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| "This brother was baptized last Saturday. He was raised Catholic and even though his wife was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, it was hard for him to go against his mothers wishes for him to remain Catholic. Finally, he could not deny what the spirit was telling him and he told his mother that he wanted to do what was best for his family and he knew that getting baptized was the path to happiness for all of them. His wife has been patient for many years and through tears of joy expressed how today was worth all the wait and worry." The little girl was by my side the whole time. She has great English and she learned it from YouTube haha! |
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| "Our new home away from home... away from home. Our mission boundaries are so large that it is like having two missions. When we travel to the Cagayan side, it is difficult to stay in hotels all the time. We decided to rent this little apartment in a city called "Lal-lo" It is a studio (one room) apartment, but it is clean which is a BIG deal. I know it doesnt look like much, but we are so grateful for it!" |
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| "The mattresses being delivered to our new apartment". Just to be clear, our apartment is the one on the far end - not the whole building. There are a total of 6 apartments in this building. It has a common kitchen area, where everyone goes to cook and then clean their dishes...I will try to avoid going there... Our neighbors are very nice and they have invited us to join them for "beer and oysters" 😉 The landlord and his family are really lovely people - Antonio, Nenette and their two sons. We love talking with them and although they are Catholic, Dad has said, "Antonio would make the best Elders Quorum President!" Lots of missionary opportunities here 👍🏻 |
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| "Still in the process of moving in. So simple, but comfy and all that we need. Makes me wonder what I will do with all my "stuff" when we return to Idaho..." |
No stove, shelves or storage space - just a microwave, really cool wood table and a tiny fridge. Obviously I won't be doing a bunch of cooking here. We always bring a cooler full of PB&J, yogurts, fruit and stuff for ham sandwiches, etc. We also plan to stop on our way at our favorite restaurant, The Bergbick, and order a couple of entrées' to take with us to warm up in the microwave. Dad's favorite is the Jaugersnitzel. Who knew we would find excellent German cuisine here in the PI! Electricity is more expensive here than in the US and so when we leave the apartment, everything is unplugged and turned off.
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| " A 'Balikbyan box' sent from the US! Just like Christmas opening up all those items that we cant find here." |
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| "Celebrating Elder Kartchners birthday" |
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| " I never want to take for granted the incredible scenery that we see each and every day! No matter what the weather, it is always a sight to behold!" Today was a bit rainy and the steamy clouds around the mountains were so captivating! |
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| Our MLC meetings are always excellent "interact to edify" types of meetings. Everyone of them comment, share ideas and experiences throughout the meeting. We make sure it is not us teaching and them listening, but an open conversation where everyone is comfortable to give their observations. They are our eyes and ears out there and can give us a true reading of the heartbeat of our mission. Their insight is so valuable to us. These people are ready to be instant leaders when they return home! We are so lucky to work beside them! |
MLC Easter fun! Most of our Filipino missionaries had never done an Easter egg hunt.
