Mission Doing's

We have joined with the Area couples to hold Family Home Evening on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month.  We all take something for a pot luck dinner and then a couple is in charge of the lesson, game, or whatever.  It is held at the MTC.  Most of the couples are doing dental work or humanitarian work.  The area presidency is also included and are a good source of keeping us updated with news of the church.  There are some fabulous couples that we really enjoy!  They also plan outings once a month so we will get to see some of the Philippines while we are here.

We have been asked to teach the Temple Prep Class to six or seven members of the branch.  It is a bit of a challenge because they speak Tagalog and we don’t.  The missionaries, including Elder Moffett from home interprets for us so that is a BIG help.  

On the 2nd Tuesday every month, most of the senior sisters in the mission travel to Global City to an American Women’s Bazaar.  We leave around 6:30 am and arrive just as the doors open.  It is quite a site.  Jewelry, clothes, handbags, quilts, paintings, etc. are for sale.  It is fun to browse around and support the locals.  One booth carries purses made of capri sun juice boxes.  They are very popular for carrying all your stuff and also make pretty cute temple bags.  I finally broke down and bought a couple.  

For Valentine’s Day, our Branch had a party up to a place called Sierra Madre.  It was about an hour’s drive past our church building in Morong.  They had a Boodle fight, which is a buffet eaten on banana leaves.  They dump rice, eggs that have been marinated in a brine for 23 days, processed meat out of a can, salty shrimp, chopped mango, and a few other unknowns on to the center of the table.  You eat with out plates, and utensils. The flies enjoy it and so do the Filipinos!!!

The AP’s in our office invited us to go with them to Sister Christine Gerale’s house to teach her the gospel.  When we arrived, we were lead back through a narrow passageway past several one room houses to the last place on the end.  We past through the door through a very small area that I thought was her closet, and into an opening about 8 x 10 (I counted the tiles).  That was her entire house.  We counted five cats - all sickly looking, and I was mortified!!!  It was dark, no windows, and the ammonia smell from cat urine was so strong it made your eyes water.  The missionaries plopped down on the dirty floor with Christine, and Elder Ferney and I sat in two plastic chairs which was the total sum of her furniture.  We taught her the lesson and I started to cry.  The spirit was so strong!  She was so excited and wanted to know everything.  She had been estranged from her father and praying for some answers to life’s problems.  She felt we were the answer to her prayers.  We found out that she is a graduate student with a degree in Psychology!  She is working in a call center currently, and is able to financially take care of herself.  She instantly took to Elder Ferney and told him she liked his “insides” (insights) and wanted him to return with the missionaries on their next visit.   The next visit, she had her questions written down and we made sure we got them all answered then proceeded to teach the next lesson.  It went great!

On Monday, we started our PAUWI.  Three days of preparing the departing missionaries to return home.  They all arrive on Monday.  Each Missionary couple teaches a class on subjects to help them be successful when they return home.  Elder Ferney and I were asked to teach a 1 hour presentation on Education.  We talked about the value of a good education and the difference in the income one can make with a college education. We made a power point presentation with quotes from the Prophets, videos, charts, and also financial aid available in the Philippines and also the States.  We felt it went very well.  We will be able to use the same presentation in six weeks when we have the next transfer.  Breakfast and Lunch was brought in and then that evening, all the senior couples went to dinner and President Koster and his wife had a Pizza Party with the missionaries.  The next day we rode in shuttles to the American War Cemetery and Memorial south of Global City.  What a treat!  Freshly cut grass and a beautifully landscaped area where thousands of grave markers stand to honor those who were killed in World War II.  It smelled so good and the air was clear for the 1st time since we have been here.  There was a pleasant cool breeze and we really enjoyed every minute.  President Koster gave an excellent talk about the circumstances involving the conflict and how the gospel was brought to the Philippine Islands.  He said the Filipino people will be the ones to take the gospel to India and China.  

Wednesday, the departing missionaries flew out and four new missionaries arrived.  They first came to the mission home where we had lunch with them, then we introduce them to their new companions and a few hours of mission briefing and pictures.  Each missionary is able to contact their parents within 24 hours to inform their parents of their safe arrival.  

Saturday, we went on our first outing with the Area Couples to Villa Escudero.  It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive thru Manila.  We first rode in a wagon pulled by a single carabao.  Then we all entered the water and ate lunch, on a banana leaf with rice, chicken, etc. etc. only with chop sticks this time.  We drank cocoanut milk right out of fresh cut cocoanuts.  We kept our feet in the water during the lunch sitting at picnic tables.  The water fall straight ahead of us and a view of a volcano.  We then toured a  Pink museum with lots of very interesting artifacts from the Catholic Church and war memorabilia.  It was very interesting.  It also housed butterflies, bugs, and animals found in the Philippines.  These people are very resourceful.  They decorate with split cocoanut or banana leaves and make birds or different designs like origami, then hang them from the trees, make borders around the covered docks, and use them as prizes.  They are very clever and unique.  The highlight was the Cultural Arts Program with native singing and dancing, telling a story about their heritage. The resort employees about 300 people which all sing, dance and run the resort.  The costumes were very colorful. They used bamboo poles to dance with and also tap out the beat.
The ride home took an extra hour, but the van was filled with laughter and fun!!!!!!

