5 March 2016

And the playing continues.....

This is the skating apparatus.  Small engine and moveable
bench seats.

Monday was District activity day and we went skating....   Not the kind of skating that you would think of when in Utah or Woming. There is no ice!  This kind of skating is done on a small platform on train tracks.  It is actually a mode of transportation for people who live along the train tracks.  This form of transportation is a small platform built on top of some rollers which fit on the tracks.  It has a small gas engine which drives it and a couple of bench seats which can be moved on and off as the need dictates.

One might ask, "What happens when you meet a train or someone coming from the other direction"?

Easy answer.  You just move everyone off and pick it up and move it.  See the picture.....

The district on the skate.  The driver took the picture.  Sorry,
the sun made it very difficult to get a good picture.

Another question might be, "How many people can you get on one of those things"?  Answer: We don't know.  On our way back from nowhere, we started with our 14 and the driver. We stopped somewhere between 7 and 15 times to pick up additional passengers and being wedged in between people, it became impossible to see how many were on our skate. I asked one of the taller missionaries standing in the back to try to count and he finally came back to me and said, "I think about 30".

We actually had a really good time.  The skate moves along fast enough that you feel every bump and connection on the tracks but we got a nice breeze and that made it really good for us.

The rest of our week was just like the past weeks.  We traveled some for piano lessons and Zone training meetings.  Sister Hoopes has been preparing some guides to help non English speaking missionaries practice English.  The following is one of her stories for them regarding the tricycles that provide so much of the transportation.  

(EX. A tricie is a motor cycle with a built on side cart that carries 1 -50 people.  It is a major transportation provider in the Philippines, one must wear a gas mask to survive traveling more than 1 KM (kilometer) if following a Jeepney on a Tricie, because of carbon monoxide poisoning from  the exhaust fumes.)

This is so true!!!

Program for the Graduation Exercises on Monday night.
Notice the Guest of Honor speaker.

We start getting really busy now.  We are leaving this afternoon for a Pamplona District Conference Adult session; tomorow is Buhi Branch in the Iriga district; Monday is the speech at the Brentwood College of Asia International School and Tuesday is the Career Workshop. 

I am adding to this post an email which we received from one of the Missionary Sisters who returned home in January.  It is so fun to read.

Elder and Sister Hoopes! 

        Thanks so much for forwarding the powerpoint and for the sweet email! Your career workshop was totally awesome and has helped me so much in the past almost-month since I've been back. I loved the practical spin you took on Elder Christofferson's talk! I loved the quote "He will not act to make us something we do not choose by our actions to become" and have found it so true even in the almost 4 weeks since I've touched base with the mother land. The day after I got home I was still so inspired ( and jet-lagged) that I applied for BYU Provo, and good thing too, cause the deadline was in 2 days! If it wasn't for your powerpoint and extra push, maybe I wouldn't have applied. Then that same day I applied for BYU, I went out and got a job as a receptionist at a dentist office. I just marched in there all confident, told them my "skills" with wording from that personality test sheet, and BAM I was hired. This week BYU responded and lo and behold I got accepted! So here I am, not even a month back, and I have a great job and start school in the fall. 

Everything has been falling perfectly into place as I've put myself in a position to have it be so. The Lord is so merciful to his obedient and hard working missionaries that really give their all, and is so ready to pour out blessings when we aim high and show Him by our actions what we wish to become. Thank you so much for gearing my mind to think about the future, its really made coping with the loss of the past a much better experience! There is so much to look forward to in this life and I'm just grateful I get to keep living it and figure it all out. I miss the mission SO much, those people changed my life and I love them dearly. I learned so much and my testimony and faith became real to me. The good thing though is that the real life has plenty of opportunities to use that faith and testimony, and I only hope to continue to do my best every day. Dadagos man ako :)

       Thanks again for the workshop, the cookies, the spontaneous rides in your car, and everything else. 

        Love, Sister Chloe McGrath

That is all for this week.  

Look close.  He is turning the skate while on the tracks.  He
lifts one end and puts a jack stand under and then pushes
down and swings the entire contraption around.  The bench seats
are sitting to the right.  They will go back on after turning.

All were invited to the Hoopes' apartment afterwards for hot dogs and fresh donuts.
Hot dogs for breakfast?  The hot donuts were wonderful.

The entire group for breakfast after the activity on Monday.