Epistle #16 of 20

Hello dear family and friends,

As most of you are gracefully suffering through a long, cold winter, we continue to operate the air conditioner, keep the windows open, and wake up to pleasant tropical sights, including banana trees, coconut palm fronds, and a plethora of flowers in our garden.  Enough of teasing...

Our mission activities are shifting...less focus on contacting individual participants who are struggling, and more on training specialists or local service missionaries who will carry on in our absence.  So, here is the pictorial:

Below: The San Pablo M specialist training, attended by our director, Franco, his assistant manager, Jib, and the new loan processing couple, Elder and Sister T.  (Note the beautiful chair and table set-up, provided by our lunch caterer.  All for about $4 per person, or 175 pesos.)

Post-seminar dessert at our home.  We ate Carolyn's now-famous Creamy Cherry and Blueberry Cheese-cake.  Delishhhhhh!

The same seminar, held in Naga M, Legazpi City.  This is one of the new missions just announced.  Legaspi M will be a split-off of Naga M.

Here we go again.  Same seminar, held in Angeles M.  But this is in the city of Tarlac, new headquarters city for the mission.

And finally, a smaller group in the Olongapo M.  Olongapo City, adjacent to the former US Subic Naval Base.

Yes, we travel a lot, and periodically run into an entrepreneur with his entire store in portable mode.  This is akin to an Internet shopping experience.  You can find it anywhere!!

However, there is strong competition plying the highways and byways of the Philippines. What is one difference between these 'peddlers'?  This one is powered by a peda-cycle. Somewhat like a slow Internet connection.  You can get there.  It just takes a long time. 

More competition, and a broader product line...  <:- br="">

Or, you can have a more compact line of goods, with an assistant manager to run the store!

For a really low-budget operation, try this approach.  No vehicle required. You just stand on the expressway, where traffic always backs up, and let the shoppers come to you!  

Each vendor has his own specialized product line, or color variations.  Note the marketing gimmick--a funny face with blow-out party whistlers.  Or whiskers?  Some of the things you can buy include umbrellas, fishing poles, dusters, cleaning rags, bicycle tubes, toys and more toys, musical instruments, roasted peanuts, pork-belly crisps, bottled water, or a variety of soda.  No need to pull off the express-way to shop!!

On a p-day in Angeles Mission, we joined with the Mission office couple, Elder & Sister T, for a trek up Mount Pinatubo (site of a previously pictured, world-class 1991 volcanic eruption.)  The journey begins with a rocking jeep ride up the river valley.  The hills you see are all volcanic ash from the one eruption.

The T's had visitors - their daughter's family from Provo.  The two young girls were energetic, gazelle-like hikers that covered twice the distance of the rest of the group as they bounded back and forth across the trail to explore every side crevasse.

More erosion of volcanic dust.

Other-worldly.  The material is mostly hardened, and fairly easy to walk on.  But occasionally the material is just soft, sandy grit.

Higher up the mountain the hills are covered with the tropical growth.

After the jeep ride, it was a 4 1/2 mile hike to the summit and "Crater Lake".  Not a really strenuous hike, but we were huffing and puffing.

The reward -- spectacular beauty.  Look across the lake and you see evidence of continuing sloughing of the side-walls into the lake.  This volcano is so young, geologically, that it changes rapidly, even week to week.

So, there you have it.  More life and times of senior couple missionaries.  There is a lot of work to do, but interspersed is the occasional laugh, novelty, tears, and wonderment of a different part of the world.  As much as we look forward to coming home, we will be sad to leave these beautiful, gentle people, and their tropical paradise.  

We are thankful for this experience.  It is rare.  We know that.  Our Book of Mormon reading reminds us of the incredible parental advice given by Alma.  We 'liken it' unto our kids…

"Give ear to our words…inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments of God ye shall be cut off from his presence…And now our sons and daughters, we trust that we shall have great joy in you, because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God..; for blessed is he that endureth to the end…ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day."

Who doesn't love being delivered out of trouble and affliction?  God is mindful of us.  We are happiest in his service.  

Love,

Elder and Sister Howell

Momma Carolyn and Dad Lane

G'ma and G'pa

Epistle #15 of 20

Dear Family and Friends,

We celebrate Christ's birth with all of you...and with all of our friends here in the Philippines.  This is a Christian nation.  They unabashedly trumpet their christianity.  Beginning in September (they say, "we celebrate Christmas in all the ..ber.. months"), the stores are decorated and broadcast Christmas songs, lights go up on houses, and town halls  (banks, gas stations, etc) have manger scenes--big, BIG ones, and NO ONE even whispers that there should be a separation of church and state.  Although there are many muslims, especially in the southern provinces, EVERYONE sings the familiar carols and frequently texts "Advance Merry Christmas".  

So, in this letter to you all, we share what we have joyously experienced twice, now...the beauty of Christmas with palm trees, warm rains, and happy people.

Here comes a barrage of photos, as proof...

Our Mission Team at the Manila Temple.  Flanked by Franco, our director, and Jib, service center supervisor, are the 4 senior couples serving in the Philippine Area.

This is a GAS STATION's diorama.  When you are Filipino you become incredibly creative.

Set against a backdrop of the Mayon volcano -  

The 3 wise men wear hats made of fans and blue bodies are 50-gallon oil drums.

The heads are sticks, woven to any shape desired.

The robes are really woven mats you might find in any humble home.

More creativity.  Oil cans and coconut half-shells.  They love to make Christmas trees. And they are all so beautiful.

