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

December 27, 2011

Family,
It was really good to be able to talk with you on Monday. Christmas was a great one. I enjoyed it very much.
Since we talked on Monday some new events have happened. I’ll go through them.
First Monday at two o'clock I got my companion. His name is Brother Enriquez. When I forget his name I just think of Eric’s name in Spanish and then add a "z". He is from Talamban here in Cebu City, so he is not too far from home. It is probably about a 40 min jeepney ride if there isn't traffic. He has a mission call to the Philippines Davao Mission, the third largest city in the Philippines coming after Manila and Cebu City. He enters the MTC on January 14 so he will only be my companion for about 2 weeks. After that I guess I get a new one. They are still trying to get it all figured out. One of the best up-sides to having a non-missionary companion is that every lesson has a member present and I don't have to worry about getting a member to as many lessons so we can teach the females. There has to be a non-missionary adult male for us to teach lessons. So that will help the work move right along. Often we cannot teach lessons because there are only females home. Brother Enriquez is going to be a great missionary. We taught a lesson on faith on our first day together and he nailed it! I was so impressed. He is pretty shy though because he is just brand spankin' new and hasn't even been into the MTC yet. Also he lives with three Americans which I am sure is a shocking experience. He is good at English though so that helps. When a missionary first gets into the field they are born and their trainer is their father. I was talking to Elder Stirland about what I am going to call him since he hasn't even been born yet. He is still like a fetus. I don't get my actual son until next transfer. Elder Stirland told me he is like my puppy. In the movie Marley and Me the guy gets a dog to prepare him to be a father. So I don't have a son yet, but I've got a puppy! I guess I'm just being prepared for the real deal.
The second thing was that we got to sing in the multi-stake cantata last night. We got there at 3:30 and learned the song Candle Lite Carol. They didn't have sheet music, only the words so we had to learn it just by singing it over and over and over again. But at 6:30 we sang. Success! It was fun to be able to support my new ward and get to know the members better. I also got to see members from four of my last areas. That was fun.
For the question about the carport, I always like wood better than carpet. Here in the Philippines they don't even have carpet. I have never seen it outside of the temple or a church building. It just doesn't exist here. No vacuums.
Also about the nativity sets, I just met a guy yesterday who can get them made out of oyster shells. It looks really cool. He showed me some samples of animals he had made. It has a Mary, Joseph, Jesus, 3 kings, I think 2 shepherds and 3 animals, a carabao, a pig and a chicken, the animals of the Philippines! It is expensive though. It is P3500 or about $80. They stand about 6" tall. Let me know. I’ll try to find a cool cheap one.
Love you all. Take care,
Elder Schenk

December 25, 2011 Christmas "Phone Call"

Devin is doing great!  We got to skype with him for an hour.  Our connection was good, so we could see him well and hear him just fine.  He is now in downtown Cebu City in the Capitol area, living in an apartment with 2 other Elders.  He was getting his new companion the day we spoke.  There was no need for me to worry about his Christmas celebration in a new place where he didn't know anyone.  The other elders took him along to like 8 meal appointments in 3 days.  He had his best dinner and breakfast the whole time on his mission on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.  He loves being a missionary and being in the Philippines.   We sure enjoyed seeing him!

December 19, 2011

Family,
Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you are all enjoying all of the cold weather there, we are getting none here. White Christmases come in different ways here, baptisms and sealings. I will be skyping this Monday here about 8 in the morning, but I can’t be certain on the time because I am transferring tomorrow! I will be assigned in Cebu City in the Capitol area. I will be training a new missionary so neither me nor my companion will know the area. I find out tomorrow at transfers who it is. They were deciding between putting me in the Branch presidency here in Polambato or having me be a trainer. I also don’t know what time the internet cafes open there, but I’ll shoot for 8 am Monday morning. That should be around 6pm Christmas day for you... I think. I don’t have much time to write because my entire district is waiting for me so that we can get a district picture. Take care, I love you all.
Merry Christmas!
Elder Schenk

