Mission Possible

Only in the Philippines, volume 3!!

2012-02-20T21:47:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been two weeks since I have updated this blog! I am SO sorry, my family and friends. We have had a busy couple of weeks but I have always been able to fit this hour in before...I will repent!!

Randy and I created an instructional fireside entitled 'Family Home Evening' [original, huh?] to help give these families tools to keep their families close but also to help their respective branches with the new area goals which include fellowshipping and rescuing less-active members who, for one reason or another, have lost their way after their baptisms. That is a common thing in the Philippines-in the past five years, only about 20% of the new members are still active. That is a shocking statistic but true-our goal is to bring them back with renewed strength and a change of heart. We thought having successful and consistent Family Home Evenings would help the current families as well as providing a catalyst for them to invite their less-active friends, extended family members, etc. We also thought it is important as these families return to church, they have a strong and actively engaged unit to come back to so under the direction of our wise and all-knowing Mission President, WE [meaning the senior couples] are taking on a new role of strengthening the currently active members. With that new direction, we will help to provide a place of teaching and strength to the returning families.

Our fireside is only one hour and is really fun. We start with a 'role play' of OUR early Family Home Evenings. The missionaries from the unit we are visiting help us with the little skit as we re-enact an early FHE in the Shaner household-Dad lecturing, boring us all to death and when the 'kids' start to act up, I jump up, yell and scream that "I HAVE HAD IT!! WE ARE DONE! THIS ISN'T WORKING AND WE ARE NEVER DOING FAMILY HOME EVENING AGAIN!!! GO TO YOUR ROOMS!!" My kids would tell you that is not far from the truth..

We then have a series of slides on a powerpoint that give them the tools for a successful evening, some ideas, experiences we have had, suggestions and most of all, the spirit has been teaching all that were there the importance of the family time. In the Philippines, we have been invited to several Family Home Evenings and most of them are boring-the 'lesson' is long and often times, just a lesson that the dad is planning to give in church the next week. If families are to have a close relationship, they MUST have fun together so we are stressing the fun part of the evening. Up to now, we have given the presentation to four different branches and will have our fifth this Saturday night. It has been fun!!

And then there were 10!!! This past week we also welcomed a new senior couple to our mission, Elder and Sister Laker from Utah. They bring with them a diverse and extensive knowledge of the gospel, it's principles and many years of experience with leadership callings. [He was just released as a Stake President before submitting their papers.] We are so thrilled they will be part of our team...

And then there were ten! The Laker's finally arrived.
Sister Carlos, me, Randy, Sister Russell, Elder Russell, Elder Breese
Sister Breese, Sister Laker, Elder Laker and finally, our Fearless Leader,
President Carlos...

Now, I think a few pictures can say more than I can with words...

Only In The Philippines...Volume 3

A truck packed with recycle sharing the road with pedestrians and cyclists

Wish I had brought my polka dotted boots!!

A kulig kulig-a common vehicle that we also share the road with!

Anyone need a potty break?

Sometimes we see entire families piled on a 'cycle' for transportation

6 foot tall poinsetta's-they actually grow wild in some areas.

These were grown in pots

A lonely meemaw comforting a crying 3 month old Archibald

Even carabou's have babies...

Miles and miles of rice, each one planted by hand..

Judy, I wish you could see this one in person! They are SO gorgeous!

We also share the road with Calisa's

and trycies and motorcycles as well as bicycles!!

These people have amazing balance!

Sister Carlos is 5' tall and you can see
this lizard that the Assistant's brought home
for dinner is almost the same size-I guess
it was delicious but I can't say from experience!! whew!

These roads have NO law enforcement so it is a race
to see how many people can be piled into a
vehicle...

Things are hand crafted here and it is fascinating to watch.

Dinner anyone?

This week will be another busy one. We have two area seventy's from the First Quorum of the Seventy coming today to preside at two different leadership training and member/investigator devotionals, one in Ilagan and one in Tuguegarao. Sister's Wixom [General Primary President] and Dibb [General Young Women's President 2nd Counselor] will be the guests speakers for the leadership training. We also have missionaries going home and another transfer meeting on Thursday...never a dull moment here in this glorious country. We are loving the experience and thank the Lord daily for the good health that has allowed us to serve.

Hi ho! Hi ho! It's off to move we go!!

2012-02-07T17:37:00.002-08:00

Finally!!! A goal is accomplished! A few months ago, I was visiting the sister's apartment in Roxas and needed to use the CR. I was appalled! It was less than adequate and I privately sent myself on a mission...FIND THOSE GIRLS A NEW PLACE TO LIVE!!!!!! Lo and behold, we found out a couple of week ago that this summer when the Russell's go home, we will be in charge of all of the housing in the mission and so I guess my quest wasn't too out of line. One house we found a month ago was wonderful but we didn't act fast enough and it was gone...then we found the greatest place for them in the same area as our Zone Leaders...in fact, they are backdoor neighbors..but a very tall cement block wall topped with barbed wire separate the two! hahaha! Elder Griffiin, one of our current Zone Leaders, is so tall that he actually was looking over the wall on moving day and found out 'our secret'...we knew it but we weren't going to inform the youngsters..

This past week we had our District Meeting on Tuesday then all the missionaries in the district stayed to help move the sisters. We also had help from two Elders who came from a nearby town to lend their muscles. Many young arms and hands make OUR work much easier. It took us 5 trips and the move was accomplished...those girls were prepared and completely packed! They were awesome in having stuff ready to go.

We went to lunch first at Jollibee...the Philippines answer to fast food-a little like McDonald's but not really. They have burgers and fries but also fried chicken, rice, spaghetti, and other Filipino dishes. Each bought their own lunch and then I treated them all to dessert-a chocolate sundae. They all smiled when the tray came sporting their desserts.

Our district at Jollibee

Elder Rausa modeling my new hat and Elder Caamic, our District Leader

The cute sisters, excited about a new house

Elder Laurente helping carry in the stuff!

Elder Oliver and Elder Llorin taking a needed break

Here comes the beds!!

So glad we had the muscles to help!!

Elder Shaner and I decided a couple of weeks ago to help with the rescue mission by giving the members in our district some 'tools' to help them in their fellowshipping and in their own families. My children would tell you that we were far from perfect with OUR Family Home Evenings when they were MY kids but it wasn't because we didn't try. Back then, there were not as many helps available and our first home evenings were pretty boring I think. Then we had teenagers who didn't really want to be there and interrupted constantly so we finally just gave up and did activities together for the most part. Since coming here, we have seen the true benefit of having regular family home evenings and have also witnessed the benefits in our children's families who use that program for family time. With that said, we have put together a one hour fireside that will give the members some valuable tools to use within their families. Randy did a power point with some fun slides, [we even have Kim delivering baby Jesus in our slide show!] and we do a fun presentation with lots of good information he gleaned from the lds.org website. Our first fireside was last Sunday and we got some good feedback. Our next one is tomorrow night and we have two others booked. Our hope is to instruct the members, give them a small handout with the bullets and information we used then, if invited, help them in their homes to work with their families and teach them the value of that program.

A week or so ago Sister Carlos emailed me about the possibility of our being asked to attend a Family Home Evening in Naguillian. Apparently there was an investigator family who had experienced a recent tragedy and with our history of losing a precious grandchild, it was thought maybe we could help and empathize with this sweet mom and wife. I guess Bryan was working on a truck with another employee in their company and unbeknownst to him, the other fella was not a good man. He was targeted in a nearby mountain province for assassination and unfortunately, Bryan got in the line of fire and was killed. That was on December 31st and his mother just cannot move on. [the words of the sister missionary] We went on Monday and had a nice evening. The mom 'can't move on' and I assured her that there was no set timeline for 'moving on' and she needed to take the time she needed. It has only been 6 weeks!! Her family was getting frustrated, I think and we discussed the fact that there is NO set timeline. This was her favorite child and she is devastated, as I can imagine. He had a 5 month old son and a beautiful wife who are now living with his parents. In the Philippines, there is a tradition of 40 days...40 days after the death of a loved one, the family gathers and celebrates and Monday night was HIS 40 days. Because of that, all of his siblings, cousins, etc. were there so it was utter chaos! Randy gave the lesson he had planned and people disbursed some but it was still very noisy. He took the mom away from the action and knelt down in front of her-he bore his testimony, shared her pain and through her tears, she was very grateful. There is some violence here but not in the areas where we are living/serving. The mountain villages are more primitive and we see lots of corruption and violence. Guess we will stay here where it is safe!

Part of the Paclibar family-Bryan's widow and baby Justin on the left

Baby Justin Bryan Paclibar

It is springtime in the Philippines with cooler than normal mornings and pleasant days. I can honestly say I don't miss the snow...YET! I love the seasons and really mourned the loss of fall. When we come home in a couple of years, we have NO idea where we will live, what we will do, if we will work, where we will work...those things are 'by and by' as my Filipino friends say, meaning 'eventually/in the future and not to be concerned with now'. Everything will work out and for now, we are doing all we can to strengthen, uplift, teach, support, and in short, work our own little miracles here in the vineyard the Lord has trusted into our care...ingat [take care] and remember to hug your loved ones. That is probably what I miss the most...

A wonderful day at Magat Dam

2012-01-31T15:48:00.000-08:00

It was an absolutely gorgeous day last Saturday as President and Sister Carlos and the two of us took a short 'break' from our traditional bedlam to visit nearby Magat Dam. It always sounded scary to me as the name is pronounced like the little flesh eating bugs we have in the US and for some odd reason, that wasn't appealing to me. Well. my friends, it was a marvelous day! The weather has been cold to the Filipino's and wonderful to us the past month but this day was a little warmer, a little dryer and the sun was shining as we entered the area. This dam is amazing...it covers 17 square miles and is the largest man made dam in Asia.

Magat Dam is a multi-purpose dam which serves as a source of hydroelectric power and as a source of irrigation water for about 210,000 acres of agricultural land. I believe I mentioned in an earlier post about this being an agregarian society.

The hydroelectric power plant is a four-unit powerhouse with a rated capacity of 360 megawatts. The hydroelectric plant is a peeking power plant which means that it only operates when there is a high demand for electricity in the Luzon power grid to which the plant is connected.

The water stored in the reservoir is enough to supply about two months of normal energy requirements. [thanks to Wikipedia for these facts and figures]

When we arrived, we found the pier and climbed aboard a 'boat'...I use the word boat very loosely as it was more like what I imagined I would see in Vietnam. Brenda and I got on first and she spotted water in floor of the the front section where the driver was going to sit. She repeatedly asked about the water, fearing a leak and when she got no response from anyone, just closed her eyes and accepted...Jerry was our 'driver' and I use that word loosely also...

Our boat

One of the industries in this area is the raising and selling of live tilapia. We see tilapia farms frequently. Many of our members and investigators will have a small tilapia pond on their property where they raise, use and sometimes sell in roadside stands the local fish.

An enclosure for tilapia

This man is 'tending' his farm

A cute home on the banks of the dam

Another farm area with a floating shed for storage

What a gorgeous sight

No caption needed-us girls...

While shopping in Santiago one day, Brenda spotted a lady carrying a great purse. Not being too bashful [an understatement for sure!], she ran up to her and asked her where she got that great purse! When the lady told her she had made it, Brenda offered her money on the spot and that sweet lady took her things out of 'her' purse, took 300 pesos [about $6.50 US] from Brenda and my friend had a new purse. When she got back here and we all saw it and heard the story we all wanted one or two and while we were there, we visited her and bought the ones we had ordered. They are made from the reeds of these waterlilies. She harvests them, cleans and dries them out and weaves them into a great purse. I am bringing a couple back for my 'stash' for my girls to choose from when we get home but will use one of these for a while. They are really pretty!!

Aren't these unusual..and made completely by hand!!

These are water lilies that grow in and on the banks of the dam

Jerry, our navigator

This is a home for a family-in the middle of the dam. See the dog and chicken?

President and Sister

You know these two...

Days like these are few and far between. This was the first 'P' day [or preparation day..a day to stop your regular activities and catch your breath] that the Carlos' have taken since they arrived in June of 2010...I truly believe they needed a day off, even if it was only a few hours.

After a relaxing time, it is back to work for these four missionaries because the work continues...oh, and by the way, I am two for two on my new glasses project-the second man was at church last Sunday, I am told, and we will go visit him tonight. Welcome February...have we really been 'out' for six months???? As the saying goes..'time flies when you are having fun'...and we are! We work hard, sleep hard, work hard, sleep hard, etc....and occasionally take a breather...

Glorious, glorious, glorious...

2012-01-25T15:54:00.000-08:00

Spencer and me last July..what a kid!

The most glorious day occurred in our family last Sunday night in Utah and Monday morning for us. We were invited to attend [by SkyPe] the ordination of our first grandson to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and to be ordained to the office of an Elder in that priesthood! What a grand experience it was for us to see those men gather around him and to have his dad place his hands on Spencer's head. The blessing he gave was wonderful and because of that ordination, that sweet boy that Grandma Cheezie always called 'Pence' will be eligible to fill out his papers, submit them to the church and follow us into the mission field. It will be so exciting to see where the Lord needs his skills and his personality. We had an Assistant to the President here whose name is Elder Hale. He became such a beloved missionary because of his love for everyone, his radiant and willing smile, his work ethic-he was always there to help with anything with NO hesitation-his contagious laugh, his humility and most of all, his love for his Father in Heaven and his Savior. Randy and I always felt drawn to him and just this past week I realized how much our Spencer is like Elder Hale...he is kind, compassionate, loves his family and the Lord. Spencer has always been such a 'yellow'...if you know the color/personality test you will know he is fun, happy, non-confrontational, gets along with all people and in short...a joy to be around. When Spencer enters a room, everyone is attracted to him. We are so pleased with his choices in life and will wait for the call that we need to be on SkyPe for the opening of the envelope! Randy and I told Spencer to let us know and we will get up in the middle of the night if needed to attend that event! I will be most interested to find out where he is going-he is a physically fit guy [currently holds the state record in javelin in Utah] so a physically hard mission [like the one we are currently serving] would be a piece of cake for him. There are many such missions in the world, mostly in third world countries, but time will tell...I will give you all an update when that day arrives.

Our Zone Leaders had a great training lesson on Tuesday. We have either Zone or District meetings on Tuesday morning and I am always amazed at the communication and teaching skills these young men have. They are basically just kids and come here for two years to serve the Lord. In that time, they gain so many wonderful life skills. These two, Elders Griffin and Rausa [we lovingly call them 'Mutt and Jeff' because of their height difference] taught us as the Savior would. We love these two young men and are so grateful they are our leaders.

Elder Griffin and Elder Rausa

When Randy was in his District Presidency meeting last Thursday afternoon, I teamed up with the Sister Missionaries and because we then had a vehicle, were able to cover quite a few visits together. One home we stopped by was the Delphinodo family. The nanay has been an active and supportive member for a long time but the tatay hadn't been to church in about 8 years. The sisters had been by and visited but I had not met them. We sat on the porch of their humble home and the sisters shared [in tagalog] a message with them and then turned to me. I only speak in English so the sisters usually need to translate if the members/investigators don't understand much English. I had been tuned into their discussion and had the basics of what the sisters had shared so I knew they were asking him about his faith. I am not sure if it is because I am an American...I am so tall to them...I have light skin, hair and eyes...or what but many times I have had the ability to be very bold with the members and not offend. I felt that I needed to corner this man and those of you who know me know I am not the confrontational type.

I simply asked him why he didn't attend church. He muttered some answer and I took his chin and turned his eyes to meet mine. I told him the Lord loved him...the Lord needed him...his wife loves and needs him..and finally asked him if he was praying and reading the scriptures. With downcast eyes, he shook his head 'no, sister'. I again turned his eyes to meet mine and asked him why he was not reading his scriptures. 'I cannot see them Sister'. When I asked him if he WANTED to read them, he hesitated for along time and shook his head yes. Then I gave him a challenge with a promise...'if I provided a way for you to read them, would you promise me that you would pray and read them every day, finish the first chapter of 1Nephi before I come back next Tuesday and go to church with your wife on Sunday'? He nodded yes.

