October - 2nd month of Christmas and many activities

October is slipping by 'way too quickly'!     Here, I thought that once we had some of the relief in working with Wheelchairs by having another Senior Missionary couple, we would have a little more time on our hands and our schedule would free up ......... but as we have also said, "The Lord knows when we can move forward."     And we are moving just as quickly as it comes to us.

   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.    

 

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 ....

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.    

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.   

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!!

Another flowering bush that was beginning
to bud out full.

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.

I was amazed at the beautiful detail of this blossom.    

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.

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.

Yup, this card looks pretty familiar.  

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.     

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.

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. :)

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.

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.

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.

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 .