This week from Bulacon

Hi,

I am driving back Sunday night from the province (country) part of our mission.  There is one district and nine stakes in our mission, and the district is out in the country.  One of Dad's responsibilities is for the district, and today was the district conference.  We had an area authority visiting, Elder Saavedra from Cebu.  We left about twelve hours ago, so there were about ten hours of meetings, and they went well.  I was invited just before the adult session started to speak, and had been assigned earlier to speak in the general session.  I taught a little false doctrine, and Dad lovingly corrected me and gave a great talk about the family of God and our responsibility to our ancestors and children.  I'm glad I made the mistake in my talk so he could teach so powerfully the doctrine of God's love for all His children.

Our week started off very rough. Sunday night Dad got a call from President Bowen, our area president, asking that we come to lunch with them the next day-- our p-day plans went up in smoke and we drove to Manila and waited for a couple of hours until 1pm to go to their apartment.  It was as we suspected--they didn't admit it, but Elder Andersen must have asked them to check up on us after my conversation with Sister Andersen.  Elder Andersen even wrote us a personal note, which Elder Bowen hand delivered!  They were very kind and took us to a nearby hotel for a lunch buffet where we assured them all is well with me -- I will be okay.  We received some good counsel and some not-so-good, but we appreciate their kindness and the Andersen's continued interest in our welfare.  Afterwards we tried to do something fun in what was left of our "free day", but Dad got a call from a missionary who is a trainer who wants to go home, so we headed back to the mission.

We had zone interviews with four of the zones this week and met with some outstanding missionaries.  While some report every time they are sick and need medicine or help, others just soldier through or take care of it themselves -- like the American elder who burned his own warts off with a match!  Dad was awakened after a couple hours of sleep Wednesday morning by a Filipino missionary reporting his companion was very sick.  Whenever a missionary calls at night I am amazed at Dad's patience.  I can hardly think, I am so sleepy, but he is immediately alert, patient, and clear thinking.  He directed the missionary to go with his two housemates and take his companion to the nearest ER.  They went to a very sketchy private hospital and received the diagnosis of appendicitis. The doctor warned that it would rupture before they could get him to St. Luke's, a modern hospital in Manila.  But after counseling with Dad they called a member (no taxis available out in their area), and drove to Manila in a miraculous 45 minutes where the missionary had an emergency appendectomy.  We were in the missionaries' area later that day for zone interviews and went directly to St. Luke's to visit him and it took us FOUR HOURS along the same route.   We are so thankful that arrived in time and all went well.

We had the office staff for breakfast Friday morning.  The assistants like anything I cook and are always appreciative.  Not so much with the senior couples, but they can afford to be picky!

Saturday Dad worked with the missionaries in a very poor neighborhood in Quezon City. All the missionaries from one zone joined with members to try to find and visit the less active on the rolls of two wards.  The missionaries LOVED having Dad there with them and he saw firsthand how they work, how receptive and kind the people are, how simply they live and how great the missionaries are.  In the last home they visited, his companion, a Filipino visa waiter going to Peru, was teaching and Dad started to cough from the cats.  He knew it would only get worse and he didn't want to disrupt the Spirit in the lesson, so he prayed for his allergy to go away, and it did--he stopped coughing and had no further problems.  I met the missionaries and members at the end of the day with pizza and chicken from S&R (Costco) and they were all so happy with the work they'd accomplished.

To end the week, last night I went to put food in our outside storage room and almost stepped on a litter of kittens!  There are lots of stray dogs and cats here, and evidently a pregnant mother adopted us.

I am making a lot of mistakes but the people here are so kind and forgiving. I just wish I knew Tagalog--speaking the language would help me be so much more effective. Oh well--I just keep remembering Alma 26:12. "I know I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things..."

Love,

Mom

PS: Photos include Elder Lucana, our smallest missionary, after appendectomy and his companion, still in his pajamas. And Dad thanking the missionaries before they eat.

Sun set over rice paddies from the car window.

Hungry missionaries after Saturday work.