We finished our time together and then hopped in the car. IMMEDIATELY we went to the palenke, bought a pair of reading glasses and drove back to his house. We happened to pass him on the road as he was bicycling to work and he stopped. The surprise on his face as he realized I kept my promise and the hope in his eyes when he then realized he needed to keep his.

Tuesday we went back as promised and Randy got to come with-HIS ENTIRE COUNTENANCE HAD CHANGED!!! I am not kidding you...he looked so different! We did introductions, started with a prayer then I turned to him-did he follow through??? ABSOLUTELY HE DID! Then in tagalog amid many tears he related the following story..

He went to church as he promised me he would and when he walked in the door, the members flocked around him shaking his hand and patting him on the back. How do you think that made him feel?? It was a glorious day for him. He had a home...he was wanted...he was needed...he was back! He related that experience to us and with tears streaming down his face [and ours too], told us that he has had a total change of heart. He no longer wants to partake of coffee, miss prayer with his wife, miss studying the scriptures with her and most of all, activity in his branch has become a high priority to him again.

The Delphinodo family with the Sisters and us on their porch

Last night a similar thing happened as we visited with President Munoz. I again challenged a man who has a wonderful family, a return missionary for a son, a wife who is active, etc. When I asked him about reading the scriptures and got the same answer, I just held my palm up to Randy, he handed me the keys and off I went, right in the middle of the lesson. This time I bought 6 pairs of reading glasses!! hahaha! He has promised, as did brother Delphinodo, to rise up to my challenge and time will tell if the fruits of my efforts will pay off again. I feel like my new tools are a nudge from the Lord...I can afford the glasses and because of the poverty here, it is difficult for many of them to solve that problem and soon, their inability to read becomes their excuse...I am simply removing the excuses. A simple investment of 100-120 pesos [about $2 US] will bring them blessings they can't imagine! Oh, I almost forgot to tell you...the Delphinado's are talking temple, had questions about the cost, and are enrolling in the 'prep' classes on Sunday. I know, it is only ONE week that he has returned but if you could all have seen his eyes...you would also know he is back!!

My new tools...

Our weather is warming...the air is becoming more humid...the rice is planted...our lives are ever changing. This is such a grand experience for us-I thank my Father in Heaven every day for allowing me to come and trusting me, this silly mid-western gal, to touch the lives of these precious people. I remember Sister Carlos telling me about them before I even considered a mission and she was right-they are the most humble, loving, happy, content, and inwardly righteous people I have ever known. We are definitely the ones being blessed!

FINALLY, Sister...

2012-01-16T21:22:00.000-08:00

Another week has gone by and we realized yesterday that we have been here 5 months!!! It doesn't seem possible but yup! 5 months in this marvelous country. The things we have seen, touched, smelled, tasted and heard are so different from anything we have ever experienced in our lives...never have I been awakened every morning by a rooster! or pigs grunting outside of my bedroom window! or the sounds of small bike horns beckoning all to come get their breakfast from the street vendor's portable carts as they push them down the back streets of our little town, Cabatuan. It is definitely an experience of a lifetime and not one for the weak for sure. I have slept 'harder' here than ever in my life. I arise before the sun and by 9, I am usually ready to call it day, having the greatest memories and feeling of service in my heart.

This past week has been another amazing one beginning with a Family Home Evening in Quilling a week ago yesterday. It was held on a huge cement parking lot attached to a rice packaging business owned by a member. They invited inactive families as well as the active ones in this little community and when we took a rough headcount, think there were over 66 in attendance. Probably a balance of 20 adults and 45 or so children!! The tatay [father] of the family presented the lesson and then the games began. If you will look closely in this picture, you can see me in the purple on the left-I brought one of the keyboards and was playing for the meeting but when the sun went down and that light over my head was turned on, OH MY!!!!!!!! Bugs like you have never seen before-I didn't want to interrupt the lesson but quickly got on my feet and out of that area. They reminded me of termites in the US...little flying ants but when I got home and washed my hair, many went down the drain. One interesting side note-as soon as the nanay [mother] of the family who was hosting noticed my fight with the bugs, she got up, pulled a huge leaved branch off of a nearby tree, propped it up there by the light and the bugs all went to it and left me alone. These people here definitely know how to survive in this environment for sure!

Family Home Evening in Quilling

Last night we had another FHE with a family of investigators in Mallig. This family is amazing and have committed to baptism. A dad, mom, two boys and a girl. We are very thrilled. He is a Sargent in the Philippine Army and works in a nearby city in an office. They have a nice home and we really enjoy their company. Randy did a lesson with a great visual aid using spoons and cups. We first saw this in a FHE in Mallig that Elder Dahlin and Elder Oliver did and Randy added to the lesson they did to customize it for this family. It was a great message. Afterwards, I taught them how to play Matterhorn, a fun dice game that the Smith/Betker bunch taught their old Meemaw and Grandpa. They all had such fun.

Brother Cortez trying to follow Randy's instruction...

Once a quarter, the District Relief Society has an activity. These women LOVE to get together and have fun! Last quarter, I was in charge of the activity and I taught them how to make a pasta dish in their woks. Most of these sisters cook in the open outside of their homes on a fire. It is amazing to me that they can come up with such great food on an open fire...us campers in the US need to take lessons from them! Anyway, this past Saturday was our second activity day since we arrived and they asked me if I could teach something. I remember my YW days in the US and embellishing flip flops using strips of fabric. When I was trimming the pillowcases, I saved all my cuttings and have gathered some fabric here and from Sister Russell, my senior sister missionary who is also a quilter who lives across the street from me. Each sister brought her own 'slippers' and the fun began. We had such fun and the creativity of these women shown forth-I taught the basic and they 'ran with it!' Some fashioned rosebud type flowers from the fabric, other had brought a needle and thread to stitch it on and give it a different look, some wrapped the straps, etc. Everyone had such fun and the 'slippers' turned out so darling! I also suggested they could use colored plastic bags [available here at every corner] and then create for themselves, slippers that could be worn in the rainy season.

The creating of the slippers

Our cute sister missionaries making themselves a pair..

Ta Dah!!

The crowning moment of this past week for us was the baptism of this wonderful family. Our first week here, Elder Naylor and Elder Lucernes were brave enough to invite us to join them one afternoon. They had not worked with senior couples before and we had no idea what we were doing for sure! We have a vehicle so the missionaries have quickly realized that we could take them places faster and safer than trycies, feet or a motorcycle and besides that..WE ARE FREE!!! They are always worried about spending their support money. Anyway, we went to the bukid [the rice paddies] and found Sister Ulep. She was already into her lessons and was baptized about a month after we arrived. Her sister-in-law and family live down the road and she referred them to us so we went to visit. They live in very humble surroundings..no electricity, dirt/rock floor, no refrigeration, no furniture except the bamboo beds they sleep on, thatched roof, bamboo walls that don't reach the ground, etc. I think you get the picture. It was my first experience in a home like that and I probably looked like a deer in headlights when we walked in. We found the most precious little family there that had very little formal religious training of any kind. He was very 'closed' and his eyes were always down. Tatay didn't say much but they listened. Their journey was not as fast as some but it was steady. They had to be taught about Christ, the atonement, and all of the basics of Christianity. But they listened and they learned. Probably a month ago, both committed to baptism but needed to be taught the rest of the lessons to ensure they had all the foundation they needed to become active and committed members of the church. That was a long wait for tatay...he was ready and wanted that ordinance!

Well, last Saturday they entered the waters of baptism and what a glorious and precious experience that was to attend. As they were all dressed in white and waiting for the meeting to begin, tatay, who speaks very little English, came up to me and putting his arms out to display the white clothing, said:

"FINALLY, Sister" His wait was over and his new life could begin.

The Maducduk Family with the Elders and the Sisters. Also pictured are Sister Diaz with Sister Mimi who was also baptized .

The harvest is over and the rice is planted for the next crop. Notice the beautiful green fields for as far and the eye can see. I liken this picture to our work here in the Philippines. Our first crop is harvested with the baptism of the Maducduk family and our next crop is planted. Missionary work is like rice...we plant, harvest and replant. What a wonderful way to spend the next 18 months!!

Only in the Philippines, volume 2!!

2012-01-08T19:30:00.000-08:00

This past week has been an amazing one...the one thing that sticks out in my mind is how I have personally come to realize the Lord knows us each individually and wants to help us meet our needs. He knows us...by name...he knows our sorrows, our concerns, our joys, our frustrations, and most of all, he knows our hearts.

Thursday we will experience another transfer meeting after the new batch of missionaries arrive. Transfers are always a time of stress because these young people have become friends with each other and have come to love their area and their investigators. The middle of December we had a group of Elders and Sisters leave to be home for Christmas with their families and because they were not being replaced until this week, some unusual situations popped up...in two of our areas, one of the companionship went home from two different ones and that left two to cover until this week. We have seen such growth in the 'jr' of that companionship as his Tagalog improved, his need to 'lead' in his old area, and we saw such a development of his communication skills, probably largely due to his increased confidence with the language. We hope they will remain in their old areas with new companions...we aren't 'done' with them yet! lol

We live across the street from the Russell's, another senior couple, and on their property is a cute guest house where the sister's serving here live. Through their work, they found a deaf young woman whose sister is on a mission and whose mother is a member of our church. Not knowing I sign, they didn't think there was a way to teach Zenida. [the sign language used in the Philippines is ASL] To make a long story short, she started the discussions a few weeks ago and is moving on nicely but she attends here and Randy and I work about 20 miles away, in another district, where he serves as a counselor to the District President. Saturday, we found out that Randy would be out of our normal branch for the next three weeks as he travels with President Agustin and me, not wanting to wait 4 hours after church for a ride home, asked President Carlos for his permission to attend the local church here where I could just walk. He agreed and yesterday I went and was able to interpret for Zenida...the first time she has 'heard' Sacrament Meeting. After that meeting was over, she and I sat for 2 hours as I went through the LDS Sign book Kimberly sent me [thanks, Kim!] and it gave me the opportunity to teach lots of doctrine and fill in some blanks for her. What a blessing...and she committed to baptism! The one thing I realized yesterday is...the Lord knew my situation...he knew Zenida's heart...he placed ME here [probably the ONLY missionary in the 2000 or so who serve the Philippines who could communicate with her] for her. I remember when I started learning to interpret, I came across a huge bump in the road in my ability to learn and was pleading with the Lord for help. I promised him that if he would give me the strength I needed and the ability to learn this language, I would use it for Him. I always thought I would use my sign on a mission but we were called here where I thought I would just learn some Tagalog and use my English. I realized yesterday that all of the thousands of hours I put into my interpreter training [3 years], if it was only to find Zenida...it was SO worth it!

Ok, my friends...Volume 2 of 'ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES!' Thanks to Sister Carlos for sharing some of her photos for you...

A common sight-pile as many as possible on a trycie...

A typical home..very humble surroundings. They launder on the back porch.

I remember buying one of these one time for a joke for my friend Bertie...

Notice the head covering-very typical..they are scared to get their heads wet

Notice the unique basketball stand-a dead tree..love it!!!

This road is one we frequently drive on to get to 'the bukid'. Glad to have a truck!

Hands-free has a whole new meaning here.

This riverbed is filled with gorgeous waterlilies!!

This is called a Calisa...

Dinner anyone??

Fish store here has a whole new look...

Banana tree..see the green bananas in the middle of the photo?

Flooded rice field being plowed by their 'tractor'

Not the greatest command of the English language...

Planting season has begun...

With another busy week ahead, I bid you all farewell and hope your New Year is as wonderful as ours will be! And by the way...the pig picture??? Our neighbor had, and I say HAD two pigs in her backyard and on New Year's Day, roasted them and had a huge party. She cornered us and said we should eat a bite before we left for our meeting in Cauayan and my response?? 'Sorry Celi...I think I would have a hard time eating a fella I saw running around and playing in front of our houses just yesterday..' I would have made an awful farmer's daughter!!!

Welcome, little 2012...

2012-01-01T22:34:00.000-08:00

Hey all of you people...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! We have always celebrated New Year's with games, food, friends and lots of fun and this year is NO different! 40 missionaries and all of us 'old people' gathered at the Mission Home on Saturday [lockdown time was 6 p.m. so many arrived late afternoon] and we partied until 2012! Those who came were the ones assigned to areas close to Cauayan. The celebration here is very dangerous so ALL missionaries were to be in their apartment by 6 and NOT go outside. The Filipino's are crazy for fireworks and many actually will pull out their guns and fire them randomly so the safety of the missionaries was the most important thing. Those who came to the mission compound to celebrate were made to spend the night [oh, darn! President's famous breakfast is so hard to take!] and the sister missionaries went to the local sister's apartment and had a slumber party. The jury is still out about the amount of sleep they did or didn't get!! President and Sister set up ping pong, they had volleyball and basketball as well as Mexican Train all going at one time. Such a fun tourney at the ping pong table and I am not sure if the Russell's weren't the grand champions. They are both VERY good!! Around 10, all that were interested gathered in the mission home family room where we played '17 Miracles', the newly released movie, for them to enjoy. It was a great evening. The Carlos' supplied the bulk of the snacks but we all contributed. I made and took two pans of Graham...pronounced 'GRAY HAM' [that is the way it looks to be pronounced when reading the box!] and it was a hit! Graham is a favorite Filipino dessert and is SO easy and delicious. Here is the recipe if you want to try it:

Making Graham

9x13 pan or a bowl would work-must have the capability of a lid.

Layer like a lasagna...

Graham Crackers [not crushed, just cover the bottom of the container]

Add a layer of the 'filling'

Sliced fresh mango's [or peaches, or strawberries, or blackberries, etc.] Could use frozen also if the fruit you prefer is out of season.

Continue to layer and end up with crackers and the rest of the sauce.

Freeze and when you want to enjoy, pull from the freezer and spoon out a hunk! It is SO yummy..

Sauce: 1 can of sweetened condensed milk mixed with 2 C of cream. I used a triple recipe of the sauce for these two pans and it worked fine-I like it a little creamier...that is one recipe I will bring home and use with my grandpeople for sure!

The missionaries were dressed in differing attire depending on their activity-here are a few chomping down the goodies!

Elder Schmidt, Elder Ziegler and Elder Lundy are enjoying the eats.

President and Sister Carlos adding their touches to the goodies.

Elder Griffin looking for his next kill...he ate ALL evening and never got full, all 6'8" of him!!

Does this look like junk food heaven or what???

The sale of fireworks is a big business here. I think recently I talked about the 'gypsies'..that is MY name of the people who come into a city, set up tents and sell their wares during a certain period of time. In Cabatuan we had a festival in the fall and had these tents here for months! Most of the stuff is similar to dollar store quality back in the US but some things I have picked up were great! I got a wonderful meat cleaver for $7 [350 pesos] and will bring it home for sure. Anyway, the sale of fireworks is no different-nothing is outlawed and everything is legal so it is a free-for-all!! The type of fireworks that we see in the US in the huge displays that are only available to commercially licensed and certificated pyrotechnical companies are sold here for dollars so you can imagine the hullabaloo on New Year's Eve!! It truly sounded like a war zone and by the end of 45 minutes, my ears were so tired.

Check out this link if you want to be there with us-Randy recorded it on the IPad and put it on UTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIQod_S966I&feature=youtube_gdata_player

My three sons and my 12 grandsons would be in heaven here!!!

The street lined with firework vendors.

Can we say 'FRUIT AND FIREWORKS???'

Saturday afternoon we went with the Zone Leaders for a while and in trying to find a house, took a wrong turn and came upon a Balute farm!! Many of you have heard of Balute and know it is a delicacy here in the Philippines but I am here to tell you THIS lady ain't gonna try it!! If you want to know more, google it, folks!! YUCK!!

Balute Farm, one of three of four on the banks of this river.

Earlier that day, we attended a Youth Cultural Show. It reminded us of the old Roadshows and was actually a lot of fun. Long, but a lot of fun. Here are five of my favorite girls..

Christiana, Glory-Anne, me, Jessa, Mary Jane and Santa

All in all, 2011 was a great year-we learned SO much, experienced SO much, loved SO much, cried SO much, laughed SO much, ate SO much and missed SO much many of the people we love SO much. We know 2012 will bring us lots of new experiences and changes but there is one thing that will be constant...our deep love for our family and each of you...happy happy my friends...

