all come unto Christ. We love them, we pray for them, we earnestly seek the Lords will in teaching them so that each one of them and their families will make it back to the presence of God and receive eternal life.
On Tuesday Elder Nielson of the Area Presidency and first quorum of the seventy spoke to us as missionaries. He taught us a lot about obedience. What a powerful man of God! I was able to meet him once while he was touring the Cebu temple and just happened to be in the same session as him and even got to meet him in the Celestial room. At the time I didn't know who he was, but now I consider it a privilege. And even more, when I got to shake his hand on Tuesday he recognized me. That was also special.

Elder Galdonez is doing great! He is motivated, soaks up constructive criticism and applies it, teaches well, loves the people just makes being a missionary fun. He has become one of my best friends in the entire mission. We are striving for 100% obedience as a companionship. I love Elder Galdonez. He is a great missionary.

There was a miracle that happened yesterday in our area. Due to the hand of the Lord I found a convert of mine that I had baptized in Consolation last May. She was so good, but ended up having to move to live with one of her children due to persecutions from joining the church. She had moved to Cebu City and had never known where the church was. We found her last night and she is still strong and wants to come back to church with all her heart. She has just returned from Mindanao and said that she has a niece there who she taught the gospel and who wants to be baptized but they don't know how to contact the missionaries. I am so grateful that I was able to find her. She lives here in the capitol ward.

Another miracle happened this week when on Friday night we were texted by the bishop to assist in giving a blessing at the hospital to a member. His name is Rex. He is 7 years old and had slipped and hit the back of his head on the tile floor. At first he was screaming in pain, but then the screaming stopped and he got really quiet and he wasn't acting normal. Then he started throwing up. Consequently they took him to the hospital for x rays. After the x rays we were able to give him a blessing. After the blessing we left. We visited the family again on Monday and he was fine. We then heard the rest of the story. He had been lying down and not responding for some time when we arrived. Anthony, his uncle who he lives with, said that the moment we walked in the door of the ER that he started responding some and moving more. They were really afraid for him. Anthony gave the blessing. He told us on Monday that the blessing had been the turning point. After we left he sat up and started talking again. Two doctors came over to tell them that they would need to do further tests and scans, but they seemed surprised at how well Rex was doing. The further scans and tests no longer seemed necessary and they were able to take Rex right home where he recovered just fine. I am grateful to have seen the hand of the Lord and to have been able to assist Him in His work. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true and the priesthood is real. We are a part of this latter-day work. What a blessing that is.

I love you all, take care.

Elder Schenk

January 24, 2012

Family,
I sent some pictures for you. The first one is me after climbing up the mountain in our area going to Yellow Bells. It is a steep stairway that keeps on going forever... hence the sweat. The second one was at the Cebu Zoo and the third on is my anak, my trainee, Elder Galdonez. He is from La Union in Luzon, Philippines. He speaks ilokano but knows tagalog, english and visayan. He is my Jr batch, and came in just after me in the mission, but he got sent home after 8 months. Now 8 months after that he is back, and he is excited to be here! I love him. He makes being a missionary fun. He also loves taking pictures. He whips his camera out about 5 times a day to take pictures.
We are having quite a bit of success here in Capitol. We have 5 people committed for baptism, two with baptismal dates, and a family of 6 that we are about to commit, the parents, Teresita and Ruben Ruiz and their 2 eligible kids ages 9 and 8. Hopefully we can get them baptismal dates tomorrow for the end of February.
Take care. Love,
Elder Schenk

