Thanksgiving in the Philippines!

Thanksgiving in the Philippines!
Monday, 19 Nov. 2018, at Family Home Evening night, we had a Turkey dinner at the Area Office.  Everyone pitched in to create the traditional dishes to go with the Turkey that President & Sister Smootz provided.  We enjoyed the evening while our guest speaker told us about the time when his father was working as a guard at the Manila Temple, and a military coup attempted to overthrow the government.  The entire account is printed in the June 2001 Ensign by Dallin H. Oaks.  A remarkable story!

We had two zone conferences this same week, and a regular work-day on Thanksgiving Day but took the morning off to drive to St. Luke’s hospital in Manila.  Dad’s bicycle buddy, Dr. Skinner found a Dermatologist to check for pre-cancer skin cells on his bald head so Dad decided to get his checked.  Sure enough, he required the eight treatments.  A cream to be applied every other day.  After the 1st application, he became very miserable and we thought he might have Dengay fever, but after reading the side-effects on the medication, we realized that it was making him feel like he was having a chemo treatment.  He has suffered through it and felt fairly good - every other day.  Bright red welts cover his head and the left side of his face but he has been able to carry on and do all that he needed to do at the office.

Friday night was the highlight so far of our mission.  We went to the MTC for the opening ceremony of “Light the World”.  Over a hundred Filipino dignitaries attended a fabulous sit-down dinner and our missionary choir performed.  They sang about ten Christmas selections that brought in the Christmas spirit.  We helped feed them all before they performed and assisted the Sisters with their red & green scarfs & the Elders with their red & green ties.  Ninety-two missionaries in all!  One Sister played the violin, & another sang a solo part.  A group of Elders sang a beautiful song & one of the Office Elders played his guitar with Elder Christensen from Rigby.  It was so wonderful!  Sister Lola out-did herself on the piano - she has magic fingers you know.!!  She flew back over just to accompany the choir.  Afterwards, we all stepped out to see the temple just across the street for the “Temple Lighting”.  WOW!  Thousands of white lights lit up the grounds and to top it off was a full moon!  Pretty spectacular.

The last week of November, President & Sister Koster attended a Mission Conference in Cebu.  They returned with news that we will be getting iPhones.(not sure when) in our mission & several other changes with nametags, & phone calls to parents.  They told us that the Filipino Mission Presidents are far more strict than the others.  

We had scheduled to take the Carpina family to the Temple on 1 Dec 2018, but Sister Carpina had a baby & they decided to postpone it a few weeks.  It actually worked out fine because we had been asked to do a fireside out in Teresa for all the new converts that same afternoon.  We left at 1:30pm, picked up the van at the Mission home and drove to the corner where we always pick up the Sister missionaries.  Then headed out to Ondoy to pick up some new members.  Finally, off to the chapel,  after the usual one -hour late start, we had a far bigger crowd than we had expected & everyone was very attentive.  We talked about Families & the Temple.  Our selection of short videos worked great with the language barrier.  In between we asked them if they had any questions - it went remarkably well.  Lots of questions were answered & we felt everyone had been edified.  We delivered the members back to Ondoy, drove back to the Mission Home to return the van, & arrived home at 9:00pm.  The Tripoli Family is scheduled to be sealed 22 Dec 2018.

The next morning we left at 8:00 for church - back to Teresa.  Then off to Ondoy for our Fast Sunday Sacrament Meeting.  Lucky us.  We got home an hour earlier this week because we encouraged them to start on time!

This week, while Dad opted to stay at the office with the Elders, Sister Koster, Sister Lola and I went to the Emelda Marcos Shoe Museum in Marikina.  We first had a late breakfast at a place called Rustic Mornings.  A little French outdoor cafe that honestly made me feel like I was back in Paris!!  There was Blue Delft everywhere!  Floral tablecloths & metal garden furniture with paintings of roses hanging on rock walls.  The waffle was delicious & I took an omelette back to the office for dad.  We saw 400 pairs of shoes that the 1st Lady of the Philippines bought from famous shoemakers all over the world.  Size 8 1/2  -  there wasn’t room for all 3,000 pairs!  Did you know she is still alive?  She is 89 years old now and lives in Makati - just down the road.

We have only four missionaries leaving this transfer & they are each leaving on different days!!  This has been very tricky and hopefully it will all work out.  Elder Casares was supposed to be picked up yesterday morning at 5:30am & taken to the airport, but the office Elders didn’t have the correct address for him in IMOS, so the driver couldn’t find him.  Just by a strange fluke, (or was it?) I had hand written down the new phone # of Clem who schedules the shuttles.  Apparently he made it in time because we called his companion & he said he left.  He only had one day in California then he was supposed to get himself to LAX to fly to Israel the next day at 2:30am in the morning!!!   SOME PARENTS!!!!