December 13, 2011

Family,
Merry Christmas! 11 days na lang!
Wow, carport looks impressive! Nice work dad! That would have been fun to help with, I love framing building.
We are one week away from transfers here in the mission. We will find out next Monday who will be staying and who will be going. I have been in the zone for as long as anyone and will probably be transferring. It’s hard to believe that I only have 4 transfers left! A transfer goes by so fast! I'm not ready to come home yet, I have way to much work to do here in the mission. I also love how much I am learning. The last two transfers as district leader I have learned more than at any other time in my life. I have been given more responsibilities which have taught me and helped me better understand true leadership. I have grown to love these people so much. I have seen so many soften though the touch of the spirit. It has truly strengthened my testimony. Out of my five areas Polambato has been by far my favorite, and also one of the most challenging. I have come to see the love the Lord has for these people and just how important each child is to our Heavenly Father. This gospel is his perfect plan to be able to bless us. I have seen that so many times here in the mission.
I will be skyping Monday morning here after Christmas, that is if I can find an internet cafe open early in the morning. I’ll let you know.
I did receive both Christmas packages. Thank you. My companion and I are going to have a great Christmas!
Our new focus of reactivation and retention is so rewarding. I have found so much joy in helping those who have lost their way come back to the gospel and get back on track for the Celestial Kingdom (2 Nephi 31:19-20). I have seen first hand what the Lord Himself has said, "Repent, and I will receive you" (Alma 5:33). I think that is correct, I translated from Cebuano.
Thank you so much for your love and concern and for the many many prayers in my behalf and in behalf of the people I am working with and for all missionaries. Your faith is helping the cause of countless miracles.
Love,
Elder Schenk

Decembe 6, 2011 Pasko NA!

Family, This week has been probably the favorite of my entire mission! The last four days have been so AMAZING! Here is what happened.

I have never been so pumped and ready to work in my entire mission! On Saturday I went on exchanges with Elder Wangsgaard. We had such a successful day. We taught a family who was offended and has been inactive for about four months. At first they didn't even want us to enter their house and were super closed down. But after we had gotten in and brt'd (Build relationship and trust) them we were able to teach a lesson. During the lesson they opened up their concern to us. We were able to teach to their needs and ask some inspired questions. After, while answering, the sister started to cry. She had felt that she had forgotten the Lord, but that the Lord had not forgotten her. She then committed herself to come to church the next day, which she did with her Melchizedek priesthood holding husband and youth grandson. I have never been so excited to see anyone at church. And they were there early! I am so grateful to have had that experience.

But the joy doesn't end there. Monday we went back and taught them, and after that lesson were able to teach their son and his wife, who are also members. They as well were hesitant to let us teach, but in the end had been deeply touched by the spirit. The brother had said previously that he often works on Sundays and couldn't come to church. On Monday he told us that he could be absent from work on Sundays if he wanted and that that was not a problem. We are planning on them coming to church this week.

After that we taught another family, the Mahusay family. The mother and father have been inactive for 15 years and their son and his cousin are also recently inactive. They ALL committed to come back to church this Sunday, other that the father who has work, but he will come the next week.

And then yesterday with Elder Wong we taught a priesthood holder who was baptized 5 years ago and then went inactive two years later because his wife had gone inactive and he didn't like going to church alone. He committed to help prepare his wife and kids to come back through family prayer and scripture study and he committed to come to church this Sunday.

Can you see now why I am so excited? We have been blessed with so much success and I have felt a joy that is so sweet. I can hardly wait to get to my studies in the morning so that I can dig into the doctrine and feel the spirit, and then I get so excited just to get out the door and save those souls who are dwindling in unbelief. I love this work! It is so much more rewarding reactivating than tracting. If everyone follows through with their commitments the priesthood attendance at church will double this week.

I also got your package today. I am excited to open that. Thanks.