January 18, 2012

Family,
It's been a while since I have written anything in Visaya so here ya go. Kamusta man mo? Pas pas lagi ang mission. Dili gud ko andam sa paguli. Basin moabut ang panahon nga andam na ko. Malipayon jud ko sa akong bagong area. Hapit moabut acong kauban, mga three hours lang ba! Excited man ko.
Well how you all doing? I have been having a great time in my new area. Capitol has turned out to be my favorite place in all of the Philippines, mostly because of the people. I get my companion tonight actually, in about three hours. He served for eight months or so and then went home and now is coming back to finish his mission. They said I am going to be retraining him, probably so he knows about our new focus. It will be nice to have a steady companion again. It really has been a miracle though that I have been able to work in my area almost every day because someone is able to work with me. We have had so much success here. My favorite success is with Brother Brent Nephi Bontuyan. He has been inactive for a year and a half or so, ever since he dropped out of high school because of medical reasons. He is now 18 years old. We had visited him a few times and he committed to come back to church, but wasn't able to come last week. The bishop came with me to teach a lesson with them on last Tuesday and he asked them (Nephi and his cousin Ashley, 17 year old young man) to work with me since I don't have a companion. So on Wednesday we got them all dressed up in white shirts and slacks and gave them some ties to wear and tromped them off for a day of great missionary work. Ashley thought it was hard work and hasn't been back since, but Nephi worked with me all day Saturday, came to church on Sunday at 6:00 in the morning (because of Sinulog... I’ll explain later) and worked with me for two hours after that and then worked with me again on Tuesday! He is my right hand man, and 3 days ago he was inactive! Now he is only less-active. I like that much better. He said he had prayed for guidance and the next day I showed up and started preaching repentance. So he repented! I like that story. He wants to serve a mission now. We are doing all we can to prepare him.
We have also had success with the Sara Family, Geneline Villarine , Pablo and Gina Vercede, the Ricafort Family and Brian and Sariah Bacus. Brother Bienvenid Estrada needs some extra prayers right now. He is really struggling to pay his tithing because all of his income goes to paying off debts. He has ended up working on Sundays to try to make more money. He needs a lot of help and wisdom, both financially and spiritually. We had a great lesson with him on Sunday.
We have also committed to part member sisters for baptism on March 3, KC and Honeybabes Mata. We also found a new family who wants to be baptized, Ruben Ruiz and his wife Teresita and their 4 young children. Two are above 8 so they can be baptized. We had gotten a ride from Ruben and talked to him about the church. He said he had been taught before and wanted to continue. We committed them for baptism on the first visit. That was a great success. Now we just have to nurture them with the good word of God.
This Sunday was Sunulog, the biggest catholic party of the year and I heard that Cebu has the biggest celebration in the Philippines, and lucky us the parade went right down the main street in my area and past the church. I heard that 3 Million people attended! The street got blocked so cars couldn't get in and people packed in. When the parade was over the streets got filled with so many people walking around that all four lane were full of people. It was crazy! So to avoid that we had the two wards combine and had sacrament meeting at 6:00 in the morning. Because the road was blocked we had to walk about a half mile from any direction to get to church.
Tell Grandma and the youth that I did get their packages. I just forgot to write about it. Thank you so much. I also got some Christmas cards so no worries there. The only package I haven't gotten yet is the one from Diane which she supposedly sent a month ago, maybe she hasn't sent it yet.
Love you all! Take care,
Elder Schenk

