The REAL joy of Missionary Work

This week Luann and I have both been recovering from flu-like symptoms.  It really reduced our energy so we have had to take things a little slower and limit our hours in the office and time spent teaching with the missionaries. 

That said, we had a wonderful evening on Saturday teaching with the Assistants.  We went to three homes, two of which were families we had not met before.  The family in this first picture is AMAZING!  I don't know if I ever met a more golden family even on my own mission.  What makes it even more special is that the father is super interested and is very active and responsive to the lessons.  The husband and wife followed us to the next appointment.  We had to park the truck on a very narrow dirt road in the "BUKID" (rice fields that could easily get you stuck in the muck) on either side.  Twice while we were there, a tricycle came by and began honking because he could not get by.  The first time, the Elder teaching asked the father in this picture (seated in front between the two missionaries) to continue the lesson.  He was only kidding but the father grabbed his Book of Mormon and started reading it to the family we were there to teach.  Is that amazing or what?

This family was recently baptized and we were there to do some follow-up teaching.  Often, the families we teach want to serve "Meryenda" (a kind of snack, or food without rice) when the lesson is over.  We enjoyed this offering and accepted an invitation to come for dinner on Wednesday.

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This week the church helped sponsor 'National Family Week' with lots of activities culminating in a kind of celebration and fun-run at Isabela State University.  Sister Roberts and I had no interest in the fun run and barely enough energy to make an appearance at the gymnasium on Saturday, where there were games, booths and other activities.  We went for an hour or so and discovered that if we had come earlier, we would have been asked to participate in a panel discussion about families.  

The Allens and the Koontz had to handle all the questions on their own and I am sure it was better for our absence.

 Here we are at the booth sponsored by the Naguilian Branch.  They had a theme of Family History and learning about our Ancestors.  GOOD JOB NAGUILIAN!!

NAGUILIAN SISTERS AT THE FAMILY CELEBRATION

One of the Sisters in the Cauayan 2nd Branch runs a little road-side restaurant called 'SIDE GRILL'.  We like to patronize her occasionally and enjoy her delicious barbeque.  

I made a new friend on this visit to 'SIDE GRILL'.

 The Cauayan Sister Missionaries are teaching this family who owns a little restaurant called 'THE LADY PURPLE'.  This is about as good as it gets when we are craving some Mexican food.  He learned to cook a few Mexican dishes while working in the Cayman Islands.  I didn't intend this post to be all about food but I guess it turned out that way.  Sorry!! - Elder Roberts

Mission Tour

Once a year we have a General Authority and his wife come and participate in a Mission Tour.  It is like an extra special Zone Conference that includes: learning, singing, good food, visiting and a lot of photo-taking. 

The mission was divided into two groups, that met on separate days. Gatherings of this size require a lot of advance preparation for caterers, facilities and so forth.  After taking care of my assignments, it was nice to be able to sit and listen to the speakers and feel the Spirit.  Elder Schmutz, the Area President, and his wife were our visitors.  I was impressed by their loving kindness as they personally greeted each missionary. 

Polka Dot Sister! - we didn't plan to dress alike 

The day after the conferences, we had a great adventure with the Craigs, the Schmutz and the Allens.  Leaving early in the morning we began our journey to visit the ancient rice terraces of Banaue.  We had visited there twice before with departing missionaries, but this time we also visited other rice terraces in the province of Ifugao and dined in a fine hotel with a large picture window overlooking the terraces. 

It was a beautiful overcast day that brought out the vivid colors of the lush terrain. Because of a recent tropical depression, there had been many mudslides that we had to maneuver around.  We also passed by several waterfalls that were not present on our previous visits.

One of the many mudslides we passed on our journey.

At the rice terraces in Hungduan, we were able to get closer and have a better view without hiking.  We may even traveled outside of the mission boundary, but we figured it was okay since we had a General Authority with us. 

We were surrounded by magnificent beauty on all sides!  I am amazed to think that they were built 2,000 years ago with primitive tools.  We asked a man working nearby to take a picture of our group.  We learned that his name was Dale and that he grew up in Manila. At some point, he moved to New Jersey where he retired from a supermarket chain five years previously.  His wife was from Ifugao and so they decided to return to her place of birth.  I asked him if he had ever heard of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  He replied that almost 50 years previously he had met some missionaries in Manila and he even remembered their names. One was Elder Chase, and I’m sorry to say after only two days, I have forgotten the other one’s name.  I couldn’t believe he remembered the missionaries’ names after all those years!  I said to him, “You must have felt something very special when you talked to them”.  We may never know what impressions we leave on those we meet. - Sister Roberts

That is Dale wearing a yellow shirt

One of the Many homes located next to the terraces

Great Expectations

It's always exciting when we get new Missionaries.  Here are some pictures of new Missionaries headed off to their teaching area with their trainers.

