Last week we received a phone call from the Missionary Department informing us that we would not be able to return to the Philippines to complete our mission. This was due to the covid-19 pandemic, specifically: in both the Metro Manila area and Utah, as well as many other areas of the world, the medical situation is still getting worse; our having less than six months left before our release date; and since I (Russell) am turning 65 soon, Missionary Medical considers me a greater health risk . We have also learned that to date almost no senior missionaries who returned early have been allowed to go back out and almost all new senior missionaries called with start dates from April through September have been postponed or are serving from their homes. When we left Antipolo, I thought we might be back by July. Eileen has been telling me that I was underestimating the severity of the situation. Once again she was right. I should have listened more closely to the Mission Nurse, particularly on this medical situation.
In his April 2020 General Conference talk titled, Shall We Not Go On In So Great a Cause, Elder M. Russell Ballard invited us, “As we listen to the Spirit during this 200thanniversary celebration this week-end, consider what offering you will present to the Lord in righteousness in the coming days. Be courageous—share it with someone you trust, and most important, please take time to do it!”
Both Eileen and I decided to take up Elder Ballard’s challenge; Eileen to organize her over 80,000 photo library and then utilize it to add to ancestors profiles in Family Search, and for me to write my personal history. We have used the time at home provided to us by the pandemic and each been successful in our efforts. We have also worked/served a day or two a week in the Missionary Department; Eileen doing medical screening of senior missionaries and I doing projects for Senior Missionary Services related to office missionaries. Since returning home, both Eileen and I have occasionally been involved in supporting the missionaries in Antipolo but the time involved has been minimal.
While this is not the way I would have imagined our mission to end, I am glad the Church was concerning with our health and evacuated us when they did. I can clearly see that the Church is led by a prophet and that President Nelson has been preparing us for this latest challenge; be it the Come Follow Me program, telling us to prepare for an April Conference like no other last Fall, reacting quickly to close Church meetings and Temples worldwide, etc. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served in the Philippines and look forward at some later date to serve on another mission.
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