Last Transfer, I made four flight requests for missionaries to return to the Manila Airport from Mindoro.  They never got the word from the AP’s and missed the flights!!!  NON-REFUNDABLE.  I was completely unaware of it until the next office meeting after transfers were over.  YIKES!  Fortunately we have Boyet.  Another Angel that loves to drive back & forth to Mindoro for us.  I don’t think this mission could function without him.  As Sister Lola puts it, “He is truly a treasure.”

We held our workshops Monday afternoon and the Temple session was yesterday.  So we are ahead of the schedule because the actual transfer day isn’t until 12 Dec 2018.  We have 19 new missionaries coming in, 8 foreign & 11 local.  We have already been receiving notification for missionaries coming in May!

We are in Ether and hope to finish the Book of Mormon by Christmas.  We like to take it slow so we can dissect the passages and research some of the verses.  What a blessing it is!!  Many of the Missionaries are raving about the book “Saints” and we hope to get a copy next time we pick-up the passports at the Area Office Distribution Center.

Our wish is that you will all have a Merry Christmas and that the spirit of love will permeate your homes.  We are so blessed to have each other!  We want you all to know how much you are loved!

XOXOX
Mom & Dad

 Pictures of a road Dad went biking on.

 Christmas Tree in Elwood.

Opening Ceremony of  Light the World !

Morong became a Stake!

After a hectic Transfer on 31 Oct, 2018 which involved four Elders who extended their mission a month and flew out Saturday morning, 30 Oct., the regular group of eight, their workshops on Monday, the American cemetery and a temple session of Tuesday, and their departure on Wednesday morning, plus the two Elders that had medical issues and flew out on Tuesday!  Yep.  Confusing??  As far as I know they all made it home. And Elder Moffett has already emailed me asking if I could go find the scrapbook his mother made him which he left behind!  He is also the one who’s dad sent him $250 and somehow it came up missing in the office before he ever received it.  What we don’t do for our neighbors!!

The Saturday before, we had SEVEN baptisms out in the Teresa Branch!  We took a van, picked up the Sister Missionaries on a corner and took them with us out to Ondoy to pick up a few of the baptism candidates and on to the Teresa chapel.  It was quite a day. Just before the baptisms started, we had a 45 min. photo shoot —didn’t get home until 8:00 pm that night.  Then, off to church Sunday morning.  Afterwards we went out to Ondoy for Sacrament meeting.  Each time we go, it seems different people attend - however the numbers are growing and we now have people sitting outside the house peering through the windows as well as packed inside.  We are desperate to find a bigger place to hold our meetings..  A real challenge!  (The temperature seems to be raising here)

This Saturday we attended the Cultural Celebration for the new 106th Stake in the Philippines.  Teresa became a ward and Morong became a Stake!!  Guess who the new Stake President is?  Bro. Barrados.  He served with Branch President Murillo as 1st Counselor in Teresa.  He and his wife were the couple that invited us to dinner at their beautiful home shortly after we arrived here.  He is going to be GREAT!!  So Teresa and four other branches became wards.  This is going to really make a difference for President Koster because until today, he held the keys for every temple , missionary, and disciplinary court interview involving this large district. We are wondering if he will keep us in Teresa or move us to another branch now.

The Morong Tabernacle Choir performed today, all decked out with new floor length, Mauve gowns - complete with a lilac colored silk rose pinned on each shoulder.  For the Saturday afternoon session they all performed in a traditional Filipino fabric draped over their shoulder with pearl beads laid around their heads like halos.  They sounded amazing - and of course the Brethren all had matching ties.  You could feel the excitement in the air.  President Schmutz, the Area President attended with his wife.  They are a very friendly couple who have already served here as a Mission President.  

We have a new missionary couple coming 20 Jan 2019, which we are looking forward to.  They are 80 year olds from Ivans, Utah and have served in the Philippines before.  Hay!  Maybe I can get them to bring my lipstick over!!  (It is illegal to send lipstick to the Philippines because the tube can contain a weapon).  No Kidding!

Abrahams will be moving to the island of Mindoro in a few weeks.  It is a large rural island about 70 miles away.  It is part of our mission and divided into two zones.  There have been several missionaries that have become ill and the decision has been made for  Abraham’s to move down there for a few months to develop a relationship with some doctors and the hospital because there are times when the missionaries are too sick to return back to St. Lukes in Manila.  We will really miss them in the office!  They are pretty busy hauling missionaries here and there for doctor appointments, testing, and picking up meds at the pharmacy.  During transfers they usually stay here at Eastwood instead of driving back and forth to Antipolo where their house is.  We have fun dining out, shopping at Mega Mall and last night we saw the Nutcracker and the Four Realms. We enjoyed the music and the beautiful scenery at the beginning of the movie——especially the SNOW!!

