Philippines Potpourri

We may not love the weather here, but we definitely love the people.  As we get to know more and more Filipinos, we are amazed at their faith and resilience.  There are so many young widows and so many orphans who were raised by their siblings or grandparents or others.  So many who were once alcoholics but who have embraced the Gospel of Jesus Christ and turned their lives completely around.  Their stories are amazing.

And I love the way the Bishop welcomes us to sacrament meeting here in our ward in Lahug, making it very clear that Jesus is the center of our worship.  "We welcome you on behalf of our Savior, Jesus Christ."  And before we take the sacrament, he says, "Please observe reverence as we remember the atoning sacrifice of our Savior."  And before we sing a hymn, he says, "To invite the Spirit of the Lord, please sing . . ."

We have recently been made aware of a promise that the church president at the time, Gordon B. Hinckley, gave in Cebu City on June 1, 1996.  He said, "I believe with all my heart that if they [Filipinos] will accept the gospel and live it, pay their tithes and offerings, even though those be meager, the Lord will keep His ancient promise in their behalf, and they will have rice in their bowls, and clothing on their backs, and shelter over their heads."

The ancient promise referred to by President Hinckley is from the Old Testament prophet, Malachi.  It says in Malachi 3:10: "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse . . . and prove me now . . . if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

Church members agree that this promise has come to pass.  The standard of living among church members is generally higher.  Many have jobs as "virtual assistants" in foreign companies, or in call centers, and as they get more education, there are more job opportunities.  The Church also offers internet education at low cost in its BYU Worldwide Pathways program and English Connect classes.  

And many Filipinos immigrate to Canada, coming for increased opportunities for their children.  There are large numbers of Filipinos in southern Alberta.  Our Taber LDS Stake includes a Tagalog-speaking Filipino branch.  Tagalog is the unifying language of the Philippines.  Everyone knows Tagalog, along with their regional language, their city language, their area language, their home dialect . . . you get the picture.  These are smart people!

Now on to pictures I've taken in the past few weeks. . . .  in no specific order, just a potpourri of beautiful sights, interesting foods and new (to us) ways of living . . .

Click on the pictures to enlarge and be sure to make it to the end where you will see how Filipinos eat duck eggs and how they determine if a pant will fit their waist without trying it on.

Couldn't resist taking this picture at the medical clinic I go to.  Just showing you an example of the warm clothes (girl on the right in the heavy sweater) that people wear here even when it's "feels like" 38 C (100 F)!  We see hoodies and sweaters and even toques.  I left all my warm clothes at home.

We've discovered delicious Belgian waffles at a stand in the Ayala mall.  You can choose the fillings, anything from sweet to savory.  They fold up and you eat them like a sandwich.  An egg and ham waffle followed by a cream cheese/strawberry waffle makes a meal for us.

Love these ladies.  We're all about the same age and it's fun to visit with them.  LeRon and I have started a "singing night" every Thursday evening.  Singing and then treats.  We did that on our Sweden mission with the young missionaries we served with and it was so fun, singing together for about a half hour on Sunday nights, followed by treats.  So fun!

We started with these few people and as the weeks have gone by, more and more have dropped in to sing and eat.  Filipinos love to sing and eat!

I haven't tried these mangosteens yet, but I need to.  They don't ripen after they are picked, so you apparently need to choose carefully.  They should be a deep purple with a bright green stem.  They should give slightly when you press them.  If they are hard, it means they are underripe or overripe.  The inside is white and tastes like a mixture of lychee, peach, and vanilla, so they say.  I will let you know after I try them.

Mangoes, mangosteens, and dragon fruit (red).  Dragon fruit is pretty but a little bland.  The mangoes here are delicious.  

I saw a young man shaking an avocado and holding it up to his ear.  I asked him what he was hearing.  He told me that if you can hear the seeds shaking around, the avocado is perfect for eating.  He shook it by my ear, and sure enough, I could hear the seeds.  Who knew?

Lots of Golden Trumpets are flowering here in the temple compound.  In the Philippines they are known as Yellow Bells or Kampanilla (pronounced kamp-a-nilya).

And Hibiscus here grow on trees; at home they are a small houseplant.

We keep finding new restaurants.  We're at a Chinese one here in Ayala mall.  After cooking for about 57 years, I am getting a little tired of thinking up what to cook next.  So we go to a restaurant once or twice a week now.

