Meet Elder and Sister P, young service missionaries. In May we called them to see how they were doing. They replied, "not too good, Elder P's thumb is missing. But it's okay, he'll get it back, in the resurrection." His older brother had attacked him with a bolo knife and sliced it off. When the brother learned that charges might be forthcoming he responded with "what! Is he not my brother?"
Elder P is 27, repairs computers for a living and was right handed. His beautiful wife tells us "I will be his right hand." We love them!
We mocked up an Independence Day Celebration in July. Our flags had either 7 or 27 stripes. But the company was perfect and the food was tremendous, including apple pie and homemade ice cream (the mission president brought his own ice cream maker).
Our director has gained some notoriety for innovative and successful programs in the Philippines. So, last week we were invited to Manila to assist in presenting at a video conference to various offices around the world. We began at 8am with Asia and the Pacific Islands. Later in the day came Europe and Africa, then at 10pm it was Brazil, and then midnight to 2am we visited with Mexico and Central America. What a day!
There were 3 programs of note for Filipinos to share:
1. Calling and training local Service Missionaries. This program was implemented by a senior couple in 2 southern missions (Bacolod and Iloilo). We followed in San Pablo.
2. Use FB to locate and communicate with young people. The FB Group has over 1,000 members. Since kids in the Philippines change their Sim Cards as often as they change their flip flops, their phone numbers are hard to keep track of. And there are virtually no addresses in the Philippines, just Baranguays (neighborhoods). BUT, FB accounts are always constant, and most kids have one. So, part of our mission is to go on Facebook nearly every day to chat and send messages to our friends. Can you believe that? -- A Facebook Mission!! In this, Carolyn is the wizard and Lane is the observer and commentator.
3. An Electronic Newsletter. The Salt Lake office had received copies of all of Carolyn's newsletter artwork, articles, games, birthday pages and important notices. To say they gushed over the quality and professionalism and effectiveness of each newsletter would be putting it mildly. And then to hear it over and over as we connected throughout the day to various offices worldwide was a real head-splitter.
We took our favorite senior 'sissies' to a newly discovered restaurant. The food was absolutely scrumptious, tho' the headroom was somewhat lacking.
This week we are working our way north of Manila into the Angeles and Olongapo areas. We will still continue to serve in San Pablo and Naga. But we are now invited to go on the road into an entirely new area -- historic Bataan, Clark-Subic-Tarlac military areas, wonderful highways, lush scenery, strange and wondrous "hotels", types of food (like Texas Joe's 'to-die-for' BBQ ribs), priesthood leaders, and more participants -- all new, to us!
Last month, as a primer for these new mission contacts, we were invited to attend and present at a small conference in Dugupan, near the new temple site in Urdanetta. With the expert help of these Institute Coordinators, we are now scheduling appointments with 20 new stake and district presidents.
An entirely new adventure! Sister Howell, get your power point (she says it's a 'Keynote') presentation ready and I'll get the projector warmed up!
PERSPECTIVE:
A week ago, just as dawn was breaking and the roosters were crowing, I slowly awoke to the periodic sound of a small thud, repeated every 10 or 15 seconds. The steady rains outside our treehouse bedroom were soothing. And the thuds continued. Finally I gained sufficient consciousness to explore the source. It was an irritating leak from the ceiling, with drops landing on the corner of our mattress, just inches away from my pillow. Perhaps a fourth cup of moisture had accumulated, judging from the dampness on the sheet and mattress. How irritating! I scrambled to position a container where it would catch the internal "storm". And then I began to plan how to get the roof patched to prevent such future occurrences.
The same tropical storm was unleashing heavy rains on one of our mission's towns, Santa Cruz, just to the north of us, as well as on Manila, about 30 miles beyond that. Until now, monsoon rains, damaging earthquakes, landslides, floods and other natural disasters have occurred at sufficient distance from us to be "out of sight, out of mind". Santa Cruz is a river town where we frequently teach, attend church, and have a large number of "kids" that we work with. One of these young students, TMD, is an absolutely delightful, smiling and continuously cheerful 19 year old who lives with her auntie. They have no work and receive only a pittance from a relative for food, but somehow she stays in school, and struggles to pay her 100 peso per month ($2.45) payment. Whenever we see her, her face lights up and she greets us as if we were her missing parents.