She will never be forgotten...my 'Emma' lady bug that I wear...

Our First Christmas...

2011-12-27T19:03:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Eve Gingerbread House

This past week was a busy one but oh so rewarding. Both of us were a little wary of spending this Christmas week away from family and friends but with the schedule we kept, we didn't have a lot of time to think about it. However, on Saturday morning and Monday morning [here], we did really enjoy hearing from four of our children and their families. Everyone seemed to have a great time and all were healthy...all except Randy! He has been battling an awful cold/upper respiratory infection but seems to be on the mend.

The stage area with the stockings displayed

The tables were set and festive

A friend of Sister Carlos got 175 DARLING stocking, one for each Elder/Sister

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of last week we held our quarterly Zone Conferences. At Christmas time, we have all of the missionaries come to Cauayan and we bundle the training with a Christmas dinner/ celebration/ gifts/ singing/ skits and a fun party. We also group the zones together and hold it three days in a row because there is not room for all 160 missionaries in the church building attached to the Mission Office/Home compound. Tuesday we hosted three zones, Wednesday and Thursday only two. I was in charge of the dessert and decided my 'famous' Chocolate Pie would just fit the bill. Randy calculated the ingredients and did my shopping for me [such a sweetie] so I only had to cook. During the course of the week, I made the equivalent of 36 pies! The most efficient way to do it was in 9x13 pans however and that worked great. We have one elder who is allergic to chocolate so on Thursday, I made one vanilla and it was also a hit! Filipino's are not normally wild about really sweet things but there was not a lot of waste and I saw many coming back for seconds.

A friend of Brenda's who has a business that takes her on buying trips to China repeatedly during the year worked with her suppliers to get enough darling Christmas stockings for each Elder and Sister to have one of their own. We had fun matching some to the different personalities of the missionaries and we filled them with handmade gifts, candy, and a special letter from their family or a testimony from a member if the family did not respond with a letter. They were so cute and it was such fun to watch the eyes of the missionaries as they entered the cultural hall and spotted them on the stage. One American Elder [who knew about stockings-the Filipino's didn't understand the concept for the most part but caught on quickly once the tradition was explained to them] leaned over to me and whispered..'sister, are those real stockings or just for decoration?' I assured him they were real and he was so pumped!!

Sister Carlos made a bizillion pans of lasagna, salad, garlic bread and everyone got their fill. The most popular item I think was the fresh green salad-a luxury here for the missionaries. Most don't spend the money to buy then prepare salad so it was a huge hit!

Each zone was asked to prepare and present a skit..some were fun, some serious and all very enjoyable. The senior missionaries and the AP's had our own skit-it was a take-off on The 12 Day's of Christmas, Filipino style...using a lot of things we only find here. President and Sister Carlos wrote it on a recent road trip and we had such fun getting our 'props' together. Here is a UTube link if you want to be brave..hahaha!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sys1z2B3GiE&sns=em&noredirect=1

This clever group used rice bags to create their costumes

A Christmas song sung by the Tuguegarao Zone

Sister Fort and Sister Martinez sharing their great talents

Immediately after the meetings on Thursday, we piled into the mission van and traveled to Ilagan for our 5th Devotional then on Friday, to Santiago for our final performance of the season. Even with his horrible virus, Randy did a grand job with his vocal solo [When Joseph Went to Bethlehem] and his violin accompaniments. The experience has been awesome and one we or most of the members will not forget. They are all asking for an encore next year and Sister Carlos and I have actually discussed it...

Our Ilagan characters

And Santiago, our final performance

Saturday Randy and I had one of the best experiences we have had since arriving in the Philippines as we invited Elder Rausa and Elder Oliver to join us in 'the orange project'. As small children both of us remember having a fresh orange in our Christmas stockings. Over the years, the orange tradition has been passed down to our children and now our grandchildren. Oranges, to us, represent love, family, warmth, home...all of the fond memories of our Christmas' past and we decided to purchase and bag oranges to deliver to the people who have put their footprints on our hearts this season...mostly our new members, investigators and a few of the branch families we have become close to and love so much. At the first house, we just briefly explained what oranges mean to us and that we wanted to share with their family [a very short visit, not the usual 20 minutes we spend]. Then we left...well, at our second house, when we had finished our story or our reason for coming, Elder Rausa broke out in 'We Wish you a Merry Christmas' and we all joined it..that became the way we ended all of the visits and everyone was so thrilled. Fresh oranges are a treat for most of these people. It was a wonderful day for us and this afternoon, we are teaming with the sister missionaries to do the same thing in the branch where they serve. Roxas 1st and 2nd Branches are our main focus and by the end of today, those people will all know how they have touched OUR lives..

Bagged and ready..

Elder Oliver, me, Randy and Elder Rausa

Christmas Eve we decided to involve ourselves [and dragged Elder Oliver and Rausa with us!] in the mission home activities. President Carlos was very sick so he was quarantined to his bedroom but with the help of Elder Katoa and Elder Cajumban, Sister Carlos was very able and capable of pulling off a grand party! We had BBQ Chicken on skewers from the grill [thanks to Elder Katoa and a few helpers], President's world-famous eggrolls [thanks to Sister Carlos and Elder Cajumban], Raspberry Chipolte Cream Cheese and crackers, veggies, rice, chips, and a variety of desserts including pie, many different homemade cookies and bars and GRAHAM. Graham is pronounced 'Gray-hem' by the Filipinos and is a favorite of theirs-I am sending the recipe to Stephanie and Kimberly but if any of you want it, email me. It is made with graham crackers [hence the name], cream, fresh mangos, sweetened condensed milk and NO CALORIES!!! yeah, right!! It is wonderful and I will make a couple of pans for New Year's Eve this weekend.

Sister Carlos is a kid at heart and loves to create things, hence the main activity that night-construction of a Gingerbread House. Most of the Filipinos have never seen or heard of such a thing but they all did a great job.

pretty nifty, huh??

Christmas day we talked in a district by assignment from President Carlos then gathered with the other old folks at the Mission home for our dinner and gift exchange. President was feeling a little better but as I type this, on Wednesday morning, he is still not up to par. It was a great evening and solidified the love I have for these other seniors. We work well together and play well together...what could be any better???

One last thing is the tradition of 'carolers' here in the Philippines. Starting mid-November, groups will come to your house and sing Christmas songs and when finished, put their hands out expecting to be paid a tip. The people here are interesting-I think I have mentioned in the past that there is NO middle class-people are very rich or very poor for the most part and that breeds begging. I am not one to give handouts, never have been and never will be so when people or children approach me on the street, in front of restaurants or other business establishments, in the palenke, etc. with their 'sad' eyes, the moaning and hand out, I normally ignore them. We were told early on about the poverty and the begging and were told that as missionaries, we cannot give to beggars. Americans are targeted anyway because, according to the people here, we are all filthy rich and can afford anything...boy, do they have THAT wrong!!! Anyway, parents tend to exploit their children in the begging and caroling is no exception. Many groups came and just wanted peso's but this little group actually sang for us a couple of mornings and touched the soft heart of my hubby.

Our cute little carolers

We are hoping each of you had a grand Christmas with lots of goodies, family and fun gatherings. New Year's is a big celebration here [and a dangerous one-check next week's blog for more update on that] so we will be gearing up for this weekend when we will all welcome in 2012! Where has the time gone???

FRESH...

2011-12-18T14:56:00.000-08:00

Picked at 2-3 a.m.,,,,purchased at 6 a.m.,,,cleaned and ready for the fridge/wok by 8 a.m.,,,total cost 2 hours of my time and about $3 US...could life be any better???

Now THIS is a White Christmas!!

2011-12-11T00:02:00.000-08:00

Our White Christmas participants with their silly missionaries...we love these guys and gals!

I have such a difficult time realizing it is December!!! And only two weeks until the red man creeps through our house and fills our stockings and I AM STILL SWEATING!!! I suppose if you grew up with palm trees, rainy nights, air conditioning and wanting ice cream in December it would not feel odd but MY history is a fireplace, a warm, snuggly blanket, hot chocolate, a snowstorm howling outside and a great book in front of the tree listening to Christmas music filling the air. Somehow this just doesn't feel right however.........we had two more marvelous Devotionals and the missionaries are helping me get into the spirit and create a new Christmas on the other side of the world. I can't even begin to tell you how much I LOVE these people. They are so warm, friendly, appreciative and enthusiastic. Our teaching is really blossoming and in the new year, the focus of the work will change drastically...can't wait to see what explosions occur then~

Elder Macaisa, Elder Miole, Sister Tabudlong, Elder Young, Elder Valdez

Friday night we had our second Devotional in the Alicia district. The missionaries there are so amazing and did a fabulous job of pulling off this wonderful message. President Carlos does such a great job of bringing the focus to the Savior at this time of year with his message at the end of each presentation. One of the most moving parts of the evening is always at the end of the devotional when we invite any current or past full-time missionaries to come up and sing 'We'll Bring the World His Truth' with the missionary choir on the stand. Some are hesitant to come forward but once a couple stand up, they all join in and what a powerful message is delivered-we are bringing His truth to this part of the world and how wonderful that truth is in our lives. There are few dry eyes, even the investigators are touched.

Yesterday was such a busy day-the morning started with the District [kind of like a Stake but more spread out] Relief Society Christmas Party. The women here LOVE to party and can really put on quite the event. It is so funny though because the word promptly does not exist in their culture. When I ask someone when an event is supposed to start, they give me a time range of usually two hours. I was told this party will start around 8 but it was 10 when the actual opening exercises, the welcome, etc. occurred. I think part of the reason is the distance and transportation issues these people face-some come two hours to attend and bring their food for the day with them. The Relief Society party went until 2 and most then boarded Jeepney's to take them to Burgos for the Devotional.

The sisters from Tabuk-2 hours away

The sweet Aurora sisters with their part of the entertainment

We also had a marvelously 'white Christmas' with the baptism of 24 people!!! What an awesome sight as they all gathered for a photo shoot. The baptism was at noon [but really started at 1:15] and with the speakers and the program, ended at 2:45 which really put a crunch on the devotional participants but we pulled it off without a hitch! Randy has a solo part that is just wonderful-he sings 'When Joseph Went to Bethlehem' with such feeling and emotion and it takes me back to our Christmas eve celebrations with our little ones-we always 'did' the nativity and that was a favorite song for our family. If Cristin and Kim were to hear him, they both would be weeping...he also plays the violin as an obligato to Mary's Lullaby, normally sung as a duet with Brenda and me but last night, as the Carlos' were at a District Conference and couldn't attend, I invited our 'Filipina Cora' to sing it as a solo-she is only 8 years old but has such a strong and pure voice. I saw many eyes being dabbed during her presentation. Brenda invited her to do it again in Cauayan on the 18th for their devotional so we will hear her one more time.

Our 'characters' for Roxas were Elder McGuffin, Elder Oliver, Elder Rausa, Elder Ward and Sister Villamor

Tomorrow I will go to the mission home very early and will spend my preparation day baking Christmas cookies and candies with Brenda. Not sure if Gloria or Sister Russell [Sharon] will be able to come but it will be fun. I am making Soda Cracker Candy, a favorite of our family. What is your favorite Christmas goody and are you making it this year???

WOWEE!!!! such beauty...

2011-12-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

The setting of our hotel

Two cute old people...

Brenda and Randy walking down a little path leading to a souvenir shop-notice the dense foliage

These are wild poinsettias..they are everywhere and HUGE!!!!

I have lived MANY years and have never, for as long as I can remember, seen such breath-taking sights as we saw last Monday in Banaue. If you google it, you will discover it is the 8th Wonder of the World and now, I know why. It was absolutely gorgeous and it was not even the best time to be going. You can see the rice terraces in the picture above and in the spring [April and May] all of those areas that are currently mud [waiting to be planted] will be lime green with new seedlings. We hope to go back then and see it in it's height of beauty. Another senior couple has been assigned to our mission and will be coming in February so we will probably take a road trip so they can enjoy the splendor.

A short history lesson...

It is amazing to think these people arrived at this mountainous area, saw the possibilities and actually accomplished such a feat with NO TOOLS!!!! The native Ifugao people are still there and enthralled us with a cultural program on Sunday night, sharing with us the dances, clothing, and traditions of their people. They are very small people, as you can see by the picture of Randy with this man in his native dress.

A native ritual dance

Randy and our new friend-Randy is the one on the right!!

Ifugao woman in their typical resting pose

We truly enjoyed the beauty and the glorious experience of being in that part of the mission, if for only a day. Randy took a couple of movies and will post them on UTube sometime soon.

Last Friday we had our first of many Christmas Devotional's scheduled in the next few weeks. Upon our arrival in August, I learned of Brenda's desire to give this opportunity to the Stakes and Districts in this area and because we have written and produced many events together in our former lives, I think she was just laying in wait for me to come. I am not the front man but I am a great supporter!! Together, we gathered our scriptures, a computer and within a few hours, had a great one hour production. It took another morning to gather the costumes but both of us have, in our young families, done the nativity so the costuming was not complicated, just a challenge here in the Philippines, to find the items we needed. The groundskeeper at the mission home even provided a staff for the shepherd from a nearby tree! I wish you could have seen the faces of the members as they filed into the chapel and saw the missionaries on the stand, some dressed in their costumes, and heard, for the first time in their lives a quartet singing acapella!!! Everything went off without a hitch and I think it turned out great! Our second one is tonight, another tomorrow afternoon in all, we have 6-7 planned. An interesting side note-the District President, upon welcoming the audience [some were members and many were just friends who were not of our faith] said history was made that night-NEVER in the past have they had any program of this kind. Both Brenda and I were so touched by that but saddened that nobody had thought to provide such an evening for these great saints. Well, people, this will be one of two because we will definitely do something again next year.

Elder Bangal and Elder Williamson [shepherd and king]

Missionary Choir during their pre-performance practice

The highlight of our weeks are normally the time we spend with our dear young elders and sisters and this week, although starting with a little break, was no exception. We worked with the Mallig elders on Tuesday, the sister missionaries and our dear President Munoz on Wednesday and finished with the Zone Leaders on Thursday, teaching 22 lessons! That is what this is all about-teaching, lifting, supporting, and helping those who are seeking truth, find the answers and in the process, changing lives and helping families come to Christ. What are we doing tomorrow you ask? Over 20 baptisms, another devotional and more spiritual food for us! What else could we possibly want??? [maybe a kid or grandkid to hug?.haha]

The Big 66 and a great gobble day...

2011-11-30T00:40:00.000-08:00

If anyone would have told me last Thanksgiving that I would be eating turkey, dressing, mashed potato's, and all the trimmings except cranberry sauce IN THE PHILIPPINES for Thanksgiving this year with 8 of my favorite people, I probably would have said 'not possible'. How could I ever expect to get Butterball Turkeys here but lo and behold, Sister Carlos did it! We had a grand time eating, talking about our greatest blessings in our lives and sharing time together. After we ate and cleaned up the kitchen, out came the boxes and the Mission Home turned into a Christmas wonderland. Here, the Filipino people love Christmas and begin their celebration in September. By Halloween, they are in full swing and because there is no holiday for them between October 31st and December 31st, they get busy and enjoy the decorations and music. Sister Carlos was bound and determined NOT to get her Christmas out until after we digested the turkey so this past week, the mission compound has been transformed. There is a member of the church who is hired to be the night watchman at the mission home and he is willing and very able in the night to put up lights, clean up things, whatever needs to be done. The lighting there is good so he just buzzes around the area and does the transformation at holiday times.

Such a beautiful table-notice the napkins, Annalee??

The chief cook and turkey carver

There was also a pumpkin pie [hardest thing to find was the pumpkin]

Relish tray, creamed corn, fruit salad, mashers, broccoli salad, and so much more!

We lacked for NO food and had a great feast. You can get a good idea of the size of this kitchen area from these pictures-it is a lovely home and very roomy and comfortable. It has a good feel...

We all pitched in and helped with the decorations...

Rudy with the AP's 'building the tree'

Sister Russell found a lonely guitar and sang us a toon...

