"Tao Po"

 

 You don't knock on Filipino doors.  The custom is to stand outside and call "Tao po, Tao po, Tao po" until someone comes out and invites you in.

Last week I had a brief encounter with a lovely young woman while standing in the checkout line at the supermarket.  She asked me where I was from and told me that she had recently returned from working in Dubai for 10 years. She said that she wanted me to come and visit her.  She wrote down her name, address and phone number and went on her way. 

Addresses in the Philippines are much different than the states.  They consist of a Purok, a Barangay, a city and a state.  A Barangay (neighborhood) is divided up into 6-10 Puroks.  Wikipedia states that there are 20 – 50 or more households in a Purok.  To find someone, you go to the area they reside and start asking residents if they know where the person you are looking for lives.  Today we set off to find her with two young Elders and a google map.  We found her at the third house we stopped at, and called, "tao po".  She threw her arms around me, kissed me on the cheek and told her mother that I was her friend.  After a short visit, we learned that she had returned home to help her mother take care of her father who has an advanced stage of cancer. We prayed and sang with the two of them and taught them about eternal families and the restoration.  We left them with a promise that we would come again soon. - Sister Roberts

Missionaries use 'My Family Booklet' every day.  

We literally use the fan chart as a fan!

 The rest of the busy week in Photos:

8 Missionaries returning home to begin the next phase of their life's journey

11 New Missionaries

While Elder Roberts negotiated a contract with one of our 65 landlords, I got to meet the people gathered in the common courtyard.  I found a family of 5 that the Elders taught the next morning.  

I spent many hours with the Sister missionaries teaching this young man.  His expression says it all!

We love the young missionaries!  It was a Great Week!