Things are winding down fast here in the QCPM (Quezon City Philippine Mission)! This may possibly be our last entry. We are so grateful for the Claybrooks and their upbeat attitudes even though their refrigerator broke down right after they arrived. They are willing to serve at whatever they’re ask and the young missionaries enjoy them. They have been invited to teach the Temple Prep classes in Teresa. They will be held on Sundays after church now. We will only have two more times at Ondoy and are very happy to announce the Stake President made a visit and will now recommend a bigger meeting place for us to meet in. We hope and pray they will be able to find something very soon. With the temperatures rising, people are falling asleep and attendance is dropping off a bit.
We were asked to take Sister De Los Santos to St. Lukes hospital to see what could be done to help with her legs. She has one leg three inches shorter than the other and it is becoming more and more difficult for her to walk very far. We met a wonderful Orthopedic surgeon who did his training in Michigan. He recently visited Moab, Utah with his family to do some hiking. He spoke excellent English and was able to determine that when Sister De Los Santos was very young, she contracted Tuberculosis. It got into her bones and caused her to easily suffer a broken leg. Some vertebrae’s in her back have literally fused together because of her curved posture. Her ankle muscles in her shorter leg are so tight that it is putting more pressure on her knee which is causing the most pain. The diagnoses was to get a hip replacement. She is 22 years old. Her immediate option for now was to get a shoe lift which would need to be custom made. The next day we returned back to the hospital for an evaluation about a shoe flitting and the physical therapy she will need 2 - 3 times a week. The poor little thing acts so brave as she hobbles with us to the appointments. Her companions (she has two) are so sThe funniest thing. As we were driving down the street yesterday, dad saw a guy with a T-shirt on that said “Don’t drink and Blog” haha! Since it is 94 degrees and feels like 107 with the humidity, I will be drinking and blogging today!
Things are winding down fast here in the QCPM (Quezon City Philippine Mission)! This may possibly be our last entry. We are so grateful for the Claybrooks and their upbeat attitudes even though their refrigerator broke down right after they arrived. They are willing to serve at whatever they’re ask and the young missionaries enjoy them. They have been invited to teach the Temple Prep classes in Teresa. They will be held on Sundays after church now. We will only have two more times at Ondoy and are very happy to announce the Stake President made a visit and will now recommend a bigger meeting place for us to meet in. We hope and pray they will be able to find something very soon. With the temperatures rising, people are falling asleep and attendance is dropping off a bit.
We were asked to take Sister De Los Santos to St. Lukes hospital to see what could be done to help with her legs. She has one leg three inches shorter than the other and it is becoming more and more difficult for her to walk very far. We met a wonderful Orthopedic surgeon who did his training in Michigan. He recently visited Moab, Utah with his family to do some hiking. He spoke excellent English and was able to determine that when Sister De Los Santos was very young, she contracted Tuberculosis. It got into her bones and caused her to easily suffer a broken leg. Some vertebrae’s in her back have literally fused together because of her curved posture. Her ankle muscles in her shorter leg are so tight that it is putting more pressure on her knee which is causing the most pain. The diagnoses was to get a hip replacement. She is 22 years old. Her immediate option for now was to get a shoe lift which would need to be custom made. The next day we returned back to the hospital for an evaluation about a shoe flitting and the physical therapy she will need 2 - 3 times a week. The poor little thing acts so brave as she hobbles with us to the appointments. Her companions (she has two) are so sweet and caring to her. She packs her big envelope of x-rays to every appointment. Sister Koster will visit with the Area Office to see about the hip surgery after her mission, but for now, it will be a great help to get the new shoes in ten days.
This weekend we get to watch General Conference again. Remember, it’s broadcast here a week later. We will drive to the air-conditioned Morong Stake Center. Since the air conditioner in our apartment is broken down, the repair man is expected this morning at 9:00am for the FOURTH visit. We obviously need a new one (ours is a very old model and has never worked that great) but they want to make sure they try every possibility to fix it before they buy a new one. Okay, that’s fair but this past week we have had sweltering temperatures near 107 degrees!!!
Monday, 17 Apr 2019 will be our last transfer. Claybrooks will be teaching the Education Workshop and we will be more involved with the inventory and cleaning checks of 63 apartments. I’m not sure it’s going to be possible but that is our assignment. Elder Ferney went with Elder Claybrook one day and did several, then the next few days he went with Boyet and completed many more. He loves going with Boyet, - he is a comedian and an expert diver who knows where all the apartments are hidden. Ha!ha!
I feel like it’s going to be nip and tuck to get all the odds and ends wrapped up before we depart. We are both getting more emotional as we realize the fact that we will probably never see our Filipino ward family and our young missionaries that we love so much, again. In closing, I would like to share some words from President Bednar.
“We more fully come to know the Lord as we serve Him and labor in His kingdom. As we do so, He generously blesses us with heavenly help, spiritual gifts, and increased capacity. His spirit is with us as we work in His vineyard.”
“We come to know the Savior as we do our best to go where He wants us to go, as we strive to say what He wants us to say, and as we become what He wants us to become. As we acknowledge our total dependence upon Him, He enlarges our capacity to serve ever more effectively.”
“Serving Him requires all of our heart, might, and strength. Thus, we become less self centered and selfish which are tendencies of the natural man. We grow to love those whom we serve and because serving others is serving God, we grow to love Him and our brothers and sisters more deeply. Such love is a manifestation of the spiritual gift of charity, even the pure love of Christ”.
“We come to know the Lord as we are filled with His love.”
”If Ye had Known Me” (Oct 2016)
Before we came on our mission, we really had no idea the challenges and immense responsibilities of the Mission President, his wife, or the missionaries. We have loved serving with all of them. We are so great full for President and Sister Koster’s dedication, example, teaching and hospitality. There is no doubt the Lord gave them an “increased capacity” to labor in His kingdom!!
We would like to share our thoughts about young Missionaries. They are WONDERFUL!! They come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and personalities. They study, pray, serve, and teach. They endure sometimes unpleasant circumstances, and work long hours. They eat different foreign food and live in meager, humble housing but appear neat and clean at all times. They bouy one another up and learn to communicate with their companions in a foreign language. They adjust and adapt to different cultures and climates. They strive to be obedient and qualify themselves for the Gift of the Holy Ghost. They may suffer with home sickness or other hardships, but they have the desire to serve their mission, honor their covenants, and invite others to come unto Christ. They are young ambassadors of the Lord who lift, encourage, inspire and bless. We love them. We never heard one complaint! It is a joy to serve with them and we feel it a privilege to be associated with each one!
As we celebrate Easter Sunday tomorrow, always remember three of the most important words ever uttered, “He is risen”. The Resurrection of Jesus is the most glorious of all messages to mankind. We pray that you will watch and discuss with you families from the video selections on the Lds.org/media library. They are very powerful and excellent tools for teaching children. Especially, “None Were with Him” by Jeffrey R. Holland and “Jesus is Resurrected”. There are so many to choose from!
We testify that the Savior lives and loves us all.
Hugs and Kisses,
Mom and Dad
Ondoy chicklets
BFF's
Boyet
Morong STL's
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