It’s back to work we go after
two weeks off. Except for retail
outlets, a lot of the businesses and shops shut down for the two weeks of
Christmas and New years. We are sick of
eating so much. Each branch or family
party was a feast! When people ask what
I got for Christmas I just show them my stomach.
We went to church in Milaor
on Sunday. It was just outside Naga
city and is the closest church to the city.
It is a very good ward but we were surprised at the number of people of
who didn’t understand English. We
expect that from a country branch but not a city ward. It was a good day.
I took the van in to Lisam for service at 7:30
AM and was still the third one in line.
They don’t open until 8:00 AM so the security guard gave each vehicle a
number for when the office opened. I
was number three. This is the outdoor
service center and that is our grey, Hyundai van on the right.
While
I was waiting for the van to be finished I stood across the street and got a
shot of a typical Filipino driving move.
If you can’t get to where you want to go in traffic some in the vehicle
gets out and stops or directs traffic for you.
No one ever honks in anger or gets upset, it is just part of life. This is a guy stopping traffic on the
national highway so a big truck can back out of a business on to the
highway. It is a regular occurrence. There is never any parking for personal
vehicles because very few people own cars.
Everyone takes a pudyak, trycee, jeepney or bus depending on the
distance you want to travel. When we
park in front of a store on the main highway someone always stops traffic for
us to back out when we leave. Most do
it for a tip. There is a lot of poverty
so there are always people begging for money.
Young boys will follow you out of a store or restaurant until you give
them money. They are usually working
for a crime boss of some type. We try
to help the ones who look like they really need it…cripples, mothers with
little kids etc. We are probably
getting sucked in but not all the time.
Anyway…back to my thought…this is a truck backing onto the main highway
into Naga city. The guy beside it in
the blue is stopping the traffic.
The
van needed a wash so Lisam takes it across the highway to one the biggest car
washes in the city. A car was is just a
place to park, a bucket and brush and sometimes a garden hose. We have never seen a pressurized water
spraying system. It is all by hand and
they do a great job for 80 peso which is about $2.10 CAD. I had to take this picture into the setting
sun at about 5 PM so it is washed out but this is the huge car wash. It has a roof which most don’t.
There has been a rash of
break-ins and thefts around our neighborhood so we have been told to be more
vigilant in our security measures.
We have done a lot of
homework, running around, and visiting sick missionaries in the hospital. Elder Heaton from Utah who has served in
Cotnogan got an amoeba (bacterial) infection and we visited him in the hospital
today. They have him on an antibiotic
drip. His district leader, Elder
Fallesii from Samoa stayed with him.
Elder Heaton is about 6’2” and is very slim already. After being sick for three days and becoming
extremely dehydrated, he looked even worse.
He was in good spirits but had no energy. I joked that I was glad his mother couldn’t see him right now. He said she would be on the next jet here if
she did.
We met with President and
Sister Reeder yesterday to report and to see if our family history training is
helping the mission. All the indicators
are that it is amazing how effective it is as a finding and teaching tool. Hoopes has us over for a fruit pizza in the
afternoon and we visited until about 6:30.
Thursday I had several
booklets to copy for training on Friday.
I went early to the office to use the photocopy machine and found it out
of order AGAIN. That thing is a piece
of junk! I went to look around the city
to find a copy place and finally found one.
I did over 450 copies and it cost 300 pesos. There are fewer copy places here than in Baao but they charge
less here.
Friday was busy as we had to drive 90 minutes to
Sipocot for zone training. Sister
Watson drove the van for the first time.
She did well. I think it made
her homesick for her school bus that is waiting for her back home. We did a demo for the zone, participated in
their training, had lunch with them and did training classes with Ragay
district and spent the afternoon with Del Gellago district. The are 90 minutes and 120 minutes away from
Ragay respectively. We appreciated them
meeting with us to save two days of driving.
This is the Pamplona zone at zone training.
I
can’t get the whole chapel in one shot!
After the trainings we packed
up and drove back to Libmanan which is on the way home. We met with Sister Cedron, the district FH
Consultant and three branch consultants.
Sister Cedron just miscarried a baby in her 7th week and
their financial situation is such that her husband’s income isn’t covering the
family requirements. They have a two
year old daughter. Sister Cedron is
going to Manila to work and her husband and daughter are coming later to join
her. Naturally she is upset about the
loss of her baby and leaving home. When
we asked why the men don’t go away to work she said that Filipina woman are
more ambitious and reliable so they do the work as well as take care of the
house and kids. We have book we read
regularly to educate us to the culture and it says the same thing. The traditional Filipino man is cared for
while the woman serves. I am glad my
little daughters and granddaughters weren’t raised here.
Saturday is not P-day (Preparation Day) but I
had to wash clothes in the early morning.
We did a road trip and accidently found Calabanga chapel. Valerie drove and at one point on a road
that followed a river through the jungle, the road narrowed to one lane so she
had to back out about 500 yards. The
road was built up about 10 feet above the rice fields. The squatters had built their huts and the
jungle had grown up to the road’s edge so there was no place to turn
around. This is the width of the road
before it narrowed.
This
doesn’t give a good perspective of the drop from the road but it is about 10
feet down to the living areas and the rice fields.
We took some footage of
farmers working the land with rototillers and carabau. It was hot there was a lot of rice drying on
the roads.
Today is January 9th. It is our one year anniversary of arriving
in the Naga Philippines mission. The
time has passed too quickly. We went to
dinner with Hoopes to the Rai Rai Restaurant in the mall and had tempura shrimp,
some kind of vegetables and rice and sushi.
It was very good! It was P920
for 2 of us which is expensive here but it is only $11 a piece for Valerie and
I. Mcdonalds at home cost that much for
less. I made Valerie an anniversary
card. It was just a pencil written
message on scrap paper but it is the thought that counts…
I must get ready for some
assignments in Pamplona tomorrow. That
will be our first time going to church there although we have done a district
training and a missionary workshop there.
We love you all! Thanks again so much for all you to support us. We miss you but realize it is less than six
months before the end…
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