So, they survived!
The typhoon that hit my parents mission was destructive to say the least. The direct impact of the storm lasted from 4 in the morning until 9 at night. It pretty much destroyed everything outdoors - including washing machines my parents were storing to give to missionaries. The storm unwrapped them from their stapled and strapped boxes like it was tissue paper. It ripped the slats from the eaves off the mission home, there was no power or internet, and every room in their house was lightly flooded (they were able to clean up most of it with towels). Most street signs were knocked down and many building fronts were completely destroyed. Having the missionaries gather in Laoag was a necessary move. The missionaries were kept safe from the typhoon, but they were bored from staying indoors all day (especially in comparison to their day-to-day schedules that are normally planned down to the minute). My parents came up with productive activities including skits (as shown below), and the missionaries sang hymns and studied like crazy with all the extra time they had! They were anxious to get back to work once the storm was over and they could travel back to their areas.
Despite all the destruction, my parents experienced incredibly spiritual experiences. They ate dinner with the missionaries that were leaving, 7 elders and 3 sisters, and then had a testimony meeting that was so amazing. Those seasoned missionaries were so humble and poured out their hearts. My mom said, "It was really touching. I want to remember these moments, because when I'm taking a spit bath and warming water in a rice cooker to wash my hair in the sink and sweating all the time... I need to remember the spiritual rewards."
They said goodbye to the Nelsons, and welcomed the Kartchners (shown below)!
The 5 visa-delayed missionaries from the August batch finally arrived just hours before the storm hit, and were promptly sequestered. Then the September incoming batch arrived just 2 days after the storm hit and they received quite a welcome. There was no power in 3/4ths of the Laoag mission - which means no electric fans at night, and it is HOT! Communication has been difficult because charging their phones is not an easy task anymore, and money is difficult because the ATMs were not working. However, they are all troopers and took on the challenge like champs. There are also the many welfare requests from the 5 districts that my dad is in charge of. My dad said, "Most things we just do one step at a time. That is the only way I can describe it. It can be so overwhelming, but we just go forth and do it one step at a time and the Lord directs us and guides us and puts things in our path that we need to be focusing on."
- Sadie
Pictures and captions below were sent by my mom, Sister Cathy Peterson :)
The typhoon that hit my parents mission was destructive to say the least. The direct impact of the storm lasted from 4 in the morning until 9 at night. It pretty much destroyed everything outdoors - including washing machines my parents were storing to give to missionaries. The storm unwrapped them from their stapled and strapped boxes like it was tissue paper. It ripped the slats from the eaves off the mission home, there was no power or internet, and every room in their house was lightly flooded (they were able to clean up most of it with towels). Most street signs were knocked down and many building fronts were completely destroyed. Having the missionaries gather in Laoag was a necessary move. The missionaries were kept safe from the typhoon, but they were bored from staying indoors all day (especially in comparison to their day-to-day schedules that are normally planned down to the minute). My parents came up with productive activities including skits (as shown below), and the missionaries sang hymns and studied like crazy with all the extra time they had! They were anxious to get back to work once the storm was over and they could travel back to their areas.
Despite all the destruction, my parents experienced incredibly spiritual experiences. They ate dinner with the missionaries that were leaving, 7 elders and 3 sisters, and then had a testimony meeting that was so amazing. Those seasoned missionaries were so humble and poured out their hearts. My mom said, "It was really touching. I want to remember these moments, because when I'm taking a spit bath and warming water in a rice cooker to wash my hair in the sink and sweating all the time... I need to remember the spiritual rewards."
They said goodbye to the Nelsons, and welcomed the Kartchners (shown below)!
The 5 visa-delayed missionaries from the August batch finally arrived just hours before the storm hit, and were promptly sequestered. Then the September incoming batch arrived just 2 days after the storm hit and they received quite a welcome. There was no power in 3/4ths of the Laoag mission - which means no electric fans at night, and it is HOT! Communication has been difficult because charging their phones is not an easy task anymore, and money is difficult because the ATMs were not working. However, they are all troopers and took on the challenge like champs. There are also the many welfare requests from the 5 districts that my dad is in charge of. My dad said, "Most things we just do one step at a time. That is the only way I can describe it. It can be so overwhelming, but we just go forth and do it one step at a time and the Lord directs us and guides us and puts things in our path that we need to be focusing on."
- Sadie
Pictures and captions below were sent by my mom, Sister Cathy Peterson :)
"This was the day that our wonderful friends, Stew and Jamie Nelson left our mission. Stew and Dad were missionaries here together back in 1980 and then friends at BYU. Who knew that they would reconnect in the mission field so many years later?... It was not a coincidence that they were serving here before we arrived! We have no doubt that they were put here to help us, along with hundreds of other reasons. We only wish they could have stayed longer. We are grateful for their help and miss them!"
"Since we brought our missionaries from the outer regions into Laoag a couple of days before the Typhoon hit, one of the things we did together was had each Zone perform a skit. They were each given one prop to use and the theme was “A day in the life of a missionary”. Each one was so creative and entertaining!"
"Many of the Elders were placed in hotels with generators during the Typhoon. The hotels here have what they call “family rooms” with lots of bunk beds. Perfect for our missionaries!"
"Once the Typhoon hit, everyone had to stay indoors. Many of the sisters stayed in the mission home. To pass the time, they sang songs, shared testimonies, played games, did puzzles, visited, and of course did a lot of studying and praying."
"During the storm, the Generator had only enough power to run the refrigerators and a few lights and outlets. The floor kept collecting condensation and became slippery so these two sisters were having a little fun trying to dry them."
(This was a game the missionaries played where if one sister said the same number as another sister, they had to have baby powder smeared all over their faces! My mom was a good sport and joined in! - Sadie)
"Trainers and the new trainees with their in-opened letters telling them who their new companions will be and which area they will be in."
"New missionaries fresh off the plane."
"Our newest group of missionaries!"
"Elder and Sister Kartchner (aka our friends Richard and Kathy) arrive to give us much needed help! Yay!"
"Due to the Typhoon, some of our new missionaries did not meet their trainers until they got to their areas. We traveled for 4 days to check on everyone and held meetings in small groups like this one. It was cooler outside of the church."
"We try to take a snack to share. PB&J travels well and never fails to please"
"Miles and miles of downed power lines. Some of our areas are a good month or more from getting electricity, however these awesome missionaries are upbeat and making the best of it!"
"What used to be beautiful lush green jungle areas now look like this."
"If the power line is not all the way down, it looks like this."
"This family is washing themselves and their caribou in the river."
"A Tricycle or “Tri-C” turned into a mobile store."