#Hallelujah

Happy Easter to all!  We are grateful for the Empty Tomb!

This week was Holy Week, and it has been very interesting to observe the activities in the Philippines.  Holy Week is very important in the Philippines. Schools are out, the government shuts down and most businesses are closed on Thursday and Friday, but open on Saturday and Sunday.

Each neighborhood, or barangay, erects a tent that serves as a mini chapel, where, over loudspeakers, they do a reading, or "Pagbasa" 24/7 for the entire week.  They sing the reading, and it is loud, repetitive, and really annoying to be honest. We could hear multiple readings at the same time, and most of the singing was flat.  Think of really bad karaoke.

Besides the chanting, there were groups of men who would re enact Christ carrying the cross to Calvary.  That was interesting, but what was disturbing were the groups of young men following and whipping themselves with whips dipped in goat blood to make them look really bloody.  When we passed one group, we actually had blood spattered onto our car. They think they will be forgive of all their sins for doing this. We passed eight large groups on Friday alone as we traveled from our house to the mission office.  Apparently Tarlac and Pampanga provinces, which are both in the mission are the only areas in the Philippines that do this.  In Pampanga they perform crucifixions as well.  Our Filipino missionaries from other areas are as shocked as we were. On our way home Friday evening, we got behind thousands of people participating in the Stations of the Cross ritual.  It took a while to get home. We are grateful we celebrate the living Christ rather than the dying Christ.

To contrast this experience, Saturday we hiked, and it was quite a hike, back into Pisapongang with the elders, where Elder Whiting was privileged to baptize the chief, Juanito, and his wife Teresita.  Juanito requested that Elder Whiting baptize him and he was honored to do so. So we drove 15 miles to the end of the pavement and then walked a couple of miles to the village, where we met Juanito and Teresita, and the Burgos branch president and members. Then we walked another mile or two to the Pisapongang River.  We crowded into a member's two room house where we sat on bags of rice for the baptism program; then Elder Whiting baptized them in the river.  He had worked all week memorizing the baptismal prayer in Tagalog and said it perfectly, right down to "syanawa" (shanawa) which is amen in Tagalog. They were so happy and the tears flowed freely.  When Teresita came up out of the water she waved her hands with joy as if to say "at last I am baptized". It was such a wonderful experience, well worth the hike, the heat, and the interesting lunch we ate afterwards.

We leave you with some of the most glorious words ever spoken to man ... "why seek ye the living among the dead?  He is not here, for He is risen".... --Luke 24:5, 6--

Mahal Kita
Elder and Sister Whiting

Jeepney of the Week

Hiking into Pisapongang

A really sturdy bridge, haha

Down the hill to the river

Elder Whiting

L-R: Elder Sam, Elder Whiting, Juanito Fallorin, Teresita Fallorin, Elder Bartolome

Ready for the baptism

Walking to the river

Teresita Fallorin

She did it!

Overcome with emotion

Elder Whiting and Juanito after the baptism

Elder Whiting is all wet and all smiles

Elder and Sister Whiting

We finally met a Caribaou up close and personal. The Burgos Branch President in the background

Elder Whiting and members of the Burgos Branch

A member's  two room home.  Tin, plywood, concrete block, concrete floor, no glass in the window, the living room doubles as the bedroom. But it was neat and clean, the walls are covered in gospel art, and the scriptures are well used.

Stations of the Cross processional

Stations of the Cross processional

Young men whipping themselves

Holy Cow!

Sister Whiting turned 60 this week, and although she wanted to quietly let it pass, her loved ones would not allow it.  It started early with the sisters who live down the street bringing muffins and singing happy birthday. Then a party at the office with decorations, a cake, and the happy birthday song.  Sister Clark baked the cake and made a sign that said "Holy Cow look who's 60!"  To finish the day we went with shopping with Elder and Sister Pugh to S&R.  We like going there and pretending we're in Costco in America.  It was a fun birthday.

Friday we had errands to run, and were able to visit a new part of the mission called Cuyapo.  It's beautiful and rural and it was a nice ride.  Today, we attended church in Dapdap again, found it without any help from trike drivers, and were actually on time.  On our drive this morning, we passed many Catholic churches just as they were ending their Palm Sunday services.  The people coming out were carrying palms, and it reminded us that today is the beginning of the last week of Christ's life, culminating in the Atonement, crucifixion, and resurrection on Easter Sunday.  We hope you will spend time each day this week pondering with gratitude the events of the last week of Christ's life.

The upcoming week will be filled with preparations for transfers, which will happen the following week.  Transfer week is a week of many emotions.  We are sad to see beloved missionaries depart, but happy they have completed an honorable mission and have a lifetime of service ahead of them.  It is always fun to welcome the new missionaries and see the potential in them.  It is always a busy time.

