8 August 2015

Hi again.  The past week has just flown by and we are just getting ready for the 6th week transfer rush. Next week is when transfers take place but it also means things will be very busy for us as we will be preparing for and teaching the Workshop on Tuesday for all those going home and then helping with the new missionaries coming in on Wednesday.  It is always a fun time for us.  We enjoy being around these young men and women.  Our time is now being counted in 6 week increments as it seems like we go from one Transfer to the next.

Going through Tigaon on Friday

Our past week was much more of the same.  Piano lessons; one last English test; Zone Training in Goa; District training in Iriga and then YW Fireside again in Iriga.  

The traffic to and from Goa on Friday was really bad and a difficult drive.  We heard there was a Fiesta in one of the towns (Tigaon) and that really added to the difficulty.  I was finding myself getting so angry at the way the cars and motorcycles pass.  At any given point there would be a car passing me on the left and a motorcycle on the right or the other way around and this is a small 2 lane highway.  And due to the traffic, there was no place in front of me so the only option when a car comes from the other direction is to push me over or force me to fall back.  I found myself getting so upset with this type of driving I realized that I am not going to be able to change the people but I can change myself.  When we got home that evening, we were reading our daily scriptures from the Book of Mormon in 3rd Nephi where the Savior teaches the Beatitudes  and verse 11 hit me really hard.  It reads, "And blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute..."  Actually all the verses touched me but especially this verse as I knew the Lord was talking to me and I came to realize that it is my pride that is the issue.  So many issues in our lives, when boiled down, really are related to pride and our inability to give up our egos.  My challenge for the rest of my mission is to find a way to accept all people; to learn to love them regardless of the circumstances we are in; to forget myself and my own needs and wants and allow others to be who they are without criticism and judgement.  A big challenge for me.

We heard through President Flores that a member in the area does Reflexology and he asked if we were interested.  We were so he brought the man by on Wednesday night.  He is a blind man who is married and has 2 children. This is how he makes his living.  He was trained in Manila with government help because of his disability.  We were told that he goes to a place in downtown Naga where the government provides him a place to work and he is there every night from 6 until 11 pm where he does the Reflexology.  We had an interesting evening with him.  He did both of us (I got a full muscle massage in addition) in about 2.5 hours and charged us 450 pesos. That is just over $10.  Of course, we paid him more than that but it was very cheap for a good service.

This is  a "seat belt" on a motorcycle.  He is strapped to his Mom.

I started this blog post on Saturday but it is now Monday as I finish this writing as we got so busy on Saturday and Sunday.  We left about 11 am on Saturday for Iriga to help with a District Primary training meeting.  We got home about 4;30 and went to a baptism at the church next door and then there was a Relief Socity activity and then ward Choir practicing for Ward Conference.

Sunday was Ward Conference here in our home ward in Naga and we were very involved in helping the choir.  We sang 2 songs on Sunday and it turned out really nice.  One of the office Elders sang a solo and he has a beautiful Tenor voice.  It was a very special day.  Sunday afternoon, we left with President and Sister Reeder for Iriga again.  Sisters Reeder, Hoopes and Watson were asked to speak at a Young Women's Fireside.  It was a nice meeting.

Elder Legler sang the solo.  He is from Gilbert, AZ.

From the Primary Training on Saturday afternoon.  This was
the breakout session for Primary music people.

This is Sister Hoopes addressing the YW on Sunday for their
Fireside.  It was on the YW Values.

A couple of weeks ago, we showed a picture of a rice farm
ready to be planted.  This is the same plot but the new rice
has been planted.  It is all done by hand.

We are grateful to have some time today to recover as we start with the big transfer week tomorrow with the Workshop which we teach to the missionaries going home.

Hope all is well.  Until next week.