January 12, 2012

Family,
I am officially companionless. Brother Enriquez went home yesterday to spend some time with his family before he leaves for the MTC on Saturday. I loved him so much. In the short 14 days that we were companions he became my favorite. We had so much success together and became really close.
This last week has been really successful. We were able to teach 24 lessons, 19 of which were Recent Convert & Reactivation. That is a huge improvement over last weeks 13 lessons. It was so nice to have a companion and a list of people to teach. I am seeing the first fruits of completing families. In one family in our ward, the Mata family, everyone was baptized besides the two oldest daughters, one who was planning to be baptized with her family but hadn't come to church enough times, and the other just wasn't interested. She had actually told the missionaries once that she just didn't want to get baptized. When we met her yesterday she had no desire to listen and was pretending to be sleeping on the floor and almost wouldn't even talk to us. By the end of the lesson she was sitting up and participating in reading and answering questions and at the very end we committed them both for baptism! That is just one more miracle I have seen in the weeks since I have been here in Capitol. I have been thinking a lot about all of the miracles I am seeing every day here and this afternoon remembered a line in my patriarchal blessing that says that I will see many wonders in preparing the world for the second coming of Jesus Christ and establishing Zion. I realized that each miracle I see in the mission is a fulfillment of that promised blessing. I have been seeing miracles every day in the last weeks. I love being a missionary.
Ask Winston Baring what his father’s name is. I have a very low chance of getting assigned in Lapu Lapu where he lives because I have had four areas in the two surrounding zones. I could refer his father to the missionaries working there too. Also give an address.
The two Americans I am living with are Elder Gertge from Ogden Utah and Elder Parkinson from Rexburg Idaho. We have really been getting into buying ties and trading them. Last week Elder Gertge came home from Pday with 10 new ties from an ukay ukay (second hand clothes imported from other countries). He got them all for about $5! That has been fun. I have given away almost all of my good ties so I have to get some new ones.
I am getting excited to see the North Wing when I get home. It looks really good in the pictures. Nice work Dad.
Love you all, Take care!
Elder Schenk

January 3, 2012

Family,
It is sure good to hear from you all. Thanks for your letters. It was also really nice talking to you all on Christmas. I've been starting to think more about coming home since this transfer started. It is all coming way too fast and I'll be home before I know it. I'm not ready for that yet. I still feel like I have so much work to do here helping the members and you can be so effective as a missionary because you have been called of God and have His power and authority. In the short two weeks that I have been here I have grown to love the people in the Capitol area. I have had five less-active members commit to come back to church and one already has. Her name is Fe. She also paid tithing which she has only ever done once before. They have been really struggling financially and I told her that the Lord wants to help, she just has to do her part and pay tithing. I am so excited to see the blessings that come into her life. We will see if the others come to church as well. We visit them a lot to make sure they follow through. I love working with the inactive members. It is so much better than working with investigators. They already have a testimony of the gospel but for one reason or another they have gone inactive. Some because of a lack of money and not being able to get to church, others because they have been offended. But in almost every case they want to come back, they are just unsure of how to do it. They are afraid to take the first step and that is where we come in. We bring the spirit back into their home and rekindle their testimony and help them to overcome their fears and realize all of the blessings that are theirs if they will just repent and follow the plan that our Heavenly Father has for them.
My companion is great. He goes on his mission in 11 days so I only have another 7 days with him and then I get a new one. And then three weeks after that I get another companion, but this time an Elder, not just a stake missionary. I have really enjoyed training. It is a lot of fun and it helps me to see the areas of my work where I need to improve. I have to live what I teach. It is a really great growing experience. Brother Enriquez, my companion, is growing a lot too. He is still a little hesitant but when he teaches he does a great job.
Also my ward is fantastic! I have the best bishop I have ever seen or heard of in the Philippines! I was companions with his nephew, Elder Plania, when I was assigned in Consolation. Bishop Tylaran is just so motivated and excited to help. The spirit is so strong in his home. You can just tell by the way you feel around him that he is a great guy. It is a pleasure to work by his side.
We are also so blessed here with meal appointments. We have only visited members here so often we get fed. Since we now have no more tracting in the mission, we only find investigators through the members, usually part member families. We only have one investigator and he is living with a member family. Hopefully he will progress.
I am glad to see that you are making huge progress on the North Wing. It looks good. I am excited to be able to see that when I get home. Sounds like the Lord has been blessing you there with providing you with the tools you need for cheap. The only reason (other than to see my amazing family) I would like to be home is to be able to help you build. I love building and I haven't learned about dry wall or electrical yet. That would be interesting. But it sounds like my younger brother has grown right into my shoes and kicked me right out! He is the new right hand man. Sounds like he is doing good though. We will have to fight for the #1 son position when I get back home.
Thanks also Eric for your great advice on being enthusiastic. I’ll work on teaching my companion that through example.
Sure love you all. Take care,
Elder Schenk