The Weather Outside is Frightful!

Maligayang Pasko!  While Utah was getting hit by snow, we were getting hit by torrential rain from another typhoon.  As before, some of our missionaries were affected by floodwaters.  But all are safe and well. The weather has cooled into the mid 80's and low 70's; as cool as it ever gets here.  Humidity is still 80-90% though.

We had family home evening at the mission home Monday with an investigator family the sisters are teaching.  There were about 25 people there, including the bishop of the ward and other ward members.  The family will be baptized on December 26th.

Speaking of baptisms, we attended the baptism of the Navarro sisters on Saturday.  They were baptized by their father, who was baptized himself just two weeks ago.  He is now a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood.  The one sister clapped her hands with excitement when she came up out of the water.  As with the baptism two weeks ago, when it came time for them to bear their testimony, they were overcome with joy and could hardly speak.  The language is still foreign, but the language of the Spirit is understood.

Many groups of people, mostly children and young adults, go around caroling this time of year.  They sing Tagalog carols and beat plastic water jugs and shake water bottles full of rocks, it's really cute-- until they ask you for money.  We have learned if you give them money, they come every night.  We have to just ignore them now.  Hopefully they will soon learn that this bank is now closed.

The mission Christmas Conference is this week.  Much preparation goes into these conferences as we are finding out. In spite of the work of preparation, we look forward to celebrating Christmas with our wonderful missionaries.  We hope to have fun and feel the spirit of the season as well.

We leave you with 3 Nephi 1:1-21, and hope you will read it along with Luke 2 this Christmas season.  Verse 13 says: "Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world..."

Merry Christmas from the Philippines
Mahal Kita

Jeepney of the Week "God Speed"  Notice the hot rod styling of this bad boy!

Look at the upper right tower.  Is that the Angel Moroni?!

Apparently there are people who wakeboard in the Philippines.  Who would have thought?

Junk shop--aka recycling center.  The owners rummage though trash piles for carboard,
plastic, glass, anything worth a peso, and then sell them for a living.

Elder Hatch showing off the pesos Elder Whiting uses to fund the mission.
For the most part, the Philippines is a cash society.

The baptism of the Navarro sisters.  Their father, in the center, who was
baptized just two weeks ago, baptized them.

Our Christmas decorations

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Packages from home for our missionaries.
Elders Hatch and Mitchell.

Fighting Cocks for Sale

The Rich Man and the Poor Man

We were reminded of the parable of the rich man and the poor man this week when we saw that a man name Henry, who sold chicken by the side of the road, had died.  A few days later, we passed the funeral procession of a Chinese man who was obviously rich and influential in this life.  He had hundreds of people in his funeral procession, three flatbed trucks full of flowers, and a band.  Henry had someone light a few candles for him at his shop.  He had nothing to take to the next life, and the rich man could not take his wealth and influence with him.  Now they are equal.

For the third time in as many months, we got hit by a trike.  The axle of the trike hooked the inside of our front wheel well and almost pulled the entire front bumper off the car.  By his appearance, we knew he couldn't pay for repairs, so we sent him on his way.  Fortunately, the member who owns a body shop was able to put the bumper back on. At this rate, we will have been hit by 18 trikes before our mission is through!

This week, we enjoyed dinner with our bishop and his family at a Filipino restaurant, pizza with the zone because they met their Standard of Excellence goals, and good Filipino food after speaking at the Padapada 2nd Ward's returned missionary fireside last night.  We have eaten well this week.

We delivered another missionary to Manila today.  She was serving in our mission while she waited for her visa to enter the U.S.  She leaves tomorrow for Scottsdale Arizona.  We navigated Manila and made it home in one piece!  Now we are experts!  Not.

It's sugarcane harvesting season.  Hundreds of trucks go through Tarlac every day to the processing plant just outside town.  The air quality is worse than usual because they burn the fields before they harvest the sugarcane.  This will continue until March.  We'll just hold our breath until then.

We leave you with the words of President Monson:  "Wake up with determination.  Go to sleep with satisfaction."

Mahal Kita and Malagayang Pasko

Jeepney of the Week.  For you Joshua!

Big trucks full of sugarcane heading to the processing plant

The band in the rich Chinese man's funeral procession

The rich Chinese man's funeral procession

Truckloads of flowers for the rich Chinese man

Henry the chicken peddler's shuttered shop.

A cemetery in Concepcion.

Tarlac Zone pizza party for meeting their Standard of Excellence goals.  Sister Whiting is on the back row.

A Blizzard of Blossoms

Not a snowflake to be seen, but the trees and shrubs are in full bloom.  On Sunday morning, we walk up a country road that goes through a mango grove, which is blooming with green flowers.  There are tiny blossoms and large blossoms everywhere.  So different from December back home.

The highlight of the week for us was helping the Clark's host all of the stake and district presidents and wives who are in the mission boundaries, --about 28 people in all.  We helped make favors and decorate the mission home for the event.  The food was excellent, but the highlight of the evening was the program.  A choir of 14 young missionaries provided the music.  Elder and Sister Garrett, from the Manila Area Offices, were there.  Elder Garrett narrated the program and sister Garret played her harp.  The harp was a hit; most if not all of the guests had never seen or heard a harp before.  They were fascinated by it.  They had to pose with it, and try it out.  The program was a fitting tribute to our Savior.  As we listened to the songs and the words telling of Christ's birth, we were filled with gratitude and contentment to be serving Him full time during this Christmas season.

We hope you enjoy the Christmas season, and that you will take time to ponder

our Savior and all He does for you and me.  We leave with with the words of Isaiah:

 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders and his name shall be called: Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."  --Isaiah 9:6--

Maligayang Pasko, and Mahal Kita

Jeepney of the Week.  For all of our Holland cousins!

A Blizzard of Blossoms!

Our wonderful missionary choir and guest performers the Garretts

Stake and District presidents and wives of the Philippines Angeles Mission, along with guests Elder and Sister Garrett

L-R; The Garretts, the Clarks, and the Whiting's

Elders Tejada and Purca "playing" Sister Garrett's harp!