April 27, 2015-- Email #79

April 27, 2015

Bagabag, Philippines

Maayong Buntag! 

(trans. "Good Morning!" in Bisaya)

On to the next chapter of the mission! Elder Larona is transferred to my old Zone in Tuguegarao! It seems like everyone that comes from Solano gets transferred there. And just in the nick of time! Last weather report says Cagayan Valley is in the high 30's C (or about 100 F), not to mention the humidity! Good thing I'm in, relatively, the coldest part of the mission... I don't know what they're talking about 'cause it's still super hot. To be honest though, I think I'd prefer hot and humid over cold and dry. Not looking forward to that in October. 

Speaking of seeing familiar faces, the Mother's Day call is coming up! On the 10th of May we can have a Skype call (but I might still hide my face for kicks and giggles ah?). What we'll probably end up doing is I'll Skype on the 11th here while it will be the evening of the 10th over there. That goes perfectly 'cause the 11th is our P-day. But if people won't be able to make it, we are given flexibility with our schedule so just email me the details by next week so we can get everything coordinated.

So, guess who my new companion is? Of course! It's Elder DelosReyes, the only companion I've had that has a last name with more than 3 syllables! He's been a Zone Leader for a cycle more than me, and just came from the Alicia Zone. I met him when we were in Tuguegarao together, he being in North while I was in South. He's from Davao City, in Mindanao, which makes him the third companion I've had from Mindanao. He's awesome! He reminds me a lot of a Filipino version of Jonah Hoskins... Friendly, fun to be around, really great singing voice, contagious laugh... We've been getting along swell this past week. It's been a great relief; in all honesty I was getting a little stressed with Elder Larona and he was getting stressed with me. However, I'm eternally grateful for the endless list of things he taught me and that I learned from him. 

On Wednesday night Elder Olson slept over with his new trainee, Elder Cloma. He's also from Mindanao, and has the same accent Elder Rebojo had on his first day in the field! It was so cute, all of his little Tagalog grammar mistakes and everything, ah! Reminded me of my first day with Elder Rebojo. So glad I still get to see him so often. The next morning we had a meeting with the District leaders and the Sister Training Leaders in the Zone to set some new goals. Our Zone goals this last cycle were seriously lacking specific direction, and I seemed to be oblivious to it until this last transfer... So we all got on board and set some brand new goals, within the Districts and the Zone as a whole, concerning baptisms, less active returns, and contacting/finding. It's really lightened up our work this last week! Having a goal where everyone is working for a certain number, all dependent on one another's hard work, really helps with motivation and drive every hour each day! The area, and the whole Zone, just has such a nicer feeling about it as of late. I'm glad I've begun learning what hope really means!

Elder DelosReyes is a great teacher, and I've learned a ton from his methods this last week. It's really helped me refine and define myself. We have a really cool new investigator named Bryan. He's from Marikina, Manila, but he's living up here for a month to do the glass work on the new Bagabag chapel. Considering he is helping build a new church building, it turned into a great way to begin learning more about the church. He's attended sacrament meeting two weeks now, and he's having really great experiences. He's expressed wanting to know for himself before committing to baptism, and wants to be taught by the missionaries in his home town once he heads home. So that's been fun!

We've had awesome finding opportunities as of late, and one of them especially comes to mind. We were walking down the street from brother Efren Oro's home (who seems to have disappeared due to his unpredictable work schedule) when we saw a middle-aged woman wave at us, calling us Elder. My companion thought it might be a member but I'd never met them nor seen them before. We introduced ourselves and found out that she, sister Rita, was not herself a member, but that she had three older brothers who were active members of the church and were currently serving as bishops in Singapore -- all three of them. Their whole family of 6 had been taught when they were young but only the boys in the family were baptized; the three girls were too young at the time. We met two of the sisters there at the house and they remembered attending church once in a ward in Singapore. She said "it felt like I was in heaven!" We were shocked that their family hadn't been referred to the missionaries before. We haven't taught their entire family yet, but we did get to teach a group of their grandchildren one afternoon which was a really spiritual experience. There is a hopeful future ahead for this family. I know it. 

