Monday January 26, 2015
Today I did some laundry and then we headed to the office. We had a Skype call with Clint Christensen (our boss) at the Church History Library in Salt Lake to discuss the progress we have made so far . . .
Wade has had some trouble with his church computer and has been trying to work with the help desk to get it working properly. Today I start getting the administrative part of our interviews done. Hope it all goes well!
Monday, January 26, 2015
Sunday January 25, 2015
We attended the Metro Ward which is a ward made up of people who speak English, most of them are here working for the FBI, DEA or other US companies. Everyone is wonderful.
After church we went back to the Trujillo Alto building to do more interviews. Wade interviewed a couple in Spanish and I did my first interview with a sweet single sister in English . . . All went well!
We attended the Metro Ward which is a ward made up of people who speak English, most of them are here working for the FBI, DEA or other US companies. Everyone is wonderful.
After church we went back to the Trujillo Alto building to do more interviews. Wade interviewed a couple in Spanish and I did my first interview with a sweet single sister in English . . . All went well!
A Day of Unexpected Exploring
After we completed our interviews, we decided to go to the Super Walmart where we could purchase fresh fruits and veggies as well fresh meat is smaller quantities that at Costco. (Yes, there is a Costco here as well as Sam's Club). We used our GPS and went to the saved places that were already in it. There were two Super Walmarts listed so we pushed the one closet to where we were. We ended up in a area called Casovanas. There was also an Outlet Mall so we visited it too. When we used the GPS to get us home, we were routed on a mountain road that was barely two lanes. The country was beautiful but it took us about 3-4 house to return to our apartment. We found that the GPS isn't always right! There is actually a Super Walmart about 10-15 minutes from our apartment. We will try that one another day!!
I will be posting pictures of the people we interview. I have gotten verbal permission from each of them. This way I can remember those we have interviewed and the friendliness of the people here in Puerto Rico!
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| Jose Toro |
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| Alberto Zayas |
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| Hector Llanos |
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| Jose Luis Diaz Rivera |
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| Rafael Rivera |
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| France Marie Feliciano Zayas |
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| Hector & Maria Berrios |
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| San Juan Stake Center - Trujillo Alto |
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| San Juan Stake Center - Courtyard in the middle of the building |
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| The beautiful countryside in Canovanas |
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Our Work Begins
It has rained the past couple of days off and on. This morning the sky is a beautiful color of blue and it is about 80+ degrees. I love the weather here . . . warm and sunshine most of the time with occasional rain.
We stopped at the store last night on our way home from the office to pick up a few supplies so that I can cook again. I made Chicken Alfredo and it tasted so good! I love to eat at restaurants, but sometimes it is nice to have home cooked meals! I hope we can make it to Costco later today. Sister Eakle brought me a conventional oven so I can bake. I want to pick up a couple of frozen dinners since those will be good and easy to fix after a full day. Maybe pick up some fresh veggies as well. Prices are pretty much the same here as in the states, but milk is almost $6 a gallon! Gas prices are about $.57 per liter - about $2.00 per gallon.
Our apartment is nice. We have three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The dining area and living room area are one big room. The kitchen is nice other than not having an oven. (But now I have the conventional oven!) We have a stacking washer/dryer! It is perfect for us! We have a queen bed in the master bedroom and right now a twin bed in one of the other bedrooms. They are bring over another bed in a few days since we will have visitors in February. Patti, Eric and Riessa are coming to visit Patti's mission. She is so excited to show her cute family around the area that she grew to love some 16+ years ago.
