THE QUEZON QUIBBLER: This Week

Dear Hughes Elder and Hermana Hughes,

We listened to conference today and yesterday (and some talks throughout the week as we had time), and learned so much. We especially liked the closing talk from Elder Andersen and look forward to studying all the talks in detail. Every talk seems magnified in importance and purpose here in the mission.

This week we will participate in another conference -- our mission tour with Elder and Sister Shayne Bowen, the area president. He comes to the mission home Tuesday morning. Normally he would stay for a night or two nights, but this time he has to go back to his office for a special early-morning meeting, so will just be with us for two days. I hope the meals turn out and that everything goes well. In addition to interviewing us, the assistants and the mission staff, he will interview some missionaries and inspect some apartments. And he will speak to the MLC, half the mission Tuesday and half the mission Wednesday. It will be a blessing to have them here.

We would normally have zone conference this week and next week, but with the mission tour we had a week without many meetings. We visited Sister Santillas, recovering from thyroid cancer, in the Mission Recovery Center near the temple, spent a p-day late afternoon and evening in Manila and saw the American Cemetery there. We had lunch with the Quezon City Mission President and his wife. She is recovering from major surgery after breaking two bones in her leg. They were extremely kind to have us to their mission home (also by the temple) for lunch and answer lots of questions for us.

We had the mission presidency and their wives over for dinner and visiting one evening. We heard some great stories from them about Elder Oaks and Sister Oaks when he was the area president here. They were evidently extremely kind and made a big impact here. Dad feels more confident than ever wearing short sleeve shirts since he learned that Elder Oaks wore them every day! Both of the counselors are experienced in church leadership as well as having worked in the area office (President Costelas) and the temple recorder's office (President Bautista, so they are a huge help to Dad interviewing baptismal candidates (and their wives are super nice).

Our mission meetings included district meeting in Montalbon, an office planning meeting, and church today. Dad gets texts and calls from them often, and he went to Malolos yesterday to help and encourage "a couple of elders who are worried." I chose those words carefully after listening to Elder Koch. I love this part of his talk, which applies to the way I write and speak about missionaries:

Brothers and sisters, we have no right to portray anybody, including from our Church circle, as a badly finished product! Rather, our words about our fellow beings should reflect our belief in Jesus Christ and His Atonement and that, in Him and through Him, we can always change for the better!

I continue to realize how important it is to always focus on the positive. When looking at the negative in people and in situations, the Spirit doesn't stay. It is critical for me to focus on the positive in the Philippines, or this experience becomes a sacrifice, which it actually isn't.

We heard that Richard is engaged to be married on January 20!

Love,

Mom