We had a really awesome service project on Saturday where the whole branch got together, suited with Mormon Helping Hands vests, and cleaned up the streets of Lamut, Ifugao. We were blessed with some finding opportunities along the way and it really helped people gain an interest in what the Church really does. On Sunday I gave a talk having to do with a lot of the themes in my last email... Hope, faith, traversing the wilderness of life, looking forward, not looking back... After the talk the District President, who attends our branch, came up to me with his wife, thanking me for the message. They said they'd been fasting and praying for an answer to a specific issue in their lives and I seemed to be used as an instrument in God's hands in answering their prayers. How great is that feeling! Please thank Brett for his article about hope, I really needed it! He was an answer to my prayers as well!

I truly know that for my own strength, and wisdom, and talent, I'm nothing, but with God I can do anything. His plan is perfect, and his promises are sure. I will definitely boast in his strength. Who would have thought, from the beginning, I'd end up where I am now? Now I'm in this beautiful place, serving along side such beautiful people, coming closer to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It's such a wonderful journey, and I wish it'd never end. However, I know that when the time comes I return from my labors here, I want to leave no regrets. It is possible through my God, whom I love so dearly. Wake up, and do something more, every day til the time comes we're called to meet our Maker! I leave this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

April 20, 2015-- Email #78

April 20, 2015

Bagabag, Philippines

Maphod an Algo!

(trans. "Good Day!" in Ifugao)

We're emailing in Solano today so hopefully I won't have any malfunctions again! Gee wiz it has been a busy week! And to top it all off, this is the last p-Day before transfers on Wednesday! Elder Larona is being transferred, along with Elder Mago, and many other Sister missionaries from my batch that are now going home... Yes, their 18 months are now up, and I've got 6 months left. I wish it was longer. I love this place so much. I'll have a hard time saying goodbye, but when the Lord calls me home, I'll go home willingly. 

Tuesday, at District meeting, Elder Olson was absent, being called to a meeting in Cauayan for the new trainers. Elder Larona taught the lesson for their district, and later that night both Elders Olson and Elder Enuake stayed at our apartment before heading back to their areas the next morning. It's been a while since I've seen Elder Enuake! That was fun. He's training for the second time now, and is one of the district leaders in Bambang Zone. We had a lot going on that day but I was able to have splits with Elder Baclea-an again. I've made a greater effort to talk to people on the jeepney during travel. It's always a much more refreshing trip when you're able to share the restored gospel along the way. One of those times was super embarrassing. When I was getting off the jeep (which obviously I've done countless times) I hit my head on the Filipino-sized roof when ducking under and almost lost my footing. With no amount of grace I plopped myself out of the back, skidded a bit, and caught myself with my hands on the lip of the jeep. The people inside gasped "Ay! Naku! (Oh my goodness!)." So that was fun, eh? The important part was I shared my testimony, even if I experienced a severe lack of coordination on my exit. 

On Wednesday we had a delicious lunch at the Senica home. Most of their family are members, including brother Fernando who is our most frequent fellowshipper. He's had a difficult relationship with his parents concerning the Church, but they were kind enough to invite us to eat at their extended family reunion. We're working with two of his recent-convert/less-active brothers to come back to Church. They are really solid guys, especially Ferdinand. I think progress is underway. Right after the lunch we packed our things and headed up to Lagawe to have splits with the Elders there again. It was an excellent day of preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth! If I would define a place as being the "ends of the earth", Lagawe would definitely fit in there. The Elders there have been discouraged lately with the lack of Branch support and the difficult cultural differences there, so on Wednesday our goal was to motivate them, and tackle the beast head-on, so to speak. We focused on contacting new people. Despite all odds, in such an unexpected place as that, we found people that were looking for the truth even if they hadn't known it. I was with Elder Olson. One man we met at his house immediately invited us in. We learned he had recently come from Mindanao but had married an Ifugao, so he spoke a mix of English, Tagalog, Bisaya, Ilocano, and Ifugao. Talk about weird. Haha. Good thing is though that I've had some experience with all of those languages now so there wasn't much of a barrier. Another woman we met immediately told us to not give her our message because she was a Catholic. She then openly admitted that she wasn't active in her own religion anyways, but was just lazy when it came to spiritual matters. Elder Olson and I changed the conversation to her family and the Ifugao language, and by the end of it she happily accepted to read about the restoration and to visit. When walking home, we crossed the street to talk to a man walking home too. He ended up being interested by the end of the conversation as well. There were a lot of tender mercies that beautiful day in Lagawe. It's so fun to be a servant of the Lord, no matter how hard it gets. 

