Events of the Week

On Wednesday, 18 April  2018 we got to go out to Daranak Falls in Tanay.  Elder and Sister Hatch, from Mindoro came up to meet the Mowers (a new couple who are taking their place) and we all got together and drove a van.  We stopped at Elder and Sister Vermillion’s house in Sampoloc to pick them up, then on up to the falls, and there we met the Abrahams.   It was like looking at a beautiful tropical paradise!  We hiked around and enjoyed the stunning scenery.  The kids are all out of school now so lots of families and teenagers were also picnicking and camping.  The temperature was much cooler because of the higher elevation.  Then on the way back we stopped at a popular outdoor restaurant/art studio where they cook pizzas in fire ovens.  It was a great place to visit and sip cucumber lemonade.  We also got to see some beautiful paintings by a local artist and take lots of pictures of blooming flowers along the way.

We got home just in time to shower then go meet the two new couples that had arrived that morning.  The Mowers (from Washington) and the Hunts (from Utah).  President Koster invited us all to meet for dinner at Italianos.  We all had a wonderful time laughing and dining out on the patio.  The Hunts get the job of taking inventory, updating hundreds of keys, and checking all the apartments for this month.  Apparently, in their mission papers, they volunteered to do whatever nobody else wanted to do.  Elder Hunt has served here in the Philippines twice before, and Sister Hunt has been here once before.  (This is their third mission). So they got it!  The problem is, they have not been to the city before and didn’t realize what a challenge they would have!  We hope and pray their heads don’t pop off when they have to slither down the one-way allies and their rear-view mirror touches the elbow of the guy on the motorcycle whom is passing you on the driver’s side. Or, accidentally takes the wrong “slight right” and spend 2 ½ hours trying to get back on the correct route.  I feel for them!  Ha! Ha!

Late Saturday afternoon while we were in Green Hills, Elder Ferney got a call from President Koster asking him t o speak at a fireside in Tagig.  All the Missionaries from that Area and the perspective missionaries had been invited.  So on Sunday evening we invited Elder and Sister Hunt to go with us.  The topic was OYM (open your mouth).  Elder Ferney did an excellent job speaking and then the Stake President invited the Hunts and me to speak.  So we all ended up sharing personal experiences and bearing testimony.  We had about 135 people attend the meeting and afterwards we felt inspired to approach people anywhere, anytime, and start a conversation, which Elder Ferney is pretty good at when we are standing in an elevator with a dozen people crunched in!  Unless a person does not speak English at all, everyone has been very interested in visiting with us.  The 1^st thing they notice is our nametags so that opens up a conversation immediately!  Then they recognize us later and feel comfortable speaking to us.  All the armed guards know us now and they could not be more friendly.  They smile and salute us even when we enter the parking garage.

Earlier that Sunday, the 2^nd Counselor in the Bishopric had invited us to come to his house for dinner.  I won’t exaggerate, I DID NOT want to go!!  When we did splits with the missionaries, I saw what the ward live in and I was dreading it to say the least, but Elder Ferney wanted to go so I reluctantly held to the strap of the seat belt as we 4-wheeled up the steep, rocky, dirt road behind little make-shift shanties.  And what to my delight was a beautiful, two-story new home with a spectacular gate and gorgeous landscaping!  They ran out to greet us and we entered into a lovely home where a huge dining room table was set that looked like a Thanksgiving feast!  It was unbelievable!!  Bro. Berrado is an architect and they built their home a year ago.  He and his wife love to cook and they had truly prepared a Banquet. They also invited the Bishopric, RS presidency YW presidency, and the Missionaries..  Those that got there 1st ate a delicious meal of chicken, crab, pork adobo, salmon, several vegetable plates, and sliced fruits, including mangos, pineapple, melons, and bananas.  And of course, rice, rice, rice.  It was scrum-diddley-umptious!!  Then the 2^nd wave arrived and they sat down to eat while we had a variety of desserts.  It was a delightful day and we so enjoyed the friendly hospitality and fun laughter.  Did you know 1 out of every 5 Filipinos is a comedian?  They make jokes about everything here.  We love them.

We got to attend a Zone Conference  last week.  We drove the AP’s to Antipolo and thank heavens the church building there was air-conditioned.  The meetings were great and it’s so fun to meet wth the missionaries and be there to help out.  It’s really impressive to see them teach and listen to their presentations.  We marvel at how hard they work to hone their skills to do the Lord’s work.  President Dallin H. Oaks said, “We do not preach and teach in order to bring people into the Church or to increase the membership of the Church.  We do not preach and teach just to persuade people to live better lives . . . We invite all to come unto Christ by repentance and baptism and confirmation in order to open the doors of the celestial kingdom to the sons and daughters of God.  No one else can do this”.

One last thing.  As we were finishing up on Friday afternoon,  President Koster dropped in the office, (He is rarely there).  He came to interview a young lady who came up from Mindoro to get her Patriarchal Blessing.   The Patriarch was coming to meet her there and give her the blessing in President Koster’s office.  After the interview, President Koster left for some other business.  Soon the Patriarch arrived.   He needed someone to be in the office while he gave the blessing and he invited me to come in.  I was surprised but excited.  I knew she was preparing to serve a mission.  We took our places, then knelt in prayer together.  She then sat in the chair and he began . . .I thought since they were both Filipino, the blessing would be in Tagolog.  However, in perfect English he gave her one of the most beautiful blessings I have ever heard.  He told her she was from the tribe of Ephraim which surprised me.  When the blessing was over, tears streamed down her cheeks.  It was a very tender moment for me.  I literally felt the love that our Father in Heaven has for all His children.  As she goes out to serve, she will grow in her capacity to learn, teach, and serve others, just like the Savior.  I am grateful for this experience.

