Summer comes to Manila in one day. It started to get hotter and hotter and we kept asking Dennis, "Is it summer yet?" and he kept saying, "Not yet," and then suddenly it was so hot we knew it was summer, no matter what he said. That was over three weeks ago, and it seems to just keeps getting hotter. Now, in our second year, it feels hotter than the face of the sun. It's definitely hotter than last year. American missionaries are getting heat rash and heat exhaustion and even the Filipino missionaries are suffering. The heat index in this place of concrete and traffic fumes often reaches 130 degrees. We "escaped" to Cebu Monday afternoon for our fourth Mission Leadership Seminar and the weather was at least five degrees cooler than in Manila. And the sky is blue -- I haven't seen blue sky since we were in Cebu for our last seminar, five months ago. It was fun to meet up with the other mission presidents and companions--they're the only ones we can talk to frankly about what it's like here.
Tuesday we left very early to attend the temple in Cebu where we were surprised and pleased to see one of our returned missionaries, Elder Gumban, whose family (who were less active when he was a full-time missionary) was getting sealed in the temple the next day. They came from Bacolod, an eight-hour bus ride from Cebu. The rest of the seminar (Tues - Thurs) we had meetings and meals. There was SO much food, and we really enjoyed all the fresh mango and pineapple.
This is the first time we've had a general authority, other than our area presidency, attend our seminar. Elder Brent Nielson, the Executive Director of the Missionary Department, and his wife, Marcia, were there. He is a great teacher and we learned a lot from him, but his wife is amazing. My favorite part of the seminar--other than the temple--was the women's breakout session where she talked to us for about 25 minutes and shared how she overcame her fear of public speaking and how she ministers in her regular life. Elder Nielson announced on Wednesday morning that our mission and the Cebu Mission had been chosen to do a pilot test with smart phones! We don't know the details, but they said it would happen in May. There were some good discussions and at the Q and A session my favorite question, "Can MP and their wives please have a two-week vacation each year --this job is so stressful!" was met mostly by laughter, although Elder Teh agreed it is stressful and suggested taking a day off every couple of weeks.
Friday was a "free day" to enjoy the resort, but we headed home on an early flight because one of our sisters had become so anxious she needed to end her mission a few weeks early. Traffic was terrible from the airport and it took us three hours in the back of a Grab to reach the mission home where she was waiting for us, so it's back to reality.
Dad had an early 6:30am start the next morning to attend the CCM with the stake and district presidents. He graciously excused me (it was at a water park in Malolos so families were invited) and I loved staying at home. He got home in the afternoon and was so exhausted from the week at the seminar, the short nights and early mornings in the hotel that he fell asleep at 5pm! It's a good thing, because he was awakened about midnight by a rodent in the ceiling--when they get trapped they make a LOT of noise.
We begin zone conferences in the morning and Stewart is off this afternoon/evening for baptism interviews and MCM with Montalban stake president. I continue to admire him for his hard work and discipline (at the closing meal of the banquet he just sat and visited and ate nothing!) and his inspired decisions. So many companionships have been blessed by his insights. Most of all, our companionship.
The area presidency gave me permission to attend the party in Utah for Sam's wedding on August 3 and the wedding in California on the 9th. Thank you for your extra prayers for us this week--they were definitely answered.
Love,
Mom
PHOTOS
Elder Gumban at Cebu Temple
Seminar photo where we had lunch at famous Marco Polo Hotel (one of our missionaries' mother and grandmother worked there)
Trees in our neighborhood (mahogany) loose their leaves in one day, and the next day new leaves appear! This happens right before summer --it's a very short "fall".
Elder Teh shares fish stories
Hotel swimming pool and blue skies!
This rodent may not look like it's of Unusual Size, but rattling around in a cage at night it can make a LOT of noise! The skinniest of these men go up a little hole in the bathroom ceiling and climb to the next room to retrieve the cages
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