We also found out there is a missionary couple from Missouri coming to replace US on  4 May 2019.  Our release date is 26 May 2019. (It will probably be changed because that date is on a Sunday). That leaves FOUR more transfers.  And the next two are going to be a breeze because there are only a few missionaries leaving.  By the end of Dec. we will have 170 missionaries in our mission.

There is NEVER a dull moment in the office.  The time is flying by and we cannot believe that this month we will have been gone a year.  We want to thank you all for everything you are doing for us.  If we didn’t have such self-sufficient children, we could not do our missionary work.  We will miss seeing you all on Thanksgiving terribly but we are so happy you are getting together and celebrating all our blessings.

Please enjoy the turkey, potatoes & gravy, cranberry salad, pies, rolls, Jason’s dressing, and we will try to enjoy our rice and hotdogs.  Hahahahaha!

Hugs & Kisses,
Mom

Church in Ondoy with Pres, Koster

Ondoy Branch first Group meeting.

Location of Church in Ondoy

 Bike ride sights!

 How many Missionaries can you fit in a car?

 Teresa Baptism Day!

 Saying good bye to the best AP ever!

 Elders Olson, Jorgensen, And Ropati

 Riding bikes through the parade!

 106th Stake Cultural Celebration

 Teresa Branch at the Cultural Celebration Nov 3rd 2018

Smooth as Butter!

We have a new Mission President.  President and Sister Schmutz have replaced the Bowens.  We met them in the Aurora Chapel where both he and his wife gave wonderful messages about the Holy Ghost, learning to recognize his promptings and follow his guidance.  Afterwards, we had a lovely catered dinner in the cultural hall that was all decorated beautiful for them.  It was a very nice evening.  President Schmutz has already served as a Mission President here in the Philippines (2011 - 2014).  Then was called in the 5th quorum of the seventy in the St. George area.  So for the next several years he will be living back here.


On Sept 19th, our transfer went as smooth as butter.  We now feel more confident with the welcoming and exiting procedures that take up three days of every transfer.  The greatest part is going to the temple with the missionaries!  We are so grateful we have this opportunity to go to a session and enjoy the spirit that is felt there.  Did I mention that during the transfer, we went to the temple and ran into the General YW President, Bonnie H. Cordon and RS Counselor, Sharon Eubank?  That was really exciting to visit with them about our mission and answer all their questions.  

The 2nd Sunday in Ondoy was Fast Sunday due to General Conference being broadcast one week later in the Philippines.  We attended the Teresa Branch then headed back out to Ondoy with the Sister Missionaries. Brothers Barratoes conducted the testimony meeting there which was attended by 7 - 8 sisters, several children, but no priesthood.  A little discouraging.  Hopefully it will pick up.  I always wonder what all the people standing around outside think when they hear us singing hymns.  I hope it will touch them and inspire them to want to join us.

This weekend, we drove out and listened to conference in the Teresa Chapel.  We had already watched it in the apartment on the internet but were excited to see it again.  It’s crazy how much more you get out of it the 2nd time!  We took the four Sister missionaries out to lunch in between sessions on Saturday which was really fun.  We also try to take the office Elders to dinner once a transfer.  They LOVE to meet us at Eastwood for a nice big meal (burgers and omelets at Denny’s).  We love to hear them talk and share experiences with each other.  They are always so grateful for the gesture.  We have a few new AP’s, Elder Aggabao and Elder St. John that are dear to us!  They work their tails off and we so appreciate their laughter and enthusiasm as they do the Lord’s work.  

Coming up on November 13-14th is when they will make Teresa a ward and Morong a Stake.  So everyone is starting the preparations for a Cultural Ceremony.  In the meantime, one of the couples that took our temple classes has been having the missionaries teach their children and getting them all baptized so they can go to the temple.  They will be getting sealed this month.  Also the other little couple has asked us to schedule their temple date but would like to do it when their Mother can come with us so we are waiting to hear when that will be.

We wholeheartedly sustain President Nelson’s course correction to us as members of the CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.  And as missionaries it is going to be a lot easier to encourage new members and investigators to attend a two hour meeting as opposed to the three hours.  But in the meantime, be obedient and seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost so you can reap all the blessings that are promised to you because we love you and we want you all to be happy!!!

XOXO

You do not need a pick up! 

 Traveling store!