Wire balls, strung with lights.

Artistic....

Simple, effective, beautiful.

Another 'tree' popped up at a road block on the national hwy.

 A neighborhood (Baranguay) displays their own entry display of angels and the Christ-child.

Another neighborhood display.  Look closely.  The paper between the flowers and greenery is newsprint, varnished for protection from the weather.

Frayed coke cans form an amazing star and tassles!

It wouldn't feel like CHRISTmas without a zone conference or two.

Christmas zone meetings with our young Elders and Sisters are always memorable.  Training, a Filipino feast, talent show and testimonies.

Beautiful decorations at one of our hotel stays.

Yes, these are palm trees, surrounding this massive community manger display in Tobaco District.  I have no idea how this name got approved for an LDS unit.  It just seems to be contrary to the 89th Section.

Every year, for 18 years, Beautiful, Sweet Carolyn wishes me a "Marry Christmas" with a poinsettia plant.  This is in solemn mockery of our first Christmas when I told her I was engaged to someone else.  So, she cheerfully, ironically, brought a congratulatory gift of a tiny poinsettia plant to me at Word Perfect in Orem, where I was working.  Thank you, Carolyn.  You are an incomparable jewel.  

So, last year Carolyn actually PLANTED a poinsettia in our garden. A bit spindly.  But it brought a smile to my face, as it always does.

Now, do things GROW in the Philippines?  Is Carolyn too serious!?

This year, there was no need to buy a new poinsettia plant.  This one is the crowning glory of her teasing.

 

What is Christmas, without Carolyn's famous tradition of a Shepherd's Dinner?  This year I came as a....shepherd, king, or whatever!  (Egyptian mummy?  Goofball?)

Sunday night we invited our beloved friend, President B, and his family for a private Shepherd's Dinner at our home.  Three of the family of six sang us a Christmas song they had prepared.  It was an unrecognizable, painful rendition, but they gave it their best, without embarrassment.

Note the cottonball sheep on the "hillside".

Elder Howell's contribution this year was "Lamb-kabobs".  After all, what are little sheep for?

Monday night, Christmas Eve, was a spiritual, warm and friendly gathering of senior couples working in the San Pablo Mission.  Too old to sit on the floor, we sat at tables and commemorated the Shepherds again.  President P (nearest to the camera) gave a moving testimony of the special nature of the shepherds who were visited the night of Christ's birth.  Not everyone dressed for the occasion, but we managed to have 6 shepherds, 5 angels, and one Sister as a starry night.  Excellent!  Creative!

So, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

With much love,

Mom & Dad

G'ma Carolyn & G'pa Lane

Elder and Sister Howell

Epistle #14 of 20

Hello cherished family and friends,

Today our mission was to locate and meet Ronnie Finkernagel (1/16th German).  RM, married, father of 2.  We had met his active momma at the branch and she gave us his current cell number, mentioning that he lived a long way away.  "Was it Manila?" we asked.  No, he actually lived within the branch boundaries, but in an outlying neighborhood.  So we called Ronnie.  He was welcoming and invited us to come meet him. 

And so we began the harrowing 5 hour round trip up into a mountain village, on narrow dirt roads, passed washed out bridges, detoured or delayed by construction blockages and landslides.  How exciting! 

Entering Bongabon, home to the Bongabon Branch.  Ronnie's home is 18k further.

Ronnie said "When you reach Bongabon turn right at Petron gas station, follow the road going to Baler, I'm living at the foot of the mountain i will see you here, my house is located at the road side with little store in front.  Text me and i will wait you here."

Houston…we have a problem…

Are you sure this is the road?

Road?  What road?

We were certain we had taken a wrong turn but Ronnie's ongoing texts confirmed that we were getting closer.

This is a major National Road leading to the coastal town of Baler.

Road block during a manmade landslide...

Waiting for clearance to proceed...

This bridge was washed out 3 years ago.  No deaths resulted but supplies were cut off and created challenges.

Replacement bridge for compact cars, motorbikes and tricycles.

All other vehicles cross like this...

We have arrived at the Labi neighborhood of 700 souls.

Curious neighbor, I am four and I am not shy.

Great kids.  I offered a Tagalog Article of Faith card but none of them can read because their parents cannot afford the p300 ($10) annually for public school.

Their parents cannot read either.

Hheerree's RONNIE!  Member of the Bongabon Branch.  The ride to church is 36 kilometers round trip.  Often too costly to pay for transportation or gasoline.  He's been off the radar for 8 years.

Once there, we sat and learned that this RM had converted his sweetheart, married her, and named their daughter Lady Mahana and son Lord Mahonri.  You just gotta love a man like that!  He worked away from his family as a security guard in Manila for years.  He told us that he missed his kids learning to walk, talk, going to school.  He decide not to miss them anymore.  Two months ago he stopped his job in Manila and moved back to Bongabon.  

He now buys charcoal from his neighbors, loads it into his tricycle, hauls it into town and sells it.  He also makes and sells very tasty salted garlic peanuts.  He says no one in his neighborhood has a better job than he does.  He is happy.  The baranguay actually numbers about 700 residents.  We learned of his employment struggles and his desire to get to church and be able to baptize his daughter.  We fanned his desire and encouraged him in his commitments.  That is one day we will never forget. 

We loved our mission today!  5 hours round trip.  Finding the one!  Such fun.

We love you always!

Dad and Mom

G'pa & G'ma Howell

Elder Lane and Sister Carolyn