XOXOX Ady’os po XOXOXEvents of

 Daranak Falls Tanay

 Hatches from Rexburg

 Vermillian's

 Abraham's

Tender Mercies

The weekend after transfers, our two office Elders and AP’s attempted to park their car right below their apartment in a public parking place.  Prior to this, an individual had set up a couple of barriers marking it as  his own private space, illegally.  So the Elders moved the barriers, parked the car and went up to their apartment to retire for the night.  About 1:00 in the morning, they were awakened by rocks flying through the screens on their windows and pieces of cement were landing on their beds while they were sleeping.  They looked out the window and cold see a man standing below throwing the rocks.  They hollered down telling  him to quit, but he climbed over their gated entrance and began pounding on their door so hard that he made dents in it.  They opened the door to talk to him and he began screaming at them for parking their car in “his spot”.  They said they would move the car and he left. 

The next morning the Elders saw the damage that had been done and it was far more extensive then they had realized.  They decided to file a complaint so they could get the damages fixed because the Landlord would charge them for the repairs.  

They went down to the barangay office (which is a neighborhood section with it’s own government counsel).  They talked with a lady and filled out the complaint form.  After completing the papers, the lady told the Elders they needed to have the assailants name, address, and a photo of him before they could proceed with the case.  Elder Davis thought that was the barangay’s job and began to be very agitated.  The more he thought about it the more upset he got.  It seemed to him that they were not being treated fairly.   He wondered how they would ever be able to get the information required.  They left and stewed over the instructions for a few days trying to figure out how they could find the man’s identity.  A 2^nd appointment was scheduled for the Elders to meet with the barangay.  Just before the meeting, the woman called Elder Davis as he was working in the Mission Office.  She said, “We are going to dismiss this case because you haven’t given us the information we want.”  She also said, “because your not coming to the meeting, you don’t sound interested enough to proceed forward.  

Elder Davis and Elder Jorgensen felt very annoyed with her and asked if they could postpone the meeting until the next day.  She said okay and the following day the meeting was scheduled for 2:00.  After discussing the situation in the Mission Office, Elder Ferney asked, “ Would you like me to go with you”?  All four Elders agreed it would be a good idea and they all went in another room to offer a prayer then drove over together.  They arrived, sat down with the Secretary and ask, “How can we get the name and address”?  After a short discussion, the Secretary said, “Well, maybe there is a camera on the corner that will show us what happened that night.  So they went to another office in the building where the camera monitors were and the people that watch them (PHOTO ATTACHED).  The officers informed Elder Davis that he would need to come and look at some camera footage.  Elder Davis thought he was just going to another office in the building when the officer and he got inside a trikey and drove over to the neighborhood where they live.  There was a camera on a pole right there on the corner that monitored their street!  To see the footage, they had to enter the home of a private citizen.  Before they went in the house, the guilty individual that had thrown the rocks, happen to see them.  He came over and talked to Elder Davis and the barangay officer and admitted, “I am the one”.  He knew there was a camera there and that he would be in trouble.  He didn’t want the complaint to go any further because his father is a high government official.  

While they were getting the camera footage, the man drove over to the barangay to tell his story.  With footage in hand, Elder Davis and the officer went back to the office where the others were all waiting for them.  They sat down with the Barangay Captain who is a mediator.  They discussed the case and it was decided that the man would be responsible to pay for all the damages, and the case was closed.  Afterwards the Captain asked the Elders, “Why did you bring so many people with you?  Then the Elders explained the companionships of Missionaries.

On the way home, it was decided they all had learned how to be calm in difficult situations and that Elder Davis needs to be an attorney.  Ha! Ha!  What a relief!  What an answer to a prayer!  What a blessing it is to receive daily tender mercies!!

It was 93 degrees today in our chapel!  No air conditioning, The ceiling fans saved my life.  From what we hear, these temps will stay up for a couple of months.  HOLY SIZZLE BATMAN!!! 

We made another visit to the Quirino Hospital last week.  I am getting used to it now.  The good news is, they are adding on to the hospital, almost double the size so hopefully that will make room for more beds. 

Today, Elder Ferney helped Sister Lola with the battery in her car.  Yep, he used the tool wrench trick!  It started right up.  Boyet took Sister Lola and I to work and Elder Ferney took her car over to get a new battery.  (Her car is just like ours).  They tested her battery and said it was fine.  So He drove it over to the office.  We needed to leave early this afternoon because we had a couple of repair men coming to fix the air conditioner, a leak in the shower, and get the Internet back up.  We all jumped in the car and you guessed it.  A dead battery!  The guard at the Mission Office rounded up a few perspective missionaries that had come over to play basketball.  They drove their car up, took out the battery and were able to use the tools to get it started again.   After a short time one of the  boys said, now I know why we left a little early this afternoon.  It was so we could help Elder Ferney get this car started!  Yesiree!  It happens ALL the time!

Hold tight to that rod!!!

SMOOTCH