Earthquake . . . and a Short Geography Lesson

A 7.8 earthquake hit the southern island of the Philippines on Monday, June 8, the first day of school after the summer holidays. So hard to hear that people died and schools and homes were destroyed. Sadly, earthquakes, tsumanis, and typhoons are just a part of life in the Philippines. No earthquake for us here in Cebu City, which is many miles north of the affected area.

Now for the geography lesson.  I have always loved maps.  As young girls, my sisters, Arlene and Myrna, and I often studied the big world globe or looked at maps and dreamed of the many places in the world we thought we would never see, not knowing that our dreams would one day come true.

The Philippines was never on my radar, but here we are in this beautiful country with kind, faithful people.  Philippines has about 7600 islands, give or take, with about 2000 of them being inhabited.  The Philippines is divided geographically into three areas: Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.  See below for those areas.

The northern region is Luzon, with Manila as the main city.  We visited the Manila area when the temple was closed in February and I reported on that visit in previous posts. 

The Visayas is the central area (but minus that big island of Palawan on the left, which is technically in the northern region).  Cebu City is the main city (although google maps puts Bacolod in larger print than Cebu).

The southern region is Mindanao, which is where the 7.8 earthquake struck and caused so much damage.  This region is more prone to earthquakes, but less prone to typhoons.  A young woman I met at the temple is engaged to a man from Mindanao, and they are trying to decide whether to live where it's cheaper and risk earthquakes, or to live in Cebu, which is more expensive but prone to typhoons.  Hard decision.

Couldn't resist adding another map.  This map shows the Cebu City Temple District as of April 2026.  The Cebu Temple at that time served members in the Visayas and Mindanao areas. You can see why so many people travel so far.  They travel by ferry, overnight boat, bus, jeepny, or plane.  Yet they still come faithfully to the temple as often as they can, and often at great expense.

By the end of May, two more temples were dedicated -- in Bacolod and Davao -- so the Cebu City Temple district has shrunk majorly.  (No map for that yet). 
There are now 6 operating temples in Philippines, with 8 more announced or under construction.  And we have been told that more will be coming. What a blessing for these faithful people.

Many Words, a Joke, and a Basement Medical Center

This week, we experienced our first big rain storm of the rainy season.  So far, it's been very dry here, with little rain since a few light showers in January.  In the late afternoon, with "feels like" temperature of 41 C (107 F), the dark storm clouds built up in the west, the lightning flashed, and the heavens dumped for almost 1 1/2 hours.  As we watched the rain pouring down, we wondered how people who live in little tin shacks are doing.  We are so grateful for where we live in a nice air conditioned apartment on the third floor.

The temple and our apartment building are on high ground that slopes down to the basketball courts.  After the storm, we went for a walk in the compound (and actually found it refreshing and almost cool -- we must be getting acclimatized!)  A 12-year old boy (granted, he was a small 12-yr old) was splashing around in the basketball court in water almost up to his knees.  They say that little kids can swim there after a rain like this.  So . . . the rainy season has begun.  

Although school has started in some places, youth groups are still coming to the temple to perform baptisms for their deceased ancestors.  Recently, a group of youth and adults traveled to the temple for 19 hours by bus.  A very tiny girl, who looked to be about 8, came also, which was surprising, as youth need to be 11 turning 12 to come to the temple.  We found out she was 14!  The water in the baptistry came up to her neck and she was definitely easy to totally immerse!  Yes, Filipinos are shorter on average but they come in all shapes and sizes and degrees of beauty.  Some are darling cute and some are normal, just like anywhere else.

A man who came with the youth gave us some very delicious mangoes.  He said that the most delicious mangoes in the Philippines grow on his island near Iloilo (pronounced ee-low ee-low).  And I believe he's right.  So delicious.  And he also gave us a joke.  

"What fruit did Adam and Eve eat in the Garden of Eden?" he asked.  I said that the Bible just says fruit, not any particular kind.  Then he reminded me that God commanded Adam and Eve to leave the Garden of Eden after they had eaten the forbidden fruit.  God said, "Man: Go!"  Ha ha!  Obviously the fruit was a mango.

A man came yesterday from a far-away island and spent the entire day doing temple work for his deceased ancestors.  He attended all six of the day's scheduled endowment sessions.  With each session being about 1 1/4 hours long, that's 7 1/2 hours of listening and concentrating and learning.  What endurance and what faith!

And talking of faith, a 40-yr-old mother comes happily and frequently to the temple even though she is blind.  She contracted measles as a young adult and it caused her to go blind.  She knows of several women who are now blind as a result of measles.  I'm so thankful for modern vaccines, which, sadly, she had not received.

Now for a few pictures:

LeRon relaxing on the grass, in the heat, texting for a guard to open the church door so that we can teach piano lessons.  (We have Filipino sim cards in our Canadian phones.  Just FYI: we don't use our Canadian sim cards so you can't text us). 

Notice the very dry grass.  But soon there will be that dump of rain that I described above.  Hopefully the grass will look better then.  The gardeners cut the grass with an electric weed whipper.  Can't imagine cutting all the grass without a lawn mower.  And in the heat.  Plus, it's hard to get it even, as you can see by the very short, scorched grass, scorched by drought as well as by the weed whipper.

LeRon teaches two lovely ladies.  This young woman, Sister Llesol, will soon be serving her mission somewhere in the Philippines.  I go along to chaperone and get a bit of reading done while I listen with one ear as she learns to play hymns.  She will be a great missionary.  She's been a great temple worker too; I was privileged to be her trainer.  I've become very close to the sisters I train in the temple.

