Dear Family,
This week lasted a year. Monday I took the senior sisters (and one
husband) to the American Women's Bazaar in Manila where once-a-month they have
booths of Filipino handicrafts for sale for expats. They loved it, especially our mission nurse
who has never shopped anywhere but the drug store or the hardware store (her
husband manages the mission apartments but does not shop). On Wednesday we were with the senior
missionaries again for our senior activity.
The couple who planned it arranged with member who is a health worker,
and we went to a place in our stake to feed the poor. We all paid a little and the health workers
made big pots of noodle soup which we dished into styrofoam cups and handed it
to hungry people in the "neighborhood."
As I stood there in the dirt where foam
mats were being dried for recycling or burned, and watched the line of dirty,
barefoot children dressed in rags, happy to have something to eat, I thought,
"I am so blessed--I am never going to complain again!" My resolve didn't even last 24 hours, I'm
ashamed to say. And it reminded me how I
promised the Lord back on January 15, 2000 that if Stewart was found, I would
never complain again. I am one of the
people described in Helaman 12.
We trained the missionaries who've been in
the mission for almost six weeks, along with their trainers, on Thursday. Dad gave the most amazing remarks, both to
open and close the meeting. I'm so
thankful that I went (I really was considering skipping out!). It's fun for the new missionaries to see
their "batch" again and to realize they are actually going to be
survive, after all.
Friday I worked at home while Dad did
interviews at the office, then we drove to Malabon, Mark's old stomping ground,
for a dinner with the stake president and bishops. I get a lot of time to talk with the
missionaries and members while Dad does interviews, etc., and the people are so
kind. The bishop's wife I sat next to I
met almost one year ago when she spoke as a newly married bride of four months
about temple marriage -- now her young husband is the bishop! Another woman, the wife of a counselor in the
stake presidency said, "I remember President Hughes said you are shy but
strong!" Who remembers these
things? Stewart always portrays me
better than I am.
I took a photo of some sister missionaries
joining with newly baptized girls to sing, "Teach Me to Walk" at a
baptism on Saturday. Also baptized was a
father whose family has been in the church for over 20 years, and who suddenly
attended church four weeks in a row, which is one of the requirements to be
baptized.
On Sunday Dad traveled to the district
again to interview missionaries, etc., and had an amazing surprise opportunity
to speak to a branch which has a reputation of being very unfriendly to
investigators. As he spoke, he had what
to say come into his mind and he taught them powerfully about being kind,
welcoming investigators, and helping the missionaries. He'd just come from another branch where he
interviewed a man who wants to be re-baptized after requesting his name to be
removed from the Church records several years ago, so he felt strongly the
importance of fellowshipping and being a friend to those who attend our wards
and branches. That man confided, "I
never had a friend in the Church."
This week is transfer week and we're
receiving eight new missionaries and losing eight great missionaries, all
leaders. We have a missionary in the
hospital with possible appendicitis and our mission nurse on her way to see
him. She already arranged for a senior elder to have skin cancer surgery last
week. Have I ever mentioned how thankful
I am for her?
I wish you could all see the people on the
little hillside full of foam mats and hungry people and realize how blessed we
are to be born in America. I'm thankful
for adventurous, faith-filled ancestors who sacrificed for a better life--here
and hereafter.
Love,
Mom
Missionaries to Sunday dinner
6th Week Training
Caloocan stake dinner
Feeding the Hungry
Singing sisters
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