Quarantine.........again

Sundays are usually busy and find Sister Craig and me up early and on the go.  Not today.  Today we have lots of time on our hands because we are in quarantine.........again.   

Last Wednesday we gathered into Cauayan our 5 wonderful missionaries who are completing their missions and going home to excited and proud families.  They were to leave early Thursday morning.  They arrived at the mission home early afternoon Wednesday as scheduled.  

The day before departure day is a busy day.  They first take their English competency test which will help them obtain placement in schools and employment.  Next there are interviews, which are wonderful because I get to tell them one last time how proud we are of them.  In that interview I give them a temple recommend and hopefully some helpful advice.  They meet with the mission finance secretary and settle up mission accounts.  Then there are pictures and a farewell dinner in the mission home, followed by a tender testimony meeting.  

One missionary's Barangay (a subdivision within a city) asked that she receive a COVID test before coming home because they knew she had been serving in Tuguegarao.  Tuguegarao has been knocked almost flat by the fourth wave of this pandemic and is in enhanced community quarantine.  Because our missionary quarantined within her apartment for the last 2 weeks we felt the request overly protective, but were happy to comply with the request.  Because the request was last minute, the only time we could schedule a test was 6 AM Thursday morning.  She tested positive for COVID!  WOW!  She was asymptomatic so we were stunned. 

The Church takes seriously complying with all government protocols regarding this pandemic and has some additional protocols.  The Church is anxious to protect its missionaries, members of the Church and others.  If a missionary tests positive for COVID they must quarantine for the government mandated time.  She will spend the next 2 weeks or longer alone in an empty senior missionary apartment.  Those who have had any contact with her must also quarantine for the government mandated time (at least 10 days and in some areas longer).  The good news was that until Wednesday, she had been in her apartment with her companions for the previous 14 days and had been in contact with no one else.  The bad news was that on Wednesday she had been with 15 missionaries and a Church employee (and his wife) who had kindly given her a ride to Cauayan.  She had been with Sister Craig and I, our Assistants and the entire office staff.  This is my Assistant, Elder Alquisalas', 3rd time in quarantine.  Our office, which is usually quite busy, is closed.  All of the exposed missionaries are confined to their apartments.  

The 4 other missionaries who were finishing their missions also have to go into quarantine.  Two of them left by van for home at 3 AM before the COVID test was done.  A quick call to their families and Stake Presidents alerted them to the problem and ensured compliance with local quarantine rules.  One Elder went to an empty missionary apartment near his home to quarantine alone.  He is so close to home……..yet so far. Our remaining two Elders remained in Cauayan to quarantine with the office Elders rather than return home.  A missionary from here in the Cagayan Valley's father had driven two and a half hours to pick up his son, only to turn around and return home disappointed.

Later on Thursday we received 3 new missionaries.   I had previously interviewed them by video call and was very excited to meet them.   I know that they will do great things here.  When new missionaries arrive we spend part of the day with them orienting them and providing some assurance that they can be successful and happy here.  Because we were in quarantine, they were driven by Church employees directly to their areas.  We oriented them by video conference.  I look forward to actually meeting them one day! 

These missionaries are COVID missionaries.  They are, in my opinion, among the finest in the history of the world.  They have learned to take these things in stride and learn from them.  They are disappointed they are not home yet but also know they will brag about this story for the rest of their lives.  This is just a very small price they have paid for this glorious mission experience. They are ok.  I thank God no one is seriously ill. 

Sister Craig and I are also in quarantine in the mission home.  We have had our first vaccination, so the risk to us is smaller.  We remain in contact with our missionaries and others by video conference, email, text  and telephone.  The works goes on.  We do, however, have some extra time on our hands.  This week I anticipate that I will study carefully the entire Doctrine and Covenants.  

The health and safety of our missionaries is a constant, consuming worry, especially in a pandemic.  The Philippines is not a wealthy country, so there is not enough vaccine.  Most of our missionaries have not been able to obtain a vaccine shot yet.  I am constantly amazed by Sister Craig.  She is a true and complete germaphobe.  That she serves here during this pandemic with such grace is fun to watch.  That she has not just rolled herself in bubble wrap and barricaded herself in the mission home is a miracle. 

This week as I was reading in the Doctrine and Covenants I came across the following passage which felt revelatory to me:  "Therefore, let my servant William (I substituted "Kipp") put his trust in me, and cease to fear concerning his family (our missionaries feel kind of like our children), because of the sickness of the land.........the sickness of the land shall redound to your glory.  Let my servant William go and proclaim the everlasting gospel with a loud voice, and with great joy....." (D&C 124: 87-88).  It has already redounded to our glory.  This weekend concludes the 8th month of the year.  Our little band of 65 missionaries now have more baptisms in 2021 than we obtained in all 12 months of 2019 with over 200 missionaries.  The missionaries we served with in 2019 were truly great missionaries.  The miracles we are seeing in 2021 are, I believe, because of COVID.  Through his pandemic, many people have become  more prayerful and have turned again to God.  Finding and teaching in a pandemic using smart phones does work.  It works well.

Will our missionaries always remain safe from serious COVID problems?  I do not know, but I do know that God is in charge and I say to Him humbly: lead on and I will follow.