How many sister can you fit in a car?

It's been a crazy roller coaster month!

It’s been an emotional, roller coaster month!  First of all 18 Aug. 2018, Elder Ferney was invited to baptize two candidates from our Teresa Branch that SIster James (from Canada) and Sister Teodore (Filipino) had taught.   We were excited to drive up to Teresa on Saturday afternoon to meet Garry Bandibus, and his son, Jazvi Bandibus.  Bro. Bandibus’ wife was already a member and it was fun to feel the excitement in anticipation to become member of the Church.  They were so full of gratitude and the spirit was so strong as Bro. Bandibus bore his testimony afterwards.  It was really very touching.  Then afterwards, . . .the photo shoot.  They were both confirmed the next day, on Sunday..

The visits that we had planned weeks ago, out to a refugee community called Ondoy was finally scheduled for a Monday afternoon.  The RS had panned to do a Family Home Evening and provide dinner for approximately 30 members who are unable to attend church because they cannot afford the trikey fare.  (90 pesos - one way = $1.75 per family).  We wanted to see if there were enough people to possibly start another branch out there and also find a place where meetings could be held. After weeks of rain, we prepared a get-to-know-you game and headed off to meet the RS presidency at the church.  We took a van and loaded plastic chairs, hymn books, tubs of food, three sisters and one husband who was a member of the bishopric.  Brother and Sister Baradeos and the missionary sisters drove their car.  We met at a single member’s home that had a couple of wood benches, a bed frame with a pad on it and a TV on a desk in the corner.  Fabric hung in a doorway separating his living space from the CR/laundry room.  No running water but he did have an electric outlet.  They scrambled to borrow a few fans and plugged them in and we packed in all the chairs, sat them in a big circle and began the activity.  The members finally arrived with mostly children whom I must say were very well behaved.  After singing the opening hymn, Sister Hernandez gave a lesson about the Book of Mormon.  She handed everyone a reading chart and challenged them to start reading it again.  Next, it was our turn to play a game.  We had prepared 60 simple questions which were geared to them, and printed them out on brightly colored paper.  We cut them into strips, rolled them around a pencil and stuck a paper clip holding them in a roll.  At the last minute, we removed all the paper clips and put the rolls in a big clear plastic jar with a big lid.  Each person picked out a question and gave their answer.  It started lots of conversation and laughs.  We could see they were really enjoying it.  Then we served everyone a huge plate of noodles with some kind of sauce and cut up veggies in it.  They also received a square of jello-like substance which was brown in color.  Everyone ate as much as they could then they got some sort of store-bought marshmallows that were covered with brown sugar coating.  We had a photo shoot then packed everything up and headed for another area further out.  It was a considerable distance away and we were quite surprised it would still be in our branch boundaries.  We met a family that we recognized from the branch in their trikey on the outskirts of the community and they led us to their neighborhood where we met more members unable to afford the trikey fare to church.  This community was far bigger with about 8,000 houses.  Pinugay had a huge new school being built and rows of sari-sari shops.  You could see rooftops from where we stood that covered the entire valley, and beyond.  Of course, sticking out like a soar thumb was a huge Iglesia ni Cristo Church.  They are large prominent church buildings with huge steeples (designed like the SLC Temple). They are painted a light grey with bright white trim and have a white tile roof which makes them really stand out against all the other dingy buildings covered with diesel fuel film.  The clouds were a dark grey that day so the building really popped out as soon a we broke thru the trees.  (These churches are very numerous in the Philippines)

We entered a small cement, government placement house and met a very friendly young family.  We served them dinner and had a nice visit.  It started to rain so we headed out.  We had all sorts of questions concerning missionary work in this new-found area, and couldn’t wait to get back and report to President Koster.

25 Aug. 2018 We met at 6:30 am at the Area Office for a tour of Volcano and Lake Taal.  It was about a two hour drive south of Manila.  Then we loaded on some boats which took us across the lake to the island where the Volcano was located.  The boats had Toyota 4-cylinder motors with 5-speed transmissions and reverse.  The drivers used a clutch and shifted gears like a car.  After arriving on shore, we had the option of riding small horses up the steep rutted trails or hiking up.  We chose the latter.  It was about an hour hike and fairly steep.  At the top you could see the deep caldron which also had a lake in the bottom.  -A lake within a lake - and a volcano within a volcano-
The view was spectacular and the cool breeze was refreshing off the lake.  I opted to ride Elder Whitehead’s horse back down which went much faster.  Elder Ferney bought a T-shirt, then we loaded up in the boats and headed back to the shore.  Being on the water was fun.  It was a little rough and water kept splashing in on us. We were pretty well drenched by the time we arrived!  Haha!!

