Every Day is a Good Day . . . even with feels like 38-40 C (100-104 F)

Every day is a good day here in the Cebu City Philippines Temple.  That's what my fellow workers always say when I ask how they are.  Or they say, "I'm happy because I have the Gospel of Jesus Christ."  Or, "I'm a child of God . . . so every day is a good day!"  That last sentence was said in a slow Texan drawl by a Black American from Texas who is married to one of our Filipino workers, who by the way, speaks very good English and not with a Texan drawl at all.  I'm not sure how that's possible when she live with a Texan!

Yes, every day is a good day . . . even though it's feeling hotter and hotter as we experience a heat wave.  Daytime temperatures are about 32 C (90-91 F) but with the 60%+ humidity, it feels like 38 C (100 F) or higher.  The nights cool down somewhat to about 30 C (86 F).  We have stopped walking in the evening even though it feels cooler when the sun goes down.

The heat hasn't stopped patrons from coming to the temple.  There are weddings every week and sometimes multiple weddings in a day.  And as it is summer holidays right now, youth groups sometimes up to 70 come daily to do baptisms for their dead ancestors.  For information on baptisms for the dead, go to
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/article/baptisms-for-the-dead?lang=eng

Talking of weddings . . . our oldest granddaughter was married this past Saturday in the Orem Utah Temple.  Would have been nice to have been there.  But we are happy for her from afar.  

In August 2018, on our farm in Grassy Lake, Alberta, Canada, our weather station shows a temperature of 40 C (104 F).  That's the hottest I had ever seen in Alberta.  In 2016-2017, we had seen those temperatures in Mombasa, Kenya and in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania while we were on our Kenya Nairobi Mission.  And now we are seeing it in Cebu City, Philippines.

The majority of Filipinos do not have air conditioning, and even if they do, they rarely use it.  My friend Ruby finds it hard to sleep at night during this heat wave, and she can't afford to run her air conditioner, so she uses an electric fan for a bit each night.  But my knowledge of central heating tells me that an electric fan in high heat just becomes . . . a furnace!

Our daughter, Heather, and her husband Vince; their daughter Hanna and her new husband Yedam; Hanna's brother, Joseph on the steps of the Orem Utah Temple.  Hanna and Yedam met on their missions in the Micronesia Guam Mission.  Yedam is from South Korea where his parents joined the church when he was very young.  His parents and siblings had already planned a trip to the US, so the wedding fit nicely into their plans.

My apologies to the many Conrad and Torrie relatives who live in Utah who did not get notice of Hanna's wedding.  Strictly my fault for not being on the ball.

It's easy to feel like a millionaire here as our wallets are stuffed with high sounding bills.  1000 pesos, 500 p, 100 p, and 50 p.  At current rates in Canadian dollars, that is $22.30, 11.14, 2.23, and 1.11.  We use a lot of 50 p bills to pay taxis and grab cars.  100-200 p easily pays for a taxi, including a tip.  We like to tip generously because the cost of fuel here is so high and the government has capped how much drivers can add to their normal rates.
Love the colored bills.  Reminds us of our Canadian beautifully colored bills.

Tried taking pictures out of the taxi windows.  It's a very different world out there than the world we live in in our guarded, gated, peaceful "Temple Square" compound.

Another street scene from the taxi window.  We also saw a man, without a shirt and with sweat running down his torso, pushing a cart full of wood up a little incline in the heat.  Reminded us of similar sights during our Kenya/Tanzania mission.  These people work so hard.

Hard to capture this crazy 5-street intersection that we go through every time we go to the Ayala Center Mall.  There's no stop lights and rarely a traffic policeman to guide the traffic.  You just nose in and go when you can.  It works amazingly well.

I was so surprised to see durian fruit on sale here in Cebu.  We learned about durian in Thailand, where it is banned in hotels.  In fact, you can't enter a hotel if you've eaten durian because they can smell it on you.  According to google, "durian is considered the most disgusting fruit, due to its pungent, lingering odor, often described as rotting flesh, sewage, or gym socks, which leads to it being banned on public transport [and in hotels] in parts of Southeast Asia. Despite the smell, many appreciate its creamy, custard-like taste."  Hard to believe anyone wants to eat durian.