Also I got a letter from Jeff Komar. Please tell him thank you for me. He always reads my blog so you could just put it on there. By the way he said that my blog is super good and that he is making one for Anna and wants lessons from mom.

Take care, love you all!

Elder Schenk

November 29, 2011

Family,
Thank you for your emails. It sounds like you all had a great thanksgiving. I wish I could have joined in the turkey bowl and the skiing, but we had a good thanksgiving here. The Baileys treated us well. There was way too much food as apparently the Filipinos don't understand the concept of the holiday, eating! Some of them ate before they came! At any rate Elder Wangsgaard and I (the two American elders) did a good work. I ate so much that when I tried to stand up, I sat right back down! It hurt too bad to stand. Success!
I experienced my first “Dressed in white, twice!” today. Two of our recent converts went to the temple today to do baptisms for the dead. That will be great for them.
On Sunday we had 8 investigators at church! I don't get it. We are now focusing on the members and then all of the sudden all of the investigators came to church. I love this work!
Well I am officially out of time. I had to write two letters to President Schmutz because the first one didn't send right and got lost. Suffice it to say, I am learning a lot and am grateful that the Lord has entrusted me with the trials I have. There is no other way to be learning these experiences.
Love you all!
Elder Schenk

November 22, 2011

Family,
I have had a fantastic few days! Sunday we had 5 investigators at church and were excited about that, but the branch is so weak that we are worried about their inactivity. That is a major problem here in the Philippines. I went home after church greatly concerned on how I could help my little branch progress and become strong again. I looked at the many baptismal records for the last three years and only 3 melchizedek aged men have been baptized, and two I have never even heard of. One of them has almost been baptized for 2 years and is sealed in the temple and comes to church every week even though they live ridiculously far away and are extremely poor. They live in a 50 year old house that his grandfather built that has no electricity or running water. And yet they come. What great faith. We only have 4 strong melchizedek priesthood holders that are active right now, and none of them have served missions. After church I was overwhelmed with our responsibility here. How could we possibly help? For some time I couldn't sleep because of my concern for the branch. So why were the last few days fantastic? It all started Monday morning at 8:30.
We had zone conference in Mandaue and had to wake up at 3 to get there on time. So running on 4 hours of sleep we hauled ourselves out the door before the crack of dawn and crammed into a V Hire (a mini van that they cram 15 people in 4 rows of seats... Fun!) . At the zone conference President Schmutz introduced the Philippines new plan for missionary work that they had learned at the mission presidents conference last week from the Philippines area presidency. The presidency had been instructed from the twelve. The church is not functioning as it should here, so the responsibility has been given to the missionaries to get it going the way the Lord would have it run. Our new focus is:
1. Keep the recent converts active.
2. Reaching out to the less active members.
3. Completing families (baptize the non-members).
4. Get everyone to the temple.
Our new motto is "Dressed in white... twice"
We will be doing no more tracting. None! We will spend all of our time with the less active and inactive and through them find family members to teach. There are 645,000 members and 114,000 are active. That is only 18%! There are far too many members for the priesthood to handle and it is hurting the church. President Teh said we are "Baptizing them into inactivity." We have a work to do. We have been promised that even though our focus has changed, that if we are diligent, we will have many more baptisms than before. We are no longer just getting investigators to baptism, but are taking all members and investigators to the temple. We will not stop teaching them until they get there. That was the answer to by plea for help! That truly is what we need here! I am excited! The church is indeed run by revelation. Everyone is excited to be working on this new program. It is what we have all been concerned about.
On Tuesday I went on exchanges with Elder Wangsgaard. He is a great missionary who just returned to the mission after having gone home for back problems. He is so motivated and teaches so powerfully through the spirit. We had such a fantastic spiritual day. I also had 4 baptismal interviews, and originally had 6 planned but wasn't able to get to them all. The work here is moving forward.

