Finally enough time to blog. We have and still are traveling a lot to get the mapping done before Sister Clark, my companion, goes home the end of July 2011. We had 165 stakes/districts to map when I arrived and have mapped 75% of those and sent 50% of those to Salt Lake. The 25% not sent to Salt Lake have some boundary disputes that we are getting resolved before they can be sent as we can only send a map one time to Salt Lake.
We travel both by plane and car, I really prefer the car travel, I never tire of looking at the countryside (rice fields, sugar cane fields, tobacco fields, people working and playing, their homes - tarps stretch overhead and shacks, up to mansions; mountains, everything is so green), this time of the year is their spring, so there a lots of flowers, the kind that we call exotic, grow everywhere outside here.
We had the opportunity to travel to Baguio Mission that is at the top of a mountain. For the first time since I arrived in the Philippines, I felt cold, it doesn't snow there but does get chilly. The air was so clean. We stayed at an old ex-military r&r lodge which was quaint and very comfortable. I can't begin to tell you how great it was to go to bed and snuggle up with a comforter and hear the crickets outside and to smell the pine trees, when I closed my eyes I felt like I had been transported home for a few minutes. The whole city is built on the sides of mountains. They call that area "the salad bowl of the Philippines", because of the weather they are able to grow most fruits and vegtables, we visited a strawberry field and ate fresh picked strawberries. Some of their oranges were as big as grapefruit, seedless, sweet and juicy.
We visited a ward that weekend, it was fast Sunday, when the bishop saw us he immediately come up and asked us to sit on the stand and bear our testimonies. We didn't set on the stand but were happy to bear out testimonies.
I mentioned the ex military lodge we stayed at, we have some interesting experiences at the hotels we stay in. Sometimes we walk into the room and say "We're in the military tonight", some are very nice but most are somewhere below a Motel 6. We don't spend much time in the rooms so if the bed is comfortable and the room is clean, and they are, we are good to go.
One of the sisters that works in the office asked me if I knew how to make popcorn balls, she said when she was a child, lots of Americans lived in her area and the sisters made popcorn balls for the Primary all the time. She wanted her daughter to taste a popcorn ball. I went on line and found a recipe, gave it to her and told her to invite anyone she wanted and come to our apartment and I would show her how to make popcorn balls. It was so great, I served them a sandwich, chip, salsa supper and we got started. I was amazed that everything went so smoothly, it had been years since I made popcorn balls but they turned out perfect and no hands got burned. Now everyone here in our department want some, I'll work on that.
We get asked parenting questions a lot here, must have something to do with the grey hair and the badge we wear. Children are so important to this culture, very loved and wanted. All the little girls always have their hair done up with barretts and bows. Because of the heat here and the easiness to launder, you often see children in light weight pajams and nightgowns, good things they have so many cute ones for the girls and "manly" ones for the boys. I have found that the children love it when I give them one of my business cards and to think I didn't know what I was going to do with 100 of the cards. The children always want to shake your hand but sometimes are very shy. I shook the hand of a mother holding a 1 year old and the baby stuck out here hand so I took it and the baby immediately raised my hand to touch her forehead, that is a sign of respect given to older people here. I just wanted to wrap my arms around both the mother and baby and hug them tight.
It is interesting flying on the airplanes here, the stewardess asked, "coffee, tea or water", no juices or soda pop. There are two airports, at one we wait at the terminal for our turn, then ride a bus to the airplane and board, the other is pretty much like ours. At each airport, by the time we board the plane we have passed through two security check areas and paid a boarding pass fee of 200 pecos. At first it was very confusing to me and I just followed Sister Clark but I've have the hang of it now, altho I still just follow Sister Clark.
I am so excited that my son Scott and grandson Taylor are coming to visit me. Of course they have two motives for coming, Scott served here in the Philippines and came home April, 1984 so he is excited to revisit some areas and see people he knew back then and show Taylor another country and some of what it is like to serve a mission. Mark Welden who served a mission here, the same time as Scott is coming with them. One of the highlights for me will be having them sit in the car as I drive them on Philippine streets, well, okay, don't know as that will happen often but will have to do it at least once.
We have family home evening every two weeks with the other senior missionaries. The lesson is given by a different couple each time or as in my case, a single sister. I signed up back in November, 2010 to give the lesson on March 14, 2011, it seemed like a long time away, boy did that time fly. I gave the lesson last night and want to publicly thank Rebecca for the lesson. She is a counselor in here relief society and gave the lesson on fast Sunday in her ward. When she told me about it, I asked her to send it to me and it was so well done and touched my heart many times as I read it that I tweeked it a little bit and gave it for my lesson. Rebecca had obviously put a lot of thought and work into preparing the lesson and I appreciate it.
My family are such a great support to me here: Douglas gathers my mail on a regular basis and forwards mail that Allyson might need as she is my fininacial person while I am here. It is a great feeling to feel totally comfortable that all is well at home. Andrew keeps me well informed about him and his family, I look forward to his at least twice a week emails. Jeffrey skypes me regularly, I even get to hear Marquis play some pieces on his saxaphone and Malia sent me a picture she drew that hangs on my wall. Scott's family talks to me on Skype every week and McKenna has sung a song for me and I usually always talk to at least the twins. Allyson's family is so cute when she uses skype, they sings songs, tell stories, and even Zoey sings and talks to me, altho I'm pretty sure she has forgotten who Gram is. Rebecca and her family has written me letters, which I love because I can put them by my bed and read them over and over again and I love the family sounds as I visit with them on Skype. Brayden and Kassi keep me posted on their activities by email as does Brett. I have even talked with Adam at college a couple of times. Thank you, Thank you! Can you tell I am a little homesick, haven't felt that feeling since I was a kid at my grandmothers for a week stay in the summer.
My mission is not getting easier, I am just handling everything better and I do enjoy being here, we travel so much that when I get home and say "I miss the Philippines", I will really be missing the Phillipines. The people are so great, I'm learning so much from them: kindness, giving service, they have strong testimonies are are "much grateful" to have the gospel in their lives as I am.
