31 October 2015

Halloween!!!

The missionaries all have curfew tonight at 6:00 pm and we are usually in by that time, so it is no big deal to us.  But there are no roving herds of kids with bags or buckets in their hands looking for treats.  We have heard that they do go out and go door to door but it is now past 6:30 pm and we have heard and seen nothing.  Maybe it is because we closed the gate at the bottom of our stairs so no one could get up here.   But even then, we haven't seen anyone outside on the sidewalk or road either.

From the baptism Saturday morning in Iriga.  Of course,
they want us to be in the pictures as well.

Some packages came this week for missionaries in the Iriga zone and since there was a baptism in Iriga today, we decided to go to the baptism and deliver the packages.  There was also some "stuffs" for the Elders apartment in Buhi.  The baptism was at 9:00 this morning so we left early and got there in plenty of time to visit with missionaries who we have known a long time.  One of the Elders, a Zone Leader, Elder Balce goes home next week and we will miss him.  He has been a wonderful and dedicated missionary.  On the way back from Buhi, we stopped in Iriga for lunch at Shakey's Pizza.  While eating at Shakey's we met two young American missionaries, Elders Powell and Tenney, both of which came on the last transfer 6 weeks ago.  They were on exchanges today and so they sat by us and visited for a while.  One is from Jerome Idaho and the other from Boulder City, Nevada.  It was fun to see them and know that they are both doing well.  We then headed to Nabua to deliver another package.We met these Elders at the grocery store and then home...

Lunch at Zone Training

Yesterday, we attended a Zone Training in the Canaman Zone.  Elder and Sister Watson are from Alberta Canada and came just a couple of weeks before us.  Sister Watson has been doing Family History work for many years, she had a hope that on this mission, they would be able to work with members and help them with Family History.

Elder and Sister Watson during lunch.  Sorry I didn't
get a better picture.

They have been assigned to the Iriga District and live in a house in Baao.  For the past 8 months, they have been traveling all around the Iriga District meeting directly with members and helping them put together some of their genealogies and have been very successful in helping people become knowledgeable about Family History. They have been training FH consultants; helping people start their Family Group records and Pedigree charts, and getting names ready for temple work.  Recently, they have decided to expand and move in a little different direction.  They explained that after much prayer and fasting, they felt inspired to meet with President Reeder and ask him about teaching missionaries how to use Family History as a means of finding people to teach.  President Reeder accepted their proposal and they have been training missionaries in the Iriga Zone for a few weeks on what to say and then do.  For example, they begin this way:
Tell me about your family...How many children, brothers and sisters, is this your family farm etc...
When they mention someone who has died, they are asked, what do you think they are doing now?
The missionaries then ask a series of questions that usually spark the interest of the person and they teach about eternal families. They also offer a Family Pedigree chart and offer to come to their home and help them fill it in and/or to come to the church and meet with a Family History representative. Their presentation was powerful and it was easy to follow and to see how people would become interested.  The missionaries in Iriga have been seeing amazing results and President Reeder, yesterday said that he knew that it was working because Iriga had been one of the lower baptizing Zones in the mission and it has now jumped to one of the highest.

There has been a renewed effort from church leaders in Iriga to step things up to try and become a Stake.  They have been a District for way more than 20 years.  We have seen things change during the past few months. I think that this effort on Family History and also the renewed effort from the local church leaders is going to make a difference.  I hope that a Stake is approved before President Reeder goes home.  I know that has been one of his goals from the beginning.

The rice field we have been following all summer.  The Rice
has now been harvested.  See the pile of straw in the
middle of the field?

Elder and Sister Watson have been marvelous in working in this smaller area.  However, on December 1st of this year, they will be moving into the apartment next door to us and will be working with the Pamplona District which is the other district in the mission.  They will be well received there and I am certain they will make a difference there as they did in Iriga.

We are also anxious to have them come to Naga.  We enjoy their friendship and company although they are hard workers and out a lot.  We may not see them anymore than we do now.



Our week was quite slow for which we are grateful as we start our busy week again next week.  We have Sister Missionaries coming for American Breakfast on Monday morning; some other friends (sisters) coming to learn how to make fruit pizza; another English test - all on Monday.  Tuesday is our workshop with 17 going home and then on Wednesday are the new arrivals.  25 new Missionaries again.  Even though it seemed slow, we finished most of the English testing; worked on Vehicle issues; made a last minute run to the airport with a Sister going to the San Diego Mission.  (She was what we call a "visa waiver". NO, they are not waiting for a credit card,!!! Often they have delays in having a visa granted. When this happens, they are sent to a Philippine Mission to work until it comes through.  We never know how long they will be here).

Bis naechste Woche! Or Until Next week!