Another Transfer . . . . .

This past week we had transfers again. On Tuesday, we sent home 16 wonderful missionaries who we will miss . . . they were all great young men and women! It is always a spiritual high to attend their last testimony meeting in the mission field and to hear their testimonies of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I always come away feeling the love that each has for their mission, our Savior and the people of the Philippines.

Elder LongSister BruingtonElder Pusod - He was one of the Assistants that we worked with in the officeElder Grow

Elder PageMe, Sisters Muaror, Martino, Abad and Bruington

On Wednesday we had 5 missionaries arrive from the Provo MTC and on Thursday 8 missionaries arrived from the Manila MTC! It is always fun to see these young sisters and elders arrive so eager to get out and do the Lord's work in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the people here.

Waiting for training to begin . . . Sister Pristopher from the India New Delhi Mission!She is actually from Pakistan and our second sister missionary from there!

Oh how we love the missionaries . . . old and new . . . . .

Provident Living . ..

One of the many things that has interested me here in the Philippines is the gardens that are growing where ever there is a space to grow one. Most people have a garden in their yard if they are not in the larger cities. These wonderful people are living providently and I don't think they even know that they are. They grow the food that they put on their tables each day. Jose, our security guard, grows, pineapple, papaya, bananas and some peppers here at the mission home/office.Most people have chickens as well. But most of them are

roosters for cock fighting (and they are beautiful birds.)We have been counseled for years by our church leader to grow a garden . . . to take care of the needs of our family. I have been growing a vegetable garden in our backyard for years! I love it and miss it!

As we drive around here, I have noticed the different things growing where ever . . . so here is just a sampling of the 'gardens' here . . . I hope to add a few more pictures to this posting in the next little while (if I can get some good pictures from the car windows . . . )

Sugar cane and rice grow everywhereBeans growing right next to the road in a small spaceThis is the back yard of our friends bill and Mercy . . . what a garden they are growing . . .So when we get back home, I look forward to putting that garden in and
following the counsel of the prophets to plant a garden and live providently.

25 October 2011 - I got a couple more pictures so I am adding them to this posting (remember this is a journal of sorts!)

This is a stand where they sell something
(could be food, or a place to change a flat tire)
along side of the road . . .these are everywhere.
Notice the garden off to the left of the 'building'.

This open space is used as what looks like a community garden. They plant several different kinds of vegetables - and a lot of onions. Today I saw a guy watering his crop with two watering cans under each arm. These people can find a way to do anything! Also notice the tree stump? This tree was blown over in the typhoons!I have watched this place for about a month now. There used to be tall grass growing around this place . . . another place where you can buy things along the roadway. They started by clearing the tall grass and then planting . . .

You can see that the plants are starting to get bigger . . .
and the bugs haven't gotten to them yet.

This is the man that runs the 'store' type shop here. I told him I had been watching his garden and he got a big smile. The people are all so friendly and happy - no matter what their circumstances are!!!
(This is on the other side of the building from the previous picture.)

Celebrating . .. .

We were invited to a dinner celebration for some friends that we have met here in the Angeles Stake. Bill and Mercy. Bill is from the US. They were married a couple of years ago and Mercy was converted to the church about a year ago. The celebration dinner was in her honor. She took her endowments out in the Manila temple on Saturday October 15th. She is such a sweet lady. They invited us to attend the temple with them, but since it is out of the mission boundaries, we can only go about every 6 months and we just went a couple of weeks ago. It was a fun evening with all of her family and friends there to support her!

Mercy & Bill
Congratulations Mercy!!!

Christmas . . .

I was reading the on-line Costco ad to day and ran across this ad for Christmas Trees:

It's Time to Start Thinking about Christmas Trees Starting at $89.99 Delivered

Click Here >

It made me laugh where the ad reads, "It's Time to Start thinking about Christmas". We can not get way from Christmas her in the Philippines . . . It started September 1st! And the Christmas music is everywhere. Jose our cute security guard told me to day that he will put the lights on the mission home on November 1st! (He wants them up for our kids when the come that month!)

So if you haven't . . . . Start Thinking About Christmas!!