The AP's putting the lights on the tree

Elder and Sister Breese putting the nativity together

Elder Katoa and Elder Hale, the current assistants

For those of you who read this blog and are not members of our church, let me explain a little about the assistants. The mission president has a HUGE responsibility and is extremely busy. His schedule is never-ending and gruesome at times. Problems pop up now and then in the mission and the church has designated him the right to ask two of his most responsible and worthy missionaries to be his 'assistants'. Currently, they are living in an apartment above the mission office and serve as his extended hands. They travel with him to meetings, [usually driving for him] they call missionaries and set up appointments for them to come in for interviews, they assist in the training meetings, they transport injured or ill missionaries to health facilities, in short, they are his 'gofers' but really much more. Because of the incredible amount of time they spend together, they become so endeared to the mission president and his wife, sometimes emotionally taking the role of their children to help the president and companion with the absence of their own family. I have seen these two give up their own lives to help their dear mission president, not begrudging it one speck. They will serve for usually 4-5 months together then one will move on to another assignment while the remaining assistant trains the new replacement. Then a little while later, the original will be transferred and another will take his place. They actually willingly give up a period of their own mission to change responsibilities and assist the president. In two weeks, Elder Hale will be going home so tomorrow, at transfers, we will be getting a new assistant and the rotation will start anew. It is a wonderful plan and works like a charm.

Friday morning we had the greatest time of our lives!! It was Randy's 66th birthday and during the course of three hours, we were able to see and talk to all of our children, all of our 'in-law' children and 21 of our 24 grandchildren!! That was a first for us here in the Philippines and we haven't stopped smiling yet! The kids all sang to Grandpa then we visited with each one and really enjoyed the time we spent. Our cup was filled that day for sure and one interesting phenomenon happened...KC's birthday is the 24th and Randy's is the 25th and they got to tell each other Happy Birthday on their own actual birthday because we are living across the International Date Line for the next two years-I told them it would be a twice in a lifetime experience! They thought that was cool...

MY cookie monster with his cake...

A great little bakery here did the cake for me-it was PERFECT!!!

I mentioned earlier that tomorrow is transfers and we will be having lots of big changes in the mission. President Carlos is opening a new area up north and yesterday Randy and I traveled to Tabuk with the Russell's [the senior couple whose responsibility is the apartments for all 160 missionaries] and found the new apartment and offloaded some furniture and kitchen supplies to set up housekeeping for them. After the transfer meeting tomorrow, Randy and I will drive back up there and deliver the new guys to their new area. Transfer meeting is always fun-missionaries see each other and hug and cry [if they are ones wearing skirts] and lots of bedlam occurs. Tomorrow morning we will be getting a new 'batch' of missionaries at 5:30 a.m. The American ones will have been traveling for 24+ hours and the Filipino's will have just left the MTC in Manila. They will ride a bus all night and arrive here tired but wired...it is such a high to finally arrive at the place you have dreamed about and planned for...I remember the feeling just like it was yesterday.

Our weather today was in the 90's and tomorrow is December 1st! I still can't get used to that. I hung our laundry out this morning and gathered it in this afternoon, all in my undies because of the heat.....yes, our back yard is VERY private-walled all around and NOBODY can peek in..haha! Randy is gone until later tonight and I am just 3 hours away from being completely finished with my pillowcase project! When done, I will have put in over 250 hours and will have 200 great pillowcases to use as gifts for the missionaries this year and have enough to allow the new ones coming in the next year to choose one also. My hope is that they will use them and be able to identify their own pillow by the unique case-there are no two alike so they should be able to keep them straight. That is the hope anyway..

Christmas is around the corner...we are building new memories and traditions here in this part of the world..what are you doing with your traditions this year??

Truly thankful...

2011-11-22T16:39:00.000-08:00

In America, this is the week we celebrate Thanksgiving and it always makes me reflect on the blessings in MY life. Above you will see 27 of the 36 biggest blessings that are mine. What a wonderful thing a family is...these people have unconditional love for me and for each other and what a great blessing that is for me, being 10,000 miles [16,000 KM] away from them for two years.

My friend Kathy has a blog that I follow and this past week she has been posting daily on the blessings in her life. I loved that idea but not having her technology [IPhone] and with our current responsibilities and such, that would be unmanageable for me so pondered and decided to use her example for my weekly visit with you all.

I try to walk most mornings and as I do, I usually talk to my Father in Heaven, getting His input on my day, my problems, my assignments, etc. This morning as I walked, I was just SO thankful for the wonderful experiences we are having, the fantastic and beautiful people of the Philippines, etc. and thought I would just share with YOU my blessing list:

*First and foremost I am grateful for my family. They have stuck with this crazy mom/Meemaw through many difficult trials and they all still seem to love me! That love sustains me here where I have NO family to hug, snuggle, sniff, and hold.
*My membership in the church and the knowledge I have of it's truthfulness.
*My Father in Heaven and His son Jesus Christ who died for me that when I mess up, [and I do often] I can be forgiven and continue to grow and learn.
*I am grateful for my parents. I had a good mom who loved me and tried her best to teach me the things she felt were important for my life. From her I learned forgiveness, how to laugh, what was important in my world around me, how to notice the little things in life, how to play and love cards, how competition is a good thing, how winning is also a good thing and losing is not the end of the world, the value of education, that being a mom was going to be the best thing in my life and probably the most important thing she taught me was how to be a good grandma. She was the BEST grandma I have ever known. From my father I learned the value of hard work, charity, generosity, service to his fellowmen how to sense people's needs and moods, how to fish [but I refused to clean them!] and a true love of the outdoors. He also taught me the importance of family stories.
*for Randy's parents who raised him to be the man he is, thoughtful, forgiving, spiritual, loving, family oriented, loyal, talented, always finding the good in people, thrifty, compassionate, responsible, dependable, and I could go ON and ON...after all, I have loved this man more than breath for over 45 years!!!
*music-I love music and until about 15 years ago, my voice was my identity. I sang from the time I was a little child and loved to perform. I truly miss my singing voice. I am also grateful my mom sacrificed to give me the gift of music. She scrimped and saved so that I could have a piano and lessons. I am now using that skill here to bless the lives of others as I open that opportunity for them when I teach.
*clean water
*hot showers
*nutritious and delicious food
*my education
*flowers
*indoor plumbing
*paved roads
*carpeting
*electricity
*grass
*to live in a free country where we don't need gates and walls to keep us safe.
*great friends who love me unconditionally even when they know my weaknesses
*fresh ice and cold water to drink
*my health...probably should be higher on this list
*my testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ...also higher on the list
*my hearing, taste, touch, good vision and my sense of smell
*my sense of humor
*the skills and talents the Lord has blessed me with, specifically my ability to work with my hands and my 'out of the box' ability to problem solve and be creative
*good teeth
*strong body that has taken me many miles in it's life
*my ability to forgive others and love them in spite of their shortcomings
*my two amazing grandmothers that each helped mold me to be the person I am today
*aunts and uncles, cousins and other relatives who make me laugh
*my brother and his family...
*a bed to sleep in and the ability I have to sleep well and sound most nights
*my ability to sign and communicate with the deaf
*these amazingly wonderful Filipino people that our loving Father in Heaven has allowed us to rub shoulders with for the next two years and their patience with these silly Americans...US!!
*the wonderful full-time missionaries we have had the privilege to work with here in the Philippines.

Our crazy, nutty group!!

I am sure there are things I will think of as I close this post but first and foremost, I stopped this week to think of the blessings in my life and to thank the One who loved me enough to give them to me. Have you???

Music, priesthood, family home evening and CHRISTMAS!!!

2011-11-15T16:32:00.000-08:00

See the tall blonde in the back?? She loves these people..

Do you see this gorgeous group of people??? Allow me to introduce you all to my FIRST piano class! Originally, we had 11 sign up but by the second week [my cut-off time for any new enrollees] the class had grown to 14 and there it will stay. I think the number is more manageable, especially once we finish with the theory foundation and start the performance part of the training. I am planning a 15 minute performance lesson weekly once we get to that point and with that said, my basic math tells me it will take 3.5 hours to accomplish. Hopefully I can find 4 students who can start their individual lessons at 4 and then we would finish for the day at 7:30 p.m. School in the Philippines starts at 7 a.m. and continues until 5 p.m. so it will have to be the adults who come at 4. They are all bright but there are a few who stand out as motivated musicians. Time will tell...

I think I have mentioned before how the Filipino's LOVE Christmas. Well, there are lights everywhere, music in every possible venue [even our neighbor has it blaring night and day so we don't need to play ours at all!] Christmas trees with lights, yard trees that have been lit, etc. We in America think WE love this season...we would lose in an 'enthusiasm for Christmas' contest with the Filipinos!

A tree in a yard on my walk..

My neighbor's front porch...

I have a hard time thinking that NEXT week is Thanksgiving! It seems like we have been here such a short time and it is turkey time...Brenda did a 'formal' invitation to a gobble-day dinner at the mission home and afterwards, we will decorate the house with her Christmas decorations. Last year, their housekeeper tried to get the Christmas thing going in October and tried again a couple of week ago. These people love their holidays!

Monday night we went to Family Home Evening at the Munoz home. He is our Branch President, a single dad to three marvelously talented children [his wife died in 2009] and we are so impressed with the way he has just given up HIS needs to serve his family. He only works when the children are in school because the most important thing in his world is them! We love this family and feel SO blessed to have them in our lives.

You may recognize two of those boys in the piano picture seated here with us-these children are so talented. Alyssa, who is 8, is the one Randy and I call 'Filipino Cora' because she reminds us in build and personality of Cristin's daughter. Mark Jay [red shirt] and Mark Prince are both fine young men. Their daddy is definitely doing something right!! Randy took his violin and accompanied the hymns as well as did a special number for them. A wonderful evening for us!

For some reason I can't caption today so will explain the above pictures-this is Sister Remmie and her son John. You might remember Sister Ulep who was our first baptism? Sister Remmie is her niece [pamumpkin] and lives across the road from her. She has been taking the discussions and has set a date for baptism. Her hubby was involved in one lesson and we hope will also join her in the waters of baptism. The broken chair was the one I was sitting on and all was well until I tried to change position and cross my legs...thump! Down I went. I was more embarrassed than hurt and vowed to get back on my diet immediately!!! Side note-the chair was very rotted because of the sun and weather but we went to the store and replaced it twofold, none the less. NOW there will be two chairs there that will support Randy and me!

In our church, once a year the young boys who will be turning 12 gather for what we call a 'Priesthood Preview'. Each of the boys will be ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood in the near future and this is a time for them to learn the responsibilities, duties, and history of the priesthood they will soon hold. It is always done on a Stake/District level so many come from all over to attend. Some of these families traveled 2-3 hours to support their sons. Randy was asked to be the guest speaker and did a great job. He also was asked to do a special musical number and played a few Primary [the organization for the children ages 3-11] songs that everyone enjoyed. He is really polishing his skill, another blessing of extra time on his hands.

Monday as I was walking my normal route, I heard what appeared to be a chorus of children's voices down one road that I don't normally take. I followed it and low and behold, there was a school and the yard was filled with children singing the national anthem and raising the flag! I remembered doing that as a child and it brought to my remembrance so many fond memories. It also made me realize something. If you think of America about 150 years ago, that is where much of the country is stuck. They have some modern technology [like cell phones and a few computers] but most of the homes we visit have dirt floors, no electricity or plumbing, no refrigeration, and none have an oven. All the homes are made of cinder blocks [even the one we live in however, our walls are plastered over and painted to look like wallboard] and most have dirt or rock floors. President Munoz has the nicest home we have been in-it is very warm and inviting and very secure. He keeps it clean and orderly as do all of the people here-I am amazed! They are very clean people in their manner, dress, bodies, etc.

Anyway, when the children spotted me standing there peering over the wall, they all turned around and waved. The principal came over and invited me in to speak to the children! They had a teacher sick and no teacher for one class and she suggested I stay and teach! I assured her that with the language barrier, I would not be a successful educator. Anyway, before we came here, I went shopping with Kayleen and while we were at the Gateway in Salt Lake, I bought a new pair of walking shoes-they are wonderfully comfortable and I love them and they are HUNTER ORANGE!!! You should have seen the schoolyard erupt in giggles and pointing when I stepped through the gate. It was worth the detour!

Notice the uniforms? Every school has a different one and they all look so great!

One last treat this week was meeting Oyeen Dy Valcos. He is a friend of Marcie Nielson who we knew in Omaha in the 70's when she was just a little girl. We are facebook friends and I had actually visited with Oyeen a few times so it was nice to finally put a face with the name. President and Sister Carlos met him shortly after arriving in 2010 and had him to dinner last week. We were invited to join them and had a great evening. He is such an interesting person...a world traveler for sure!!

It has rained since noon on Monday and I am getting ready to go purchase some lumber to start building our ark!! Wish you were all here to see the umbrella parade! Until next week...

Music and a little more...

2011-11-08T17:23:00.000-08:00

Hey Cris, Chip, Todd, Kim and Rob...remember these and look at the name! Co-inkidink???

District Choir is officially formed and going and what a group!!! These Filipino people LOVE music and LOVE to sing. As you recall, the first week's practice brought me around 15 people. They came from a branch about 10 miles away in a Jeepney and a few local members from the two local units showed up but they were all at least 30-60 minutes late!! Now, my friends, those of you who have known me for a while know that I am an 'on-time' person and the 'Filipino time' mindset would not work for me ssssssssoooooooooo...................these people LOVE to eat and their treats are called 'marienda'. I asked them what time THEY wanted to start practice for the next few weeks and when 1:30 was decided, I said...'ok people...I will make marienda for those people who would like it and it will be served at 1:15. At 1:30, the lid of the cooler will be replaced and practice will begin. [a little bribery always worked on my kids..]

Cue the drum roll..............at noon, 15 people came...by 1:00, we had about 40 people there and there were only 4 or 5 who missed the marienda!! American brownies [the natives here do not have ovens and really appreciate baked goods] We had a great practice! One of our sister missionaries from SLC is going to accompany us so I won't have to play and conduct the choir with my head..haha!

On the way home, we offered rides to the group from Aurora, a city close to where we live. Randy and I drive right through there and so they all piled in, 6 in the back and another 7 in the back seat of the cab. When they were loading and hesitant, I reminded them all that I have seen 15 people in a trycie so they can certainly fit in this truck plus..it was a free ride! They were paying 60 pesos [about $1.50] to come to choir practice and for most of them, that is half of a days wages. They appreciated the free ride home...

The cargo area group

The backseat group

Saturday we attended a great baptism of two sisters and a brother in a family. Their mother had recently died in a tragic motorcycle accident, their father went off the deep end [he was driving the motorcycle] and the three children found the gospel. They are 12, 13 and 21. The building in San Pedro is the one I showed you earlier-they have done a grand job of landscaping and as I was admiring the scenery after the baptism, I noticed what appeared to be a sculpture of a moth on the side of the building. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a real moth!!!!!!!!!! They do grow critters big here...

Hazel, Karon and Haymie

Two weeks ago we had that horrible Sunday storm and the flat tire..well, there was a young father from one of our Branches who, unasked, took off his shoes and got busy helping us with our debaukle. He speaks very little English so relied on others to interpret for him. Well, Randy and I decided to take his family to a nice restaurant we have found in Roxas for dinner as a thank you. When I approached him last Sunday and asked him if they would enjoy that, he wasn't sure he understood correctly so went to get his wife who speaks very good English. These people are so very humble and poor and had NEVER been to a restaurant before. When we pulled up in front, his little son Russell looked at his daddy and asked 'what are we going to do here, tatay?'

We told them to order anything they wanted and as much as they wanted. It didn't take long for them to get the idea as Randy as I ordered our dinner. It was such a sweet experience. They are both return missionaries, have been married for 9 years and have two children Russell [6] and Audrey [11 months]. I was sitting next to Russell and when we were finished and the doggie bags packed, I asked Russell if he was going to serve a mission? He responded positively so I emptied my change, had him put it in his pocket with the instructions to put it in his missionary piggy bank. He was so thrilled. I probably had 75 pesos in change [$1.50] and he loaded that little pocket to the brim.

The father of this family is a trycie driver and normally works 15 hours a day probably earns 200-300 pesos a day which is the equivalent of $5-$7 a day...how many of you could survive and support your family on that amount? No wonder they have only dreamed about a night like last night!!