On Thursday morning I found some delicious, cheap pancake sandwiches to fuel me for our next trip: to Cauayan. We had planned splits with the Assistants to the President so made the long journey from Lagawe to Cauayan in about 5 hours. Whew! Once we got there I learned I'd be with Elder Espino! We have a bit of a funny history together. When I was training in Santiago, he was my district leader. When I was district leader in Tuguegarao, he was my zone leader. Now I'm zone leader in Solano, and he's the Assistant to the President! Pretty funny how that works. We had a great day, riding in a car for the first time in forever, blasting the Prince of Egypt soundtrack, teaching as many people as we could find, refining skills... It was a really great splits. We had a fellowshipper with us to tried to convince me he was preparing for his mission, when I knew right off the bat that he was an RM. His ploy finally broke when we met a man cooking chicken who turned out to be from the Visayas. They started speaking the language together without flaw. He's an RM from the Cagayan de Oro mission, which speaks that language. Hah. I've got you now. 

On Friday we traveled back to Bagabag and made it just in time to attend Priesthood Executive Committee meeting, which once again had incomplete attendance. That's one of the weaknesses in the Branch: meetings starting on time and with complete attendance. But the strengths will always outweigh the weaknesses when the Lord is on our side. President Bumatay attended the meeting with his councilor Brother Francis Bayatan. President Bumatay is one of the most Christ-like, humble people I've ever met. He's just a simple rice farmer with a heart and Spirit bigger than life. It's become a tradition in our meetings that a giant, life-threatening beetle will fly in through the window and attack my face during reporting, resulting in a lot of frantic hand-waving and reaching for large objects efficient for crushing. After the commotion is over, the meeting goes on as normal. Fun stuff like that happens all the time. Yay. 

This week I compared the life of Christ with the life of Moses, being inspired by the song "Deliver Us" from Prince of Egypt. There are so many parallels to be drawn to the plan of salvation from the time-old story of Moses and the children of Israel. First of all, we notice that both of them were born at a time when infants of their lineage were being hunted and killed in an effort to quench an uprising. Second of all, we notice that the covenant people, in both of their times, were in bondage or occupation of an alien nation. In the case of Jesus, it was the Romans. In the case of Moses, it was the Egyptians. Alien powers show strong symbolism to Babylon, the original alien power, which is always related to worldly powers, practices, etc. Just as Moses was risen up to save the covenant children from the powerful influence of Egypt, and bring them to a promised land, Jesus Christ was sent by our loving Heavenly Father to save His children from the grasp of the Devil, and bring us home to His presence. Now, the Atonement saves us from the bondage of sin and death, but it is still dependent upon our agency whether we are willing to travel in the wilderness to reach the promised land, or whether we want to wander, and even long to return for the departed Egypt, or Babylon, or Sodom and Gomorrah. Are we going to murmur like they did? Like Laman and Lemuel? Are we going to put down the hand-cart and pack up for England? Or are we going to die with our face toward Zion, rather than turning out by the wayside? Traverse that wilderness! Pick up the handcart! Press forward saints! I like to exemplify this as a moto of life with the lyrics found in a popular hymn: "Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end." God wants to know if we truly love Him. We know that we do, deep inside of us, for He is our Father. He's given us this chance here on earth to learn to love Him again, and find Him within ourselves. It all begins with our faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Just as the children of Israel had no hope of being saved if they didn't follow Moses through the Red Sea on dry ground, we can't hope for a better future -- an eternal future -- if we don't follow Jesus Christ, our Savior. 

This is the Spirit of revelation. It's the same Spirit that allowed the children of Israel to cross the Red Sea on dry ground. If we put our trust in God, without relying in our own flesh or in hollow promises of the Devil, then the knowledge flows into our mind and our heart, we begin to remember our pre-mortal decisions and our eternal destiny, we get to know ourselves as we know our Father better, and what seemed impossible before becomes possible, without the shadow of a doubt. That's the Spirit that Moses exemplified in his life as a prophet, and a special witness of the Savior. It's the Spirit we have the opportunity of obtaining by the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I love this work and I know this Church is true. God has shown me my weaknesses and has continually made me strong. I will follow Him. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

-Elder Kocherhans


Splits in Lagawe: Part 2 

Tracting in Lagawe...

