JANUARY slipping by... baptisms, piglets, goats, and work.

It is strange to be in a land where it does not snow and the temperatures are so warm in January ( not complaining, mind you!!!).        Life continues forward after Christmas season and we are continuously traveling and looking for ways to serve the people and to assist those with whom we work.     We have received an E-Mail from the Senior Couple who will replace us in the end of July .... the Robinsons from Spokane Washington.     This renews our desires to make sure that we are keeping good records so that they will be able to 'just pick up' from where we leave off.     The dear Saints here are so trusting and so kind to us .... we love serving with them.   

1 day old piglets at the Tarlac Member
Welfare Project.  A project that is
now self-sustaining .... blessing the
lives of Members of the Church.

Grown piglets ... getting ready for market.
"This little piggy went to market .... this
little piggy stayed home."   It is great to see
the Project bless the lives of the members
 and assist them towards self-reliance.  

Goats can flourish here, and are a good
source of protein, and milk.    This allows
the family to provide their own needs.

Elder Bell is assisting the members here
who are involved in the Member Welfare
Projects in building 'Hen Setters' that
he has designed.    Helps more eggs hatch
and therefore the ability to produce more
chicks.

We stopped by the Nacpil family and shared presents with
their children and of course the neighbors had to also 'share
in the booty'!     We love being with the Filipino children.

This was an interesting story.   Ended up with Branch President Omar
Moises and his wife, Luz, AND 3 women in our apartment for an
'overnighter'.    President Moises had traveled to bring the ill member to the
Baguio Hospital for treatment.   2 of the woman's sisters also came along.
They ended up arriving at our apartment at 11:00pm, with no place
to stay.  We fed them (had not eaten since 11am, and then spread them out on
couches and beds, and fed them.    Got them up the next a.m.for breakfast and for a
 Doctor exam, and they were in Baguio all day again.   We took them meals, and finally
 fixed them sandwiches to take back on the bus at 10pm that evening.    

This is inside the "Lighthouse Sanctuary" ... safe house and
rehabilitation center for the abused and exploited little girls.
Julie and Junell are members of the Church and have traveled
back into the Philippines to bless the lives of those unfortunate
girls caught up in these horrible activities of exploitation and
pornographic filth on the internet.     These are special people
willing to serve, to teach, to share, to help heal .... to follow the
example and admonition of the Savior.

We stayed at Ford Ilocandia while in Laoag,
Ilocos Norte.    A nice hotel and beautiful gardens.

Love these delicate little blossoms.  

I love the fragrant and beautiful flowers.

This is Julie and Junell's family ... at the Lighthouse Sanctuary.
They have 2 girls and 2 boys of their own.   Junell was a teenage
actor here in the Philippines, served a mission, came to BYU Idaho,
and met Julie, a returned Missionary.    She fell in love with this
Filipino returned missionary who loved to swing dance.   Together,
they are striving to change the lives of those who have known sadness,
travesty, exploitation, and who needs emotional & spiritual healing.

Tharon working with me as we categorize
and clean out a warehouse that the Area Welfare
Department has been using for 7 years in one of
the first Church buildings built in Manila area.
  7 years of storing wheelchairs, emergency bags,
parts for wheelchairs, microfiche readers,
 microfilm readers, ....yes, about everything
 the Church has been putting somewhere
 in storage.     The Church has recently sold the
building ... and it needed to be organized
and cleared out.      We don't mind working.  We
found more spiders, geikos, other strange lizards,
and old junk .... more than we care to think
about.        3 filthy, hot, sweaty days.   So good to
complete this task. 

Me, working in the old Aurora Chapel warehouse ...
organizing all of the old wheelchair parts and repair
supplies, as well as wheelchairs that have been used
during training.    This entire collection of 'stuff' was
donated to one of our Wheelchair partners  (BATAAN
Provincial Government DSWDO) who is working with
LDS Charities to set up a 'Wheelchair Repair Shop'
and livelihood center for handicapped people to be
employed in.       All of these items amounted to a few
$1000 worth of supplies to get them off to a great
start.

Loading the truck with the wheelchairs and the extra parts
and repair parts for wheelchairs in the truck sent from the
DSWDO office of Bataan Province.    They had to come
back a second day because they could not fit it all in on the
one load.    What a 'windfall' for them as they prepare to
begin a Wheelchair Repair Shop.  

This is a few of the members in the Lubao, Pampanga Branch.   We
delivered to them a Freezer that was left in the Aurora warehouse - unclaimed
by any other department .... and still working.      They were thrilled to recieve
it.     We also kicked off the first day of their Member Welfare Project by
going to the hardware store and ordering supplies to begin the work of
construction of pig stalls on the individual families' own properties.

We assisted Mabuhay Deseret with a
vision screening in the Purple
Center's School in the Tondo area in
Manila.   

This was the Purple Center staff, Mabuhay Deseret Staff, and
those of us from LDS Charities who assisted with the vision
screening.     22 pairs of glasses will be prepared with the
proper lenses for the children and 3 of the teachers.  2 2nd
graders will be scheduled for free eye surgery.  Mabuhay Deseret and
LDS Church provides vision equipment and supports Medical
Missions for Trained Doctors to come into the area and provide
the surgical and medical needs at no cost to the families.

These are 2 of the boys who had their
eyes checked and were able to pick
out a frame from those donated back
in the United States.   They became my
buddies.  

This is Sister Van Wermenskerkin from the Netherlands.
She and her husband are serving a Mission here in Manila.   He
is a Medical Doctor and works in the M.T.C. as well as travels
to all the Missions to work with and advise the Mission Presidents
and their wives with medical concerns and procedures.      She is
an amazing woman ..... very driven.    She has served as the
Church's Public Relations representative for the Netherlands
for many years.    She has became a very cherished friend.

He is a good companion and enjoys
spending time out with the members
as much as we can be out with them and
being a part of their lives.    This evening we
were at the Tarlac Member Welfare
Project, talking about the Philippine
Cobra that slithered across the pathway
 the last time we visited the Farm site.
President Nacpil and his family have
became very dear to our hearts. 

The construction of the large "Chicken
Coop" at the San Manuel MWP is
progressing nicely.    We stopped and
purchased materials to complete the
framing and get them prepared for the
GI Sheeting that goes on the roof.    They
will be raising 'Broiler Chickens' to provide
for the members in need in this Branch, and
to give them an ability to earn funds to purchase
their own basic food needs.

6 goats purchased for the San Manuel MWP.   This is the native
goat of the philippines ... already almost fully grown.    They will
raise more goats to give to individual families which provides a way
to have their own goats and provides meat as time progresses.

And more piglets at the Pozorrubio Project.    We had a
'graduation celebration' here in Pozorrubio as the members
of the Project have become Self-sustaining, and the
piggery continues to grow and give more opportunities
for other members to have piglets to raise and to learn the
skills of taking care of pigs.   

This day there was a total of 36 piglets that
they were taking care of, with a sow giving
birth in another area.      The members have
learned great skills in raising the pigs,
effectively keeping sows alive and healthy,
preparing pigs for market.     This has been
a good project ...many successful stories
coming from the members involved.    This
is all due to a concerned and 'in-tune' Bishop
who was willing to "Provide for the Poor and
Needy in the Lord's Way".      We love working with
these amazing and dedicated Saints.

This is Bishop Viernes as he answers
my questions about the history of the
Pozorrubio Project and the success
stories that have touched the lives of
his members.

We are off to San Juan, La Union Province, where they
have begun their construction of a pig stall area for their
San Juan Wards 1 & 2 Member Welfare Project.    They are
preparing to pour the concrete.

Foundation footings prepared for
the cement to be poured in.   Their plans
are to house Sows and raise piglets to
assist their 'poorest' members.  

This is captured on the road to Quirino, Ilocos Sur.    Elder
Bell and I took the District President, the Branch President, and
the newly called Branch President for the newly organized
Quirino Branch up in the tops of the Cordillera Mountains.   Our
Mission President (President Bangal, of Baguio Mission) requested
us to travel the 5 hours to meet with this unit as they prepare to
become a Branch, and to assist them in the preparations to put
together a Member Welfare Project that can assist these poor, poor members
living in this area.   

Elder Bell caught me walking with some of the primary aged children
as we walked to the river bank for the baptisms of 3 people. We are
walking through the area that was flooded during the Typhon
Lawin back in 2016. 

These are the 3 baptism candidates.   2 Primary aged children whose
parents have joined the Church over the past year, and a 21 year
old young woman whose mother and sister have been members for
6 months.    It was a great time to be with them, and a touching
scene to be witness of as they walked into the river and entered into
a covenant with Heavenly Father to Keep His commandments and
in becoming a Member of the Church.

I have always wondered about the green
shells that I so often find as I look for
shells along beaches.   What kind of 'something'
lives inside them.    Well, they are
like oysters.   In Quirino, they fixed
them for us for our lunch, along with
chicken soup, rice, and talapia fish.
I like the shells better than I like
them as food.     ..... not a fan.

Another Chicken that is in an area where
Elder Bell is working with them to build
the 'Hen Setters'.    This little built
construction will keep a hen sitting on her
eggs and hatch out more.    The Filipinos
are loving the idea and excited to build them.

This is Sister Zorn, who is serving with her husband as Welfare
Specialists for the Visayans.   They live on Cebu, and have worked
with Elder Kevin Bell (& Sister Kathy Bell) in regards to a
Member Welfare Project in Sagbayan, the Branch that Elder
Bell was Branch President over.     The Zorns are from Austria,
and speak German.   I have adopted her as my sister.   They are
such kind, generous, and spiritual people.    Wish we could spend
more time being with them and working together.     They will be
the Project Managers for the Alubijid Ward Member Welfare Project
down on Mindanao Island, for us.     In some ways, it is hard to work
and develop a project and grow to love these wonderful saints .... and
then not continue to work with them and see how their work comes
to fruition .... but most important is that the work moves forward and
we continue to search out those who will benefit from the miraculous
blessings of the Member Welfare Project Program. 

I continue to love the flowers .... the beauty that they grace the
landscape with and the smile that it brings to my heart.   I love
the tropical flowers and flora.     Truly a paradise that we have
been able to call home for a time. 

Some of the papaya fruit are covered to keep
the fruit free from bird pecks and insects eating
away at them.     It is wonderful to have so many
varieties of fruits and so yummy!      Papaya is not
our favorite.    I think we watch for the pineapples,
the fresh watermelons (yellow is current favorites),
and will be very happy when the mangos are back
in season.    We will both miss the fresh mango
shakes when we leave this paradise.     Always
a variety of Banana available.    Tharon lives on
Bananas .... he always has.  

And this is part of the great joy that we are able to witness
and to rejoice with.   A father baptizing his son.
 A second Generation and continuance of
building up the Kingdom
here in this region, up in the mountains of Luzon.

We love this amazing and wonderful work.    Being a Senior Missionary is a challenge in many ways, but oh, the blessings and Tender Mercies of the Lord continue to be poured out upon us.  

We pray that you are all well, and are making the most of every day.   We only have one chance at mortality .... lets make it count!