Salute

We really do get a salute each time we leave or come back home.
This is one of the guards at the gate to our subdivision.

Wade feels like he is finally getting some respect!!!

Typhoon Pedring and Typhoon Nalgae

As many of you heard and saw on the news back home, we have had typhoons again. Typhoon Pedring hit about a week ago. It is one of the largest typhoons they have had here in the Philippines in years with a span of 300 km (about 175 miles wide). We had lots of rain from it here at the mission office. (see pictures below) There were several trees uprooted and branched broken off of tress that we saw on our way to the Jubilee event last weekend. We had several of the missionary apartments that were flood, but all missionaries are safe and dry. There were many Filipinos who lost their homes. Many of these were those who lived close to the rivers and their homes washed away. I'm not sure how many members were affected.

Our mission president was on his way to Baler, which is on the east coast of the Philippines, last Saturday. They got over a bridge where the water was rising quickly and headed up the mountain only to be met by water flowing over the road. They turned around to go back, but when they got to the bridge, the water was going over it. So they were stranded in their car for 5 hours. When the Martinos arrived in July, Sister Martino felt impressed that each of the missionaries needed to have a 72 hour kit. She encouraged each missionary to get one. It was a prompting from our Heavenly Father, I am sure, because he knew that our missionaries would need it. Many missionaries had water and food to get them through this time. One group of missionaries had 1/2 cup of rice and a kit-kat bar between 4 missionaries. Branch members fed them after that was gone.

This was definitely a lesson in listening to promptings when we get them. No one had any idea that the typhoon would be as bad as it was. The stake president siad this was the worse one he has seen in 30 years. Other missions were hit much harder than ours was. There were several roads in our mission that were flooded and routes to different areas had to be changed. We had transfers last Thursday and several of the trainers coming in from those areas did not arrive at the mission home until after 1pm (they were supposed to be her by 10a).

The water covered the dirt where the plants are
next to the house ~ lower left corner

More of the flooding and water running down to the street.

The water running down the driveway into the street.
You can see how much water was in the gutter in the upper right corner.

A river of water in the backyard

You could almost use the water from the downspout for a shower!

Papayas that Jose cut off of the tree so that it didn't break.
(The Filipinos put the green papayas in different dishes that they make.)

A tree that was blown down during the typhoon.
The people cut it up and take it to use for firewood for cooking.

The sky after the rain had stopped . . . blue sky . . .
for a few minutes anyway!!

These guys are fixing the air conditioner
in the back yard while it is raining.
Thus the umbrella . . .
I know that our Heavenly Father was protecting us during these storms. I hadn't seen the wind blow here until these typhoons came through.
Now we are just hoping that the rain is going to stop for a while. . . .
but then again, it rained again today!!!

Jubilee Exhibit . . . .

The Philippines is celebrating 50 years since the commencement of missionary work. They had a big celebration back in April/May -I posted pictures from this earlier in the year. The church now has an exhibit that is being sent up in the various stakes throughout the Philippines to introduce the people to the church and what we believe. This past week it has been int he Angeles Stake Center. The stake members have been there to explain the panels and then we have had missionaries there to talk to those who are interested in learning more. Elder Jewkes and I had the opportunity to be those missionaries on Friday evening . . . unfortunately, we didn't have anyone interested in talking to us further. The people who visited the exhibit were given cards to write their thoughts on and well be contacted and thanked for coming.

We were able to attend the ribbon cutting on Monday. The public Affairs Missionaries couple from Manila was here. Brother and Sister Bird are from Layton UT and arrived int he Philippines about the same time as us. They have been traveling all over the Philippines as this exhibit is set up.

Elder Bird, Sister Briones, President Briones~Angeles Stake President,
the Mayors wife, Sister BirdHere are pictures of the panels . . .
It is hard to read them, but they are done really well in telling about our beliefs!

Building Zion - One heart, one mind

This panel had a picture that sows cars in 1834 . . .
Elder Jewkes got a good laugh from that one . . .Jesus the ChristA Place Where Heaven and Earth Meet

Home Can be Heaven on Earth

The Great Plan of Happiness

Leading as Christ Led

Charity Never Faileth

Building Zion in the Angeles Stake