Old friends and Fond Farewells

Gilda and family

A few days ago I was in the City of Ilagan visiting missionaries there.  My phone rang.  At first I ignored it because I was interviewing a missionary.  After they called again a second time, I suspected that it was an important call, so I called back.  I heard a kindly female voice ask, “President this is Gilda, do you remember me?”  My mind raced to place her.  I asked, "Where are you from?"  She responded “Batac, Ilocos Norte”.  I did remember her!  Batac was the last city I served in as a young missionary.  Gilda was one of the last people I baptized, just before I finished my mission and returned home.  She may have even been the last person I taught and baptized, I cannot now remember.  She was a beautiful young teenager of 14 or 15 years old.  She had some friends and family in the little branch that was there that invited her to join them at church.  I left Batac in late February 1983 and have not spoken to her since.  Back then, there was no internet or Facebook; only letters.  I have lost contact with most of my dear Filipino friends from those days now long ago.  Because God is a God of second chances, he has allowed me to find a number of  these dear old friends.  What joy they have brought to my heart.  Gilda stayed faithful to the Church.  She served a mission, married a faithful man in the temple and has spent her life in service of her God and His Church.  She and her husband have raised three faithful children; two daughters and a son.  The son, the youngest, currently serves as a missionary for the Church.  I am so proud of her.  God is so kind to me to allow me to become reacquainted with my old friend of 38 years ago.  We are now friends on Facebook together with her two friendshippers.  I am so glad that I called that number back.  It was a very important call!  That little branch is now a very large Ward which is the center of the Batac Stake.

As the Philippines slowly begins to emerge from quarantine (painfully slow it seems some days) we are now able to move home some of our walking dead missionaries (those who have passed their release date but are still here because they are unable to obtain travel home).  We have begun to send home those who can travel home by van.  A van driver comes up from Manila (10-12 hours), picks them up and drives them home.  It is a long trip but they do finally get home, much to their mothers joy.  On the day before we evacuated the foreign missionaries we had 203 missionaries.  Today we have 96 missionaries including 5 walking dead.  It breaks my heart to have them leave but I am so happy for their mothers.  At their farewell meetings we always sing “God Be with You Till We Meet Again”.  For some of our Filipinos from the southern islands we may not meet again until we meet at Jesus feet.  It breaks my heart to think of that reality.  This reality is made clearer to me as I gratefully renew my friendship with Gilda but know there are many others I have not yet located.

Our five remaining walking dead are from the southern islands of the Philippines or Polynesian countries.  I called Sister Camral, one of our wonderful sisters last Monday and told her a flight had been arranged and that she would leave Thursday at 6 AM by van to Manila and then catch a flight to her home. I told her she should call her mother and tell her she was coming.  I then had to call her back three hours later and say the flight was cancelled so she couldn’t go yet.  Sadly she had been obedient and called her mother already and now had to call her back and disappoint her.

Sister Teweia, another wonderful sister who will reach her 21 month mark this week, has been patiently and stoically waiting for a flight home.  Last week her brother died suddenly and today her grandmother died.  She cannot get home for the funeral and can only comfort her family by video call.  My heart breaks for her.  She does not complain, but with quiet dignity waits for a flight home to her sweet family.

Pineapples on their way to market

Elder Johnson Dela Cruz will pass 27 months in the field this week.  Last Wednesday he helped me load a few of his mission friends into the vans for home.  These friends were to go home three months after he left.  As the van pulled away, I put my arm around his shoulder and asked how he was doing.  He shrugged and smiled.  He replied, “I guess God is teaching me something."

Elder Johnson Dela Cruz saying goodbye 

I love my old friends like Gilda and I adore my new friends, the young missionaries we serve beside. In church service the greatest memories always have a face and a name!

Missionaries who went home this week