For more interesting information about the durian fruit, see the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbngFA0ByE0

We found a new restaurant in the Ayala Center Mall called Yakinabe.  We love Japanese food, so tried out this all-you-can-eat buffet.  Delicious!  Yaki means grilled or fried.  Nabe means cooking pan.  You can actually cook your food at your table yourself, but if I am going to a restaurant, I want them to cook for me.  After all, that's why I am going to their restaurant.  (Some of these types of restaurants actually do cook it for you, right at your table).

We're finished our delicious meal but I wanted you to see the cooking area on the left where you can fry food, and the boiling pan on the right.  No, we did not cook our own food.  We just ate the many already prepared items.  So good.  Our new favorite restaurant.

Filipinos love lechon -- basically pork.  Here's the Japanese version of serving lechon.  There's the pig's head and the cut up pieces of pork, which were delicious.  Sometimes Filipino lechon is very fatty.  This was just right.

The maki was delicious, especially the fruit and vegetable maki on the left and the California mix on the right.  Seaweed is very good for you.  By the way, we usually call this sushi, but I have learned that sushi is a broader category which includes maki (rice, seaweed and fillings), and sashimi (raw fish only), and nagiri (rice and raw fish).

Another Japanese restaurant.  We've been here quite a few times and this fellow, Chan, always serves us.  He remembers what we like and what we don't like.  He gets us a table when there is no table.  We have shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with him and he always remembers that we are missionaries.  It's so nice to talk with Filipinos about our beliefs and the joy those beliefs bring us.

Now for a treat for those of you who love artwork.  This is artwork of small and sometimes mammoth proportions (see website).  And it all comes down to working with driftwood, or "long dead wood," as the Filipinos calls it.  James Doran-Webb is British but lives and works in Cebu.  Check out his website:  https://www.jamesdoranwebb.co.uk/

We loved these "long dead wood" sculptures.  Click on the photos to enlarge to see an owl, and eagle, and a hawk.

Close-up of the eagle

Close-up of the hawk.  Love those talons clutching the stump.

The main attraction in this outdoor flower market was the life-size carabao (the Filipino work animal) pulling a balsa (a raft, traditionally made of bamboo for floating on the river for fishing and transportation).

The long dead wood gives the carabao a striking appearance.

Frontal view of the carabao pulling the balsa.

That carabao (pronounced care-a-bow, as in to bow your head) is looking right at us.

Talking about artists . . . remember our Snowy Owl Rabbit creator from Sweden, Per Rydberg, from one of my earlier posts?  Well, Per (pronounced pair) has sent me a link to a 3 1/2-minute video he has created about how each year for the past 10 or so years, he has kept a bit of snow from each snowy owl creation, and put it in the freezer as "seed" for his next year's creation.

Per is wearing a Swedish high school student's graduation cap.  While high school graduates in the West wear the mortarboard caps, high school graduates in Sweden wear what looks to be a sailor's cap.  The remains of the 2026 Snowy Owl Rabbit creation are being scooped up to put in the freezer for next year.  At least assuming there will be enough snow next year.  Some years, there has not been, which is hard to believe, as, after all, this is Sweden, the land of ice and snow.  But actually, when we lived in Stockholm in 2020 and 2021, it wasn't as cold as it gets in Alberta in the winter. 
See the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQm0FXCjuW0

Now for my final photos . . . which won't mean a lot to most of you because they are of our Filipino friends.  But really . . . people are what's important.  People are the reason we are here in the Philippines.  I will try to make the captions somewhat interesting.

First, just a few comments about people.  Canadians are generally known for being friendly and polite and saying sorry frequently.  Americans are generally known for being less formal, and louder in public.  Filipinos are generally known for being warm and kind.  But . . . I have also found Canadians who are not polite, and Americans who are quiet in public, and Filipinos who are not easy to get along with.  People are people wherever you go.  But we are all children of the same God.

At the end, I will put a couple of humorous happenings . . . just to keep you going!

I have nicknames for some of the sisters I work with in the temple.  This is Sister Flower Girl because she often wears flowers in her hair, but not this night.

This is Sister Beautiful White Hair, aka Sister WH (since Filipinos love acronyms).  She and her husband have moved in across the hall from us.  They are our age, which is nice, since so many are younger.