April 13, 2015-- Email #77

April 13, 2015

Bagabag, Philippines

Dear Family,

Always such a refreshing experience to listen to the words of living Prophets and Apostles! Like always, their messages fit right into the needs of all those listening, because they come from our loving Heavenly Father who knows what we need to hear at this specific time. We must trust in the revelation received this weekend, and begin to live it immediately! That is how we make our sustaining vote count! I feel bad for those who opposed... I don't know what sort of Prophet their looking for, but the kind that God prepares is not one that satisfies itchy ears or gives fluffy, pleasing doctrines. The kind of Prophets God calls are those who have been called from the most obscure of circumstances, strengthened by God Himself that He may show forth His power, to declare His word to all those who will hearken and heed the voice, no matter how difficult the truth may seem to follow. It is a test of our faith and the key to obtain eternal blessings. The scripture I've especially enjoyed sharing this week, whilst inviting others to hear the Prophet's voice, is found in Mosiah 15:11:

"Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord—I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the kingdom of God."

There seems to be a key link between our eternal salvation and these specially foreordained men who have brought the scriptures to our understanding, performed miracles, and held the power of God Himself to prepare the children of men for the time they'd be brought to meet their Maker. How great to know the Priesthood has indeed been restored! It's the foolproof way to have a sturdy home and family when it is presided over by the Holy Priesthood, which God in His mercy has allowed us to hold, live, and practice for His purposes! 

Anyways, there are too many thoughts from Conference for me to be able to narrow down on one, but I enjoyed as well as you did the thought about "I can teach you to dance, but you have to hear the music". It's what we do as missionaries every day. We're teaching everyone the most complete and correct of any dance on earth, and everyone looks at us like we're a little crazy. "Why is this crazy white guy talking to me about a living Prophet? What does that even mean?" It's because they haven't yet heard the amazing, life-changing, perspective-shifting, harmonious-beyond-compare music of this precious restored Gospel! I think of the lyrics to a EFY song from "Meet the Mormons":

It's like a symphony 

Just keep listening

And pretty soon you'll start

To figure out your part

Everyone plays a piece

And there are melodies

In each one of us

Oh, It's glorious

This computer shop always malfunctions and it's super annoying! I have to stop having such long testimonies at the beginning or something, I never get to talk about the people we're teaching! We have a lot of people in our teaching pool shifting in and out so it's been difficult to center in on specific investigators. But Efren Oro came to attend conference and I saw him tearing up at many parts, especially when the speaker would bare testimony of the living Christ. It was awesome! God has something big in store for us, just around the corner. I can feel it. I hope you feel it too. I've been learning how to obtain hope as of late, and trying to distinguish it between patience. A perfect brightness of hope is the attitude that we know the blessings will come as long as we keep living the way we should to obtain them and appreciate them. I know this church is true. I know God lives, and that Jesus Christ is the victor over sin and death. Stay on His side. He has given us plenty of evidence to let us know He will never fail us, and the adversary always will fail us. I leave this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

-Elder Kocherhans

Editors note-- Elder JPK sent 17 digital photos along with his email this week! :-)

 

It's Banaue! Round Two!

If you can't read, our t-shirt says "MIB; Missionaries in Bagabag" and our names on the back.

Father and son hitting up the rice terraces

Elder Olson and I in the bizarre, fitting in quite well.

Creative tribal costuming...

I missed my Ifugao peeps.

The Banaue Rice Terraces

Bonus: After Zone Meeting, and some nice barbecued intestines/pork fat.

April 6, 2015-- Email #76

April 6, 2015

Bagabag, Philippines

Bienvenidos!

Don't let the Spanish fool you. I don't know a lick of it. I do know, however, that this last week stands as one of importance for all of us. Semana Santa, the Passion, or Holy Week! And as the Philippines does every year, they went all out, including many parts of the country holding live crucifixion ceremonies. That's right -- live, as in volunteers are scourged, carry a cross to the top of a hill, have real nails driven into their hands and feet... The whole shebang. A literal spin on Luke 9:23... How great it is that we have living Prophets and Apostles, receiving revelation from the very same Christ who rose from the dead nearly 2000 years ago, leading the same Church He established on earth as restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. We don't need to worry about going astray from what God really wants for us, or risk being led by doctrines with forms of Godliness but no power therein. It is here. This is the truth. It shows up and turns out over and over again, never failing me, always drawing me nearer to Jesus of Nazareth, who is indeed the Christ. How much more have we reason to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord, than we, the members of His Church, under His guidance in the last days? 

