3 weeks into our stay in Paradise.

Tharon and I had to stop in for a lunch to try out JollyBees.    It is the Filipino's equivalent to our "McDonalds".  McDonalds is also big here .... but JollyBees are just as good and are on so many street corners.  Almost everything you can order has rice as a side dish.    He was able to order a Meat Hamburger with Fries and he was very happy.   They also serve a sweetened version of Spaghetti as a side dish.    Here he is finishing off my spaghetti.    I ordered a piece of chicken and had the spaghetti as my side.                We have been very blest.    No gastric problems (keeping our fingers crossed that this is true for the entire year and half).       We wash our dishes with boiling water and wash our fruits and veges and lettuce with Bleach water ... drinking only boiled or bottled water.     IT IS DO ABLE!

As you can see, Manila is a modern city.  Skyscrapers, Malls, Modern Cinemas, Restaurants & Hotels galore. you name it.

This is at one of the entrances of Baguio ... the city we live in.    It is a huge rock that had the shape of a Lion's Head, and so the LION'S CLUB (Service Club like in the U.S.) came in and painted it golden yellow and detailed the eyes and the mouth, and nose.   It really is pretty awesome to see.    

I snapped this photo coming down our Baguio Mountain (truly a mountain range and we are nestled in the highest tops that is able to be made into an actual city).  It was scaped out by Americans and set up to hold a population of 25000.   It is now the home to 300,000.   During holidays and in the summer it can expand out to 750,000 to a million people up here.    Holy smokes!       People live along the sides of mountains and build their homes from galvanized metal corrigated sheets (called G.I. Metal)        The road is extremely steep most of the journey and twists and turns.   If there is ever an earthquake in this region .... we will be stranded for weeks, if not months.    (YES... we keep a 72 hour kit with us all of the time.)      

It was PANAGBENGA in our city Baguio this past week.   It is FESTIVAL OF FLOWERS.   The streets have been horrendiously traffic congested  and we have spent many hours being 'lost'   while we hunted for ways to cross town.    This celebration is much like "Peach Days' in Brigham City - - but a week long and HUGE.      This is a photo down the main street that has at least 400+ booths of food and crafts.    The Filipinos use the umbrellas to keep the sun off of them, they desire lighter skin and hair.     We Americans Sun Bake  to get tan - - go figure.

This is Elder & Sister Stroud, Elder & Sister Zorn, and Us.    We are all the humanitarian Missionaries serving the entire Philippines.   The Zorns serve in the south, centered on Cebu.     The Strouds serve in central Philippines and are stationed in Manila in the Area Office.  And us - up north.     A formidable team.

This is another small area of houses along the roadway to Baguio.  They are made from wood and the sheets of metal.  Built on stilts on the canyon side is the norm.   

We spend almost as much time in our vehicle as we do in our apartment.    We are traveling around the island every week.    Furtherest North that we have traveled so far, is Lagawe, Ifugao, on a potential project to help provide the schools with vegetable seeds to help children learn to garden properly and augment their diets.

I love this view.    It shows the clouds on the tops of the mountain range as we drove out of the city on Friday (Mar. 3).   The roads wind down and around those mountains.  Steep .... nerve wracking .... scarier that ---- in the nighttime.  It was an amazingly beautiful morning.

Another small home built up along the mountainside.

This little guy was saved from hunters by one of our members.   It has became a pet to his family.   He lives out on a tract of land where they are farming pigs and chickens, and growing their own produce.  Tharon and I just shared a ripe papaya that they gave to us.  We have 3 more ripening on our apartment floor.    Yum!

Here I am climbing the stairs from the market in the street.   We had just purchased a waffle cone with mango ice cream.   The painting along the wall is in celebration of their rich history.    They remind me in many ways of our Native Americans. Some of the regions have facial features much like many of our Indian tribes found in America today.    Genetics are truly fascinating.    Good people.     Next time I will share a little history with you, if I remember :).  

We are so richly blest to be able to live among these humble and hard working people.   We see the Lord's hands and multiple 'tender mercies' being carried out daily in our lives and in the lives of those who wi serve with and among.       It is a joy to find ways to serve and assist in uplifting the hands that hang down .... and to strengthen self concepts .... and give mobility to those who cannot walk .... and help provide ways for people to grow their own food and feed themselves and strengthen their own health.     
The HUMANITARIAN FUNDS that are donated into your local ward units are used 100% to help throughout the earth.   We pay our own way to serve, pay our housing and food.    Those who are assisting with the REFUGEE RELIEF in Europe are also LDS Missionaries, serving to do God's work.    
Thank you for your love and friendships across the miles.   You are in our prayers and thoughts often.  We love hearing from you.    Thanks for caring and sharing our adventure with us.