Our apartment:
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| Dining/Living Area |
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| Kitchen looking toward front door |
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| Laundry room |
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| Master bedroom |
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| Extra bedroom (empty) |
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| Extra bedroom |
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| Master Bathroom |
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| Extra bathroom |
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| Back patio with BBQ grill |
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| Other side of patio with door going into apartment |
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| Swimming pool over the fence from our patio |
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| Play area behind our apartment - swings and slides for kids |
Friday, January 23, 2015
Special Assignment/ Mini-Mission
Thursday January 22, 2015
Wade has been serving as a service missionary at the LDS Church History Library (CHL) for the past 18 months, most recently doing oral histories, mainly of past mission presidents in the Latin American Area. We have been asked to go to Puerto Rico to take oral histories from the people there. This is a unique assignment for a two month period for us to talk to Stake Presidents, Auxiliary Leaders and anyone who might have an interesting story about their conversion to the church. We have been set apart and wear our missionary badges. As far as we know at this time, we are the first 'missionaries' to do this type of an assignment. We are thrilled to be 'pioneers' in preparing the way for possible future assignments as well as others having this same assignment. Prior to coming, I was interviewed by the person Wade worked for at the CHL. I was able to spend a few days at the CHL doing some training for the oral histories as well as the administrative work in submitting the information to the church. I found it fascinating to listen to the stories that were being told in the interviews. I also enjoy the administrative part as well. And of course, it was a no brain er when they asked if we would go to Puerto Rico for 6-8 weeks in January, February and March! Stay in cold Utah or go to the warm sunshine of the Caribbean . . . . .
We left Salt Lake January 14th and headed to Atlanta using our flight benefits (standby). We stayed with Patti and her family for a few days. We enjoyed going to Wade's brother's ward on Sunday and then a lovely dinner with them, a family from their ward and two of the young missionaries. It was an enjoyable day. We were finally able to get on a flight Monday (January 19 2015) morning for San Juan Puerto Rico. President Boucher, the mission president, picked us at the airport and took us to the mission office where met several of the other senior couples serving there. We were then taken to our apartment, 'our new home', and got our car. That evening we went exploring to find a place to eat. We found a Ponderosa Steak house and enjoyed dinner. Then it was time to find our way back to our apartment - in the dark! We drove down several roads more than once, even a one way going the wrong way! By some miracle, we pulled up in front of what we thought was our apartment. Wade got out and tried the gate remote and IT WORKED! I think the Lord guided us there before I got too angry at Wade!
Wednesday the mission nurse took us on a little tour to help us find our way around a little more. We road a ferry to Old San Juan, had lunch and the came back. It was a gorgeous day and the Mexican restaurant we went to had great food! In the evening we went to the Olive garden Restaurant for dinner will the other senior couples on the island as well as President & Sister Boucher. After dinner we went to the President's place for a desert that Wade hasn't stopped talking about!
Today we worked in the office for a little while. Wade is so excited because each time he meets someone new and tells them what we are doing, we get more leads of who might have a great story. We have appointments sent for Friday, Saturday and Sunday to do interviews. I know we will stay busy here!
Wade has been serving as a service missionary at the LDS Church History Library (CHL) for the past 18 months, most recently doing oral histories, mainly of past mission presidents in the Latin American Area. We have been asked to go to Puerto Rico to take oral histories from the people there. This is a unique assignment for a two month period for us to talk to Stake Presidents, Auxiliary Leaders and anyone who might have an interesting story about their conversion to the church. We have been set apart and wear our missionary badges. As far as we know at this time, we are the first 'missionaries' to do this type of an assignment. We are thrilled to be 'pioneers' in preparing the way for possible future assignments as well as others having this same assignment. Prior to coming, I was interviewed by the person Wade worked for at the CHL. I was able to spend a few days at the CHL doing some training for the oral histories as well as the administrative work in submitting the information to the church. I found it fascinating to listen to the stories that were being told in the interviews. I also enjoy the administrative part as well. And of course, it was a no brain er when they asked if we would go to Puerto Rico for 6-8 weeks in January, February and March! Stay in cold Utah or go to the warm sunshine of the Caribbean . . . . .
We left Salt Lake January 14th and headed to Atlanta using our flight benefits (standby). We stayed with Patti and her family for a few days. We enjoyed going to Wade's brother's ward on Sunday and then a lovely dinner with them, a family from their ward and two of the young missionaries. It was an enjoyable day. We were finally able to get on a flight Monday (January 19 2015) morning for San Juan Puerto Rico. President Boucher, the mission president, picked us at the airport and took us to the mission office where met several of the other senior couples serving there. We were then taken to our apartment, 'our new home', and got our car. That evening we went exploring to find a place to eat. We found a Ponderosa Steak house and enjoyed dinner. Then it was time to find our way back to our apartment - in the dark! We drove down several roads more than once, even a one way going the wrong way! By some miracle, we pulled up in front of what we thought was our apartment. Wade got out and tried the gate remote and IT WORKED! I think the Lord guided us there before I got too angry at Wade!
