Two of our Favorite things this time of year; yellow watermelon and mangos. Never have I ever tasted watermelon this sweet and mangos so perfect - can't get enough!
Yup, we are still here in beautiful Laoag, Ilocos Norte, Philippines! Most days we wake to blue skies, sunshine and swaying palm trees, but our 84 Filipino Missionaries are what really capture our attention and our hearts. And, although our foreign missionaries are back in their home countries, we love hearing about their new assignments, or temporary plans and it is no secret that our hearts are with them as well. We have been told that some Americans will "trickle" back into our mission, but never again in the numbers we have previously had. We don't question the plan, we just trust the process, because it always works out.
The families of some of our American missionaries had sent packages that had not arrived before the evacuation. Most have instructed us to share the goods with their fellow missionaries that they had to leave behind. American snacks are definitely a novelty here - these 5 Elders scored big!
These Sisters asked me to bring them some scales. Like many of us, they are concerned about the extra weight they have gained from being stuck inside. They were funny to watch as each one stepped on the scales and then received laughs, gasps, or cheers from their companions.
This is one of my quarantine projects; 60 First Aid Kits - one for each apartment.
✅ Checked that off my list - yay!
I am sure that most of you have been seeing something similar to this lately. This is our grandson's piano recital held in Eagle Idaho. Had it not been for the current world situation, we would not have been able to attend. Just one of the many blessings we have seen during this time.
When Mark and I were newlyweds we used to play a card game as a cheap Friday night date option. During the lockdown, that same game which we haven't played since, has given us a short reprieve from our computer screens and never ending administrative duties - good times!
In the US, you might have a beautiful entry to your neighborhood with a stone sign displaying the name and nice landscaping... this is our Filipino equivalent.
Buttong 50 is a great neighborhood!
These next few pictures may look a bit alarming, however, this is probably the freshest pork I have ever purchased. Our grocery store has been void of meat lately, but in our neighborhood, a small market opened up just a block away from the Mission Home. We have passed by it many times during our early morning walks and I finally got up the courage, or maybe I should say fortitude, to make a purchase. I did not recognize any of the "cuts", so I just picked a piece and asked them to cut off all the skin and fat (although they still weigh it and I still pay for it) and told them they could keep it, which they were delighted about. The pig had just been slaughtered and the meat was still warm from being alive, but I tried not to think about it. It had no smell and really seemed to me to be the freshest I have ever seen. I went home and put it in the crock pot and the results were delicious!
Yes, that's the piece I chose - 17 lbs worth, but 5 were skin and fat.
I filled two large crockpots completely full and now our freezer has a nice supply of pulled pork on hand waiting for when I can feed missionaries again.
Right next to the meat was the produce department...convenience shopping at it's finest!
This is what our Zone Conferences have been looking like during the pandemic; a small crowd in the mission office, that includes our Assistants and Office Elders, and 40 colored circles on the computer monitor that represent the rest of our missionaries. We have been using Microsoft Teams to do an audio only transmission to their basic phones. Although it is not quite up to the technical advances that are available in most of the world, it has felt really good to be able to communicate with all of them at the same time. We have also done two weekly devotionals in the same way... however, starting this next week all that is going to change because.....
OUR NEW SMART PHONES ARRIVED!!!! We are now working on getting a provincial border pass from the Mayors office so that we can deliver them to all our missionaries... stay tuned...
As of now, restrictions are letting up consistently. Most businesses have opened. There have only been two confirmed cases of COVID in our mission boundaries and both of them lived. Everyone is still wearing masks and keeping social distances. The biggest hangup is that our missionaries still cannot go out and work. Those above 20 can go get groceries etc., but those younger have to stay inside. The new phones will open up a whole new world for them!
I can't close without sharing at least one of the many wonderful experiences we have seen in our mission lately. We asked our missionaries to answer some essay questions to help them record events and remember how they have seen the hand of God in their lives during this time - a journal entry. Essay after essay tells of triumphantly overcoming hardships, of self-evaluations and new determination to help others see how God loves all His children, can speak to them personally and the joy of knowing His plan for them. They have made the most of their extra time by strengthening their relationships with our Savior Jesus Christ and have received personal revelation. They know that although God did not cause this pandemic, He is using it for good for those who turn to Him.
One Elder shared the story of how he and his companion had met a man before quarantine. This man said that he knew God wanted him to go to church, but that he was investigating many churches. The Elders shared a message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ with him and then thought that they would never seen him again. A couple of weeks into the lockdown, they received a call from that same man. He told them that although he was researching many religions, the short message they gave him was the one that kept returning to his mind and he felt a great warmth in his heart when he pondered it. He asked them if he could get a Book of Mormon. They told him that no one could bring him one due to COVID and they were not sure how he could get one. They knew of one of the evacuated missionary apartments that would have some Books of Mormon in it, but they did not know how to get a hold of the landlord to let him in. The man would not accept that answer - he was "desperate to get the book". Two days later, the man called them again with excitement in his voice. He had been able to contact the landlord and get into the evacuated apartment and acquire a copy of the Book of Mormon. Not only that, but he had already read the whole thing and knew that it was true. He is now anxiously awaiting the day that he can be baptized.
That is one of many instances where people are opening their hearts and desiring to know truth and how they can receive eternal salvation. What could be more important?
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