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Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently concluded a 10-day visit to the Philippines. During his stay, he engaged with church members, local leaders, government officials, and interfaith organizations.
On May 27, 2025, Elder Kearon visited Maa Central Elementary School in Davao City for the handover ceremony of newly installed water and electricity facilities provided by the Church. Accompanied by his wife Jennifer and Elder Michael B. Strong with his wife Christine, Elder Kearon oversaw the donation of essential infrastructure to address overcrowding issues in Philippine public schools.
The school principal, Ami Lyne Rose Yurong, expressed gratitude: “We can’t believe that we were selected to be the recipients of your generous donations,” she said. “Because of your generosity, our teachers can now focus on fully educating our students without worry of the lack of basic facilities.”
On May 30, Elder Kearon participated in another donation turnover at Elsie Gaches Village in Muntinlupa City. The Church responded to a specific wish list from the center with items including fans, diapers, powdered milk, computers, and specialized wheelchairs. Farrah Angeles-Cabrera from Elsie Gaches Village stated: “The Church was swift to grant our wish list. We are grateful for this immediate and generous support.”
Elder Kearon also attended an interfaith luncheon on May 27 at Buhangin Stake Center in Davao City. The event gathered over 60 religious and Indigenous leaders to promote dialogue and collaboration among diverse faith communities.
During his remarks at the luncheon, Elder Kearon noted a shift towards unity among people of faith: “We’ve really moved from a position...of thinking about our differences first…to this wonderful time now where we don’t look for our differences.” He added: “[God] loves us all equally. He includes every single one of us equally.”
In addition to these engagements, Elder Kearon visited local congregations and met with nearly 300 missionaries at the Philippines Missionary Training Center on May 29. He encouraged them to embody their message through their actions: “You are going to be the message,” he said.
Elder Kearon's visit included a devotional with young single adults in Davao City on May 25 where he emphasized God's love and invited attendees to embrace repentance as a transformative process: “Repentance is a beautiful opportunity to be relieved of our sins and mistakes.”
Sister Jennifer Kearon shared insights using breathing as a metaphor for spiritual well-being during times of stress or fear.