Wednesday the mission nurse took us on a little tour to help us find our way around a little more. We road a ferry to Old San Juan, had lunch and the came back. It was a gorgeous day and the Mexican restaurant we went to had great food! In the evening we went to the Olive garden Restaurant for dinner will the other senior couples on the island as well as President & Sister Boucher. After dinner we went to the President's place for a desert that Wade hasn't stopped talking about!
Today we worked in the office for a little while. Wade is so excited because each time he meets someone new and tells them what we are doing, we get more leads of who might have a great story. We have appointments sent for Friday, Saturday and Sunday to do interviews. I know we will stay busy here!
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| My sister in law and me on Sunday (1/18/15) at her house for dinner. Her husband is a counselor in the Atlanta Mission Presidency |
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| We are on our way to Puerto Rico!! |
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| We made it! San Juan PR airport |
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Catch up!
I am going to try to catch up the end of our first mission and then add our new mission to this blog.
May/June 2012
Charlie called to let us know that he had met his sweetheart, Liz Fuentas, and they wanted to get married. He asked when we were coming home and we told him September 7th 2012. He said they wanted to get married August 3rd but could wait until the 31st. They were getting married in the Los Angeles Temple and it would be closed the middle of August for cleaning. We went to the mission president and told him our good/bad news. He said to find out which date they wanted and if it was the 3rd we needed to support them in that and not make them wait. I cried to the mission president and then to Sister Martino as well. I didn't want to go home early, but this was what we had prayed for . . . to have our three unmarried kids find a spouse. So we made the plans to return home the end of July.
June and July were busy with zone conferences, arrival of new senior couples and young missionaries, senior couple meetings and other activities in the mission. Our daughter, Patti, called me after Charlie and Liz set their date for August 3rd, and told me she would plan an open house for them in Salt Lake. So I told her how much we could spend and she took care of all the planning so I could concentrate on our mission the last two months.
We were given permission to visit a couple of the areas outside of our mission in mid July before we went home. Our good friend Ronnie Cedillo went with us as our driver. He was a church employee so we okay having him drive our car.
May/June 2012
Charlie called to let us know that he had met his sweetheart, Liz Fuentas, and they wanted to get married. He asked when we were coming home and we told him September 7th 2012. He said they wanted to get married August 3rd but could wait until the 31st. They were getting married in the Los Angeles Temple and it would be closed the middle of August for cleaning. We went to the mission president and told him our good/bad news. He said to find out which date they wanted and if it was the 3rd we needed to support them in that and not make them wait. I cried to the mission president and then to Sister Martino as well. I didn't want to go home early, but this was what we had prayed for . . . to have our three unmarried kids find a spouse. So we made the plans to return home the end of July.
June and July were busy with zone conferences, arrival of new senior couples and young missionaries, senior couple meetings and other activities in the mission. Our daughter, Patti, called me after Charlie and Liz set their date for August 3rd, and told me she would plan an open house for them in Salt Lake. So I told her how much we could spend and she took care of all the planning so I could concentrate on our mission the last two months.
We were given permission to visit a couple of the areas outside of our mission in mid July before we went home. Our good friend Ronnie Cedillo went with us as our driver. He was a church employee so we okay having him drive our car.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Misson Zone Conference with Elder Russell Nelson . . .
May 25, 2012
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Our mission had the privilege of having Elder Russell M. Nelson come for a Zone Conference. He was in the Philippines for a Mission President Seminar the weekend before and also dedicated the new Manila Missionary Training Center.
Elder Nelson was scheduled to come to lunch prior to the zone
conference, so we wanted everything to look great including the garden
area in front of the mission home . . . President Martino and Jose were
pulling the weeds to make it look a little nicer.
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| Getting the courtyard garden ready |
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| President Martino didn't even change his clothes to dig in the dirt . . . |
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| Jose working in the courtyard garden |
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| Even Elder Jewkes got into the cleaning mode in his office . . . |
All of our missionaries attended this conference. It is the first time since we have been here that ALL of the missionaries have attended one meeting. So, before the meeting began, the missionaries started arriving and visiting with their previous companions . . . It was a reunion for all to see each other.