Ha ha.  Took this picture to show you how tiny the dining napkins are.  Some restaurants don't even give you one unless you ask for it.  For example, KFC, of all places, only gives if you ask -- how can it be finger licking good if you don't have a napkin to wipe your fingers after you lick them?  Here in Philippines, they call it a tisyu.  A napkin is a feminine product.

These whitey-yellow and pink flowery-looking things are actually new leaves on the balitbitan tree that will eventually turn green.  My dad would have found that fascinating.  He loved trees and so do I.

Cool fountain and sculpture that we just discovered at the Ayala Mall.  The mall is huge at 290,000 meters with 680 shops and restaurants.  We thought the Mall of Scandinavia in Stockholm was huge.  It's the largest mall in Scandinavia but it is about half the size of Ayala and only has about 225 shops.  And there are even larger malls here in Cebu.  The SM Seaside Mall is twice as big as Ayala.  I will talk more about SM Seaside in a later post.

Chicken feet at S&R, which is a Costco-type store.  The yearly membership is only about $20 compared to Costco Lethbridge at $120 or so.  S&R actually sells a lot of the Kirkland Costco brand items. 

But back to the chicken feet.  Is there even meat on the feet?  Lots of strange (to us) things for sale here.

Do ox feet really come from an ox?  Apparently you boil everything -- the bones, the cartilage, the skin, and the tendons -- and it makes a thick soupy-like, gelatinous broth.

Anyone for beef tendon?  Looks quite fatty to me, but Filipinos seem to like the fat.  In fact, a Filipino taxi driver said that eating fat makes him happy!

Ox tripe is the "edible lining of the stomach of cattle."  Hmn . . .  Again, it probably makes flavorful soups or stews.  I won't be buying it in the near future. 

Change of pace from the interesting things for sale at S&R. . . . LeRon teaches Rebecca piano lessons and I go along as chaperone while I read a good book on my Kindle.

For Father's Day, the Ayala Mall had a display of motorcycles and this gorgeous car.  Couldn't resist taking a picture of it for our son Craig, who is an expert on all makes of cars.  I wouldn't want to drive it in the traffic here in Cebu, though.  Too many motorcycles darting here and there.  Wouldn't take much to damage this beautiful car.  Glad we don't drive ourselves here.  I say a silent prayer every time I enter a taxi.

We enjoy taking taxis because we have such great conversations with many taxi drivers.  Recently, a taxi driver said he had been praying to know what direction his life should take.  Elder Torrie told him about the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and encouraged him to talk to our young missionaries who speak Cebuano, as well as English.

The McLaren is a beautiful car.  Glad there's lots of security in this mall.  Guards are everywhere in the mall and in the city.  Because of that, Cebu City is the safest city in the Philippines.  Some guards are unarmed or have batons.  Some have handguns or shot guns.  Even our temple compound is gated and guarded 24/7.  The guards work 12-hour shifts.  So nice to feel safe and secure.

We often travel through this 5-street intersection that has no stop signs, no traffic lights, and usually no traffic directors.  The amazing thing is that it works.  You just each take your turn as you can.

We often pass this tree.  The roots have worked their way over the cement wall of this street-side shop as they search for a bit of moisture.

Looks like Filipinos want whiter skin!  And many white people tan to darken their skin.  We all want to look like someone else!

I didn't know it at the time, but on June 17, 2026, there was a star and moon alignment.  If I would have looked at the right time, I would have seen Venus close to the waxing moon, with Jupiter and also Mercury, which would have been closer to the horizon.  But I did see this on June 17 as I looked northwest toward the temple.

From a different angle, I saw the moon with Jupiter or Venus, not sure which.  I have always loved the night sky.  Have been an astronomer at heart.

A friend at the temple gave me these cute and tiny quail eggs.  They were hard-boiled and ready to eat.  They taste just like chicken eggs.  A nice protein-filled snack.

Talking about eating eggs other than chicken eggs . . .  The above friend told me that they also eat "balut," which is boiled fertilized duck eggs with the embryo.  She says it's delicious but that foreigners should eat it with lights off so they can't see the feathers and the head!!  (And they do eat the feathers and the head too!). This picture is from the internet.  And no, I don't intend to try it. 

I have learned how Filipinos (girls or guys) determine if a pant will fit their waist without trying it on.  First you hold the pant like this.  See next photo.

Then you hold the waistband around your neck.  If it fits comfortably around your neck, it is sure to fit your waist.  Yes, Elder Torrie, I'm glad to see that the pants you wear actually do fit!