Here are our fellow "foreign" missionaries from the States, the Stirlands and the Andreasens, with our temple president and his wife.  We're gathered Sunday evening for a potluck supper and Family Home Evening, as we do every Sunday night.

Love the Ongs and the Gisons (pronounced he-sohns).  The Ongs are Temple President and Matron and the Gisons are 1st counselor to the Temple President and Assistant to the Matron.  They are dressed more casually than we usually see them in the temple.

These are "my girls."  I have spent many days training them.  I call them my tall one and my short one.  My tall one's name is Myrna, like my real sister Myrna.  The short one is just three years younger than me.  They are from an area where people speak Waray-Waray.  So English doesn't come so easily and because there are over 30 dialects in the Cebu Temple area, English is the common language in the temple.  It's been a huge learning curve for these dear sisters who have had such hard lives.

I hardly recognize Sister Arcayan (pronounced are-kie'-un) without her mask, which she always wears in the temple.  She's probably smarter than I am because she never gets sick and I seem to more than I would like.  But she doesn't wear glasses.  It's so hard to wear a mask when you wear glasses because your glasses get steamed up and then you can't see.  I was Sister Arcayan's trainer so we have a bond.

We call this brother, Brother Apron.  His name is actually Arpon but he answers to both names.

Now for the humorous happenings I promised:

#1:  LeRon was recently astounded to be asked by a clerk in a store, "Are you here to find a Filipino wife?"  He laughed and said that he was happily married, thank you, and that he was a missionary here with his wife.  He gave her a pass-along card and told her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I wonder if she was looking for an old, western husband herself!  We see so many, mostly young, Filipino women with old white men.  Even some old men with canes or ones who are hunched over and can barely walk.  Maybe they think the old man won't last too long!  And now I realize that LeRon is looking more and more like an old white man!

#2:  First, the back story.  Since my bad car accident 2 1/2 years ago, I tend to startle easily at loud noises.  I am getting better at not startling but sometimes I can't help it.  It just happens.  I jump and throw my arms up and emit a shriek.  Well, the other day, in the temple, some of the men and women were in a room waiting to begin some ordinance work.  One of the men in the back let out a very loud "achoo".  My startling went into action with no help on my part.  Everyone laughed and I did too.  But one of the men asked me, "What is the English word for what you just did?"  I said, "I startled."  That's the only word I could think of.  It would have been embarrassing if the people had not been so kind.

#3:  Now an interesting happening:  We met a temple worker outside the housing where we live.  He was distraught because he had lost his motorcycle keys.  We asked if he had retraced his footsteps and he said he had.  Then I said, "Have you prayed about it?"  That was LeRon's mother's go-to for situations like this.  And her faith always produced results.  Today, we learned that this man did pray and he did find his keys.  God is interested in the tiny details of our lives.

Global Schools, Conferences, Temples, and a Trip to Africa!

 Several observations I've been wanting to share:

• Filipinos are not shy about asking your age.  We're getting used to it.  So beware:  when we get home, we may ask your age and wonder why you look surprised that we would ask such a thing.

• And they are not shy about telling you that you are "increasing," meaning putting on weight.  And if you're perhaps losing weight, you are "decreasing."  And they will tell you so.

• I've been told that there are only two seasons:  hot and hotter.  We are now in hotter, as April and May are the summer months.  School is out.  People are holidaying.  But they are still coming to the temple in large numbers and we keep extremely busy.

• With that "hotter" comes the practice of Filipinos putting small towels on their necks or upper backs under their shirts, or paper towels, or even several sheets of paper, all to absorb the sweat.   

• To get a man's attention, you call out "Chief.  Chief."  Good to know.

• I have been confused why those with very good English often get he and she mixed up.  It's because in Cebuano (also known as Bisaya), the same word is used for he, she, and it.  Now it makes sense.

• We see a lot of older white men (Americans or Europeans) with young Filipino women and sometimes with older ones.  A white guy can be a real catch.  But the catch is that the guy often needs to help support the extended family.  

• But we've also seen a lot of very happy marriages between white men and Filipino women, some choosing to live in the Philippines and some in other countries.

Now on to Global Schools . . . 