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| Missionaries visiting before the meeting |
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| Missionaries catching up with each other |
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| Everyone was excited to see old companions and friends |
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| Ward members stopped by to say hello to the missionaries too |
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| This lady cried the first Sunday that Elder Pioquinto left the area - She came to visit him before the meeting ~ the members become attached to the missionaries |
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| The Flatter family stopped by to see missionaries who served in their ward |
The meeting was wonderful. The first speaker was Sister Nielsen, wife of the counselor in the Area Presidency. She told about a bridge in Twin Falls Idaho where people base jump. They learn to trust that the parachute they are wearing will open and 'catch them'. Likewise, going on a mission is like this form of base jumping. The Lord is our parachute and we learn to trust that He will always be there. "Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." (Doctrine & Covenants 123:17) We need to get up every morning with a big smile and trust that the rest of the day will be wonderful. What wonderful advice!
President Nielsen spoke about how all of the missionaries are loved and cared about. He told the following story . . . While serving in the Pacific a tsunami hit Samoa and Tonga. Within 24 hours all but 2 missionaries were accounted for. After another 24 hours the mission president was told to charter a plane to go to the island where these 2 missionaries were missing. When they arrived on the island, they found the 2 missionaries helping the people on the island. When they were told they needed to return to the mission home, they told the mission president they needed to stay there to help and serve the people.
He spoke about personal revelation. He also told us how when Joseph Smith left the Sacred Grove, the heavens opened - they are opened to everyone. He spoke of the sons of Mosiah when they were with Alma and an angel appeared to them. These men had a strong knowledge of the truth; they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God. "But that was not all; they had given themselves much prayer and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority from God." Doctrine & Covenants 2 -3 We are all given the opportunity to have revelation in our lives.
Then it was time for Elder Nelson to address us. All of the senior couples were seated on the front row in the chapel (I think it was so we could all hear clearly). We were seated at the feet of an Apostle of the Lord, literally!
He told us to "See beyond what you see and see what they can be." He was referring to the investigators that the missionaries are teaching, but we can apply this message to all we meet. He told us the story of a Chinese doctor that he met on a trip to China in 1980 to speak at a medical conference. He said when he got off of the plane and saw this doctor, in his mind he saw this man dressed in white. When he met the doctor's wife he also saw her dressed in white. The doctor asked him about the church. Of course he was pleased to tell of our beliefs. Several years later, after he was made an Apostle, the doctor called him. The doctor was living in Canada at the time. He asked Elder Nelson if he would baptize him. Later he sealed this doctor and his family in the temple. President Nelson saw what this man could be . . .
He asked if anyone had any question they would like him to answer . . . at the end of this question/answer period, Elder Nelson said, "There is someone here that has a question, that hasn't been asked; and I will answer that question now; Your families and loved ones will be blessed as you are here serving your missions."
He told us to count how many missions and temples that there are in the Philippines at this time. He told the us to write this in our journals and that someday we can tell our families and grand children that we helped to establish the church in the Philippines. (Currently there are 17 missions and 2 temples with another temple that has been announced.)
He concluded the meeting by pronouncing an apostolic blessing. "The authority I have in my calling allows me to give you a special blessing. I bless you that you will have a deep burning desire to know the Lord and his doctrine, and a desire to share that feeling with Heavenly Father's children, and the message of the restoration. And that you will apply it in your life. I bless you with wisdom and obedience. And when you return home that you will always be a missionary. To teach and testify, to bless the lives of others. We are his people, his disciples, and we get to play a part in this great work. I bless you that if any of your family is sick they will be healed and have health consistent with the Lord's will." (Written from notes and memory at a couple meeting following the conference by the senior couples.)
To be at the feet of an apostle and to have him look directly into my eyes as he spoke was a very special experience ~ I felt like he was talking just to me. I know my Savior lives! I know that we have a living prophet today, Thomas S Monson, and apostles who lead and guide the church. I know that Joseph Smith restored the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth in 1830. I am thankful for the opportunity that I have to be a part of this great work. Amen.
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