The particular testimony that I've enjoyed this week was prompted from my remembering a primary song, called "Easter Hosanna". The story from which the lyrics are derived is described in the introduction of the Book of Mormon as "the crowning event" of the record. We had the unique opportunity to share this message (3 Nephi 11:13-17) with investigators, contacts, and members alike, and I can still feel of its divine power even now:

And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying: Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world. And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come. And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying: Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him.

I remember previous times in my life where I've shouted for joy. Whether it was a BYU game, or a rock concert, or when one of us siblings was performing, we can all relate to the feeling we get when we're so excited, so drawn into the experience and the success of those performing, we can't help but shout it out for all to hear. However, all of these experiences can't come even remotely close to the joy we felt when we heard of the Plan of Salvation for the first time in the pre-existence, or when Christ was born, or when He rose from the dead on the third day, or when these chosen few people were able to witness the resurrected Christ in the flesh. I'm confident we were there among the angels during all of those great events. 

The computer is malfunctioning now so I have to cut it short. Too bad! Next week. I know the things which I shared are true. This is such an excellent week to celebrate our Lord. After all the testimonies which have been given of Him, truly the best and simplest is that He lives. He still lives and guides us and loves us today. I leave this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

-Elder Kocherhans 

 With the Orprecio family, and their furry friends (The rabbits, that is).

Father and Son reunited, riding wooden elephants as usual (FHE). Accompanied by Elder Mago.

 Sunrise in Bagabag, outside the apartment.

March 30, 2015-- Email #75

March 30, 2015

Bagabag, Philippines

Mabuhay!

To be honest, this computer shop is full of probing kids reading our emails and it's a bit of a distraction. This email might be a little scattered. All in all, however, it was a great week. We had your usual mix of rejection and acceptance, walking and riding jeeps, Tagalog and Ilocano... Good stuff. It's a bit strange to not have any meetings or events to discuss. It seems we always have stuff like that. Nothing this week. It was a great opportunity to really focus in on the area and our investigators. 

On Wednesday we conducted splits with the Elders in Lamut. Guess who was my companion? Elder Rebojo! It was awesome to be able to work with my son again. He had a really good follow-up trainer after I left from Tugue and I noticed he's improved in a lot of ways. I'm still always taken back by his strong desire, and the way he talks with people in such a sincere, down-to-earth way, always inviting them to learn more about the restored Gospel. I had prayed that our splits would be successful and that we would be led to go where we needed to go. Interestingly enough, we were rejected from almost all of our planned appointments. The important thing was that we didn't lose faith. At the end of the splits, when we were discussing how things went, Elder Rebojo said he still felt our splits was a success, despite the trying circumstances and the low numbers to report. I learned a great lesson at that time that it was my desire, and not the Lords, that everyone would be at home and that we would have high key indicators, as evidence of a good splits. Of course, the Lord wants us to succeed and have us be worthy instruments in His hands to carry forth His work. So why did that day seem to be so difficult? God knows what we need, what we need to do, and where we need to go to be able to serve Him, and if a day comes that makes us feel like we failed, as long as we were obedient and sensitive to the Spirit, there was no failure, nor effort wasted. We had a great discussion about the subject as a result and I was so glad to be able to talk with my kid again!

On Sunday, we had a certain investigator that we've been inviting to church for some time now finally attend! Efren Oro came to our little meeting house in Lamut for the first time, and it looks like he loved it! The members were super supportive of him. He had conversations with many of them, including a less-active member who has recently started coming back. It was such a relief to see an immediate support base form under him. It is a plague to the Church in so many countries when members don't support the investigators that make it out to church. Anyways, he's doing super good. He's originally from Quezon province, but moved up here in Vizcaya because his wife is from here. He still doesn't know too much Ilocano. In past lessons, we have seen his face light up at eternal truths we teach, and his desire grows more and more daily. He has accepted the invitation to be baptized in the past, but now that he's begun attending church, his goal date will become a reality! How great is that! 