Our church-sponsored BYU-Pathway Worldwide's Global Education Center (known here as the GEC -- they love acronyms) started one year ago here in Cebu City.  The GEC provides affordable, spiritual and temporal online education.  It's a safe, high-tech, place where students can learn in online college courses and can receive degrees in many fields.  Education is the answer for those living in developing countries such as the Philippines.  And really, it's the answer for all, no matter what country you live in.  In 2024, the BYU-Pathway Worldwide program served 75,000 students in 180 countries.

We visited the GEC, which is open 9-9, one evening as we were out for our walk.  The GEC is in one end of one of the church buildings in the temple compound.  These young people are not members of our church, but are "interns" from local high schools.  They are learning how to help others use the computers as part of their high school curriculum.

These two young adults are overseeing the high school interns.  They also help those who come to learn at the GEC.  It was a pretty quiet evening but they say that it's often humming with activity.  So many people coming to learn on high-speed internet on the 100 computers.  

You can see our apartment here in the temple compound -- the two windows on either side of the palm tree in the center of the photo.  A nice apartment with a good view of trees, flowers, and the church buildings, one which houses the GEC.

Cebu City Stake Conference and General Conference 

We really enjoyed our recent Cebu City Stake Conference.  It was 95% in English so we could actually understand it for a happy change!  About 1000 people were in attendance -- the chapel, cultural hall, and stage were filled to overflowing. 

Elder Matthew K Jackson, a General Authority Seventy, was the main speaker.  You can see him in the picture -- tall and with white hair.  Elder Jackson encouraged members to share the joy of the gospel with others.  He said that there are 181 stakes of the church in the Philippines and there will be more.  The Church is growing rapidly in the Philippines.

A stake is an ecclesiastical unit composed of several smaller units, called wards and branches.  Stakes meet in conference twice a year and sometimes more often for activities; wards meet weekly with many extra activities.  

Talking about Conferences . . . We just enjoyed the annual, worldwide, two-day General Conference of our church, originating in Salt Lake City, Utah.  So thankful for technology and internet connections.  LeRon and I got up at midnight and again at 4 a.m. to view the Saturday sessions of Conference.  The Saturday and Sunday sessions were rebroadcast the next weekend to our chapels here in the Philippines.  

So great to hear from our church leaders who come, not only from the US, but from all parts of the world -- France, England, Germany, Brazil, and other European, Asian, South American and Oceania countries and even Philippines and Russia.  And our own Elder James Evanson, who grew up in Taber, Alberta, Canada, was recently called as a General Authority Seventy.

An Event Not to be Missed

A very exciting thing . . . The Salt Lake Temple has been under major renovations for the past several years.  It is now nearly complete and will be open to the public for tours of its interior from April 5, 2027 to October 1, 2027.  In that six months, 3 or 4 million people are expected to come from all over the world to tour the temple.  What a fantastic opportunity to be in this beautiful temple! 

The Salt Lake Temple is the grand-daddy of all our temples.  It was built over a 40-year period, from 1853 to 1893, in the days of early church members' poverty and sacrifice.  It's a good chance to see what the inside of an LDS temple looks like.  Once it is dedicated, after the 6-month open house, only members who qualify can enter.

Now. . . what you've been waiting for . . . a trip to Africa! 

No, sadly, we haven't been on a trip to Africa.  We are still in Cebu City, spending five days a week in the Cebu Temple.  But . . . 

First a bit of explanation.  Our church sponsors a weekly radio, television, and internet broadcast, called Music and the Spoken Word.  It is the longest continually-running broadcast in the US, starting in 1929 and continuing uninterrupted to this day.  It features gorgeous scenery and beautiful music by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.   The short, non-denominational message is meant to inspire those of any faith or those of no faith at all.

A recent broadcast featured our beloved Africa.  As we watched, we felt like we were back on our mission in Africa -- enjoying the acacia trees, the baobab trees, the wildlife, and the people.  Hope you too will enjoy this 30-minute broadcast, called An African Special: The Joy we Share.  Here's the hotlink: 

https://www.youtube.com/live/1DgtkfstvpM    

(You may skip the ad at the first.)

Screen shot from the video.  Love those baobab trees!  They say Africa to us.

