Day 308 - Sunday, April 30, 2017 They continue to come! Sisters Brady and Rose joined us for a Sunday meal. It was a great time to catch up on the two years that they've been away. We definitely saw that they both continue to do great things!
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Day 307 - Saturday, April 29, 2017 Today we drove over to Baler early in the morning. Monday is a national holiday so we couldn't find a vacant hotel room. This meant we did all of our work in one day. We did our interviews with these dedicated Elders then took them to an all-you-can-eat buffet. It began as a quiet meal but as their stomachs began to fill, there was more conversation. They are true Elders! After they finished eating, we went around to each apartment and inspected. I'm happy to announce that they all had clean apartments. Elders being taught.
Day 306 - Friday, April 28, 2017 We love when they return!!! It's really special when they return with a spouse. Brandon and Sarah Christensen visited us during their current trip to the Philippines. They are great adventurers traveling about the mission visiting Brandon's former investigators and current members. We were pleased to host them for a few hours in the mission home.
Day 305 - Thursday, April 27, 2017 We have been doing missionary interviews all week. Today was home visits in Cabanatuan. Again I left one apartment without getting a picture. Here are the others that we visited. Despite the heat in Cabanatuan, these missionaries wore brilliant smiles. Yes, we had a bright glow most of the day but we loved visiting with our beloved, hard working Elders and Sisters. Cabanatuan is the hottest area in our mission. Today the temperatures were 95 degrees and with heat index it was 114. There is no air conditioning in the homes. Heat rises and most interviews were upstairs. It made for warm conversations and moist clothing. We glowed in the warmth of the gospel. This is one of our newest and definitely smallest homes. It is compact but clean and well suited for our dear Sisters!
Day 301 - Sunday, April 23, 2017 This picture touches deep in my heart. It is what every Philippines missionary understands very well. It is the Sabbath Day. These fine Elders are waiting for their investigators to arrive at Church. Church attendance is a vital step in one's conversion. Every Sunday I watch the missionaries wherever I am, waiting. Our Sacrament meeting began and our missionaries were sitting alone in the chapel. Suddenly they jumped up during the opening song and to the door to meet their investigators...a family! Big smiles all around as they entered the Chapel and took their seats with the Elders. I offered a silent prayer of thanks for helping our missionaries enjoy the fruits of their labor. Those prayers are offered day and night for our valiant and treasured missionaries and those that they work with.
Day 300 - Saturday, April 22, 2017 The Final Act! T-shirts were donned to help us, "Remember when..." This was after the final meeting and right before President Clark and I had to say a quick farewell. It made it easier to quickly say goodbye and run. God be with you our dear missionaries, until we meet again! Once an Angeles missionary, always an Angeles missionary!
Day 299 - Friday, April 21, 2017 "I Remember When..." We did it! Over 40 of our returned missionaries came back to the mission home. They all came and went at different times and we never were able to get a picture with everyone. This was one of the first pictures taken Friday evening before the sun fell. As they continued to arrive, it felt as if our long departed Angeles family was coming home. We know that many wanted to come but weren't able to. They each hold a special spot in our hearts.
Day 298 - Thursday, April 20, 2017 SerMOM Article...this explains what we are going through right now. One of our zones has temps of 45C - 113F without heat index! Here Comes The Sun!! It’s Hot Outside! Summertime in the Philippines and the heat is on. How hot is it? It’s so hot the balut salesmen have become telemarketers. It almost feels like Deuteronomy 28:22 is upon us. Maybe even feel like Lamentations 5:10. Its days like these we wish for Isaiah 4:6. The heat makes it hard to stay outside for long periods but out we must go to find “scattered Israel”. For the next few months we can expect daily temperatures to be around 40 degrees (or more)! Dehydration and heat stroke are serious problems we can avoid. But we can’t just hope for Revelations 7:16. Wise missionaries will take all necessary precautions to avoid heat related illness. Including: · ...
Day 297 - Wednesday, April 19, 2017 There's a change of guard in the office. Elder Bleazard was given the opportunity to be a Zone Leader for his last transfer. The missionaries love being able to go back out in the field before returning home. Elder Matheson joins us as assistant to the president and companion with Elder Sabangan. Elders Sinamban and Swaney remain as our office elders. We are grateful for all of their service. We throw some crazy things their way and they always serve with a smile (or a text that says, "I'd love to!")
Day 296 - Tuesday, April 18, 2017 Today we did home visits for our Zone Interviews in the Guimba Zone. The above pictures were just a few that we saw as we drove around. It was a pleasure to visit with these consecrated missionaries. Sadly I must not have pushed the button with our San Antone Elders. Their homes were clean and they looked forward to interviews with the Mission President.
Day 295 - Monday, April 17, 2017 Saturday was a busy day so I carried over our evening event to Monday's picture. Throughout the year we have entertained Bishops or Branch Presidents and their wives to an evening at the mission home. We love to get to know them better and have an appreciation dinner for them. They assist our missionaries a lot! We talk about some of the things going on in our mission and let them take lots of pictures. Camiling District was our final group. Every single Branch President and spouse attended. We heard that they have been excited about coming for weeks. They met at the Church and carpooled together. They especially seemed to enjoy introducing themselves to all of us. We had a lovely time.
