The volcano has been downgraded to Level 3 and the corona virus upgraded, as someone just died from it here. We have four missionaries waiting for visas to to to the USA, Japan and Hong Kong--they may be with us for awhile now.
Stewart finished interviewing the missionaries on Tuesday and Wednesday and went to the dentist in Manila on Thursday, then we trained the seven-week missionaries on Friday. Saturday morning we drove 90 minutes to the base of the San Madres mountains to witness baptisms in the river! The area was recently opened to missionaries, and the zone leaders have been working there. The area is between two wards, but quite far away from both of them, so they got permission from the stake president and Stewart to just baptize them in the river, which is fortunately upstream from the city. It was a little hard to find, but we parked, hiked over a dike and past a caribou to a little pavilion beside the river where members and the baptismal candidates were assembled. The program and speakers were held there, then we went down to the river's edge to observe the six people being baptized. It was very different than any baptism I've attended here--fresh air and sunshine--but the same Spirit, supportive members, long sermons in Tagalog and very, very happy missionaries. We weren't able to stay to hear the candidates bear their testimonies (a tradition that happens after baptismal candidates are dressed) as we had to rush back to provide lunch for stake presidents and so Stewart could attend end of CCM. He met with assistants and some struggling missionaries while I invited our stressed-out mission secretary for a late lunch at the mission home.
We were returning late from interviews on Wednesday night when we got lots of texts from the senior missionaries in the office who were excited with the discovery that a mission nurse and her husband have been assigned to our mission and will arrive May 17! We are very happy that we’ll have less than two weeks without a nurse and that the Listons (who had their whole ward fast and pray that we would get a nurse) will have this couple for two years. Senior couples are invaluable in our mission and we are so very thankful for them, especially the last two couples who agreed to serve for 23 months. And our Maori couple who serve in Baliwag have asked to extend from August to November.
We appreciate your love and support and are thankful for the less-than-five-months we have left to serve.
Love,
Mom
Baptisms at Nozagaray.
Caribou on our way to baptism.
Sixth Week training with seven week missionaries (inside cultural hall).
Practice teaching.
Practice teaching.
SJNorth zone -- LAST day of interviews (outside chapel)
Member from Legazpi mission working in seafood department of supermarket who wanted me to know he’s an RM!
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