Beginnings and Endings, and meetings, oh my!!

     It has been an interesting few weeks.     Beginnings because Elder & Sister McIver have arrived to serve in the Philippine Area Office as Wheelchair specialists - and endings in that now we are able to give up 5 of our 8 wheelchair partners and plan to spend much more time in Central and Northern Luzon, and not have to deal with EDSA travel into Manila area.     Elder Bell is 'much grateful' that his hours on the road in Manila Traffic is coming to a 75% closure rate.      I have to admit, he is a champ at his willingness to drive daily in the madhouse of Metro Manila traffic.

     Most of our time the past 2 weeks has been in meetings and training Elder & Sister McIver (from Boise, Idaho) on what an In Country Coordinator and Wheelchair specialist does.     So you will see pictures of many meetings .............BORING, Tell Me!!      The best part about it is that we have grown to love these amazing Filipinos and working with them has been a great experience.       

Many meetings to put together
new Wheelchair projects.   Elder
and Sister McIver at the head of the
table observing and learning the
partners and the what the
LDS Charities Wheelchair
Initiative is all about.

This was a meeting with all of the
CSMs (Church Service Missionaries
serving in the Manila Area.   They
are a key part of the success of
the Philippines Wheelchair program.

One of our Church Service Missionary couples.   Sister Casaol is
responsible for all of the record keeping for the Wheelchair
partners.   She and her husband are instrumental in keeping this
work moving smoothly and keeping the Partners wheelchair
inventory in correct order.

This is another of our dear Church Service Missionary couples.
They were with us in the Tuguegarao training and we will be working
with them to train other CSMs up in that area.  I love these
sweet and dedicated Filipino saints who are willing to give
of their time and talents to move the Humanitarian work
to a higher level.

This is Sister McIver sitting next to Elder Dennis Smith.   He is
the LDS Wheelchair Specialist for ASIA and a few of the other
countries (11 he has stated).         I already have a deep love and
appreciation for Elder and Sister McIver.   She is a powerhouse
of a woman and will be a grand asset in the wheelchair program
and in the Area Office.    (Have to laugh, all she has to do to get
Filipinos to let us change lanes in traffic is to stick her head out the
window and ask if we can move in front of them.   They are taken
back to see this pretty blonde American woman with a big smile
talking to them in traffic.)     They will be great.

Elder Bell and I had a down day - so we stopped by the
Member Welfare Project in Pozorrubio and spent some time checking
up on the activities and breathing the fresh air.   This place has a
very special spirit about it.    2 wards are working together to
provide for 15 families who have been on the 'Church Assistance'
program.   Now, they are self sustaining and working together to
continue helping each other and extend out warm hands of
fellowshipping and encouragement to 'lift up' others in the
Wards who could use some help.

With all of the rains (every day for at least 2 hours), the
duck pond is full and they are loving it.    The members here in
Pozorrubio are preparing a lunch with watercress and calamansie
as they work on the piggery farm today.   

A meeting of some of the committee who oversee the
piggery project.    It is almost time to close the Project and
we are going over the obstacles and the successes that they
have encountered.    Good people, wonderful friends.

This is just a knick-knack that caught my
eye when we were at Banaue a few weeks
ago.    This was a typical home a century ago
here in the Ifugao area.   On stilts because
of the rains and flooding here in the
mountainous area.

Yes, another meeting.   This was one
of our wheelchair partners located
in Navotas City ... right on the coastline.

A very common site as we attempt to weave our way
through traffic down very narrow streets and the street is filled
with people and motorcycles.    That blue semi DID turn onto
this road and it was inches between the two vehicles as we
attempted to pass.   I held my breath as the sideview mirror
was centimeters from the side of the Semi.

Another Wheelchair partner meeting
as we prepare to sign another Project
together.   In many ways, it is hard
to let my time go with these amazing
women who masterfully run these
programs that bless the lives of so
many Persons with Disabilities.   

Yes, another meeting.    Working with Physicians for Peace
to establish another Project with them for provisioning
wheelchairs.    They are the partners who will travel through-out
the Philippines to assess and provision wheelchairs in the
'hard to get to' areas.    These are extraordinary Filipinos.
This organization is probably my hardest to turn over to Elder
and Sister McIver.    Can you tell that I become attached
to these good-hearted people and want to be able to 'cheer' them
on and  continuously watch them improve and bless the
lives of those in need?

This was the 2nd of two 'big' meetings with Department of Health Hospitals
in the Philippines.    They each are getting prepared to handle and provision over
1000 wheelchairs a year.     This one will be in Metro Manila, and will be
under the responsibility of Elder and Sister McIver.    Ours is in La Union,
just North and West of Baguio.    This will be our second large hospital to begin
in a 6 month time frame ... so we have plenty of wheelchair partners and
trainings to continue to keep us busy.

We will soon have more time to be out teaching more of the Branches and Wards about the blessings of the Member Welfare Projects .... so we will see more of those being prepared for approval from Salt Lake .... and then blessing the lives of LDS Members (& non-members get involved, also) who are struggling with finding the resources to feed their families.    These programs are such a great blessing.

Another 2 weeks gone by.   In many ways the time is flying and we continue to see so much needing to be done.   In other ways we continue to miss home and family.   The grandchildren are growing so fast and we are missing precious times ..... but we also realize and are deeply grateful for the blessing of being here to assist others and to allow the blessings available to be gotten out to those who are in real need.