And how many times did we see these magnificent animals as we traveled for missionary work to different places in Kenya and Tanzania and explored many game parks.

And who can forget the lovely, loving people of Kenya and Tanzania!

Yes, we felt like we had journeyed to Africa after watching this beautiful video.

Earthquake . . . and Sights and Smells

Earthquake?  Yes, earthquake.  I was having a nap on Monday afternoon, April 6 (the only day of the week, other than Sunday, that we are not working in the temple, and also the day our latter-day church was organized in 1830, and the birthday of Yael, our good friend from Israel), and I felt the bed shake for a few seconds.  Then our Filipino phones alerted us to a 5.2 earthquake, centered in Bogo City, which is about 100 kms north of Cebu City.  A senior couple, the Bartons, who live in Bogo City, said, "It was pretty exciting. We were rocking and rolling for about 10 seconds."  The last major earthquake was in October 2025 (actually two earthquakes -- 7.4 followed by 6.8).  Between earthquakes and typhoons, we may be in for some crazy times.

Here are some things I've noticed in the three months we have been here:

• Supply chain management seems to be an issue.  If you find something you want, you need to buy it because it may be gone the next time you shop.  (I remember how many times the clerks in Nairobi, Kenya, would tell me, "Out of stock."  Supply management is an issue in many countries.)
• Filipinos seem to like to have matching outfits, or at least matching colors.  In our stake, the stake choir always has matching outfits.  And we've noticed that weddings also bring out the matching phenomenon and not just for the bridal party, but for everyone who comes to the wedding.
• Some (quite a few) Filipino ladies have tattooed eyebrows and some even have tattooed lips.  Google says tattooing can cost between 5,000 and 30,000 pesos, depending on what is done.  That's a lot of money for people who struggle on 500 pesos per day.
• And talking of tattooing, I haven't seen a lot of tattooing here, at least compared to the west.  Again, it costs money.
• I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find fresh milk here.  I love milk.  I have found long-life milk that actually tastes not too bad.  Yeah!!  It comes in cartons and you can store it for up to a year just on the shelf.  I am surprised how good it tastes.  My first experience with "cardboard milk" as I called it, was when we visited LeRon's cousin, Ellen, in Turkey.  I didn't like the taste of that milk, but the milk here is pretty good.  It comes from Australia or New Zealand.  I can also get Almond Milk here.

Someone asked about our schedule:

• Sunday: Church, and in the evening, a potluck supper and a Family Home Evening lesson with the temple presidency, the temple missionaries, and Filipino temple volunteers. 

• Monday: Temple is closed so we grocery shop at a Costco-type store with the other two couples; do laundry; clean house; work on genealogy; write my blog; LeRon plays the piano and organ and reads. 

• Tuesday: Work in the temple baptistry from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., helping youth or adults do baptisms for their deceased ancestors.  We sometimes have up to 60 youth come, especially now that school is out and summer holidays have started (April and May).

• Wednesday: Work in the temple from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.  LeRon teaches piano lessons in the afternoon and I go along as a chaperone.

• Thursday through Saturday: Work in the temple as temple worker trainers from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Then do our own temple work or go shopping or have naps.  We are tired after getting up at 5 a.m. and working till 1 p.m.  We are getting old!!  And . . . it is very hot to be outside.

Now for some photos:

Love the beautiful hibiscus flowers.  But . . . seems that as soon as they flower, the gardeners cut them down and start new plants.

Filipinos seem to be, almost without exception, very musical.  They love to sing and they love to dance.  We stopped into our neighbors who live across the hall to join in the music.  Elder Torrie is in there somewhere, playing on his keyboard.

New friends from Canada.  Yeah!  They work in the temple with us. Ted Brown actually has connections to what we've always called "The Island", north of where we live in Grassy Lake, Alberta.  His grandfather was born on "The Island" at the forks of the Oldman River.  He's also related to the famous Jerry Potts who helped found the Northwest Mounted Police in Alberta.  Ted married a lovely Filipino, Maricel, and they lived for many years in B.C but are now permanently in the Philippines.  So fun to discover new friends.

Filipino people love their cats and dogs.  This food and water station is set up outside a restaurant in the big Ayla Mall here in Cebu.  More fun dog pictures to come . . . 

