MALIGAYANG PASKO AT MANIGONG BAGONG TAON!! -WEEK 74

Subject line translated:  MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!  

HELLO FAMILY AND FRIENDS! It’s soo good to be back and to be able to see how all of your Christmas and New Years has been!! I hope everyone had a great time this year!! Cause I definitely had a Christmas that I will never forget!! So I’ll give you guys a quick lil overview of what has happened these last 2 weeks!

So last week we had CHRISTMAS PARTIES EVERYDAY HAHAHA! The only day we didn’t have a party was on Tuesday.  So we had a ton of fun that week and a lot of FOOD HAHAHAHA! We had our group Christmas party on Wednesday up in Lomacao and that was really fun. I think we had more investigators come than we did members haha so we found a lot of new people to teach! But it was just a simple party, we had some presentations and some spiritual lessons and then food and then karaoke! haha FILIPINOS LOVE KARAOKE! HAHAHA they sang karaoke until 2 am! We had left around 7 but they kept going till 2 am hahaha! Then the next day we had our ward Christmas party and it was sooo much fun, something I’ll never forget!  I remember after doing our missionary presentation at the party and going and sitting down and right after that I just felt sooo sad... I was so sad. That that was my last Christmas here in the Philippines!  Last Christmas on the mission... there is just something that makes Christmas soo special while out here on the mission! and I’m gonna miss it! 

So that was the parties then came Christmas day.  Christmas day was soo fun because it was a Sunday and soo spiritual!  I don’t know if this is how it is in America, but out here if Christmas is a Sunday they only have sacrament... so that was weird! But then came Sunday night... the night of TYPHOON NINA! hahaha We had a super typhoon the night of Christmas! It was the strongest typhoon I have been in out here on the mission! It started to get really strong around 9:30 or 10 but we went out at like 9 and it was strong. The wind and rain was coming down hard!! After we went back inside I sat outside on our little balcony and watched the trees outside and I actually watched a coconut tree fall down from the wind! That was crazy! But after it started to die down I went to sleep and then woke up the next morning and the streets were just filled with leaves and branches! Almost every single banana tree out here fell over and alot of coconut trees fell down! That morning...supposed to be p-day, we had a csp at a members house cutting a tree in pieces that fell down on their house, and then that night had dinner at our bishops house. We didn’t really get a p-day that day cause there wasn’t any electricity! So sorry if I didn’t reply to your emails! haha But then we had a brown out this WHOLE entire week! We just barely got power back on Saturday night for New Years and then it died again on Sunday and now it’s back on for now... who knows when it will die again!! haha

This whole entire week has just been service projects in the morning, working a little in the afternoon then studies at night cause there’s no power! Actually earlier this morning we got to build a member a new house!! Her house was completely gone after the storm and alot of the members came out to help us build them a new house!! Love the member support out here!  All I ask is just pray for the people out here to recover quickly from the storm! Thankfully not many people died!  But I’m just thankful I made it thru another storm hahaha! Up next is living thru a volcano eruption!! Hopefully I get to see that before I leave!! 

I LOVE ALL OF YOU SOO MUCH I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR AND I HOPE ALL OF YOU GUYS HAVE A GREAT 2017!! 

Fun quote I found “When you come out of this storm you won’t be the same person you were when you went in…that's what this storms all about" 

I know each and every one of us have our own storms! But don’t forget that God has a plan for each of us! We will all learn something from our individual "storms" and come out stronger and more ready for the next storms that are to come! 

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

SUPER-TYPHOON NINA (NOCK-TEN)

23 December 2016

Dear Brother and Sister Baker,

 We are currently in the middle of the annual typhoon season in the Philippines. Every year, more than 20 typhoons come to this island nation. These typhoons originate in the Pacific, east of the Philippines and then move in our direction. Our mission is often in the path of these storms, especially our outer island Catanduanes.  Prior experience has prepared this region to weather the various storms well. We have missionary housing that is selected for resistance to high winds and located out of the flood plains.  Each missionary area has an emergency plan for preparing for and responding to all natural disasters.  Areas that are remote from the mission office have local priesthood leaders that provide direct oversight of the safety of our missionaries.

Currently Typhoon Nina is head in the direction of the Legazpi Mission and is expected to pass over our mission the evening of December 25th.  It is expected to bring heavy rains and some floods in the low lying and/or coastal areas. Each companionship has been notified of the incoming storm and have been asked to follow our emergency plan. The safety of our missionaries is our #1 priority. Each missionary has a 72 hour kit of food, water and other supplies. They should also have an emergency supply of cash and a fully charged cell phone. As soon as the storm passes each missionary will contact their leaders to report their condition and that information will pass through our communication tree to me shortly thereafter.  

If the storm compromises our electrical or Internet infrastructure, this may impact the ability of your missionary to complete their Christmas phone calls and/or normal preparation day emails.  Be assured, I will be constantly monitoring this situation, and they will have opportunity to reschedule their calls at the first opportunity. We love your missionary and will always care for them as if they were our own son or daughter. May the Lord bless you for sending your precious child to serve the Lord. You would be so proud of who they are becoming and the great work they are doing.

If there are any further developments that would impact our missionaries, I will let you know.  Have a merry Christmas and a happy new year.  Serving the Lord is a joy!

Warmest regards,

President Dale Kotter

Philippines Legazpi Mission

MERRY CHRISTMAS LEGASPI MISSION!

(A letter from the Mission President to Legazpi Mission Families.............)

Dear families of the Legazpi missionaries,

Merry Christmas!  We send you our love and greetings during this most joyous time of year.  We wish to thank you for the support and love you give your missionary.  We are grateful for the sacrifices you make in order that they may serve.  They are wonderful and they are sharing the light of Christ to all they come in contact with.

We hope you will enjoy this mission Christmas card.  Each of the Legazpi mission family is pictured here.  We want you to know we love each one of them!  Thank you for sharing them with us.  May the spirit of Christmas be with you, now and always.  May our Heavenly father's blessings be poured out upon you, your family and your missionary during this holiday season.

Sincerely,

President Dale Kotter & Sister Lori Kotter