My life has gotten lots busier since becoming the "mission nurse" and I'm so thankful for Sister Cole's help. This week the problems varied from lice and fleas to cellulitis and included migraines, ear infections, jock itch, torn ligaments, lbms, hernia pain, toothaches and a few identifiable illnesses and rashes as well as unmentionable ones. The main thing is, all the missionaries are still alive! I know the Lord is helping and blessing us in this responsibility to help the missionaries--me with their physical health and Dad with their spiritual health. We had a scare Saturday when Sister Cole called to say that a missionary reported his companion was having some kind of stroke/seizure with "twitching hands and bulging eyes"! I immediately called the AMA (my new best friend) and he called the elder and reported a few minutes later that the missionary was fine--he had hyperventilated while practicing his song for the baptism and run out of breath while fasting. We confirmed he was okay when we attending their baptism in Malabon and enjoyed their duet. Two of the five people baptized that day were a 17-year-old girl and her 8-year-old niece. The 2-year-old brother of the niece had died earlier that morning from a sudden illness. The aunt demonstrated a lot of faith in going through with her baptism and mentoring her little niece. Dad really encourages the missionaries to find through families and to complete families so they can be sealed in the temple.
Our week was full of zone interviews, which are Dad's favorite. He loves meeting one-on-one with the missionaries and although they are a little scared to meet with him, they all seem to come out smiling. They admire him so much and hang on his counsel to them. Now they are coming with questions for him and a notepad to record the answers. This time he challenged them all to memorize the 42 doctrinal points in the five lessons in PMG. So far, every missionary in the four zones we met with has met the challenge. I was especially impressed with two Filipino trainees who can hardly speak or understand English but memorized them in English, since they know Dad doesn't understand Tagalog. One didn't even have the English to explain to me about his family at home (hand signs for how many brothers and sisters), but he memorized perfectly 42 statements of doctrine. We have such great missionaries! (Mostly.)
Some of the parents of American missionaries also send a package at Christmastime to their Filipino companion. And one mom from Cedar Hills gathered with 30 friends to send 17 packages to Filipino missionaries! Most of the Filipinos and Polynesians don't receive a single package their entire mission and some have no communication with their families at all. I have a photo of Elders Balasta (16 siblings) and Reyes who both protested that there must be some mistake that the package was for him. One said humbly, "Someone must love me!" I felt so thankful for this mother and her service, having seen the joy it brings. We also got a donation of missionary clothing. I ask the Filipino elders, "How many polos (white shirts) do you have?" I found one elder with only two shirts--he was thrilled to get four more so he can only wash once/week.
We were awakened two nights by a large rat trapped in our ceiling. It took a couple of days to get someone to remove it -- a very skinny Filipino to go up through a tiny opening and bring the large rat down with him! Many people here don't have windows and sometimes even doors in their little houses, so we feel grateful for the protection we have at the mission home. And very grateful our AC got fixed! We live in a castle here compared to most people.
Yesterday we had an area broadcast with Elder Holland that we attended in Baliwag District Center. He reminded us that the first law of heaven and of everything is obedience. He said that teaching skills or finding skills for missionaries won't be nearly as effective as obedience. We've seen the truth of that here. Stewart told me of a missionary from Florida whose Tagalog is not great, but who is exactly obedient--he has baptized a lot of people because of his obedience--many more than missionaries with better skills and language talent. Elder Holland pronounced a wonderful apostolic blessing at the end of the meeting on all who were in attendance.
We are very excited for our newest family member to arrived very early this morning. We Facetimed with Julie at 6:30 last night and thought she might go another week. It's so great that the baby arrived so soon and SO quickly--just two hours between Derrick's text that they were in the hospital and the one with a photo of their new daughter!
Love,
Mom
Photos:
Elder Balasta and Reyes
Aunt Rina and niece before baptism
Elder Wood's miracle knee -- four days earlier his leg was swollen and black pus oozing from wound
Elder Blad and Elder Andrade (hyperventilating elder) and four converts
Missionaries waiting for jeep to return from Baliwag conference
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