 Triky with my three budies

 Cultural Arts Performance at Villa Escudero

 Villa Escudero and boarding carriage

 American War Cemetary

 Teresa Branch, Morong

 Off to the valentine party with our passengers

Entry to Christine Gerale's house

Busy Week!

This week several events took place besides the two zone

conferences.  Elder Ferney, Sister Lola and I did apartment checks in Quezon City South Zone.  It’s like an Easter egg hunt all around the neighborhood!  Winding up and down tiny one-way streets, searching behind metal gates that are locked between rows of little shops and tiny make-shift shacks that the Filipinos call home.  However, we met nice people on the way and were treated by a daddy and his little 3 yr. old girl that sang a song for us.  He was so proud of her!  Finally, after finding all eight apartments we return to the office, work until 7:00, then return home completely exhausted.  The days fly by and we always have plenty to do.

On Thursday, Sister Pfau left for home.  She is President Koster’s sister that served as the missionary nurse working in our office.  She is a 53 yr. old divorced woman who really helped us a lot while we were moving in and getting our phones and the apartment set up.  We hit it off with her and we shall really miss her.  Sister Koster brought taco salads to the office for lunch and we enjoyed eating with the missionaries in the office and having President and Sister Koster with us.  Sister Lola is President Koster’s mother and Sister Pfau’s mother.  At some point I plan to write all about Sister Lola.  You could never describe all her wonderful qualities in one paragraph!  She is an exceptional 79 year old Sister that Heavenly Father put here for me.  If you have ever seen “The Magic Bus” cartoon on television, the character that Lily Tomlin narrates reminds me of her.  She is one of a kind and I dearly love her!!

That evening, we had a lovely dinner at President Koster’s house.  We all enjoyed another nice meal and good conversation.  President Koster shared several funny stories about a particular Mauri missionary sister who he wanted to send home but the Sake President wouldn’t take her back.  She told the President that all she wanted to do was smoke and drink.  Ha! Ha!  we laughed our heads off!

A new couple came to our mission, the Abrahams from Nampa Idaho.  She will be the new nurse and he is helping with the fleet.  He is a computer whiz so Sister Lola and I are making a list of computer things we want him to help us with.  Can’t Wait!  We had 67 baptisms last week so Elder Ferney has been extremely busy with the BCRs.  Elder Finlayson has been training him. He is a young missionary from Utah.  The other young Missionary in the office is Elder Mericadera.  He is a native.  They both speak fluent Tagalog and work their tails off.  Elder Mericadera was born without feet and the bottom of his legs are twisted around.  So it looks like his shoes are on backwards.  He has no fingers but sort of two claws on each hand.  You would not believe how fast he can type on the computer!!! He also plays the piano.  He really is extraordinary.  He has really got a cute sense of humor and we could not function in that office without him.  He is always humming and smiling.  When the President found out that the bottom of his legs were bleeding, he decided to have him work in the mission office.  He has blest everyone’s lives.  Before Sister Pfau left she took him to several hospitals to see what options he had for some surgery.  There are very good doctors here and Elder Mericadera just needs to decide which one he wants to go with now.  I hope he chooses to get it done.

On Friday, The Area has arranged for us to visit a maternity ward in a local hospital.  They use left-over fabric from the Beehive Garment factory and make baby caps for the new born babies, spiff them up with a little crocheted flower & a button.  We invite a few Tagalog speaking sisters to go with us and deliver the caps and sing to them.  It was my first time riding on a trike.   All four of us piled in and off we went.  It was fun, we only had to go about four blocks.  When we arrived, I nearly died.  About a 100 people were seated outside under a canopy waiting to go in.  We met two ladies from the area and went in.  The walls were dirty and there was no air conditioning.  It was like walking into a sauna.  The women were all in one big room mostly two patients in one bed.  A few of them smiled but a few looked away from us.  I felt uncomfortable.  You could see the sheets were dirty and everyone was crammed for space.  There were three rooms like this, with doctors and nurses wearing little white nurses caps all over the place.  I had no idea it would be this primitive in 2018.  The women  were holding their babies and some were crying.  It only took about an hour to walk through and return back to the office in a jeepney.  Also, my first time.   I am going to have to muster up some guts for our next visit.  They do this every other week.  The Sisters told me they usually hand out three times more hats each time they visit and most the time there are three patients in one bed.  So I guess it was a slow week for new babies.

We have been called to teach the Temple Prep class to the Teresa Branch in Morong.  We start tomorrow.  Isn’t it interesting that we taught that class in our home ward before we left?  We hope we can make it work with us speaking English.  We are all prepared and excited to teach.  Let me tell you, I have underestimated the Filipino’s and their gospel knowledge.  They are sharp!  They have studied and they know their scriptures.  We have been very impressed.  They are dedicated, faithful, and diligent.  They are humble and they are so loving.  If there is anything that will help this country progress and improve their living conditions, it is the gospel.  We are convinced 100% that the Lord can make more of your life that you could ever do it alone. 

 We Live on the building on the left

 Jeepneys

 Beautiful landscaping

 Floral Dog

Elder Ferney with trikes in front of Mission Office