Update

The last few days, have been, for lack of a better word, CRAZY for people all around the world! I am sure you can all agree. I just wanted to write out a quick update on how things are going for my parents and their missionaries. I am sure some of you are wondering how things ended up with getting all of the foreign missionaries of the Laoag mission out of the Philippines. After they were given the news that they had to get all the foreign missionaries, including the Senior couples, out of the country in a rush, my parents said that the task was simply impossible. But then my Dad looked at my mom and exclaimed, "but you watch, it will happen!"  And it did…..

On Wednesday, after a couple of sleepless nights and a thousand phone calls, the miracles were seen – one after another - as they were able to jump insurmountable hurdles until ALL 95 missionaries had arrived safely at their mission home in Laoag.  My mom put together sack lunches and snacks for them all, then my parents shared their final heart felt words and testimonies, they all sang their mission song one last time and then my dad gave a tearful farewell prayer.  They boarded private vans for another long trek to the Manila MTC (another 10 hours away). My parents both talked about the difficult goodbyes that took place as they sent missionaries, whom they loved so much, away without knowing how they were going to make it to Manila because of the restrictions, curfews, and roadblocks.  

Amazingly, ALL 95 missionaries made it to the Manila MTC – and are currently waiting to travel home.  At first, all the Elders were put in a gym with other missionaries and slept on mattresses on the floor and the Sisters were put in a similar room under similar conditions.  The next day, they were all placed in hotels.  They are being fed well and having hot showers ☺ All of the missionaries from the US and Canada will fly chartered flights to SLC on Sunday and then be booked on succeeding flights to their hometowns, but the missionaries from other countries are being booked on flights as they become available. Some will not be able to fly home due to their own country's restrictions and therefore have or will be assigned temporarily to missions within Manila. They are hopeful that after the ban is lifted in Manila, some will be able to return and finish their missions.  

Filipino missionaries who are still in the field (including my parents who now consider themselves Filipinos) are required to be on total lock-down.  That means they can go out for necessities like groceries, but nothing else, so missionary work has changed quite a bit. They do not have smart devices and so the missionaries are keeping contact with their recent converts, investigators and members by way of text and phone calls.  They are doing Come Follow Me over the phone and texting inspiring messages. The missionaries also do not have TVs or DVD players, so my parents have constructed a detailed schedule that includes not only their usual studies, but specific topics to study, daily exercises to focus on, daily specific areas of cleaning, and creative outlets like singing and drawing.  They are constantly thinking and praying for new ways to help them and help the missionary work to go forward given the circumstances. Please keep these amazing missionaries in your prayers! 

-Lacey

My parents were too busy to get a lot of pictures, but here are some of the ones that they did get and shared with us. Captions were written by my mom to our family...

This was the scene at "command central" as Dad and I and our assistants made phone call after phone call most of the night trying to get the missionaries to Laoag.

These two cute sisters helping me put the lunches together

With the travel ban and no busses being allowed on the roads, and the "social distancing" rule that states that everyone has to be at least a meter away from another person, it was quite the task to find enough vans to fit 95 missionaries in. At least no one could complain that they were squished- they all had plenty of room to sprawl out.

In accordance with the Philippine governments travel ban, a team of nurses came to the mission home and each missionary was questioned about their healthy and their temperature was taken, One of the miracles is that not one in 95 missionaries had a temperature. It seems like at least one always does...

Waiting for medical screening 

After all the foreigners had left, we went to check on some of our Filipino Sisters. This is the police going around telling everyone it was curfew and no one was to be out on the streets. 

Elder and Sister Ward, who also had to leave with the young missionaries, helped out until the very last minute.  Besides all the hard work they did in helping the mission run smoothly, they brought such normality and reality for dad and I. Elder Ward can really make us laugh!

The following pictures were taken by Sister Snyder as the missionaries arrived at the MTC: