We are now fully engaged in our mission work:
- Preparation of the monthly newsletter by Carolyn
- Traveling hither and yon throughout the mission, almost daily, meeting with Young adults or priesthood leaders
- Personal or electronic contacting of PEF participants who need to be bolstered in keeping commitments
- Attending periodic San Pablo Mission conferences
- Cheering and encouraging members at various church meetings
- Assisting the young Elders and Sisters as they find and teach candidates for baptism
- Teaching Institute classes in various cities and towns, primarily the "Planning for Success" workshop
- Attending YSA activities, dances and devotionals, speaking on Education and PEF assistance
- Updating and maintaining computer files on PEF participants
- Reading, studying and dressing like full-time missionaries
We love what we are doing. Carolyn works tirelessly preparing materials for bulletin boards and emailing follow-up messages to all we meet. Lane is the main telephone contact with the PEF participants. Together we buzz around the mission, speaking frequently and have a happy time trying to advance the work.The cultural experience is all we had hoped for. Here are some pictures of what we see and some descriptions of the fun and interesting differences we observe:The countryside is gorgeous with tropical vegetation, frequent volcanic peaks, and beautiful Filipino people smiling at every turn.
Always check your power bill closely. How hard could it be to get your wires crossed?
And note the tricycle traffic in Siniloan. We could only catch a few in this photo. Many streets are curb to curb with them, almost creating a tricycle-gridlock. Don't let this orderly-looking line-up fool you in photo #6. They are just getting ready to "start your engines".
You could almost live entirely off the fruit from the tropical jungle. Here is a fascinating one, the rambutan! The prickles are soft and feathery. You force it open with your thumbs to find a bright, white, peeled-grape-like fruit inside, and then you discover a large pit inside that. When these fruits are ripe, roadside stands have piles of them to sell. They grow on large trees and are connected 10 or 15 to a bunch. Very pleasant eating!
This is the dairy section of the supermarket, but the milk is not refrigerated. It has been pasteurized with high heat and radiation, making it safe to sit on the shelves like dry goods. Frankly, it makes us nervous and has a sweet, off-taste, but you have to get used to it. Once opened, it lasts a few days in the fridge.
It's laundry day in the country-side. Just find a good river and start washing. Periodically beat the clothes item you are washing with a paddle-board. We think it must make the dirt come loose faster. And then hang the clothes out to dry ANYWHERE. Guard rails along the road are good. So are tree branches. And best of all are clothes lines attached to power poles and house roof-tops. One thing we recommend...try to find an UPSTREAM spot.
We are loving our mission. We have some long days, and some challenging times, but find that overall it is a marvelous experience. We have taken ferry rides to two different islands, found motels that cost $22 per night, and even gone to Manila a couple of times to help a fellow senior couple when the husband was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery to save his life. (And found a Cost-Co like store next to the hospital -- what a treat!)
Of course, we miss family and friends back home, but trust that the Lord will look after you while we are away. We both want to express our love to you all, and thank you for your periodic responses to our obnoxious emails. We especially appreciate hearing news of your family's day-to-day activities and special events. Feel free to email anytime.
Love,
Dad and Mom
Elder Lane and Sister Carolyn
For those of you who are not yet asleep, here are a few musings about random things that go on here as a regular matter of course....Laundry DayNoemi, a member, comes once a week and washes our clothes. After hand scrubbing them in the sink, she hangs the clothes to dry on wires strung in various locations in the front and back yard. While the clothes dry, she cleans around the house and later irons the clothes that have dried. The process takes her about 7 hours, for which she is paid 500 pesos or about $12.50. We generally give her a little extra to help pay for her tricycle ride to our house.On a recent laundry day, it started to rain hard shortly after the clothes were hung out to dry. The rains soaked all the clothes on the wires that weren't protected by the house eves. Naomi had to leave with the job half done. That night, last thing, I checked the clothes. Socks were dripping wet. Some things were drying. I pulled in the "under-eve" clothes and towels and repositioned the rest. The next morning the rains began again, so we quickly repositioned the clothes again, bringing the driest things inside. I suppose most of the world does laundry this way. Things you learn! (Many people hang their laundry on hangers on a portable clothes rack. It sits outside until the rains stop, because they've learned that they will dry in place...eventually.)
Visits to Young Students and Driving – day and nightOne late afternoon we traveled to the Lucena, Stake Center, about 90 minutes away, to interview 11 PEF recipients; beautiful kids -- already in college. They gradute from high school at 16 years old. With the kids being so small, and so young, it felt like we were talking to kids entering jr. high. Then came the trip home in the dark. The roads were mostly one-lane and unlit, with periodic construction zones where a small barricade blocks a lane, requiring you to drive into the oncoming lane. With luck, the oncoming traffic moves over to the dirt and pot-holed shoulder, but sometimes not. Be prepared to yield or play chicken! (They play the same game coming at you when their lane is blocked). Night driving is SPOOKY! Some of the traffic is painfully slow, so passing is a must, especially when we have appointments. Bright headlights are frequently in your eyes as oncoming traffic uses them trying to discern what the road is like ahead. And if someone coming at you is passing a truck or tricycle, they generally have their brights on or are flashing their lights to warn you they are coming. Eeeek!!!. How does anyone see? And on rainy nights, with wet roads, reflections compound the problem.Pedestrians are another issue.
They appear out of nowhere and are either darting across the road or walking along the road, several feet into traffic, seemingly oblivious to the racing cars and trucks. We think they must reason "I can see the oncoming vehicles so they must be able to see me."
Did I mention that many drivers determine they can save gas by leaving their lights off? This is especially common with tricycles, jeepnies, bicycles and motorcyclists. And it is one of the main reasons for using your brights, especially when you pull out to pass.
Occasionally you have two lanes to work with going your way. But NO ONE abides by the rule that you keep right except to pass. So passing on the right is a great option…sometimes. Watch out for vehicles that just stop and park. The driver may be resting, or visiting someone or just shopping nearby. Or a roadside vendor may have commandeered part of the right lane to sell his wares. Or a pothole has been marked with a yellow-painted tire, standing in the road, guarding the dangerous condition. Or the road can narrow without notice for a small bridge or just because.
We prefer not to drive at night, but when we have evening appointments, far away, we have decided to forgo the hotel and head home. So away we go.Merry Christmas!!
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