My new buddy Russell

The beautiful Amaro family

I also visited two of my favorite places on Monday, Sharon at David's Salon for a haircut and my friends at Medi-spa, my massage treat. A haircut costs me 150 pesos [about $4.00] and a one hour full body Swedish massage is 350 pesos [about $8.00] I try to enjoy it as much as possible because when I come home, I will NOT have that luxury I am certain. Monday's are our 'P' day and I often go with Gloria or Brenda and have a relaxing start to the week.

President Carlos getting his haircut by Sharon

Gloria with 'our girls' at MediSpa

The weather is getting cooler, Christmas music fills the air [there is no Thanksgiving here so Christmas comes early], homes are being decorated and the temperature is still in the 80's or 90's...WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE!!

Mama said there'd be days like this!!!

2011-10-31T17:09:00.000-07:00

Many of you can probably remember the song that was popular in the 70's...'Mama said there'd be days like this, there'd be days like this my mama said...' well, my friends, last Sunday was one of those days!

In the Philippines, the people are very thrifty and sometimes, that desire for thrift twists their thinking...take electricity for example. When there is a storm, rain, wind, anything OR when it is very hot, they think they need to conserve energy so they produce a 'brown out'.....someone who is apparently in authority flips the big switch in the sky and the entire city is left in darkness for an undetermined amount of time. Now if we had just had a typhoon, people, I can understand it but when there is a rainstorm????? COME ON!!!!!! Not only is it 'stinkin' thinkin'' it is so frustrating! They haven't figured out yet that the people here will purchase the energy you buy so what is the big deal??? Just buy enough and then sell it to the customers...I think it must be a third world thing..but anyway, last Sunday was one of those days. We arrived at church about 8:30 and were visiting with some of the members about the upcoming week's plans when all of a sudden...wham! No electricity. Not everyone panics immediately because occasionally, we will have a 5-10 minute brown-out and things will go on as planned but not this day! We don't have any a/c in the building except in the chapel but because it was Roxas I Branches Primary Program, we thought we would just attend Sacrament Meeting in both of the branches as they are held back-to-back.

Cute little people all dressed for their program.

The Primary Presidency in Roxas I must have been planning for months. Someone had purchased pink satiny fabric and created ties for each of the boys and corsages for each of the little girls. They looked so darling and were so ready BUT...without power, we have no microphone or piano. It was so sad-they all did their best to speak loudly for their parts and they only sang one song because there was no piano accompaniment. Afterwards, I had them all assemble so you could all see how cute they looked.

Now I mentioned that it was raining, didn't I?? Well, my friends, it was not just raining, it was POURING!!! When the meetings were over, Randy and I decided to go home. We had a District Choir practice planned but Filipino's are afraid of the rain and if the weather is wet, they usually stay home. They are all scared they will get sick so avoid getting wet. As we went to the parking lot, through the pouring rain, someone noticed that we had a flat tire!!! Last week Randy had just had that tire fixed and we were less than thrilled. He and Elder Ward [one of the Zone Leaders] grabbed umbrella's and went to assess the situation. Yes, it was flat but where is the spare and the tools???? One of the branch members also offered his help so the process began. In the best of circumstances, changing a tire on an unfamiliar vehicle with unfamiliar equipment is a challenge, but IN THE POURING RAIN?? Well, thanks to these other two men who decided to play in the rain with Randy, the job was accomplished and we were ready to head home when a jeepney arrived in the parking lot and out climbed 14 members from another branch who had hired their way to the choir practice!!! Was I ever thrilled. We practiced for about an hour, decided on a time for the next three weeks and arrived home around 4 in the afternoon. Yesterday, I had a few errands to run while Randy spent the day in bed with the stomach flu and the driver's seat was still damp!!! What a day!!

Notice that he finally just took off his tie and shoes and got to work!

On a lighter note, we had a Family Home Evening with the Delphine Family last Monday night-I didn't attend as I had fallen the previous Sunday morning [those of you brave and curious minded people can ask Randy about how I fell..haha!] and in the process, hurt my back. The Friday before I spent the day at the doctor's trying to ascertain that I had no serious problems as a result of the fall. I hit our tile floor at full speed and was very concerned when my back pain was so severe. He sent me to the hospital for an ultrasound of my back and innerds and all was fine. Just a sprain that the elixer of time took care of [with the help of some muscle relaxers and pain pills] Notice the 'guard' at attention with his gun in front of the hospital picture-there are guards at every door of every store and they are all armed. What do they think we are going to steal????

This beautiful family is loving the discussions...we are hopeful!

Interior of the hospital-reminds me of a 1930's movie...

The local 'hospital'...can you see the guard at the door??

I need to tell you however that my doctor day with a doctor visit, urinalysis, body ultrasound, plus prescriptions total bill was less than $100 US!!! There are a few perks...

Only in the Philippines!!

2011-10-24T16:44:00.000-07:00

Rice truck set with plastic chairs to transport a group of people

The tractor of the Philippines

This Jeepney is a little overloaded, don't you think??

Open air meat market

Common broom-small slivers of bamboo tied together. These are used for everything!

This is called a 'waiting shed' where people will wait for a trycie or jeepney-found on almost every corner.

Just one???

Basketball is the national sport here but I don't ever remember seeing a baseball diamond in a cemetery in the US!!

Such a serious look...

This little piggy went to market...

It has been a little over two months now and we are beginning to settle in and feel more at home. The house we live in is very comfortable...it is quite large and roomy so we are not feeling cramped but it does have it's drawbacks...no a/c except in the bedrooms, it leakes like a colander when it rains, we are not here alone as many little and big creatures co-habitate with us, there is no hot water, just to mention a few however, we love the neighborhood, roosters and pigs and all, the neighbors are great, the water pressure is good, allowing for refreshing showers, and thanks to our great leadership here in the mission, it is well furnished and the kitchen is nicely appointed with the latest in appliances. We think we will stay!!

Mission Highlights is the name of the official Philippines, Cauayan City Mission blog hosted by our mission. I have kept up on it from the very beginning and if you are interested, you can find the link to your right. From the beginning, Brenda has had an occasional post entitled 'Only in the Philippines' and has included items of interest and pictures of things that you would only see here. I have loved those posts and decided to draw on that idea for an occasional entry on this blog. Today you will find a variety of pictures of things that you won't see in the United States for sure and I hope you will find them enjoyable....

Only in the Philippines will you see this strange sight...

You will see hundreds of these basket men selling their wares

Rice being transported on a sidecar

I think this little guy is named George...

This funeral procession is being led by a band

Notice the banner on the front of this cart with the statistics of the deceased??

The mourners follow on their way to the cemetery...

Hope you all are having a great fall. I do miss the colors and the smells as I have said before but life is good and with the 'BER' months, [SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovemBER and DecemBER] comes Christmas decorations and music everywhere. We even sang Away in a Manger on Sunday...these people do love their holidays!!!

A Spiritual Feast...and clean teeth

2011-10-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was such a spiritual feast for us. Two General Authorities who are currently serving in the Area Presidency were here to divide a stake and spent extra time uplifting, training, sharing and interacting with the missionaries in the immediate Cauayan area. We were invited to come and enjoyed our time with them so much. I meant to get a picture of us with them and the time just flew by. Elder Ian Ardern [who spoke in General Conference a few weeks ago-the talk on using time wisely with the reference to 'angry birds' crashing against brick walls] and Elder Brent Nielson were such a great tag team. Their training was very enlightening and so informative. We feel so fortunate to be taught at their feet.

Sunday night we had the invitation to come to the mission home for dinner with them and truly had a delightful time. THEY ARE REAL PEOPLE!!!!! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time and felt fed, both inside and out. A true magic opportunity for us.

Monday I decided I would get my teeth cleaned. Now let me preface this with a little background. I have been going to my favorite dentist, Dr. DeFord since we moved to Omaha. She is my dentist but also my good friend. When we decided to serve this mission, she told me there was NO way I could go for 2 years without having my teeth cleaned. I create plaque so badly so for Christmas last year, she gave me my own set of 'tools' and also gave me a lesson on how to scale my own teeth. I have been vigilant in using them monthly but developed a paranoia that my teeth would need cleaning. At home, I would get them done every 4 months so I thought I would search out a dentist here and get it done.

Now as I took my place in the chair, folks, I had immediate flashbacks of my days in the dentist office as a small child 55 years ago!!! I took this picture for Kathy mainly...she would never believe this equipment! And she even had a spit bowl!!!

The entire time I was in the chair, she was talking, asking me questions [and she had her hands in my mouth, expecting an answer!] telling me how white my teeth were, like black Americans, how most Filipino people and white American's have light yellow teeth, etc. It was a hoot! When we finished, she informed me that I didn't need to come back for a year and the only thing she actually did was give me an intense flouride treatment! Cost??? 400 Pesos [a little over $8] Amazing...

Dr. Luz Belinda Yap

We got two new missionaries this morning so we are off to Cauayan to help with breakfast and deliver the newbies to get them settled. I have been feeling puny this week so will lay low for a day or two. Sunday morning I fell in our kitchen and crashed onto the tile on my elbow and have been limping around. Bodies of old people hurt when they fall...I think I pulled every muscle in my body but I am SO grateful nothing broke! As I laid there, I could imagine so much worse-old people break when they fall and I surely don't want to end up with a broken anything in a third world country!!! I also laughed thinking of Kathy's latest ouch [she ran into a door and thought she broke her nose] and knowing we may be 9000 miles apart, we suffer together!!

My owie bruised elbow that didn't break!!

I am still missing fall and the smells of autumn, the changing colors on the leaves, the crisp mornings, the football games and such but am so grateful that we are here serving these wonderful people. Our mission has been such a blessing to us and we are only 10 weeks into it!!!!! YIPEE!!!!

Carabou's, families and some good eats!!

2011-10-11T05:19:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what a carabou does to cool off? That probably wasn't on the top of my 'info to find out' list until a month ago...in fact, I had NEVER even seen a carabou until we came to the Philippines in August. We studied about different countries, cultures, foods, geography, weather, etc. in World Geography in the 11th grade but people, THAT WAS CENTURIES AGO!!! The carabou is the tractor of the Philippines. We are constantly amazed at their size and strength. Every family [at least in this part of the country] own or have access to a carabou. One sweet sister we were teaching asked me in broken English, 'Sister...you have carabou's in America?' When I responded no, she was visibly shocked and said 'then how do you get your work done?' You see, here in this farming area of the Philippines, everyone and I mean EVERYONE uses carabou's. They pull carts filled with rice bags, carts filled with building parts, carts filled with car parts, carts filled with people and plows just to name a few. Randy is fascinated to watch the 'handler' drive the carabou-there is a wire threaded through it's nostrils and it is 'steered' similar to a horse in America. His contention is 'I would turn my head also if someone put a wire in MY nose'...they are really interesting creatures and today as we were teaching in 'the bukid', Randy took this little video showing how they cool themselves in this heat.

This has been a great week and it is only Tuesday!! Last night we had a family home evening at a home that has a 'bahay kubo' which is, in our language, a gazebo! These are not as grand as ours in America but instead are made from bamboo. In this one, we are sitting elevated about 3 feet. It was a great evening and ended with chocolate chip cookies [thanks to Annalee for the chips]!!! Everything is better with cookies...

Family Home Evening in the Bahay Kubo

Out in the bukid today, we had a referral that took us to a new investigator. I am pretty brave and have done many new things in the past month [cue the toilet flush] but walking the plank was not one I had ever planned!! To access this woman's home, we needed to cross over the canal that runs between the road and her property. Their family has built a plank that made me think I should have paid better attention in high school gymnastics-I felt like I was on the beam! It was a little wider but I handed Randy the camera just in case I ended up in the canal with the carabou!!! Hence, the picture...thanks, hon! This home also had an outside seating area called a 'terrace'...not pronounced like you just read it but rather 'tear-ass' with the emphasis on the second syllable. It also had bamboo seating and thatched roof. The air was cool and there was a breeze so we were quite comfortable.

Walking the plank!!

Sister Janette Ortega in her terrace

After our District Training today [which Randy and I did by the way] the brother from the family home evening came by with his ice cream truck and we had 'dirty ice cream'. I know, I know...YOU ATE WHAT?? It is really quite delicious. He get's up every morning at 3 a.m. and makes two freezers of ice cream-today's flavors were strawberry and something that he called peanut. You can have it one of three ways..in a cone, in a cup or with bread. It is called dirty when you choose the bread...not sure why. He purchases rolls individually wrapped in cellophane and slices them, opens and fills the bread with little scoops of ice cream. When I first heard about dirty ice cream, it sounded gross but if you think about it, a cone is a bread product so this is just like having a big cone. Anyway, he came to the church after our training and I bought all 20 of us dirty ice cream. He gets up, makes the ice cream, purchases the bread and sells them for 10 peso's each...that is the equivalent of 20 cents apiece! Living in a third world country does have its advantages!

Randy enjoying his dirty ice cream

Brother DeGuzman and his ice cream truck

Chow King is a popular eating place here in the Philippines-they are one of the few 'fast food' places around and serve Asian cuisine. They popular dessert is called Halo Halo which translated means 'mix it up good'. The first time we went there was with Elder Naylor and Elder Lucernes in August and I really enjoyed the eats-their Orange Chicken is pretty good and I loved the Halo Halo-it is made with cream, ice, sugar, jello, custard, ube ice cream, corn, beans and anything else the chef decides to throw in. It sounds awful but it was surprisingly tasty. I guess I am more adventurous than some of the other senior couples because I don't think Brenda or Gloria have tried some of the stuff I have...I figure, I will probably only be in this country once in my life and I want ALL the experiences, EXCEPT BALUT!!! That is one thing I will pass on...

Halo Halo before it is mixed up

When Sister Carlos called today to ask me if I needed anything from Manila, anything I just am wanting [she had a friend going who was willing to bring things back for us] I honestly thought and thought about it...there is not really anything I can't find here or haven't learned how to do without except maybe fresh mushrooms...I did request some cheese however if there was room. We cannot buy cheese here and I do miss that. She found a gold mine last week...walked into a local store and found three packages which, when she called me, I promptly purchased and have enjoyed with crackers and a Coke Zero. Yes, I can get my Coke Zero so what else could I want???? Oh and incidently, Rob...our toilet flushes counter clockwise!!

Pedring, Quiel and now Raymond!!!!

2011-10-02T02:19:00.000-07:00

As a small child growing up in Nebraska, I was very acquainted with tornado's and the impact one could have on my environment but NOTHING I have ever experienced could have prepared me for the wind, rain, flying debris, damage and loss of electricity that accompanies a typhoon. Last week we had two roll though here, the first, Typhoon Pedring rolled in sometime in the middle of the night on Monday night/Tuesday morning. We lost our electricity around 2 and that is what awakened us-the sound of the fan and A/C in the bedroom produces a 'white noise' and when it is gone, it is noticed. Our power was out from then until Friday evening. We went to Cauayan to help the Carlo's with their busy week and because the mission home/office compound has a generator, we had minimal lights and fans but no A/C or power to unnecessary appliances or plugs. The fun thing was this was transfer week!! That means we had elders and sisters going home on Wednesday and a new batch coming in on Thursday. Because of the storm, the incoming ones didn't arrive until Friday morning so the transfer meeting needed to be changed as the newbies were getting absorbed into the mix and having the meeting without them was pointless. Picture the cooking, the cleaning, the dishes, the laundry, etc. WITHOUT POWER!!! I have not washed that many dishes by hand in many moons but was glad to be here to be able to help out.

Our street.

Randy on the corner of our street...notice the trees stripped clean of their foliage.

These cute entrepreneurs were finding fallen coconuts to sell-see the home behind them that was totally destroyed.

The sad thing was that with all the storm and transfer stuff, the work stopped! This is the first weekend since we have been here that one of our branches didn't have a baptism. We thought about that on the way home from church today...our branches only held Sacrament Meeting so we attended two today, neither of which experienced much damage. Our new convert Sister Ulep told us today that when the rain and wind got bad, she just sat down and read her Book of Mormon. Now that, my friends, is pure faith!!

Getting ready for church without a blow dryer-no power but this worked! This battery operated fan that Randy bought is great!