I've been reading a lot of great things in Jesus the Christ recently, and I don't have all of my notes on me to share as of the moment... but one thing I remember is the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. It has a powerful lesson within it, and foreshadows the day when Jesus raised his beloved friend, Lazarus, from the tomb. In the parable, there is a rich man and a poor man. The poor man, Lazarus, lives in the streets, being afflicted with disease, and the dogs are his only company. The rich man has many friends and conveniences as a result of his vast wealth. Strangely enough, he isn't given a name in the story. It ends up that both of these men die at around the same time. The poor man gets called up to Heaven, into the bosom of his father Abraham, while the rich man suffers for his sins in hell. The rich man asks that Lazarus be permitted to cool his scorched tongue, but Abraham explains that there is a gulf in between them that cannot be crossed. The rich men then pleas that Lazarus be permitted to visit those of his friends who are still alive, to warn them of the awful fate that awaits them if they do not repent. Abraham responds that they already have the commandments before them, yet they do not follow them. The rich man interjects that if they saw someone rise from the dead, they would certainly be compelled at that point to change from their sinful ways. Abraham, in the parable, gives an instructive response: "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."

No amount of evidence or persuasion can make us obedient to the commandments, and increase our faith. Only humility and submissiveness to the will of the Lord will allow us to receive a sure witness from the Spirit that what we believe, and more importantly, what we do, is right and true. Don't seek for signs. They're dead ends, and only satisfy a carnal curiosity. The mysteries of God will only be revealed to those who are ready to receive that knowledge; those who have Christ-like attributes and will use their knowledge for good.

I'm out of time! I leave these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

-Elder Kocherhans

March 23, 2015-- Email #74

March 23, 2015

Bagabag, Philippines

Dear Family,

I love the Lord! Just reading about all of those newly returned missionaries, getting emails from friends now in the field, hearing about more with calls (Mozambique... I suppose if anyone was going to go to Mozambique, it would be Mitch Baker (And this also adds further depth to our theory that he would marry an African princess)), and reflecting on the experiences I've had on the mission thus far... it's so overwhelming to think how merciful the Lord has been to us all, as weak as we are, in calling us to be His servants and help carry forth His work! There is nothing more fulfilling, nothing more joyous, and nothing I could want more in this world than laboring in love for God and His children! Now we have two more family members on the way, and all of us have enriching experiences to bring to the table. We have things learned that need to be shared in blessing their lives, and blessing the lives of others. 

I suppose I'll start with Tuesday. I sat in on Elder Olson's first district meeting and it was super good! His district is known as the "relief society district", considering he and his companion are the only Elders in it, followed by 4 sister companionships. He looked just as nervous as I was when I taught my first district meeting. It was a great lesson about helping resolve concerns, and I used a lot of the personal revelation I got there in our work. We had Oreo's afterwards, which are a thousand times better than their Filipino counterpart, Cream-O's (Not to say I don't enjoy Cream-O's every now and then as well). After the meeting we had an incomparably insightful specialized leadership training at the district center in Solano, where Zone and District leaders from Santiago to Bambang came to receive training from President Rahlf and the senior couples. It was so good! I tore through my notebook with golden advice from leaders with years of experience in leadership callings. The Spirit taught my soul so many instructive things that have helped me look at leadership with a new perspective. What I especially liked was the differences we learned between administering and ministering. Ministering truly is Christ-like leadership - following the Spirit in sticky situations, showing love through service and example, looking after the stewardship with genuine love and care, not only doing things right but doing the right thing - All part of our priesthood duty, being foreordained to fulfill our callings and go out of our way to help people on the strait and narrow. 