This week we have also been preparing to receive Elder Schmutz, the Area President, and General Authority, who is coming to tour the Mission.  Sister Roberts and I anticipate a spiritual feast for the Missionaries as well as ourselves.  In addition to the conference sessions with the Missionaries, we hope it will be our pleasure to accompany Elder Schmutz and his wife to see the Banaue Rice Terraces.

The Philippine’s celebrate Christmas throughout the ‘ber’ months. September to December we get to listen to Christmas music in the mall and see decorations in the stores, streets, and homes. For a man who already thought the season lasted too long in the States, this will take some getting use too.

A while back one of our security guards was stopped by police and given a citation for driving without a seatbelt.  He was traveling alone and should have been wearing one.  However, I have to laugh every time I see the common sight in the photo below:

Sister Roberts Driving in the Philippines

There is a new hotel in Cauayan 

located right across the street from the mission offices.  We watched with anticipation as The Mango Suites were constructed.  They opened this week, so we walked over, booked some rooms for our departing missionaries, and ate lunch.  You can get a nice room for under $30.00.

This weekend we spoke at the Burgos District Conference.  It was a beautiful drive through a farming community of green rice fields, towering cornfields and flower-lined streets.  I was assigned to give a talk at the Saturday night session and President Roberts spoke at all four sessions (2 were leadership sessions).   We were delighted to hear the Burgos choir sing “Love is Spoken Here”.  Sister Craig and I made our way off the stand to sit in the front row so we could see the beautiful faces of the 15 young children who sang with them.  They were angelic!

 

Several months ago, we got Philippine driver’s licenses.  Driving here is very different, so I prefer that President Roberts does all the driving.  I have recently been inspired by the way our new Mission President’s wife, drives around the mission.  I was getting my confidence built up, thinking maybe I could too.  That was until I was riding with President Roberts the other day and we went down a street so narrow, that we had to slow to a crawl and pull in our outside rearview mirrors so we could pass by a car going the opposite direction.  My confidence and desire to drive took a nosedive.  As we were driving to Burgos on Saturday, I told Sister Craig that I admired the way she had taken to driving here in The Philippines. When President Craig heard that, he told me he thought that I should drive home.   With his strong encouragement, I drove until it got dark and I wasn’t nervous!  I’m sure if my children read this, they won’t believe it.  I drove from Burgos to the Cabatuan Highway.  Confession…. I did hit one chicken crossing the road……Oops!  I hope somebody ate it for dinner. - Sister Roberts

Other Photos from this week:

Burgos District Elders and Sisters

Motorcycles are the most economical form of transportation- and they never get stuck in a traffic jam.

We share the road with carabao, tractors and all kinds of animals

Many forms of Adversity

This week has brought adversity in many ways.  A sinus infection came upon me very suddenly and kept me down for three days.  I had to try and sleep sitting up because laying down made it impossible for me to breath.  I was, however, able to use much of the time to finish the book "The Standard of Truth", which I know almost everyone but me has already read.  

We have had an extraordinary amount of rain this week also. (Probably not unrelated to my illness)


After I recovered, we went proselyting with two Elders.  The teaching appointments were falling through, so we tried to think of other contacts we could visit.
Sister Roberts suggested that we go to visit the Ribao family.  We had taught them two weeks earlier.  They were a young family; a very sweet mother and father with 4 small children who were amazingly quiet and listened to the lesson we gave them on the Plan of Salvation.  To our shock and dismay, we learned that the beautiful mother had died suddenly of Tuberculosis.  She was still lying-in-state at their home in a white casket.  We met her extended family who was there mourning, but words failed us.  We noticed a Book of Mormon placed with some other things beneath her casket.  Her husband told us that she requested it.  Accompanied by the Elders, we sang "I Know that My Redeemer Lives" then departed expressing our condolences; still in disbelief.

 The Elder on the left in this picture got an eye infection that left him unable to see in that eye.  The doctor who examined him suggested that he might never regain use of it.  The Area Medical Advisor (AMA) instructed us to get him to Manila ASAP so that he could examine him and see a specialist.  Sister Roberts and I drove immediately to their area, which is about an hour away from the Mission Home.  He and his companion packed their bags and we closed their apartment.  We left his companion with the Zone Leader and I purchased a bus ticket that would take him to Manila in about 10 hours.  He arrived there at 5:00AM the next morning and was met by a shuttle driver who took him to the Area Recovery Center.  They still don't know if they will be able to restore his sight.  They will perform a surgical procedure in the morning which should answer many questions.  The entire Mission was asked to fast and pray for him today.

A young man in our Naguilian Branch is confined to a wheel-chair.  Each Sunday, we drop the Missionaries off so that they can bring him to church.  He is in desperate need of a new chair.  The ward has performed service hours which should qualify him for a new one. They only have to get him to Tuguegaraou, a large city to the north, so that he can be fitted. As of yet, his family has not been able to make the trip.