Blog 15 - April 19 to 25, 2015

We rewarded ourselves by spending Sunday in the mountains at Buhi branch.  The mountain people are not shy and love to have us with them.  We feel so spoiled where ever we go but the further we get into the rural areas the popular we are.  We are establishing a fun tradition on Sunday afternoon if we don’t have meetings.  We make a huge pile of crepes and have them with juice from fresh lemons and icing sugar. 

On Monday I had a dentist appointment that fell through.  We did wash and waited for Skype but the connections were bad as usual and didn’t get to connect with any family.  I could use some grandkid time.

We went to Iriga on Tuesday but got stood up by the two sisters who were supposed to come for genealogy work.  We had access to the church wifi so we did some genealogy home work for some members then left in the early afternoon.  While packing the car to leave a branch president we wanted to meet came to the car and introduced himself.  We set up a meeting with him.  President Bermudo is the Iriga second branch president.  The sister missionaries that serve in that area live near the stake building and stopped to talk.  We have a wind chill factor at home for the effect temperature and wind have on flesh.  Here we have a humidity factor that raises the effect of heat on flesh.  While we talked by the car in the sunshine the temperature measured +37 degrees but the humidity factor said it was +45.  I AM GOING TO DIE!  While we were talking these boys were playing basketball in that heat and didn’t seem to notice!

Wednesday morning we did classes in Nabua.  They are so faithful in that little area.  I took pictures of them working with us, although I am behind the camera here is Sister Masculino and her daughter and Sister Joy Alvira.

Then we did some “wacky” pictures. 

…and a “wacky” selfie!

Thankfully, my dentist appointment held and I got my bridge glued back in.  Dr. Evans would slap me around if he knew I had lost it again.  She put a post in to anchor is better and I am really babying it.  My manly bib says, “We Pamper Smiles”.  My pink wipe bib is rolled up to show you the blue one!

We had to take some information to the elders in Nabua and I caught these kids sitting in the doorway of a little tindahan.

On our way to Bato we saw this work going on in a rice field.  The current crop is off and these men are working the field to get it ready to seed this week.  These 3 pictures are from the same field and it shows a modern rototiller, a guy with a how making border dykes and a carribow (water buffalo) pulling a type of harrow.  That is quite a range of technology in one field.

We had some work to do with members in Baao on Friday.  We haven’t been there for a month so it was great to see them again.  While waiting for the key to arrive, Valerie took a picture of me with some primary kids outside the church building.   Can you tell which one is me??  I look like a snow drift!

These are the members we worked with in Baao.

It is Elder Robles’s birthday today.  He has served valiantly and goes home in 3 weeks.  I love that kid and will miss him in our district.  This is his birthday party in the church with Elder Alvaran his companion, and some Wacky branch members.  Sisters San Hose and Killian from Washington is also there.  Yes, she is taller than me.  I keep telling her she is blending right in around here!

We are just preparing to go to a baptism in Cotnogan.  The Sister is being baprtised in the river.  While I was doing the wash out behind our house this morning a lizard stayed around and watched me so I have a picture of him standing on a bamboo wisk broom.   He is about 10” long.

On our way to Cotnogan we passed one of these tractors.  It is a self propelled rototiller without the tines, pulling a trailer.  They use them a lot for hauling farm cargo.

Valerie and  picked up the Elders at their place on the highway and drove them to the member’s house were the baptismal service was being held.  Here we are waiting for the others to arrive for the  service.

The branch president is in cap.  The elders and a councilor in the branch presidency are in white.  This is a very nice home with bamboo walls and a thatched roof.  The kitchen is outside the back door and

has a beautiful fire place for cooking.

Following the service we all walked down to the river valley about 500 meters away.  

This is a picture of the river valley.  It is so tropical and beautiful.

There were two carabow sitting upstream in the water.  We call them water buffalo and you can see why.  This water is very warm and they would stay in it all day if they could but they are needed to farm with.  They are very stalky with huge hooves for digging into the mud for traction.  White carabow are quite rare.

Here is the mother, Sister Cases and her two daughters at the river’s edge with the missionaries and her neighbor who is in the branch presidency, waiting to be baptized.

Can you pick Valerie and I out of the crowd?  We just blend in…

It was an amazing experience for us.  This brother is a farmer, fruit producer and a wood worker.  He does amazing work.  I have forgotten what type of wood this is but it is very dense and heavy for it’s size.  This is a piece he has worked on for a furniture dealer.

That is all for this week.  We say good-bye to the Gardners who are going home next week.  They are very excited to be with family again.  Thanks again for all your sacrifices for us…Mike and Becky for taking care of business and keeping the farm going, for all your prayers and thoughts in our behalf and for Tabitha who keeps you posted with this blog.  We love you all!