One thing I hadn't realized as deeply before is that the Lord will sustain us in our decisions, as long as we are worthy and ready. One of the Seniors, Elder Shorter, shared an experience he had when he was bishop that illustrates this point well. One time, a sister in his ward (whom he noted never smiled much) came into his office asking for help. The problem presented dealt with spousal problems, disunity in their family, work, and various other things. He knew he would be entitled to revelation to help this sister, so after she had finished venting out all that was disarrayed in her life, he looked at her and waited for something to say. He looked at the ceiling, then at the floor, waiting for some revelation to give. Finally, nothing came to mind so he simply told her to try and be the kind of spouse that invokes greater love. After she left the office, he thought to himself "well, I wish I could have said something more helpful... but nothing came to mind!" The week after, the same sister dropped by his office (this time, he noted, with a smile from ear to ear), telling him how grateful she was for his advice and that it had all worked out. The Lord wants us to make decisions and help people according to our ability so that we can learn and grow. After the decision has been made, as long as we are worthy and it is according to God's plan, He will sustain us in our decisions. What a great principle! It's best explained in modern-day revelation, D&C 58:26-28:

"For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward."

This last Sunday was one of the best in my mission. Five minutes before sacrament meeting began, there was only a handful of us at the meeting house, and it seemed like the turn-out might be less than favorable. But, in answer to sincere and heartfelt prayers, as soon as the meeting began, members, less-active members, and investigators the like flooded into the chapel. We counted 12 less-active members who came to church and about 5 investigators, all of which had member families fellowshipping them. What a beautiful Sabbath morning! The Gospel Principle class discussion went really well, and over-all everything worked out great, and it became an uplifting experience for all. We definitely saw the fruits of our efforts, considering we focused on less-active families this last week. Despite unexpected meetings and delays, it was a very fulfilling work week. Love it!

This week, during my personal prayers and study, I've come to know the Savior more and more. He's helped me set personal goals that helped me to obtain Christ-like attributes, and the more I work on those goals, I feel how much He has done for me and how unprofitable I am! I can never pay Him back. Neither can I understand how it felt when He suffered. Each one of us was in His mind when He knelt in that garden, pleading to His Father, never turning inward, but always turning outward. We were worth it. We were worth all of His pain and suffering. He knows each and every one of us. We were His unwavering supporters, and although we've passed through a veil of forgetfulness in this life, His impact and His light has never left a single one of us. He's the reason that no matter who you are in this world, or what you believe, there seems to be an almost instinctive sense of what is right and what is wrong. That cannot be denied. Whenever we stray from that light into darkness, there seems to be a distinctive fall in our countenance, on our value for others, and our capacity to love. Whenever we embrace the light, Jesus comes to our countenance, enlightening our understanding on the limitless potential of others, and expands our capacity to love beyond anything we could dream. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. That love is something we must grow to understand and feel, by following the everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the only way we can cast away all our fears, and enjoy an eternal progression yet ahead. We may not yet be perfect, but as Jesus showed us, we can become perfect. 

I love this beautiful life. I'm grateful for the hardships that have helped me appreciate the tender mercies of the Lord. I'm excited for the bumpy roads and steep inclines ahead, on my way to the view from the top, when it will all make sense, and I'll leave the rest to my Savior. In His name, Jesus Christ, amen.

-Elder Kocherhans

March 16, 2015-- Email #73

March 16, 2015

Bagabag, Philippines

Hello Family!

Hope you enjoy those pictures! It's been long enough since I got those out last. The weeks have been flying by so fast. Half of the zone changed this last transfer on Wednesday. It's pretty exciting! Both Elder's Larson and Eudela became Zone leaders, so I'll be seeing them next month. Elder Navarro was transferred to Tuguegarao Ward 4! I was so excited to hear that. I left him a few things to give to the members there, especially to say hi to the DelaCruz family for me. Elder Navarro is such a golden-hearted kid. He's going to do great things in that area. Guess who came down to replace him? Elder Rebojo! My child is following in my footsteps, coming down to Vizcaya with me! Now we're in the same branch again! It's going to be a blast seeing him more often.

The day before transfers, the Bagabag Elders and I had a service project at the Valdez family home. They are the family I sent the picture of my first week here. We chopped wood with dull axes and trimmed some trees with machetes, and our hands became super calloused up. Really got everyone feeling manly. We had an excellent family home evening there later that night, and Elder Navarro cried as he said goodbye to his first area. I remember similar feelings saying goodbye to past areas. What a great joy, getting lost in the service of the Lord, and allowing our Heavenly Father's children, in so many diverse places around the world, occupy such great parts of our hearts. It is all for Him. What a great joy He has called me to labor in love. It is a labor of love indeed.

