We woke up to texts about the new apostles and read more in the news. Next week is the designated time to view conference in the Philippines, since it takes place while we were sleeping here. So we went to our regular meetings this morning. Stewart had an emergency with a missionary and had to go to another ward, but Hannah and I walked into our home ward and she went immediately to the bathroom. I wondered what was taking her so long -- ten minutes passed, the announcements were over, and we were finishing the opening song when she finally came into the chapel. She sat down and said, "Didn't you get my text?" Evidently she accidentally went in the Men CR (bathroom) and was trapped in the stall until all the men and boys left and she could sneak out! This was the text: Stuck in the boys bathroom! I walked into the wrong one and now it’s full of deacons!
Hannah trapped in bathroom. 2nd text read: I think I'll have to go through the window
Missionary release at mission home
I was irreverently visiting in our Relief
Society lesson until I surprisingly heard, "This discussion is based on
teaching from President Hughes about educating children and having the Church
rise in prominence in the Philippines."
They're holding a series on mother education classes about teaching
children. When the discussion dragged,
the RS president had me get up and tell about raising children, since I have so
many--and because of my husband. It's
always a challenge for me to teach extemporaneously, but I had Hannah there as
my poster child, so it wasn't too hard.
We trained new missionaries and their
companions this week--they've been together for five weeks already. They were happy to see their "batch
mates" again, eat S&R (costco) pizza, and receive more instructions
from the mission president and the assistants.
Hannah made some great comments in the trainers' session.
Lunch at 5-week training
Hannah worked with the missionaries again,
this time for several hours, then hung out at their apartment until Stewart
located it in the dark. The sisters love
her. She was pleased later in the week when they texted that the woman she's
visited twice accepted a baptism date!
Everywhere we go with her, we attract extra
attention. We attended district meeting in Valenzuela -- all elders -- and they
were on their best behavior and all smiles when she walked in.
She planned to travel to Singapore
Thursday, but got sick and mostly stayed in bed, missing the 8am-5pm pool party
for the ward YSA's in the mission home pool.
Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the biggest holidays in the
Philippines, HOLY WEEK, and even the malls were closed on Thursday and Friday,
something that didn't even happen on Christmas day. She went with us on six apartment inspections
Friday morning (Thursday afternoon was POWER SCRUB in the mission), and said
every apartment we visited was nicer than any apartment in her mission.
Apartment Inspections (2)
Missionaries singing at concert
Saturday afternoon/evening we attended a
sweet baptism of five people in Minuyan Ward, where the two daughters of Mark
Merkley's convert live. One of them
spoke at the baptism, and they were both happy to meet Hannah. Paula, the RM, was a speaker at the
baptism. We saw them again tonight when
we attended the San Jose Del Monte Stake's Easter concert, where Paula sang in
two of the numbers. The whole SJDM zone
of missionaries also performed beautifully.
Baptism at Sapang Palay
Hannah with Bro. Caviero's daughters at concert
This "Holy Week", we've been
especially mindful of the plan of happiness.
With the passing of another missionary's mother this week and the news
of the terminal illness of a loved one, we are especially thankful for the
birth, life, death and resurrection of the Savior. It is because of Him that we are serving and
we're so thankful for the good news of His gospel being restored to the earth
and the ordinances that preserve families.
We look forward to sustaining His living prophet and apostles.
Love,
Mom
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