A week ago, before the storms started raging, we had the opportunity to go visit the Agustin family and help them welcome their new little Dion Youone to their family. Like our Kimberly, they lost their first little girl as a baby and have waited and waited for this little angel. I took dinner to them [don't think anyone here has ever done that before] and made her two crochet-edged burp cloths. They are such a great family and are so happy. They blessed her today and thought you would like a happy thought.

They tell me we can expect Raymond to come rolling in around Wednesday of this next week-we certainly did pick a great time of year to come, don't you think? Never fear, we are all fine, a little hot, wet, tired and dirty but our faith is strong and our commitment to this work is unfailing. My prayer is that we could somehow, obtain the attitude of these wonderful saints...an hour after the storm was over, they were all outside, sweeping, smiling, visiting and moving on. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all be that optimistic about our futures??? Just clean it up, put it away and look forward. What a great culture of people who are motivated by the future and the possibilities, not tethered to the past and the mistakes. They just don't look back...

Alarm clocks, a great food judge and white clothes

2011-09-22T18:43:00.000-07:00

As a city girl growing up in Lincoln, Nebraska, I always yearned to visit a farm. My family didn't have any relatives that were farm people so I didn't get that opportunity until I was 13. At Campfire Girls camp one summer I met a friend who was from a small town in Iowa and lived on a farm and low and behold, SHE INVITED ME TO VISIT!!! I can remember the excitement as I boarded the Greyhound bus, headed east on my week of adventure. I loved the farm...I got to see things I had never seen, smell things I had never smelled and experience things like riding on a tractor, slopping the pigs, feeding the chickens and I even helped clean the coop! We got up early on that farm because they had the same alarm clock we have here in the Philippines...

These pictures were all taken this morning as I walked my neighborhood. I also went to the Palenke this morning to pick up some fresh veggies...it is the open air market I have told you about before where you can find just about anything you want from dishes to fresh meat. [I would never buy their meat however as it is not refrigerated and that scares me...at least for now!!]

The Palenke

This man is selling a syrup and soybean mixture on the street that many eat for their breakfast-he walks and yells 'Towelpo'

The work is going great-the family in this photo will be baptized tomorrow-at least the mom, dad and two of the older children. They have 12 children and some of the adults are already members. Our joy is seeing families being taught and accepting the gospel. Last week we saw the fruits of our first teaching experience when Sister Ulep was baptized. A marvelous day for us all!!

Sister Ulep was baptized by her son who is planning a mission this winter.

Last Saturday, we had a District Women's Pastafest and because he is a willing eater, Elder Shaner was 'elected' to be the judge. He was very complimentary to all of the entries and was extremely diplomatic in his comments. The food was great and everyone had a grand time.

They are planning another activity in December and have put me in charge of the craft...hhhmmmm. What can I teach them that will cost them NO money and yet will be something useful and most importantly, be able to find the supplies here...maybe fabric scrap tied decorated flip flops...what do you think????

Ok so you won't even believe this!!

2011-09-19T01:15:00.000-07:00

I don't have a picture, just the memory so will share it and when I am finished, you will be glad we didn't get it on film. Picture this...

We come home tired after a long and hard Sabbath-church, meetings, travel to Cauayan to plan the mission Christmas extravaganza [you know Brenda!!] and the evening coordinating meeting with the senior couples. We arrive home around 9 and are pooped!

I decide to get ready for bed so take off everything except my undies, take off my glasses to wash my face but decide to 'potty' first. Didn't take too long so hopped up and turned to flush. Without my glasses, things are not clear but I knew I didn't place anything solid in that toilet [which is a dark forest green] so grabbed my glasses to have a clearer view as I flushed and to my utter shock..A RAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wasn't sure I was seeing it correctly [you don't see many living rodents trying to crawl out of the toilets in Nebraska] I screamed for Randy, who was out in the other room and not 'tuned in' to the decibel of my voice but after a few frantic screeches, he came running with this puzzled look on his face.

"What IS the matter?" he inquired with a little irritation sneaking through his forced Sunday voice.

Mouth opened, pointing and madly flushing trying to get the little fella to go back where he came from, I replied..."A RAT!!!!!"

"What? Where?" he asked...

I was sure I had made it very clear where the little bugger was with my facial expression but to insure his comprehension of the situation, I pointed and screamed [just in case he couldn't hear me] "IN THE %$#$ TOILET!!!!!" Now people, I am a full-time set apart missionary for the Lord and the word I used to describe that little black thing with the long tail and buck teeth wasn't pretty but accurately descriptive!

He carefully grabbed the plunger that was in the bathtub, placed it in the toilet and said.."Here, hold this and let's see if we can drown him." NOW WHO IS WE-I AM THE ONE HOLDING THE STUPID WOODEN HANDLE!! Being the obedient wife, I stood there in my underwear, holding the handle while he went for a tool and came back with A PIPE WRENCH!!! What was he thinking he was going to do???? twist it's little head off???

I left the bathroom to go call my buddy Brenda-her phone rang and rang and finally President answered to my scream...'I AM OUT OF HERE TOMORROW ON THE FIRST FLIGHT!!'

Calmly, he said "Hold on-here's Bren.." [Isn't that just like a man???]

I recounted the story to Brenda as we both screamed and talked about what might have happened had the little hairy dude decided to hop up and bite me on the butt!!! She loves things like this so we laughed and thought it must go in 'the book' but who would believe it??? When I returned to the bathroom, Randy was flushing and flushing again.

the culprit

"Did you kill it?" I asked...

'Yeah" was his response.

"Did it drown?"

"No, I killed it with the pipe wrench..."

I didn't even want to ask the details...but I slept with a flashlight
and my glasses on the nightstand for my potty runs...and dreamed
all night about Willard!!!

Laundry day...

2011-09-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

I will never again take for granted my Maytag!!! Laundry day here in the Philippines is so different than I have ever experienced before. We have an automatic washer [it takes 2.5 hours to wash a load of clothes] and an automatic dryer [that takes equally as long] but having those available are the exception instead of the rule. Because of the time element involved, every day is laundry day in this country. Our young missionaries are all issued a bucket when they arrive and they all do their laundry by hand and use the clothesline method of drying. I prefer a clothesline also so choose to use one whenever possible but do have the automatic option in the rainy season. I love the smell of sun-dried sheets and such. Our backyard is rigged with a single line [which my engineer companion is going to turn into an old-fashioned double line pulley system like you see in the old movies IF he can find the stuff he needs ] and because of the 12' wall surrounding it, I can hang anything I want and wear anything I want while hanging the clothes! haha!

My first week here, I was so fascinated by the clothes hanging outside every day...they appeared like lines of flags of all colors, waving in the breeze. As I have mentioned before, the people here are very clean in their personal grooming and homes so having their clothes clean is a priority for them. Whenever I see little kids walking to school in the mornings in their school uniforms, they are always crisp white and ironed.

Thought you would enjoy some pictures...

A Filapina doing her laundry-see the wash and rinse tubs...

lots of people use hangers and poles like this for drying..

good use of a fence...

I admire the ingenuity of these people. They are very industrious and clever. Have I mentioned that we are falling in love with these people and this wonderful country???

HHHHEEELLLPPPP!!!!! I'm stuck...

2011-09-05T06:04:00.000-07:00

Up until three weeks ago, my entire knowledge of the Philippines was very distorted. I could remember WWII and the fact that the US had a base here....Imelda Marcos and something about shoes...martial law when there were men with guns everywhere...all my knowledge was gained from the media in the 60's-August 1, 2011. We know how the media can be...very biased and occasionally wrong!!! Well, my friends, they were wrong this time!!

As I walk every morning...as I drive to a missionary appointment...as I meander through the Palenke [the open air market]...as I travel these roads, I JUST FEEL LIKE I AM STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MOVIE AND I CAN'T GET OUT!!! Never in my life have I seen such beauty. These people are the most amazing folks I have ever met-the most enterprising and creative entrepreneurs I have ever had the occasion to rub shoulders with. [yes, children of mine, I know.....'you don't end a sentence in a preposition' but I really couldn't reword it...] The landscape is just breathtaking and I am constantly amazed at their pride in ownership. The natives [not the ones with the loincloths] make these fun little brooms and I constantly see adults early in the morning or towards evening out sweeping the streets in front of their homes. The people are very clean and although they wash their clothes in a bucket and hang them to dry wherever they can find a place, their clothes are always clean and fresh, their children are dressed in darling things and the women, all of them, no matter their age have painted toenails! We will be teaching a family in the humblest of circumstances, dirt floors, chickens and animals wandering through the house and I will look down at painted toenails! I haven't painted MY toenails in years and here they are, keeping themselves looking so nice. They all have jet black hair, dark skin, huge brown eyes and the whitest smiles. Filipino's have NO body odor [which is a very good thing for me, the ninny with the nose of a dog] and they have little body hair. Yesterday a man was in a tank top and was giving us directions to a river baptism and when he raised his arm, it appeared that he had shaved his pits. A tender mercy for me...

Our week was a good one-our first river baptism, a fun Branch Family Home Evening where Randy and his team won the 'eat a cracker and whistle' contest, and the Sister's Specialized Training along with our usual missionary appointments spattered thoughout. All of the sister missionaries came into Cauayan on Wednesday and we spent the day in workshops, eating, and being taught by President and Sister Carlos. I had the opportunity to share a little of my friend Jean Keaton's story of the start of her artwork and then present each sister with one of her pictures that I had laminated and made into a bookmark that depicted the theme of the day.."I Feel My Savior's Love". They all LOVED them and will treasure them I am sure.

My sweet sister-in-law LeAnn requested 'more pictures' and within a couple of days, I had received the same request from others of you. I will sign off with a picture gallery of our week...

Our Sister Missionaries on the Mission Home stairway

A humble church building, a former home

Up stream of the place where the baptism took place on Sunday afternoon

Elder Jackson with our newest member of the Mallig Branch, Brother Exwat

Randy's group in the contest

Painted rocks-a common sight

Outside the fencing in front of our home

Garden area inside our fencing off the front porch area

Typical view from my car window

Walkway at the San Pedro Branch building

Rice field

Randy's first trycie ride-on the way to get a haircut. The ride costs 10 pesos [20 cents].

Hope you all have a great week-we sure plan to....

THAR SHE BLOWS!!!!

2011-08-26T16:51:00.000-07:00

Well, my friends, we are having our first typhoon experience. Here, they call it a Baguio [pronounced BUG-YE-OO with the emphasis on the first syllable and a long 'o' sound at the end], not to be confused with Baguio which is the resort town to our east and the current 'home' of Elder Goodson [my sweet daughter-in-laws little brother who will be coming home in a week!].

The Church has a department whose main focus is weather around the world and how it will affect the different missions and in turn, the missionaries. Yesterday, we got notice that our island will be affected by the typhoon that is building out to sea so we are preparing...it has rained for two days and will probably continue to rain for the next 4 or 5, depending on the intensity of the storm and it's direction of travel. We were in Cauayan last evening at the mission home as President Carlos put into action an evacuation plan-he had two young sister missionaries who were living in an area close to 'the river' and he pulled them out for fear of flooding. They were to go to higher ground and because the first choice sister missionary apartment was housing a sick sister, they came to the mission home to stay until the storm is over. We enjoyed their company for a game of Mexican Train dominoes before coming 'home' to Cabatuan. I say home because on the way home last night, I was actually looking forward to coming home to OUR home and settling in for the night-it was the first time I had that 'home' feeling in this house. A good sign...

While I was in Cauayan yesterday, Sister Carlos and I had some errands to run-Sanitary Bakery [that is it's name-they have good baked goods and our favorite bread], Sanitary Mart [the little grocery store that is owned by the same family as the bakery-let me tell you, it is far from 'sanitary' but is immaculate in comparison to some other stores],the post office, and the palenke [open air market] where 'finds' are common-if you see something here that you want, BUY IT because you may never see it again! While we were out, I took some pictures of the field of umbrellas. This is a tropical area and is often blessed with sudden cloudbursts so the people here all carry umbrellas to keep themselves dry but also use them in the extreme heat for instant shade. I LOVE THE UMBRELLAS!!! They parade down the street like a field of wildflowers and bring such great color and vibrancy to this wonderful landscape.

We also had our first experience with teaching this past week-the missionaries invited us to join them on Wednesday afternoon where we met two wonderful families. Both live in the middle of rice fields and are farm laborers. One thing that is so evident here is that the people are so humble and so happy! They might have absolutely NOTHING but they want for nothing... I thought you would like some pictures of them and the landscape so snapped a few.

Sister Ulep with Elders Naylor and Lucernos

The Manocdoc Family

Even the street vendors have them...

This past week was also a red-letter day when the Carlos' and the Breeses came to our house for dessert and our first official game of Crud in our new home. I kept the score sheet and it will be a fridge decor for the next two years!

One more highlight was our new pet! I am seriously teasing but when we woke up Thursday morning, this little creature greeted us and if I had been the first to see it instead of Randy, I WOULD STILL BE RUNNING!!!

Hope you all are well and having a great life...we sure are!!!

Week one was FANTASTIC!!!

2011-08-21T01:46:00.000-07:00

What a week!! We arrived here in Cauayan after a good nights sleep on Wednesday morning [your Tuesday evening] to a fanfare of waves, pictures and lots of hugs! The Carlos' and the Breese's along with the AP's greeted us at the 'airport' [and I use that word loosely]. Brenda and I had a good cry as we hugged after over a year of missing each other. What a blessing this next two years will be for us both.

The AP's and the Breeses followed President and Sister Carlos' vehicle to the mission home where we unpacked, got a tour then settled down for a long 'chat'. This home is beautiful and very comfortable. Tomorrow or Tuesday we will move to Cabatuan to our new home where we have been unpacking and getting things settled. Friday we went shopping and bought a refrigerator, stove, water dispenser [the type you sometimes see in office buildings in the US] and three more fans. I unpacked boxes with the help of Brenda and Randy and have almost everything put away. Yesterday we went to two baptisms in two far away areas and ended up at SaveMore in Ilagan where I bought the staples we will need to set up housekeeping. They are all in 'our truck' [picture to follow next week] and will be taken to our home tomorrow and unloaded. One funny side note about the second baptism..there was no pianist there so I was asked to play the piano. It was a Kawai [electric] like the one we used to have so I felt fairly comfortable trying it. HOWEVER...I fought ants on the keyboard, wind blowing the music and as one brother was giving the talk on the Holy Ghost, I tried to adjust the hymnbook and accidently hit the 'fill in' key which brought immediate drums, bongo, and other percussion background beat music at FULL VOLUME...I threw up my hands in a panic, looking horrified at the audience and fumbled around until I found the OFF button!!! I will probably never live that one down and will go down in mission history as one of the greatest debaukle's in the world pulled off my a senior missionary! hahaha!! BUT...the brother who was rattling on in Tagalog didn't miss a beat and never even acted like it bothered him one bit! Such tolerance...

We absolutely LOVE our new area-we went to two Sacrament Meetings today, one at 9 and one at 10:30, both in the Roxas area. We will be serving in a district that includes 5 different units, all branches. President Carlos was asked to speak at both meetings and he, in turn, introduced us then called us to bear our testimonies. The people are so wonderful and so accepting of us. Yesterday as I walked through this grocery store, I gathered a following of about 8 or 9 little boys, ranging from 7-12 in age. I felt like the Pied Piper...they were all staring at me and just mesmerized by my height, blue eyes and light hair. I am taller than most of their fathers and that fascinated them. I got the same reaction today-people will have to learn to trust and I certainly understand that. Next Saturday morning, the combined 5 units are having a women's meeting where they want to learn about 'pasta' and have invited me to join them and teach 'Fettucini with Alfredo Sauce'...I must ask Cristin to email me her recipe! It should be fun...

The heat here is more oppressing than I had ever imagined. It took my breath away at first but I am certain, with time and patience, I will become accustomed to it. One thing I have realized this week is as I live in the heat and humidity and don't use A/C, it will get easier and easier to cope. It is the in and out of A/C that makes it hard. Here, at the mission home, we have air in every room whereas in our home in Cabatuan, we will have A/C in the bedroom and that is all. We also will get used to cold showers. There is one hot water heater in the master bath but it doesn't work very well and the set-up in that bathroom for a shower is not great-we will just use another bathroom for our showers and because the ground is not cool, the water isn't cold but actually a refreshing cool. I will probably be a two shower a day person, one in the morning to start the day and another at night before bed to cool off.