The mission is great, but I am a little envious of Dad and Eric for getting to go skiing! There isn't even snow here! Today for thanksgiving we are going over to the Baileys for a thanksgiving lunch. They are doing it all! The turkey, potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie! YUM! This is going to be the best p-day of my mission!
Thank you for sending me General Conference. I love listening to it, and am getting my old ones put on a jump drive today so I can listen to it. Please put them in an mp3 format because the players here don't read the big American file types. I’ll have to get it converted. And much more will fit on.
Well give Katie, Josh and Ellie a hug for me, and Katie, give Mom, Dad and Eric a hug for me. And all of you should give both grandmas a hug for me. Have a great thanksgiving.
Love,
Elder Schenk

November 15, 2011

Mom,
So much happens here in the mission and I feel like I can never express it all in an email. And after emailing my president and reading your emails my cranium gets a little tired. In a few months I’ll be able to tell you the stories in person and you'll get a little dose in a little over a month for Christmas. Let it suffice to say that I miss my family. That is the one thing I really miss here in the Philippines. Everything else I can do without, I’m a pinoy now. (Pinoy- a male Filipino, usually younger and strikingly handsome, sometimes American. Probably comes from the Filipino word "Filipino" where they chop of the first half which really doesn't mean anything and then throw a "y" on the end to make it sound cool.)
We have been struggling a bit to get our branch to progress. It is so small and the leadership doesn't know how to lead, so not much happens. The Baileys are working with us to strengthen the branch.

Here is an excerpt from my letter to President Schmutz. You might find it interesting.
President,
Yesterday I went on exchanges with Elder Surio in his area. What an extraordinary missionary! I have never worked with a missionary who has applied so many principles from Preach My Gospel in his work. He does everything! He is relentless. The investigators can’t get away with anything. He gets those who don't want to listen to listen and then slams them with the spirit so that in their closing pray they pray that we can come back and teach them again! He takes every opportunity to teach and takes every teaching opportunity seriously. He must have sanctified himself because he definitely teaches with the power and authority of God, more so than I have ever seen in a missionary. I am grateful to be able to serve under him. He has edified his calling.
I have seen progress in the district. All of the areas are progressing and have success in the near future. I am especially grateful for the help of the Baileys. They will have a tremendous impact on Bogo and can help my little branch in so many ways. They are the heaven sent help we need. I have also been prompted to look back at the baptismal records in my area and find inactive recent convert males that are melchizedek priesthood age and to focus on reactivating them. The Polambato branch needs priesthood. It will also help us to find part member families.
I feel to ask you for any advice on the matters I have addressed, in particular in strengthening the Polambato branch and the role I can play in helping it become strong.
I love you President. Thank you for all that you do. I am excited to see you at zone conference in a few days.
Love,
Elder Schenk

I had an experience this week we taught 3 sisters. The previous lesson we had taught about the Restoration, and we had planned to teach about the Book of Mormon, but I felt prompted to watch the Restoration dvd. So we did. After we talked about it a little and they said it was helpful to be able to see it visually, that they now understood it better. Then we talked about the feelings we had while watching. Gi-Gi, the eldest, said that she had gotten goosebumps when Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ had shown themselves to Joseph Smith. I told them that what they had felt was the spirit. They now understood what it felt like. Then we read Moroni 10:5, "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." What they had felt was the spirit testify to them that what they had seen was true. We committed them to pray about Joseph Smith again and then wait for the answer. It would come in the same form as how they had felt the spirit right then. Hopefully they will pray with real intent and listen for the spirits answer. Then we can proceed and they can progress. I am grateful to have experiences like this. We had a similar experience with two sisters in Elder Surio's area yesterday. Teaching through the spirit is the only way that people will truly learn.