So many motorcycles here.  We're stopped at a red light and motorcycles zoom around all the cars to get to the front of the line.  We're on our way home from a missionary conference with Elder Soares, one of our Twelve Apostles.  Elder Soares (pronounced so-are'-es) is from Argentina and is the first apostle from South America. 

We are part of the the Philippines Cebu Mission.  You will not be able to see us in this tiny picture, unless maybe you click to enlarge, but it's a memory for us anyway.  We got to shake hands with General Authorities, Elder Ulisses Soares (an Apostle) and Elder Marcus B. Nash (of the Seventy) and Elder Wong (counselor in the Philippines Area presidency). 

We had only 10 minutes between picture taking and the conference for the entire group to shake their hands, so I quickly said "Hello Elder Soares" and tried to move on.  He stopped me, asking where I was from and when I said Alberta Canada, he said that he has a granddaughter in the Canada Calgary Mission.  Small world.  It was a great experience to shake the hand of an Apostle of the Lord.

For your information (actually for my information), Elder Soares is in the very centre on the first row of seats with a light blue tie.  His wife is to his right in a dark dress.  Elder Nash and wife are to Elder Soares' left.  A Filipino Area Authority Seventy is next to the Nash's.  Our mission president and wife (President & Sister Clarke) are  next to the Seventy.  LeRon's head is just behind blond Sister Clarke and I am next to LeRon in a dark dress.  I had a good peek-hole.

We're driving home from the mission conference across the water that separates islands.  So many islands.  So much water.  Many years ago, when Brother Daclan (who will soon be moving into our apartment building) was young, his family joined the church.  Their only transportation was one bicycle. Every Sunday, all six of them rode (somehow) that one bicycle all the way across this body of water to the church.  It was a long way and took a long time, but they faithfully went every week.  

Brother Daclan also tells of the time that his father wanted to go to the temple, but wasn't able to get a temple recommend because he was not paying tithing.  (The payment of an honest tithe, which is 1/10 of income, is one of the requirements for a temple recommend.)  So his father sold their carabao, paid his tithing and received the blessings of the temple.  Talk about faith!  The carabao was their only work animal that pulled a plough to work the land.  Not sure how the work got done after the carabao was sold.  I'm sure we'll hear more stories after he moves into our building.

Gorgeous flowering tree on the temple grounds.  Google says this a Banaba tree (not banana), also known as Queen's crepe-myrtle or Pride of India.  Some say that parts of this tree can treat diabetes.  Hmn . . . maybe I should check it out.

Look at the size of those leaves!

Beautiful against that blue sky.  Not all Banaba trees have such vivid colors.  I've seen others that were quite pale in comparison.

I've been seeing so many gorgeous orange flowering trees but it's hard to get a picture from the taxi window as we zoom by.  Google says this is a "Fire tree" or a "Narra" tree, which is the national tree of the Philippines. 

We saw a lot of beautiful flowering trees in Nairobi in Kenya, and now we are seeing beautiful ones in Cebu, which, by the way, is pronounced "see-boo'" with the accent on the last syllable.  I heard a missionary say "si-boo" and the children made fun of him.  It's a definite "see."  Some American missionaries say "say'-boo" but that also is incorrect.

A street vendor is selling buko, (fresh green coconuts).  Filipinos love it for its refreshing sweet coconut water.

Blurry photo taken out of a taxi window.  We pass this fruit stand regularly.  This woman sells day and night.

Another blurry picture.  I have been wanting to show you the way many people live here, even in the city.  Sheets of tin protect them as much as they can from the elements.  We wonder how they survived the recent downpour.  Two ladies that I know said that often, when it rains like that, their homes are completely covered with water.  They laughed while telling me.  It's just life for them.

We regularly pass this pedestrian overpass on Gorordo Avenue, which is the street that our temple compound is on.  Gorordo Avenue is the main drag here.

Love those overhead electrical wires.  We've learned that when there's an electrical problem, they just cut the wires and add new ones, leaving the old ones rolled up.  That's easier to do than trying to trace each individual wire.  We've seen even crazier electrical wires in Hanoi, Vietnam.  And by the way, our niece's daughter has been called on her mission to Hanoi.  That will be an experience!

Macapuno is "a rare, naturally occurring, mutant variety of the standard coconut."  Macapuno has no liquid inside as does a regular coconut.  The inner cavity is filled with a thick, soft, jelly-like flesh.  It's used to make these delicious macapuno tarts.  These tarts are a delicacy found in the Bacolod area of the Philippines.

The "Care and Cure Hub" is a walk-in medical clinic in the basement of the Ayala Mall that I have been going to more regularly than I would like.  The chairs are usually full of people waiting to see one of the doctors.  It doesn't look like much but is actually quite amazing.  In the back are many, many rooms with a lab, x-ray machines and other things.  I had my blood work done here and received the results within an hour.  Click on the next picture to see what all happens here in this clinic.

Who would guess from the tiny waiting area that so many things could be taken care of here in this small medical clinic.  There are even some specialists attached to the clinic.  I have been totally impressed with the calibre of my doctor, Dr. Benedict Go, who is my oldest son, Michael's, age and has been a doctor for 25 years.  He asks the same questions that my doctor back in Alberta would ask and has done the same kind of testing.  Who knew that I would receive good medical care in the developing country of the Philippines.  But I'm so grateful.

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 deceased 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 saw 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.