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 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.
An older man (yes, older, but probably younger than me), 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. 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 told Adam and Eve to leave the Garden of Eden after they ate 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 was unable to receive as a child.
Now for a few pictures:
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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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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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.
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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. |
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| 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. |
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| Look at the size of those leaves! |
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| Beautiful against that blue sky. Not all Banaba trees have such vivid colors. I've seen others that were quite pale in comparison. |
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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. |
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| A street vendor is selling buko, (fresh green coconuts). Filipinos love it for its refreshing sweet coconut water. |
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| Blurry photo taken out of a taxi window. We pass this fruit stand regularly. This woman sells day and night. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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! |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