A week ago, just as dawn was breaking and the roosters were crowing, I slowly awoke to the periodic sound of a small thud, repeated every 10 or 15 seconds. The steady rains outside our treehouse bedroom were soothing. And the thuds continued. Finally I gained sufficient consciousness to explore the source. It was an irritating leak from the ceiling, with drops landing on the corner of our mattress, just inches away from my pillow. Perhaps a fourth cup of moisture had accumulated, judging from the dampness on the sheet and mattress. How irritating! I scrambled to position a container where it would catch the internal "storm". And then I began to plan how to get the roof patched to prevent such future occurrences.
The same tropical storm was unleashing heavy rains on one of our mission's towns, Santa Cruz, just to the north of us, as well as on Manila, about 30 miles beyond that. Until now, monsoon rains, damaging earthquakes, landslides, floods and other natural disasters have occurred at sufficient distance from us to be "out of sight, out of mind". Santa Cruz is a river town where we frequently teach, attend church, and have a large number of "kids" that we work with. One of these young students, TMD, is an absolutely delightful, smiling and continuously cheerful 19 year old who lives with her auntie. They have no work and receive only a pittance from a relative for food, but somehow she stays in school, and struggles to pay her 100 peso per month ($2.45) payment. Whenever we see her, her face lights up and she greets us as if we were her missing parents.
During the same storm that dripped on our bed we read this text message and began an exchange:
August 7, 11:22AM:
TMD: "H! Goodm0rning elder and sister howell hope your in go0d now...the flood is near in our house so scared...keep safe"
Our reply: "Are u in danger? We are praying for u and ur family today. We have lots of water coming from the sky but not flooding our house...yet."
TMD: "So faR were fine!thank you!good 2 hear that.just be alert time 2 time."
Our reply: "Thank you!"
TMD: ":)welcme.take care!!happy lunch for you"
August 7, 6:26PM:
Our text: "Please text and tell us if u are still dry and in a safe shelter! Because we love you, E and S Howell"
TMD reply: "Our house is full of water so we decided to evacuate and we are here n0w in a dry en safe place.thank you."
Our reply: "Oh! We are so sorry. Are u with friends?"
TMD reply: "Nope.only my famly en i here."
August 9, 9:59AM:
Our text: "How is ur family and ur house?"
TMD reply: H! How are you my beloved eldr and sis.howell.Our is house n0t ok coz untl now the water is still high is about neck of a human.my famly so far were gud but is it hard 2 buy fo0ds coz were 2 far 2 a mini-store we need 2 walk bsyd the highway so its scared."
Through our service missionary couple (the P's) in Santa Cruz, we made sure the Bishop made contact with TMD and her family, providing food and support. Over 1/2 million people in Manila were flooded out of their homes and over 60 drowned. During the storm, we had a major laptop meltdown and tried driving into Manila for urgent repairs. Big mistake. Three trips later the laptop is cured!
TMD: "H! Goodm0rning elder and sister howell hope your in go0d now...the flood is near in our house so scared...keep safe"
Our reply: "Are u in danger? We are praying for u and ur family today. We have lots of water coming from the sky but not flooding our house...yet."
TMD: "So faR were fine!thank you!good 2 hear that.just be alert time 2 time."
Our reply: "Thank you!"
TMD: ":)welcme.take care!!happy lunch for you"
August 7, 6:26PM:
Our text: "Please text and tell us if u are still dry and in a safe shelter! Because we love you, E and S Howell"
TMD reply: "Our house is full of water so we decided to evacuate and we are here n0w in a dry en safe place.thank you."
Our reply: "Oh! We are so sorry. Are u with friends?"
TMD reply: "Nope.only my famly en i here."
August 9, 9:59AM:
Our text: "How is ur family and ur house?"
TMD reply: H! How are you my beloved eldr and sis.howell.Our is house n0t ok coz untl now the water is still high is about neck of a human.my famly so far were gud but is it hard 2 buy fo0ds coz were 2 far 2 a mini-store we need 2 walk bsyd the highway so its scared."
Through our service missionary couple (the P's) in Santa Cruz, we made sure the Bishop made contact with TMD and her family, providing food and support. Over 1/2 million people in Manila were flooded out of their homes and over 60 drowned. During the storm, we had a major laptop meltdown and tried driving into Manila for urgent repairs. Big mistake. Three trips later the laptop is cured!
Oh, that pesky little leak in our house? It somehow stopped. We are now safe, and sufficiently humbled.
We love you,
Elder and Sister Vagabonds
1 comment:
mom you have some fantastic pictures on your blog! you have such a great eye for capturing what you see! i have enjoyed looking back at what you have been doing. know that we love you from Washington!
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