Stray dogs frequent the entrances to many of the shopping centers, sleeping in the heat of the day.  People just step around them and they never stir.

Here's a close-up of the dog in the previous picture.  At first we thought he was dead.  He didn't move for a very long time.  How in the world can he sleep, in the heat, with people everywhere, and in a very uncomfortable-looking position???

Dogs sleeping everywhere, even on the stairs.

Another day . . . another mall . . . more dogs.  They have collars, so we wonder if they belong to someone, but they seem to be strays.  Maybe the city puts collars on them.  Just a thought.  And here's another thought . . . see photo below . . .

We have seen many "Animal Bite Centers" in Cebu as well as in Manila.  Rabies is a serious thing here.  As missionaries, we are instructed to never even pet a dog or a cat.  Many Animal Bite Centers are open 24/7.  Yes, it costs to get a rabies shot, but better that than to get rabies.  Thank you, Louis Pasteur!  Some clinics offer free government-funded rabies shots; private clinics have a cost.  According to google, who knows everything, over 1 million cases of rabies are handled each year in the Philippines.

Can't get over the sleeping dogs.  I have a hard time breathing in the heat, let alone sleeping.  It's been around 30 C, which isn't that hot, but with 60% to 80% humidity, it feels very hot and muggy.  Thankfully our apartment is air conditioned, as is the temple, the taxis, and some of the stores.

We have eaten street food in many countries, but not here.  Food places on the streets are open 24/7, so if you want a midnight snack, you can easily get it, and for a cheap price too.

While we don't eat out on the street, we have tried many restaurants and once in a while, we go to the old faithfuls, such as KFC.  Who knew that KFC in the Philippines comes with French fries AND rice.  The square package is a brick of cooked rice, which actually tastes good with the gravy.  They also serve coleslaw.  Yeah!

For our 51st wedding anniversary on March 6, we worked in the temple and then went to La Parisienne for supper.

We have enjoyed the pizza here at La Parisienne . . . until we discovered . . . Pizza Hut at the Ayala Mall.  That pizza is so good.

La Parisienne has gorgeous looking gelato but we prefer the real Italian gelato.

We went with the other couples to the Texas Roadhouse for my 74th birthday celebration.  They made me ride a saddle, which I did side saddle because of my crazy hips, and wear a hat and wave a bandana while they sang Happy Birthday to me and performed a line dance.  Fun!  See very short clip below.

Singing with some fun temple workers.  They love Beatles music and have very nice voices.  I've been telling LeRon for a long time that he needs to learn more Beatles music.  I mean, he knows it, but he doesn't normally play it.

And here is our resident gecko.  He scurries very fast when he wants to.  Some of the other women scream when they see a gecko, but I think they're cute.  And I would much rather have a resident gecko than a resident mouse.  At least geckos eat bugs and are not as dirty as mice.  I can't live with mice.

So thankful for our de-humidifier.  We have to dump it about 3 times in 24 hours and each dump is about 5 1/2 liters.  It's keeping our humidity between 45% and 65%.  Our clothes are no longer molding and the paper no longer feels limp.  We still can't understand why only 2 of the 11 apartments have this humidity problem.

And we're thankful for the new kitchen faucet.  The old one was corroded and it leaked under the sink, which is probably why our apartment has a unique odor.  The tap on the right is the filtered water tap. We drink the filtered water.  We also fill the water jug from this tap for the water cooler.   The tap on the left is hot and cold. 

We are lucky to live in temple housing because we have many of the comforts of home.  Our biggest issue is that the hot water is inconsistent.  Sometimes no hot water for a couple of days.  Sometimes hot water in the mornings.  Sometimes hot water in the evenings.  Sometimes lukewarm water.  Sometimes cold.  Cold showers are not fun.  Most Filipinos only have cold showers.  One told me that hot water makes your hair fall out!!

The water cooler is fun.  Very cold water on the right, room temperature water in the middle, and boiling water on the left.  So nice for cooking things that need hot water.

Can you see the white square in the upper right of the back window of this car?  Click to enlarge so you can see the words, "Caution: New Lady Driver".  Can you believe that???  I think most women are much better drivers than men.

