We have had requests for over 9 new Member Welfare Projects in the past 3 months .... From the northern Province of ABRA, on LUZON, in Central LUZON, on the Peninsula of BATAAN (3 with 3 more just getting started in the process), and 1 down on the Southern Island of MINDANAO. We will drive to ABRA this weekend and meet and teach and work with them. Next week we fly over to PALAWAN island to complete a project supplying equipment to a Hospital/ Repair workshop (Training and employing Persons with Disabilities) that repairs wheelchairs and makes prosthetic body parts. The next week we fly down to MINDANAO to meet and work to develop the Member Welfare Project there. Our weeks continue to fill.
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| Look down this photo and you will see someone in the middle of the photo. 200 steps, uneven, broken, slanted, etc .... and you find a group of homes clustered together in a communal like setting that is interwoven among the rocks and folage on the side of the mountain where Baguio sits. We have a member here who has recently had a stroke and needs a wheelchair. This is the path that Elder Grimm and Elder Van Dyke and I went down to assess and get a wheelchair down to him. We had erroneously taken down a size 18 (measurement from our Bishop) and we had to carry the wheelchair back up to go get a size 16 ....plus... carry him up so that we could assist him with a banking problem that had occurred. 200+ steps down the mountain, 200+ steps back up the mountain .... |
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| and here you see Elder Grimm making the final steps of the ascent. Love the Spirit of our Elders! After the Banking and the correct wheelchair ... the Elders were able to take him back down the 200+ steps riding in the chair as they worked together to convey him down. This little, tender-hearted member who looks forward to spending more time with his family. It was hot and sticky, but these valiant young men will do everything they possibly can to serve those in need. |
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| Another wheelchair distribution ... this time in Bulacan, just outside of Manila. We are with Congresswoman LilaRose during this distribution. She is a great supporter of activities and organizations that are working to assist those who are so poor, and the Persons with Disabilities. |
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| This was up in Tuguegarao .... we had training for the assessors to learn how to assess for those children/persons who have Cerebral Palsy or other such disorders - who are in need of specialized wheelchairs. This was a 4th grader in the school that we took computers and assisted in repairs from a Typhon. I was able to make a referral for him to get him to this project and have him assessed and fitted into a wheelchair that will work to help remediate his muscles and allow his family to not have to carry him daily to school. Happy day for his family, for him .... and brought tears to my eyes. |
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| This is project manager, Marisha, who Elder Bell and I are working with as we begin the training in 10 schools to assist 5th and 6th grade teachers to have greater knowledge in teaching their students in skills in : planting, caring for, and harvesting of vegetables / good nutrition and recipes utilizing fresh vegetables / improved techniques for vegetable farming / importance of well-balanced diet. LDS Charities provides the financing behind this project which covers the seeds & seedlings / Train the Trainer course / materials for education for the schools / materials for the parents and community / Project material ideas for contests and activities for the students. |
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| This is two of the newly trained wheelchair technicians that custom - builds the wheelchair to fit the contorted bodies of those needing the supportive wheelchair. |
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| This is one of the sweet little students in one of the 10 schools we visited. It was her day to help her teacher to sweep the walkways in the school around her building. |
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| Beautiful Flowers - I have attempted to capture just a few of these growing in the school grounds of the schools we are visiting. The beauties of a Tropical Island .... gorgeous!! |
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| Another flowering bush that was beginning to bud out full. |
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| I need a horticulturist to tell me the names of all of these little sweet flowers. I think these are 'sweet-peas' ... but I know that I know very little about flowers. |
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| I was amazed at the beautiful detail of this blossom. |
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| This was unique and one of my favorite. Would love to have the opportunity to watch all of the blossoms as this continues to come to maturity. |
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| These children are out of school for the day, but they still come to the school grounds to meet and play. They are playing a game with small cards .... I think the game is similar to Poke'mon ... or a version of it. |
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| Yup, this card looks pretty familiar. |
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| Not sure how you win or what is the objective but they were enjoying and it made me smile. Kids are kids ... whether in Philippines in the middle of the Mountains, in the Czech Republic, in Africa, or in the United States ..... kids are kids. |
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| Liked this photo of Elder Bell and the hillside up behind the last building of the school. I would have loved attending a school with jungle right out the back door. It is beautiful .... such a blessing to be here and to be up in the mountain areas where most Filipino children have never met a person from the United States, who is here to assist their school. Next month we will be taking out 400,000 pairs of 'shoes' to students who have been identified by national DepEd as being 'so poor' that they have no shoes to walk to school in. So LDS Charities is distributing shoes so all the students have protection for their feet. |
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| Another amazing flower. The little purple blossoms are literally sneaking out the edge of this flowering structure in the middle of the plant. Was wishing they would all pop out at once for an amazing photo. :) |
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| I think this one was one of my most favorite. The white of so many of the blossoms ... and then the deep red with the stamen shooting earthwards is just breathtakingly beautiful. |
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| No idea what will progress from this flowering plant. This structure was amazingly beautiful, but I think it actually 'petals' out. I will hope to see this one again. |
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| We trekked out through a small village and then through a few fields to come to this home where one of our Church groups have grown large enough to become a Church Unit (not large enough to become a Branch .... but very soon!) They have a family baptism this week and then another full family next week. This is part of the Primary and the Full Time Elders are teaching songs. I love it. They don't have enough chairs to seat everyone on covered side of the member's house where the meetings are held. Elder Bell talked in Sacrament Meeting on the importance of the Book of Mormon. I was asked (just before the opening prayer) to teach Self Reliance in Sunday School. (I don't do so well when given a subject and have no preparation time .... and I speak English and they somewhat understand.... but not enough to answer questions.) oh well. I bore witness that Heavenly Father loves all of us .... everywhere; and He has told us that the earth has enough resources to take care of us all. Keep the commandments and follow the counsel of the Church Leaders, Pay tithes and offerings, and then work in productive ways. Do everything you can to provide for your own needs. Put aside savings when possible. Live prudently. Better your abilities to provide. |
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| This was the entire group last Sunday. Bishop Viernes, from Pozorrubio, is Priesthood over this group. We were wishing that it was not an hour and 45 minutes down the mountain from us ... we would go every Sunday morning. We are going to attempt it at least once a month. Many Sundays find us at a 9am session of Church and then traveling to a far off place so that we can start Monday morning in a meeting . |