Gloria and Brenda like to walk early in the mornings so this past week, we have been walking for about 30 minutes at 5:30 am. I plan to continue that after we move and will look forward to walking in my town and becoming acquainted with the little eccentricities of Cabatuan. I like mornings and if I walk around 5:30 or so, it is still relatively cool...relatively being the operative word! The humidity and tropical climate make the foliage here amazing! I feel like I am living in the garden of Eden. There are also many different foods, bugs, rodents, etc. and everywhere you go, you can hear roosters crowing!! That will wake us up every morning...

President and Sister Carlos and Elder and Sister Breese

My first 'trycie' ride and what a ride it was!!

An electrician's nightmare!!

Tricie's all over the road inTuguegarao

A family 'van' in Roxas

Cute little fella's waiting outside church for their families...

One thing is for sure...this will be the adventure of our lives!!!!

Where do I begin???

2011-08-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

Oh, my...how to put into words and a few pictures the events that have sculpted our lives the past two weeks. I know, I know...WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, CHERI?????? I will try my best to encapsulate our experiences into one readable blog post...

We arrived in Manila yesterday [Tuesday] afternoon at around noon, having left the larger part of our lives behind and with faith in the Lord, that He will care for those we love and adore for the next two years. The farewells were very hard but we have confidence our friends and family will be cared for and protected as we serve. The MTC was an amazing experience that is so difficult to describe. Every day we were filled spiritually from so many wonderfully prepared young people. It is so awesome to sit back and watch that campus buzz as thousands of young people have responded to the prophet's call to serve. Wherever we walked, we heard tongues flying in hundreds of languages as this group of youth were preparing themselves to cover the earth and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The physical part was no less 'filling'...I think I put on 15 pounds just eating the amazing food and then sitting all day for two weeks to learn and practice. I am really looking forward to getting to Cauayan later today, finish my body-clock thing and get to work! My plan is to walk every morning for at least 45 minutes and I think my now-tight skirts will loosen up again! haha! Sister Carlos and Sister Breese have put in countless hours in our behalf the past few weeks readying our house [and I am bringing them a huge thank you hug as well as a few goodies] and the next few weeks I will put MY mark on it to turn it into our home. We will have left many of the conveniences that we have always taken for granted behind [like the ability to drink tap water or shower with eyes and mouth opened] but will be SO grateful for the lovely and comfortable place they found for us.

How was the flight over, you ask? Interesting is probably the most precise word to explain it.....we left SLC Sunday evening around 8 p.m., arriving at LAX around 9:30 p.m. A four hour layover was followed by a 14 hour flight to Hong Kong. The plane was huge but PACKED!!! We were economy and needed to sit up all night-each seat had a tv built into the back of the seat ahead and we had earphones so watched some movies, ate some dinner and snacks [MORE WEIGHT CONTRIBUTION I AM SURE!!] Each of us got some sleep but not the restful type that we really needed. I was telling Randy when we arrived in Hong Kong that it is a little like labor...while you are in the middle of it, the best word to describe it is brutal. It is painful, exhausting, never-ending, etc. BUT as soon as they open that door and we walked out into the most beautiful airport we had ever seen, we both looked back and said 'that wasn't so bad'...haha! Hong Kong was amazing-we didn't get to leave the airport but were so impressed with the beauty and cleanliness of the entire area.

After a short 2 hour layover, we hopped on another flight to Manila. This plane was larger and not crowded but when we finally walked off that plane, got our luggage, went through immigration and customs and walked outside, we were hit with the sights and smells of our new country. It was SO hot and SO humid [and there I stood in a jacket and Randy in a sport coat] but I recognized it as our new home and just loved it immediately. It took a few minutes to find our driver [and we had NO cell phones to call anyone to help-we will get mission phones sometime soon but we then realized how dependent we had become on technology] Ferdie found us and we got into his car where my senses were tested as we attacked the driving Filipino's for the first time. Luckily, I had been warned but could never have anticipated what I would see and experience. After WWII, the United States left hundreds, maybe thousands of jeeps in the Philippines that the resourceful Filipino people took, refitted and turned them into 'Jeepneys', their main mode of affordable public transportation. They pile as many people as they can into the vehicle and the lucky owner has a business!! They also have large buses [the air-conditioned ones are most expensive to ride] and between these two modes of transportation, the city is a mass of exhaust and honking horns but it all seemed rather like a dance. Nobody was mad or frustrated, nobody was raging, just moving like bugs on a sidewalk. People were also walking in the street weaving in and out of the traffic as were motorcycles and scooters. It was a hoot!

Randy and I had thought we would like to see the war memorial but with the time element, we only had time to do one thing so we chose the temple. It was so worth it and definitely the right decision. We followed that with a very disappointing dinner [he chose the restaurant] and when we realized the Italian Restaurant was not Olive Garden, our physical exhaustion took over. We both picked at our dinners and decided we needed sleep so by 7:30, we were both sound asleep. Our time zone puts us 12-15 hours ahead of you in the US depending on YOUR zone so it is now 4:30 a.m. here on Wednesday and 4:30 p.m. Tuesday on the east coast in the United States. The Holiday Inn that we are staying in [on the 19th floor!] is connected to this huge indoor mall [where we ate dinner] that is 4 stories high-we could look down and see the people milling around through the center opening and were amazed at all the stores and IT WAS PACKED with shoppers, even in the evening.

By 11 or so this morning, we will have boarded yet another plane, flown another couple of hours and will be in Cauayan City, our new home. Not sure what I am most excited about, unpacking our suitcases, unloading the boxes we shipped from Kathie and Bill's or just being ready to get on with this next phase of our lives. For over a year, we have been planning, sorting, packing, storing, and preparing ourselves for this moment. For the first time in our lives, we are homeless, living out of suitcases, stuff-less, and are more than ready to be done with it!!

Hong Kong

Jeepney

Coconut tree right in the middle of the traffic

Manila Temple-looks alot like Chicago and Dallas in design.

Temple grounds...so fertile and green...gorgeous!

We love you all and hope you will follow our adventures as we now become residents of a country that is half way around the world, filled with great people who are loving, filled with an amazing light in their countenances and ready to accept us into their lives. Here we go, Lord...WE ARE READY!!!

And now, it begins...

2011-08-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

Our crazy group!!

'Elder' David Keller, the young missionary who taught us in 1973.

August 1st was, without a doubt, one of the most awesome days of my life! We arrived at the Missionary Training Center and probably looked like a deer in headlights most of the day but had such a great experience. Before pontificating on that subject, I want to share a little about Sunday. We had so many friends from the past, [Vickie and Brent, Jeff and Judy, Kathy, Cleone and Lyle, Mardee and Rob, Heather and Bryan, Kathie and Don, Carolyn and Dennis, Annalee and Kirk, Kayleen, other special friends plus 19 of our 24 grandpeople and 4 of our 5 children] PLUS....the missionary who taught us the discussions in 1973 and his wife. We haven't seen him since the night we were baptized and as he offered the blessing on the food at Cristin's house, I closed my eyes and could picture that young Elder Keller. The memory is a great thing-too bad mine is almost shot! Cristin and her 'significant other' worked so hard to host a wonderful backyard 'eaty thing' and luckily, the Lord smiled down and held off the rain until it was all over. Such a great way to share our love with each of them.

Elder and Sister Shaner, Sister and Elder Stahlei

Elder Shaner, Sister Jordie Clayton, Sister Shaner

Today we had the unique opportunity to see Elder and Sister Stahlei and Sister Clayton, both friends of the past. The Stahlei's are headed to the Southeastern Area where 'Dr' Elder Stahlei will serve as the area medical doctor. They are also from Omaha and will serve for a year. Sister Clayton moved in across the street from us with her family in the mid-90's as non-members. We had the privilege of hosting their discussions in our home and she is headed to Argentina. What a thrill to see her. We also have run into Elder Spilker who grew up across the street from us in Kaysville and he is headed to Cambodia. Such a thrill to see familiar faces.

Tonight we are hearing Gerald Lund present a devotional for us and we are patiently awaiting his arrival.

It begins...

The last family hurrah...in style!!

2011-07-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

We had a grand week together at Kathie and Bill's mountain retreat. They were introduced to you all last month and have been our closest friends for the longest time and brought to us the most important message of our lives...the truth of the restoration of the gospel. In the early 2000's, they built this great cabin on the north face of the Uintah mountains a mile north of Bear River Lodge on the Mirror Lake Hwy south of Evanston. Because they were living in California [and still are actually], I served as their local contact person and worked with the builder to make sure everything was done perfectly. It was a great experience for me and it turned out to be a beautiful second home for them! They are generous cabin owners and have let us bring family and friends for relaxing weekends or extended weeks. Randy and Bill have tinkered many hours on this property and actually worked together to construct the split-rail fencing that surrounds the entire area.

On our way to the cabin area, we had to share the space with sheepherders who were moving a flock along the road-later that evening, we heard the baa-ing as they passed our cabin on their way to a new feeding ground.

A favorite activity for all ages but potentially dangerous as noted by Alexandra's rollover wounds...we were so grateful she wasn't seriously injured!

Randy and KC

Food is always plentiful when we run away to the mountains and this year was no exception. I created a sign-up sheet and everyone had the opportunity to help with the prep or the clean-up, whichever they wanted and it gave me time with each individually. Creating memories and nourishing relationships are always two goals for our family time together.

And of course, the games and just relaxing, visiting and a little hammock time!

Jake and Emma

Rob and his brood

Chip, Cristin and Rob

The food was eaten, the dishes were done, the cabin cleaned and readied for the next occupants but the most important thing was, we had a grand family week despite the rain, the blackout, the injuries to people and stuff and the lack of family members who were not able to come. We hope to have the entire group together August of 2013 when we return and enjoy a reunion somewhere in Colorado...can we top this facility??? Probably not but as we grow, the cabin doesn't so Cristin, Kim, Tawnya, April and Stephanie will be in charge of finding and planning for next time! A grand farewell to this marvelous and gorgeous retreat with it's wonderful memories...

Family time is the greatest!!

2011-07-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

As we wind down our time before entering the MTC in a little over two weeks, we are realizing how important family time is in our lives and what a void will be left as we leave for two years. Families are the greatest and we are treasuring every moment we can muster!

Monday was Family Home Evening at Chip's house and after a lesson, we had a fun activity of relay races. The overall winner was KC. She definitely got her competitive spirit and athletic ability from our side of the family.

The malt balls debaukle!!

My friend Carolyn gave me a grand recipe for brownies that I made for camp this year-this is the same one that inspired a song and one of the main ingredients is Malt Balls. WWEEEELLLLL,,because they don't sell them in the Philippines, my sweet friend and my mission president's wife asked me to bring some SSSOOOO...being the maximizer again, I bought and crushed 27 boxes of Whoppers with the help of Rob, Ellie, Tawnya and KC. With our restricted suitcase weigh, not sure how many we will be taking but they are all crushed and ready!!! I am sure my kids will be happy to use whatever I can't fit in. They would be great topping for a bowl of ice cream or just added to milk and ice cream for a great shake.

Took the Frontrunner to Salt Lake City yesterday and did some shopping at The Gateway with Kayleen, KC and Cora. The girls were given $10 each and told to spend it on themselves while Kayleen and I shopped for 'old lady' stuff. California Pizza Kitchen was our lunch destination and then the trip back to Davis County. Had a great day but all slept well last night!

Cora and KC sporting their 'hair feathers'

A couple of pooped grandmas!

The cabin shopping will take up most of today and tomorrow, after church, we will start our great week of

relaxation and fun at Bill and Kathie's wonderful retreat in the Uintah mountains..stay tuned...

Burgers, brats and a great porch swing...

2011-07-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

What a relaxing and enjoyable weekend with our 'firstborn in the wilderness' and her kids. Had a cookout with some great burgers and brats along with Bruce Bishop and his gorgeous girls. [how many 'B's can I find?]

Now who is Bruce you ask? He is the 'main man' in my daughter's world [besides her four sons] and is a keeper if you ask me. We had a great dinner with Potato Salad [thanks to Sam's Club], watermelon, cantaloupe, kraut for the brats, and a great Chocolate Torte [also courtesy of Sam's] for dessert.

Some of you know about our card group in Omaha and our signature game we called Crud. Well, this Bishop family also plays a variation of Crud and we were all whomped royally by Emily, Bruce's 17 yr old daughter. It was a fun evening and so glad we had the weekend with them.

Yesterday we attended Sacrament Meeting and heard Cora's girl's camp report. This was her first time to speak in church and she did a marvelous job! After dinner, Randy, Kayleen, KC and I drove to a Stake Center in Salt Lake and attended a Fireside where Rob and Tawnya were performing with the Jenny Phillip's Choir. Both of them are members of the choir and have actually traveled with them to distant places to perform. It was awesome! The stake that attended is getting ready for their Trek and this fireside prepared them so well. We loved it!!!

When we lived in Kaysville from '92-'03, our home had a wonderful porch swing. I grew up with grandparents who had a great porch swing and have many fond memories of heart-to-heart talks with my cousin sitting in that swing. In Kaysville, I spent many hours perched on that swing, crocheting, reading or just watching the activities of my neighborhood and talking with neighbors, kids, grandkids, and my young women when I was an advisor. Cristin has a swing on her front porch and yesterday, we spent a couple of hours sitting and swinging, yakking and making plans. Love spending time with my girl...and her kids too, of course.

Bats, a train ride, some great Gelato and movin' on!!!

2011-07-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

As we wound down our Texas time, we spent Tuesday doing some fun things. Swim lessons occupied the morning and after lunch, we all set out for a great finale of a day! Wednesday we headed west, leaving behind some wonderful memories and a great little family who will be SO missed! Below are some pictures of our adventures.

see our group behind the engine??

With a temp of over 100 degrees, we were all ready for some 'cooling off' time-Whole Foods in downtown Austin really hit the spot!!

We then traveled to the Congress Avenue Bridge [a famous landmark in Austin] to watch the most amazing event-there are over 750,000 female and 750,000 baby bats that live under this bridge and at dusk, they all come flying out to spend their night feeding and such. It was truly amazing to see them all spiraling out of their hiding places and up into the sky.


Libby and Jeremy waiting to see the phenomenon of the bats

Our 24 hour car trip from Austin to Salt Lake City was broken up by this beautiful scenery.

South of Moab

What a FANTASTIC splash pad!!!

2011-07-04T18:48:00.000-07:00

We spent this morning at a new community splash pad here in Austin-it is a phenomenal facility and will be a frequent outing destination for this little group, I am sure. Enjoy the pictures...

A cool waterfall..

Jeremy checking out the view

Amelia on the slide

Seth, Libby and Amelia in the sandbox

The canons...such fun to hit grandpa!

Splish, Splash...fun at the pool [and a little Farmer's Market, too]

2011-07-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

This area of Austin where Kim lives is SO cool...[really it is HOTTER than blazes but...] their subdivision has three or four community pools that are free to the residents and their guests. Seth and Amelia are taking swimming lessons and we got to go 'observe' on Friday. Actually, while Seth was taking his lesson, I swam with Amelia and Libby and while Amelia was in lessons, I swam with Seth and Libby. The pools are so nice, clean, not crowded. I had fun and thought you would enjoy a few pictures.

Libby leaping into my arms...

Meemaw and the girls

Kim [in the hat], Elliott [in the other hat] with Libby and Seth

Mr. Seth

After dinner, our whole group went to a different pool and had a fun evening. Seth and Amelia are fish and Libby is learning. She will be a great swimmer by the end of this season as long as they continue to go and encourage her.

Meemaw and Elliott

a little kick-back after a swim

Saturday morning we went to the local Farmer's Market and bought a few different things, one of which was fresh peaches-KC [who is accompanying us on our journeys until the 1st of August when she will fly home] said she loves canned peaches but has never tasted a fresh peach!! I was shocked! I guess I don't feel so stupid now because I had never tasted Mexican, Chinese or Italian food except Pizza and Spaghetti until after I got married. It was another 15 years before I had Thai or Indian food. Anyway, we bought her some fresh peaches and she LOVED them.