On the way home we stopped and had a leisurely lunch in Lipa.  Everyone thought Mexican food would be good so we actually found a Mexican restaurant & feasted on tacos.  Then two more hours back to the Area Office and home.

Last Sunday, 2 Aug. 2018 we were invited up. To the Quezon City North Mission.  Two of the Senior Sister Missionaries asked us to come and see Elder Belnap, a young man from our home ward in Idaho Falls.  Elder Skinner (the doctor at the area office who rides bikes with Brad) found out about it and asked us to deliver some medication to him and since Elder Belnap is headed for home on the next transfer, we decided to make the trip.  After church we had lunch and then started our 2 hour journey.  We picked up Sister Morris at her apartment and headed to Elder Belnap’s apartment.  Un-be-known to us, Sister Morris had planned our visit as a surprise!!! When we finally arrived, it was a thrill to see the look on his face!  Priceless!!  We all entered in and had a lovely dinner served on China together that Sister Morris and the landlady had prepared.  It was a very enjoyable evening.  Elder Ferney was asked to share his conversion story and one of the companion missionaries kept saying, “This is just what I needed to hear tonight.  Thank you so much for coming and sharing your story with us”.
We all gave hugs and headed back to drop off Suter Morris, who by-the-way, is a sister to Ron Howard.  A guy that Elder Ferney met up at Targhee riding bicycles with Noah and Hayden.  WOW, we about flipped out when we discovered who she was.  It really is a small world!!

I have been impressed to share with you what happened in our Sacrament Meeting last week.  A young 10 yr. old boy whom had just been baptized about three weeks prior, stood up to bare his testimony.  He is the only member in his family.  About a year ago his mother fell in a man-hole and broke several bones in her legs.  She has a rod and pins in her legs that poke out and have never healed.  We don’t know much about his father, only that he is never around.  On the day JR  was baptized, the Sister Missionaries asked us to attend.  JR was on his own with his younger sister that he was taking care of.  The baptism was performed and that little Filipino boy was filled with joy!  He beamed from head to tow.  We gave him and his little sister a ride home afterwards. . Quite a distance from the chapel.  You remember it gets dark here by 6:30 so it was very dark as we drove up a little muddy road to his house back in a wooded area where there were no lights at all.  We couldn’t make it all the way because the rain had made the road so bad.  Under his umbrella, Brother Peralta, also riding with us in the back seat, offered to walk the two children down the last narrow passage to their home, which had no electricity or running water.  When he returned to the car, he mentioned their poor living conditions.  We then dropped Bro. Peralta off a few miles away and headed home in the pouring rain.  Since that night we have noticed JR at every church function.  He is the 1st on there and the last one to leave.  We have wondered how he gets to and from his house so far away.  

Now, back to the Sacrament Meeting.  JR began to share his testimony and express his love of the gospel and his gratitude for being baptized, and then he stopped. He started to cry, so hard he could not talk.  For the 1st time, the congregation was dead silent.  It literally broke my heart.  Finally after several minutes, he was able to get some words out (in Tagalog) then took his seat.  I do not know what he said but I felt  his love for the Savior and our Savior’s love for him.  

After the meeting, Sister Hernandez turned around to see my eyes filled with tears.  She told me that JR wants to live in the church house so he can be loved and taken care of.  Several times they have found him there on his own.  Members have provided him with food and clothing.  As I started to cry, she said “Don’t worry Sister, we will take care of him.  It will be alright”.  I choose to believe her because JR is a very special 10 yr. old and the members of the Teresa Branch are very good people.

I am grateful that Heidi persuaded me to do this blog.  Although it is a real challenge for me to take the time and focus on this, we can look back and see so many instances that we probably would have forgotten about.  All these experiences help to strengthen us and make us better missionaries.  WE CAN DO HARD THINGS.

Hugs and kisses to you all!!!

Coming up next, the Mission Tour with President and Sister Schmutz, the predicament of Sister Gozen, and you guessed it———Transfer Week!


Sent from my iPad

 Filipino Fruit - Yummmmmmmm

 Bro. Abrahams B-day Pizza Delivery

 36 Inch!

 Visit with Elder Belnap in the Quezon City North Mission

 Departing for home

 Headed down to the boats

 Loading for return trip

 Naval Family car

 Ondoy Community

 Family Home Evening afternoon in Ondoy

 serving dinner in Pinugay

 Investigating Crew - Outskirts of Ondoy

 The Inglesia ni Cristo Church

 Bandibus Baptism with Sisters James and Teodore

 Visiting Cockroach in the Office

 All aboard to see the Volcano

OSHA approved off ramps