On Wednesday, we had to wait at the chapel in Solano for a very long time to wait for Elder Rebojo to come down from Tuguegarao, as everyone from Solano and Bambang Zone made their final goodbyes and set off to their next great adventures. All of the new members of the Zone are super energetic and funny, which I love. The new district leaders, Elder Olson and Elder Lawrence, are very humble guys and I can tell they have great potential. We had a Zone meeting on Thursday that went super well. Elder Larona and I decided to mimic what President Rahlf had done at MLC, and perform a role-play for everyone else to observe and critique. At first, we were scared we wouldn't be good enough, but we were determined to be great examples for our Zone in word and in deed. The Spirit strengthened us remarkably, and it was an amazing experience of the power of faith. I know the Lord has strengthened me beyond my own capabilities to carry out His work. Ironically enough, later that day, we had a lesson with a new investigator that followed almost exactly as the role play we had performed did earlier that day. Isn't that something?

The rest of the week has been a test of patience. We were really excited to finally have a good solid work week, and then it seemed all of our appointment would fall through; people were not at home, seemed uninterested, off at work... I realized something that I had learned a while ago that really applied for this week. Sometimes, it is not part of the Lord's timing for us to get 8 lessons a day, or to baptize a whole family, or likewise things that sometimes become selfish desires. Our desires and the Lord's desires are on different planes, and we need to learn patience in order to understand the Lord's timing. We need to accept His timing. I know that whatsoever thing is necessary for the Lord to accomplish, we will know where we need to be, what we need to do, and what we need to say, as long as we're ready, worthy, and willing. The important part is to not lose faith, or else the blessings that may be soon arriving will pass on by without notice.

Another thing I've learned is that charity is a gift of the Spirit, and it fills ones heart just as the Spirit testifies of truth to us. Just like those times we can remember "Oh, I felt the Spirit so strong!", I can also recall times when the divine gift of charity flooded into my heart, so that I could gain a greater desire to serve God's children, and understand their hearts as well. God's love is perfect, and although we won't be able to reach perfection in this life, I believe we will all experience perfect moments, where we catch a glimpse of what it will be like. Just as the Lord showed visions of Heaven to the prophets, we will have moments where we see Heaven, and catch a little taste of perfection, in order to help us press forward, and that we may be special witnesses of that truth to others. God doesn't perform miracles just to show off. He does it for a specific reason to accomplish His plan, and then to have the faithful testify of it's truth. I know that is true, and I have tasted bits of Heaven while in the service of my God in this beautiful land, and I will testify til the day I die, and far beyond, that God loves us, does not change, and speaks to us today. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

-Elder Kocherhans

P.S. Sorry if my English seems to be deteriorating.

  Pictures muna!

Taking a majestic pee into the beautiful Bansing Falls... Joke, but it does look like it no? 

 Bansing Falls, in the mountains overlooking Bayombong.

 Whoever said you couldn't cross a river with a tricee? (On the way to Bansing Falls)

 Early morning fog in Nueva Vizcaya

 Do Filipinos like rice? Yes, by the bucket-full. (Excellently modeled by our own Phil-Am Elder Navarro).

                                                              
                                                              And Filipinos are so short!

The valley of Bayombong again.

"Then, climp up the stairs..." It doesn't matter that it's dark, you still wouldn't be able to see the bottom. That's in Lagawe.

 The Bagabag chapel is almost done!

Know this dog? It has tasted Tyler Haw's flesh. When Cedrick's family lived in Manila, Elder Haws was assigned in their area and was bit by this dog. It struck again just recently, biting Cedricks little brother six times. Ouch!

 We had steak at the Balubal family.

Pancake sandwich at Jollibee (Almost as good as the McGriddle).

Elders having breakfast at Jollibee before Zone Conference.

Who drew this?

Pictures from Elder Larona's camera - 

Elder Navarro being transferred to my old area in Tugue 4th!

Socializing with the Ifugao natives in Banaue. I think I've joined their tribe. Hence, the hat.

The main rice terraces, far in the mountains of Banaue, Ifugao.

 I have a thing for taking pictures with statues.

Top-load on the ride up!

Sunrise in Ifugao.

View of the terraces from further down.

 Sunset in Bagabag.

We were tracting one day when accidentally we ran into a dinosaur.

 Oh, and Mr. Bean.

Elder Larona's camera captures the color better at Bansing.

 Solano Zone before transfers.