I always think I am going to blog oftener and then here I am again apologizing. It has been an interesting and fun past month.
Sister Clark and I flew to Bacolod to do mapping and after the mapping was done we went back to the hotel to have some dinner. The only table empty was by the piano. We had been to that hotel before, ate there several times and never saw anyone play the piano. We had almost completed our dinner when a man from a table across from us got up and began playing the piano, he played by ear. A couple of ladies from the table got up and began singing, they wanted us to join them but we were a little reluctant. The one lady said it was her 68th birthday and she was there with her friends to celebrate. I have said before how much the filipinos love a party. Sister Clark started singing with them, the songs were old songs like "Singin in the Rain", Blue Moon, etc. I began to rack my brain to remember names of some songs I could ask him to play. I always recognize the tune but can't remember the name, however I did manage to name four songs he knew and played. We sang with them for about half an hour and really enjoyed it. There was a total of ten of us, no drinking, just good refreshing fun.
I have a new companion coming, since Sister Clark will be going home July 18th, the mapping will all be done by then. Her name is Cherie Fahrner and that is all I know, don't know when she will be here, where she is coming from or what we will be doing. I am just concentrating on things at hand and waiting for more information from my mission president. To keep me busier I was called to be the Senior Missionary Birthday Dinner co-ordinator. Once a month we have a party celebrating everyone who has a birthday in that month. They have been mostly going to restaurants, but being from a restaurant family background it drives me crazy to go out to eat here. For instance: last month there wwas 22 missionaries and the waiter handed out 5 menus (we asked for more but didn't get them), the final meal was delivered after the rest of us finished our meal. So don't think I will planning going out to eat parties, how about potluck at the mission home?
They have an American cemetery here that is beautifully kept with each grave marked with a marble white cross. The day before memorial day they depend on volunteers to go and post a small American and Philippine flag on each grave. Sister Clark and I were volunteers. It was an awe inspiring morning to see so many people putting the flags on graves, a lot of military families. There was a reverence there that increased my appreciation for the sacrifice of the soldier and the sacrifice of their families for freedom.
We went to do mapping at Tacloban Mission, we had been there before but the meetings were all canceled because of flooding in the area. We stayed again in the hotel whose basement had flooded. Fortunately everything had dried out, the sun was out and we had successful mapping meetings. We were invited to the Tacloban Mission home for lunch with the brethern. It was a wonderful experience, the mission president and his wife are filipino. The meal was very simple and I was surprised how flavored/spicey it was. Later on the way to the airport, our driver told us the meat at the meal was goat meat and that was why it was spiced to cover the taste. At first all I could see was the two little goats we had in Meridian, Idaho, but I put that out of my mind and realized I did enjoy the meal and when you are invited into someones home for dinner, you don't ask what kind of meat they'll be serving, so I may eat it again.
Who would ever think that watermelon seeds are eatable? Yesterday one of the guys here in the office brought in a sack of watermelon seeds he had bought. They take the seeds, soak them (they become about 3 times the original size), salt them, dry them and you eat them like a sunflower seed, throw away the shell and eat the seed inside. It is just amazing to me what they use for food here, nothing is wasted.
We went to San Pablo Mission and I was hoping to see family Scott baptized, but they were going to be in Manila while we were there, so hopefully we can hook up another time. Two of the senior sister that Sister Clark was with in the MTC are serving in the San Pablo mission. They were excited to see each other. It was one of the sister missionary's birthday, she is Samoan from Hawaii, she invited us to her party. Most people here in the Philippines do not tell what day their birthday is because if someone knows it's your birthday, they show up at your house expecting to be fed and celebrate with you. That is what happened with this sister, but we all went with the flow, the food was plentiful, the cake beautiful and we had a great time visiting with everyone.
I was asked to sub in the gospel doctrine class in our branch, the other missionaries were so glad because they would be able to hear the whole lesson in english. It was on Matthew 25, I love those three parables. They have one english speaking branch here in the Philippines, so we went to it last Sunday. The people that attend this branch are church employees from english speaking countries, filipinos that have spent a lot of time in American and will be going back to America. It was good to be able to understand everything in all three meetings, but I missed the sweetness of our La Mesa branch and of course "little Enos."
The temple president has asked that the missionaries not use the temple grounds for their walking exercise. It seems the grounds were starting to become everyone's exercising ground wearing exercise clothes. So I have been trying new areas to walk, still looking. I loved walking around the temple every afternoon (not in exericse clothes) altho I did wear walking shoes.
Adam Jacobs, Rebecca/Rob's son will enter the MTC on June 22nd to go to the Las Vegas Mission. I can not explain the joy I feel having a grandson on a mission, let alone at the same time I am serving. I have been told that my family will be of great comfort and satisfaction to me, it must mean generation after generation. Can you tell that I love each of them and miss them so much, seven more months!