A "red button ginger", also known as a "scarlet spiral flag", or "Costus woodsonii" if you want to know the real name, on the temple grounds.  Interesting, but not beautiful.  Its roots and shoots are used in traditional medicine for everything from digestive issues to inflammation.

More flowers on the temple grounds.  This one is a "desert rose," a succulent that does well in dry African regions.  Its roots rot easily so maybe that is why it's planted in a bed of rocks.

The rocks are so white, we wondered if they were painted.  But no.  They are white rocks.

I love the bougainvillea.  But every time, just as they are blossoming beautifully, the gardeners prune them down.  So sad.

The bougainvillea blossoms are actually those tiny white flowers.  The beautiful colors are bracts, or small colored leaves just below the flowers.

Umbrellas are everywhere, and not just for the rain.  Even on the two-minute walk from the temple to the patron housing, Filipinos use umbrellas to keep the sun off.  And the sun IS really hot.

We sometimes shop at the Metro, a huge grocery store in the Ayala mall.  I came across an aisle filled with dried fish.  So interesting.

I asked google what Filipinos do with dried fish.  This is the answer:  they eat it for breakfast, along with garlic rice, eggs, tomatoes, and a vinegar dip.  Now I know why we sometimes smell very pungent smells in the hallway outside our apartment!

In Kenya, we saw aisles full of cooking oil.  In Sweden, we saw aisles and whole stores full of candy.  In Philippines, it's aisles of dried fish.

And then there is the fresh fish!  Nauseating to me!  And yet I loved the fish dishes we ate in the Canadian Maritimes last summer.  We learned that if cooked fish tastes fishy, it's not fresh.  And I remember eating "St. Peter's fish" on the Sea of Galilee in Israel one year.  The fish even had a shekel in its mouth.

Ah . . . that fishy smell.  LeRon says that it reminds him of his mission in Japan (1972-1974).

My kids know that I can't go anywhere without buying a painting or two.  I've never seen any I've really liked here, though I did see some "maybes" in Manila.  But this sister, who works in the temple, helps sell her husband's paintings.  We were hooked.  A painting of a farmer working in his rice fields with his carabao (pronounced care-ah-bow, as in the dog says bow-wow).  Not caribou.  The carabao is the national animal of the Philippines and is still used as a work animal.  But many farmers are turning to tractors and other machines, even small swathers and combines.

Here's an internet picture of a carabao.  I have only seen them from a distance.

A great Easter evening at the home of the mission president, President & Sister Clarke.  Our nephew, Darren Torrie's wife is good friends with the Clarke's daughter.  And President Clarke served a mission in his youth in Japan, as did LeRon.  Small world.  Fun to eat delicious western food that we all helped prepare and to visit with other senior missionaries.

Now for my benefit: 
Back row L-R: Elder Joe Andreasen; Elder LeRon Torrie with Sister Colleen Torrie in front and President Clarke behind; Elder Krey Stirland, Elder & Sister Holt (mission office), Elder & Sister Barton (of the Bogo City earthquake); Elder Palmer (LDS Charities), Elder _____ (BYU Pathways missionary).
Sitting in middle L-R: Elder & Sister Evans (MLS missionaries); Sister Wilhelm (mission secretary), Sister _____. (BYU Pathways missionary).
Front L-R: Sister Beth Andreasen, Sister Wendy Stirland, Sister Clarke (mission president companion), Sister Bringhurst (finance, mission office), Sister Palmer (LDS Charities), Sister Cysewski (the wonderful mission nurse).  

We temple missionaries go to a different restaurant every Saturday evening.  We're here at an Italian restaurant tonight.

We're at the temple president's home after a morning of training for Shift Coordinators.  They asked LeRon to bring his keyboard and make some music.  So fun.  We sang and danced.  Most had already left when this picture was taken.

Saturday evening at a new-to-us restaurant.  Open to the air on the top floor of a hotel.  You can see the Cebu City temple between Sister Andreasen and me.

The stake Primary children sang "I will Walk with Jesus" one Sunday evening.  I love the words to this song, especially the chorus:

As I walk with Jesus to my home above,
He will bless me with His Spirit and fill me with his love.
Change my heart forever and help me clearly see.
I will walk with Jesus, and He will walk with me.