Well, take care. I love you all. Thanks for the shirt and socks. I'm going to wear them out with pride!
Love,
Elder Schenk

November 8, 2011

Family,
The first thing I have to say is that Drew did a great job looking like a yodeler! Klaro kaayo! Also my younger brother is one handsome devil! You must get it from me.
I had a great birthday. I went to a member’s house in my neighborhood who cooked a ton of food. There were a few other members there so it was fun. Then we loaded up the cake with candles and they sang to me as I blew them out. I’m starting to get old, it was a good size fire! I had them take a video so you will get to see it someday. I am going to send the picture cd I made today. My next sd card is almost full so you should be getting that one soon too.
The Baileys are great to have. They help so much. This is their first week so they are still wondering what exactly they will be doing, but their impact will be tremendous.
For Christmas all I want is a little bit of Christmas music and some chocolate. You could put the music on an sd card because they have players here that read music from them, and my cd player died. Ill transfer the music onto one of my sd cards so I can listen. Don't bother to send another cd player. Also if you could send a gift for my companion. It is always better if they have something to open too. Usually they don't get anything.
The guy we gave bananas to is Gary. After that day we have never been able to find him again. Hopefully the sisters can. He lives in their area. Our area is finally starting to produce fruit. We had three investigators tell us they wanted to be baptized this week! And Tuesday while we were tracting I felt prompted to go to a little group of houses on the side of the road. At the first house a grandma just bluntly said they weren't interested and didn't want to listen. But then we talked to a lady who was washing a pot at the pump well. At first she was hesitant to talk to us, but by the end was excited for us to visit her. We went back yesterday and taught about part of the plan of salvation. I think she is going to be a great investigator. Her name is Emma.
Other people to pray for:
Joy-Joy
Katherine
Sharon
Verga
Jera
Thanks for your love and support.
Love,
Elder Schenk 

Oh one more thing, candy is better if they are individually wrapped. Sometimes the big bags go bad before you can finish them because of the humidity.
Love ya!
Elder Schenk

 

Community Service Project

 

Here are some pictures of a CSP (Community Service Project) we had in my area. We made lugaw, a soupy rice with vegetables, for feeding malnourished children. It took a long time to cook, but all three huge pots of lugaw got eaten. This week I'll send the picture cd I made. I finally bought an envelope big enough to fit a cd.
Love you all!
Elder Schenk

November 1, 2011

Family,
Thanks for your emails. I love hearing about things happening back home like 7" of snow at Mt. Baker. We are just drenched here, either with sweat or rain, sometimes both. I did get my birthday package, 2 weeks ago when Elder Holland came. The candy is gone... dang, but I am excited to open my presents! I plan to go to a member’s house in my neighborhood for dinner on my birthday. I’ll bring the cake there. I am so excited to eat a cheese cake with cherries! That's going to be amazing!
We have a mango tree right outside our house on the other side of a big concrete wall. Every few days a mango or two will fall on our side. They are really ripe and kind of explode. Sometimes the ants get to it before we do, but we try to eat them anyways. We had one for breakfast this morning. From my study room upstairs I can see a mango tree, coconut tree, papayas, corn, kamongay ( a leaf that they put in soup, supposedly the most healthy vegetable in the ENTIRE WORLD!), and just out of sight are endless rows of sugar cane. I am going to miss that when I go home. We just have plums and pears and some rhubarb shrubs. Coconut is amazing!
I love being district leader. The Lord really does qualify who He calls. The increase in revelation has been amazing! I have given 14 baptismal interviews this transfer, and each one I do a little differently. The spirit really does guide. Sometimes I am prompted to teach a doctrine or share a scripture, and other times there is a question that is not mandatory that helps me to better understand their concerns. Our zone had 5 baptisms last month and has a goal for 8 more this transfer! There are only 4 companionships too! Bogo zone is one of the leading zones in the mission. My area hasn't had a baptism for over a month and probably won’t for the next month or so. We are trying hard to find new investigators right now. It is a bit of a struggle, but we are having some success. Last week we had 26 lessons and 20 new investigators. Hopefully we can get some progressing towards baptism.
Yesterday I made a layered dessert for our zone activity today. It has graham crackers, then fruit, then cream and sweet and condensed milk mixed, layered four times. You eat it frozen. Hopefully it is good.
Well I love you all. Take care!
Elder Schenk