Day 294 - Sunday, April 16, 2017 Today the world will celebrate Easter remembering the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter, like Christmas, has become a mix of very sacred remembrances and peculiar worldly traditions. Christians will gather in churches and families to feast, attend church services and hunt Easter eggs. In the Philippines, Holy Week has its own unique form of worship and celebration. Last week we saw religious figures being carried through a town on top of carriages. In our mission, we observe the most striking feature of Holy Week in the Philippines – Filipinos publicly whipping themselves. Some not only whip themselves but also have their feet and hands nailed to a wooden cross. Tourists come from all over the world for the sight! While we respect the devotion and sincerity of our Filipino Catholic brothers and sisters in celebrating Easter, we know there is a better way. Our Easter celebration should center in...
Day 293 - Saturday, April 15, 2017 We started our next round of interviews after transfer day. Angeles Zone will get home visits this week. Powerscrub was perfectly timed and the homes looked good. I failed to get pictures from one cabahay of 4 sisters and our ZL's. The picture with the mountain is of Mount Arayat. It is a great landmark whenever we need to figure out where we are. President Clark had wonderful personal interviews with each of these missionaries. I enjoyed discussing General Conference with them. It's amazing how important it is for them to listen to the Prophet's voice. Most of them had pages and pages of notes.
Day 292 - Friday, April 14, 2017 This is a tradition that I will never understand and yet it fascinates me. This is what happens during Holy Week as Catholic adherence flog themselves and drag crosses through the public streets. Self-inflicting pain and physical harm are thought to honor and reverence the crucifixion. To appreciate the self imposed agony, you must appreciate that these men are walking through the streets in summer heat; the heat index often exceeds 100 degree Fahrenheit.
Day 291 - Thursday, April 13, 2017 Power Scrub is done two times a year. The easiest way to remember is to do it the Monday after General Conference. Most of our missionaries look forward to this much needed deep cleaning of their houses. I received several pictures that I will put on another post. Our missionaries realize that, "A clean home is a happy home!"
Day 290 - Wednesday, April 12, 2017 We received a wonderful gift....15 bright and cheerful new missionaries today. When they come from the Mission Training Center, they haven't had much sleep. On the day of departure, missionaries going to different missions leave at varying times. Friendships are formed and no one wants to miss saying goodbye. Therefore, the missionaries are often awake most of the night since missionaries going to different missions begin leaving at midnight. Earlier in the day there were great signs of fatigue. They perked right up after dinner as President Clark spoke with them about our mission. We see a bright future in the Angeles Mission as we welcome this group. They are eager to learn and serve! We welcome this addition to our little force of 200 warriors. Sister Lopez demonstrates how to clean and prepare fruits and vegetables.
Day 289 - Tuesday, April 11, 2017 We bid farewell to nine wonderful missionaries today. They were smart, funny and very talkative. They will go home and contribute much to their homes, wards and branches. They are quite dissimilar but with one big thing in common....they love the Lord with all of their heart, might, mind and strength! The three words for this group are "Triumphs Amidst Trials." President Clark and I found out early on our mission that every missionary who comes to the field will have trials. Some are greater than others. Health concerns happen a lot. We all deal with trials differently and can learn great lessons through trials. Out of our adversity we might seek our greatest triumph. From Joseph Smith's experience in Liberty Jail, we learn that, "All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." D&C 122:7. These missionaries have been triumphant through their missionary lives. T...
Day 288 - Monday, April 10, 2017 It's transfer time! We have nine missionaries returning home this week. It is always a tender time as we reflect on days gone by. Above is one of our missionary's being picked up to travel back to the mission home. Below is a picture of a mission family. Sister O is the apo (grandchild), Sister T is the anak (child/trainee), and Sister L is the nanay (mother/trainer). Sister L travels to the mission home to prepare for her trip home. It is a moment of understanding and appreciation for those who will soon leave. It is also a grand realization that you've become a better person because of the decisions to come on a mission and expand your area of influence.
Day 287 - Sunday, April 9, 2017 In the Philippines, we watch General Conference the weekend after Conference takes place. On Sunday morning, we viewed Conference in Bongabon. It was translated in Tagalog. It was a sweet experience as we watched President Monson get up and announce there would be a new temple in the greater Manila Philippines area. The energy in the room at the moment was an emotional one. Even though everyone had already heard of the announcement, hearing it from the mouth of our prophet, was electric. It was a beautiful snapshot memory to me. Sweet Sister Charity thought we would never see each other again. It was wonderful to get a picture of she and her cute daughters after Church. Just a few of the missionaries that I love! We were able to see little Clark Aisan again. He's growing so fast! Another wonderful Sabbath Day learning and feeling in the Philippines! ...