KC trying her first fresh peach.

When we were in Kansas visiting Todd and April, I took this cute picture of my ladies, Emarrie and Krezenz Cylien [KC for short] in fancy dresses. KC went to Prom this year and wore the purple one and the black one will be her dress for next year, possibly. Emarrie is still too young for fancy dances but likes to dream....

KC and Emarrie in their formal wear.

GRATITUDE...beyond compare...

2011-07-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we spoke in our Sacrament meeting in the Conestoga branch. For the past 3 years, we have had the privilege to serve in an inner-city branch in north Omaha and have learned so much from that experience. All along, we both felt this to be a grand preparation for our mission and leaving was one of the hardest things we have had to do. It is amazing to me how the Lord molds our hearts to accept His will. Our topic was 'gratitude' and it was so hard to deliver my message without blubbering. We have been so blessed in this process but one of our greatest blessings was our time rubbing shoulders with and watching the growth in those great saints.

Randy, me, Claudia and Warren

Another great blessing was this wonderful couple. Now you must understand, Claudia and I were supposed to be sisters but our mom's messed up-she is 6 weeks older than me and our experiences growing up in Nebraska are so similar. Our friendship goes back to July of 1975 when we first moved into Omaha and upon attending Sacrament Meeting for the first time in our new ward, positioned ourselves in the row behind her family. We became immediate friends and that relationship has just grown with age. Upon the sale of our home, I called her and said..'you have a choice, my friend...you can either take over the 'chief' job at Girl's Camp in the kitchen or rent us a room for 2 weeks!'. After lots of laughter, she opened her beautiful home to our family for 3 weeks-one week with all three of our adult boys as we finished the packing and loading process then the last two weeks with Randy, Emarrie and me. She and Warren run the most marvelous B&B. I have had the opportunity over the years to stay with many different people and this was one of the top 5 experiences...even if our Scrabble tourney was never resolved. I am leaving with a tie!! 5 and 5! Look our Claud...I WILL BE BACK!

This woman is in my heart...

Mud, fun and a tow truck!!

2011-06-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

WHAT A WEEK! I hardly know where to start but will try to hit a few highlights of Girl's Camp 2011 and my kitchen crew! This year I had two new 'grannies', Renae Cohn and Jill Jacob and coming back to the torture once more were Cherlyn Call and of course, my long-time buddy Claudia Beach. What amazing women...we worked together like we were conducting a dance, laughing all the time. Boy do I LOVE these women and appreciate their time and sacrifice!!

The first day was a hectic day getting to camp, setting up, being sequestered in our little leader's cabin with 65 other people because of impending weather alerts, realizing Sam's had forgotten to load one entire flatbed of food and needing to drive back to Omaha to retrieve it, being stuck in Sam's while the tornado sirens blasted, not being able to get back to camp because of down power lines from the storm, trying to reach camp by taking back roads and in the process, backing the car into a river-side ditch and needing to be towed out to the tune of $120 [which I just happened to have thanks to Randy's insistence that I cash a check someone gave me and hang onto the cash], unable to reach camp and needing to drive BACK TO OMAHA AGAIN to sleep and await the clearing of the road that gets us to camp...are you all getting the picture???

Cherlyn and the ditch...

I make this sound like a nightmare and it really was on Monday but after we got through that serious speed bump, things really did improve and we did have a blast. Nobody got hurt...we are all still friends...I had the most amazing support staff and we didn't even burn one morsel of food!!

We needed a trailer to get the supplies to camp!!

Our tradition has been to entertain the girls as well as feed them well and I believe we did accomplish that!

Italian night serenade...

'Doc' is the ranger in charge of the camp and always enjoys our antics as well as our great eats! We have enjoyed working with him as he will do ANYTHING for food!! An interesting sidelight-he wants to talk to the missionaries and find out more about the tenants of our beliefs. hhhmmmmm...:)

So long, farewell...

2011-06-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

Friendships are so precious to me. Everywhere we have lived, I have found friends, people who have common interests and people I have learned to love. Omaha is no different. Last night, a group of us gathered at a local Outback and enjoyed a grand evening. Some were absent, some were there but all are loved and will be missed! Thanks for the dinner dear ones...

When we arrived at Outback, we noticed a lady sitting in her SUV parked between two parking places. She didn't offer to move and so I rolled my eyes, probably said something with a huff and pulled down the row and into a place. When we left the restaurant, I just about died to realize I had done the SAME STUPID THING!!!!!!! blush,,,blush,,,blush

Our California weekend...

2011-06-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

Bill, Kathie, Me and Randy

Our weekend is drawing to a close and tomorrow we travel home...oh, wait! WE DON'T HAVE A HOME ANYMORE!!! We are officially homeless and the new people have moved right in. It will be a strange feeling indeed to go to the neighborhood and not own that home that I loved so much...I just hope they are good neighbors and love my flowers as much as I did.

This weekend was a 'honey-do' for the guys. Bill travels as much as Randy and the little odd jobs seem to pile up so together [it is always more fun to have a playmate when fixing stuff] they checked off some projects. We visited Bill's '59 Corvette [currently being restored in Los Angeles], the guys fixed the blinker in Kathie's car, set up their computers with SkyPe and then attacked the lighting system in the flowerbeds in the back yard. Watching those two together always has made me chuckle-they have worked side-by-side for many years and tackled more projects than I would like to count and always look like two little boys playing daddies...

Church was great today-their ward meets in this cool building in Aliso Viejo that has two complete buildings under one roof-two chapels, two gyms, two Relief Society Rooms, etc. Eight wards can meet there and with real estate so pricey in California, it really consolidates the congregations and makes the best use of the building. After church, we had some pictures taken [using a tripod and quick moving men] for our memory books.

If it was not for these two dear friends, this blog wouldn't exist!!! In 1973, we met and over the course of a few months, were introduced to the church, were baptized and the rest is history. This morning in Relief Society I was explaining how this was really Kathie's mission also and said she would be living it posthumously through me...oh, the sorrow of getting old!!! All laughed, probably more at her facial expression when I made that comment than my quick recovery as I corrected myself with 'vicariously, vicariously!!'

I have laughed and cried with this woman-the sister of my heart!

OH!!! my aching back...THE BOXES!!!

2011-06-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

One jammed box.

I am a maximizer. I know that. I have been a maximizer all my life and will die a maximizer. What is a maximizer you say????

My friend [and also my Mission President's wife] Brenda worked for Gallup when she lived in Omaha and needed to learn how to administer the 'Strength's-finder' test for her position. That test is very interesting. About 100 random questions pop on the screen and the one taking the test answers with his/her first response. The answers are analyzed and the results will tell a prospective employer the areas of strength and weakness of a job candidate. Wweeeelllllll...she needed to learn how to administer this test and all of her friends became guinea pigs. It was really very fascinating to me how our random answers gave a really accurate and true picture of our strengths [talents] and weaknesses [the junk we can't do well.] Hence...I AM A MAXIMIZER!! I always do three times more than needed when asked to do something...I buy eight times more than any one human needs, I use 18 visual aides when teaching a Sunday School Class and overwhelm the poor little kids, cook 7 times more food than we will ever consume, etc. You get the picture. When contemplating our upcoming move to the Philippines, I tried to think of everything I might need. Most of this stuff I had in my home and why should I throw it away, right? So, the month of May was spent with me shipping paper boxes, Zija boxes, book cartons, etc. to Kathie in California. The FedEx man is coming for Thanksgiving next year and bringing the pecan pie!!!

There is a company called LBC who will ship boxes to the Philippines for a very reasonable cost so I spent yesterday and today shopping, unpacking the little boxes and repacking into LBC boxes in preparation for shipment. They travel by boat and will take between 30-40 days to arrive but the timing will be fine for me. So far I have packed 5 and will take two to the office tomorrow and exchange for two more empty ones. When I emailed Brenda [who knows me WAY too well] and told her I would be shipping probably 6 boxes, I could almost hear her hooting from here!!! Each of these boxes probably weigh 50-75 pounds and will need either a hand truck or two strong AP's to unload when they arrive. My theory---why throw away perfectly good Raspberry Chipolte Sauce when there is a possibility I might use it in the next two years...

Who is having more fun???

Tonight I soaked in the hot tub and will go to bed with a muscle relaxant and sleep like a baby...my man is here and the stuff is almost packed! What a day!!!

WE ARE THE KNIGHTS AND WE COULDN'T BE PROUDER.....

2011-06-07T06:47:00.000-07:00


Linda, me, Marge, Pat and Becky

High school is such a confusing time. My experience was fine but my memories are not as positive as some you see in the movies. I was in all the musical activities, the plays, I sang with the school dance band, but never went to a dance, a prom, didn't date and felt, as I am sure many of my friends did [but heaven forbid we voice our feelings], isolated. This summer my alma mater is having it's 45th class reunion in July. One of my good friends from high school has 'found' me and we reconnected this past spring. She is still in Lincoln and has her pulse on the wherabouts of the members of our class. For some unknown reason, she has been in charge of the reunions and when she found out we were leaving before July and I wouldn't be attending this year's festivities, she arranged a little mini get-together for a few of my girl friends. Last Tuesday we met at Grisanti's in Lincoln and had such a fun evening. Thanks, Pat! I will be there for the 50th!!!

As the end draws near...

2011-06-04T05:39:00.000-07:00

Leaving a home has always been a traumatic thing for me. I love my homes. They become a reflection of me and my personality. This home in Omaha has been one of the favorite homes we have ever had-I remember my first morning in this home in 2003, waking up in my then new bedroom, stretching and saying aloud, 'good morning house! we are going to have a great friendship' and that we did. All of my children, in-law children and grandchildren except 7 were in that house. Babies visited, rambunctious boys ran up and down the stairs and laughter was heard echoing through the halls. I love to entertain and many showers, farewells, dinner parties, open houses, and such were enjoyed within these walls. The memories are many but it all needs to come to an end for us to accomplish our new goals.

The 'Davids'

What a fine looking crew!

Randy and I have moved twelve times in our marriage but only once before have we had to do it ourselves. Lucky people have movers to accomplish this task but luckier ones have friends and support systems...we are the luckier ones! Moving day was physically hard for this old couple but more emotionally hard for this old lady. I knew it would be tough but never expected the emotions that surfaced for me. I am just glad it is over....well almost.

Elder and Sister Mangum

After the packing was done, the cleaning began and only with the help of some dear and loyal friends-Elder and Sister Mangum came, Karen Bourne came, Cathy Wilkinson came, Cherlyn Call came, Ashley Sansom came, and THEY worked and worked. How grateful I am for those angels!

The final task was one of the hardest for me-a few years ago when Seth was almost 3, his family came to visit and he left me a 'present'...a WikkiStick picture of himself on the back of my front door. I couldn't bring myself to take it off and after the packing was done, the loading accomplished, the cleaning finished I knew it had to be done...

Today will be the official end-a U-Haul currently sits outside of our youngest son's home and this afternoon, will be unloaded with the things he is keeping, then driven 20 miles south to finish the unloading of the things our oldest daughter will be keeping THEN returned to the rental place. For the first time in our 43 years of marriage we are homeless!


Two of my three exhausted boys!!!

Aren't families great??? I know now why we have kids-when we need them, they are the ones who rally to the cause. Our three sons [cue the song] with the support of their great families gave up a week of their lives to assist us in this job. Chip and Rob flew in from Utah and Todd drove up from Kansas (twice! but that is another story) and we all crashed at 'The Resort' aka the home of wonderful friends, Warren and Claudia. These three boys [I guess they are really men now but they will always be MY boys] have not been together as adults without their wives or children since they were all kids and they really had fun. AND DID THEY WORK!!!

Bottom line...we are now in Utah, staying with our dear friend Kayleen, trying to regroup. Monday will be another adventure...stay tuned.

The good, the bad and the ugly...

2011-05-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to pack we go...our normal tidy home is totally upside down and it is DRIVING ME NUTS! I wouldn't call myself a neat freak by any stretch of the imagination but I do enjoy knowing where things are and how to find them and now....as you can see...I need not say more!! I know there is a natural progression of things and this too will end.

All three of our boys are coming tomorrow and we are very excited to see them and to get their help. Dear friends Claudia and Warren are opening their home and hearts to us and we are so grateful!!

One thing that I will really miss is my beautiful flowers. I learned the art and wonderment of growing from my buddy Leslie-she lived a few houses from me in Utah and is a Master Gardener who is also very patient with her 'students'. I know we will have lovely foliage in the Philippines but I do love and will miss playing in my columbines...

This was also a sad but productive day. My longtime friend Bertie Lutz and I have a tradition of 'cleaning the machine' together-when I was taking my longarm classes and learning the ins and outs of quilting, I had her attend my workshops with me because four ears are better than two and two brains [especially as we approach and pass 60] are a lot better than one! It has become a great bonding activity-we each have our tasks and together, we can get it sparkling in a little over an hour. Today was our last time to accomplish this feat together. 'Millie' will be living at a friends quilting studio for two years and we needed to get her cleaned and ready to be moved. It was definitely bittersweet-I love this friend of 30 years and I will miss her terribly as well as my buddy of the past seven years, my Millie. She and I have created many beautiful quilts and I look forward to working together for many more years.

The Waiting Game is Over!!!

2011-05-20T08:32:00.001-07:00

March 31st was my granddaughter's birthday and when I called her that morning to sing her our traditional birthday greeting, I told her our mission call would arrive that day and what a red letter day it would be-her 17th and our destiny for the next two years. Everyone in Omaha assured me that 'the calls ALWAYS arrive in Omaha on Thursdays' so I rescheduled my entire day to wait...I even had Vicky and her kids across the street hawking for me. Imagine my disappointment when he came, delivered and our box did not contain the traditional large white envelope.

Friday arrived and it was April Fool's Day...what a cruel joke if he came empty-handed again so I was determined to not miss the moment the white truck pulled around the corner. I took my journal, sat up the camping chair on the driveway and enjoyed the first warm day after a horrendous winter...I watched and I watched, I wrote my feelings about this important day in my journal and FINALLY.................

I heard the truck...tentatively [trying to act calm] I got out of my chair and walked across the street to the mailbox cluster located closest to us-we actually walk to the other end of the block for OUR mail but if I talk nice, he might give me my mail early...

Impatient future missionary: Hi~how are you???
Mailman: [looking a little puzzled] Fine...
Me: Could I pick up 5808's mail please?
Mailman: Sure..hang on a minute..[finishes placing mail SLOWLY in pigeon holes]
Me: A beautiful day, isn't it? We sure deserve this after our record-setting winter..

Now he is probably wondering what contest he won to have me in his armpit!!

Mailman: [handing me my bundle of mail, all normal sized envelopes and plunder (my grandfather's name for trash mail)] Here you go..
Me: Is that all? [crushed face most likely]
Mailman: Oh wait...I think I have a pkg for you.

Now, I thought my 'call' would arrive in an envelope, not a package but who was I to question?

THEN I SPOTTED IT!!!!!!!!!!! [cue the music] THE AWAITED ENVELOPE!!!

I lovingly cradled it in my arms like a newborn baby and walked quite briskly across the street, all the time thinking, 'this is it!' 'it is finally here!' 'I can't wait' 'I must call Randy'..

and to my dismay..........HE DIDN'T ANSWER THE PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What to do? Should I just open it and pretend when I finally contacted him that I was finding out along with him? He wouldn't mind...he would never know...GET THEE BEHIND ME SATAN!!!!!

I will try again and he answered!

Now a small bit of background-we had wanted to go serve in the Cauayan City Mission but had received information in the two weeks previous that we probably would be going elsewhere-Russia, South Africa, Finland, Taiwan...

Imagine my surprise when I opened it and found out we WERE going to Cauayan!! I think I screamed, I know I cried and afterwards, I prayed my eternal thanks to a Father in Heaven who heard my plea's and once again, answered my prayers...

This begins our adventure and I hope you will enjoy following our comings and goings as we serve our loving Heavenly Father until July of 2013 in the greatest mission in the world!!!

P.S...my replacement passport also arrived that same day but really took a backseat...so much so that I forgot to sign it before mailing it to the Mission Training Center. They had to return it for a signature for it to be legal..haha!