More than a hundred full-time missionaries from different areas covered by the Philippines Cebu Mission arrived at the Cebu City Stake Center to listen to Elder Gerrit W. Gong of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in a devotional set especially for missionaries on February 19.
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"I'm so grateful and happy to see Elder Gong face to face, his countenance is so strong that I've really felt the Savior’s love through his chosen apostles", said Sister Julian, 19, from Nueva Ecija.
Accompanying Elder Gong was his wife Sister Susan Gong and Philippines Area President Elder Taniela Wakolo and Sister Anita Wakolo. The devotional was conducted by Cebu Mission President Manuel M. Agustin who has led the mission since 2020.
In their testimonies, Elder and Sister Wakolo spoke about the importance of the Book of Mormon. Sister Wakolo emphasized that “It is not a novel, but a testament of Jesus Christ.”
Elder Wakolo shared the trials of Moroni to fulfill his purpose of preserving the record so it can be brought to the people of today. He further shares, “The powerful message of missionaries is the Doctrine of Christ.”
Sister Gong shared with the 118 Filipino missionaries that there will be foreign missionaries joining them soon and that they will train and teach these new missionaries coming into the field.
Elder and Sister Gong were very particular with the experiences and feelings the missionaries had, especially their dealing with the pandemic along with the recent typhoon. Some of them were asked how they felt as they were assisting in relief efforts while they themselves did not have electricity and running water for a month.
Elder Gong emphasized, “Write to your family every week.” Speaking specifically to missionaries with younger siblings and non-member/part-member parents, he said, “If you share your experience with your families, you can be instrumental in their change of heart."
Elder Gong spoke of the value of recognizing opportunities to share the gospel and not hesitate in doing so. He shared an experience of sharing the doctrine of resurrection and redemption of the dead to a woman he shared an aisle with on an airplane who related that she was traveling to bury her son. He asked other missionaries if they had similar experiences, to which some missionaries shared their own. He contemplated, “We don’t know what they need, but Heavenly Father knows what they need.”
Elder Gong also planted the idea that they can become potential leaders of the Church in the future. As this year commemorates the 60th year of the Church in the Philippines, he brought the missionaries’ attention to the much later 100th year anniversary of the Church in the country.
To the missionaries, who are mostly in their early twenties, he posed the idea, “Think where will you be, and where will The Church be, in 40 years. Most of you will be around to see it. What do you think will happen then?”
There are already 8 Temples in operation, under construction and announced. He then posed the question “How will life be different because there will be more temples in The Philippines?”
The 118 missionaries came in from as far as Negros island and southern municipalities of Cebu island to attend the devotional and listen to the apostle’s message.
At the conclusion of the devotional, Sister Pretal from Zambales shared a powerful statement when she said, "The Church and the gospel are true and the process of the Restoration is real."