We leave you with two great scriptures regarding the great gift of repentance--from vilest of sinners to men of god:  See Mosiah 28:4, and Alma 48:18

Mahal Kita
Elder and Sister Whiting

Jeepney of the Week

Birthday wishes from the Sisters.  Don't judge--it was 7 a.m.!

Holy Cow Look Who's 60!

Elder and Sister Whiting, March 15, 2016

Elders Thacker and Martel like birthday cake

As do Elders Branzuela, Ronquillo, Escosio, and Amparado

Headed home from church in/on the "family car"

Of Cementery's, Zone Conferences, and Native Tribes

Last Sunday, we drove a missionary to Manila, and when we got to the Area Offices, what a surprise awaited us. Our fellow missionaries and travel companions, Elder and Sister Armstrong, were there to greet us.  We were delighted to see them.  They are the office couple for the Cauayan Mission just north of us and were in Manila for checkups.  What a pleasant surprise.

While in Manila, we went with Sister Kasteller of the MRC, the Armstrongs, and two young missionaries to the American Cemetery in Manila, where there are more than 17,000 soldiers buried, victims of the battle for the Philippines during World War II.  In addition to that, there is a massive memorial to the more than 37,000 missing soldiers of many nationalities there.  It was a beautiful, sobering, truly amazing place with a wonderful spirit.  Our gratitude for those who have died for our freedom grew by leaps and bounds that day.

This past Thursday, we had Zone Conference, and that is always a feast, both spiritually and temporally.  The lunch was great!  We attended all of the workshops, and although they are geared to the missionary in the field, we learned a lot as well and got a better feel for what is going on throughout the mission.  It was a great day.

Friday evening, we rode north an hour and a half with the Clark's  to a dinner the mission hosted for the leadership of the Cabanatuan Stake.  The stake presidency, bishops and branch presidents, and their wives, and the mission presidency were there.  After a very Filipino dinner, President Clark addressed the leaders about having better coordination between the mission and the stake.  He also held a question and answer/discussion session which helped us all to "get on the same page" so to speak with our missionaries and the members.  It was a good relationship-building evening.

Sunday was quite an amazing day.  As we have said, we have been splitting our time between the Burgos and Dapdap branches.  Today was Burgos's turn.  The elders assigned to that branch have been teaching the chief of the Pisaponga tribe that lives way back in the mountains. The chief is friends with a member of the stake presidency and has been wanting the lessons for a while now.  So after the regular block of meetings in the branch,  the missionaries, many of the branch members, and us traveled in vans, jeepneys,  trikes, and motorbikes several miles--the last two miles on a single lane dirt road to Pisaponga.  There, under the chief's covered porch, with a hardpacked dirt floor, and a dog that looked like Dobby the house elf, we held sacrament meeting and Sunday school for the tribe.  All total, there were at least 100 people there. About two minutes before the meeting started, the counselor in the branch presidency informed us that we would be speaking.  Well, we don't speak Tagalog or Ilacano, and they didn't speak English.  We had one of the elders translate for us and it turned out okay.  At the end, the chief spoke to the group, and the only word we understood was "Americano". No one could tell us  what he said, but we're pretty sure we were the first white people to visit the village.  When the meeting was over, the chief took us to see a bridge project his village had just completed that will link another village of about 500 who live further back in the mountains.

The chief has a baptism date of March 26th, and the elders are teaching about 15 other people there right now.  We have started calling them Elders Ammon and Aaron; and actually Elder Sam is a full blooded Navajo, so it is very fitting.  We expect lots of baptisms to come from this area.

We close with what we think is a fitting scripture from the Book of Mormon.  These are the words of Lamoni's father to Aaron found in Alma 22:15:

"And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken?  Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day?  Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy."

Mahal Kita,
Elder and Sister Whiting

Jeepney of the Week ;)

A wonderful reunion. Elder and Sister Armstrong, Elder and Sister Whiting

American Cemetery Memorial to the Missing

A mural of the battle of the Solomon Islands.  Every battle in the Pacific is represented by these murals

More names of the Missing who
"Lie in graves known only to God"

At the American Cemetery in Manila
L-R: Sister Smith from Georgia, Sisters Armstrong, Whiting, Kasteller,
 Elder Armstrong (no relation) from Idaho, and Elder Armstrong

The road to Pisaponga

Caribaou in their harnesses

Members  of the Burgos Branch and Pisapanga investigators.  The chief is in the green t-shirt, the Branch President
 and one of his counselors are in front with Elder Bartolome on the left and Elder Sam on the right. This is about
half of the group that was there.

Elder Whiting on the motorbike going to the bridge

L-R:  Elder Sam, Elder and Sister Whiting, Brother Ramos of the
 branch presidency, the Chief, a member of the Burgos Branch, Elder Bartolome

Clark Museum

The highlight of  an otherwise routine week was a senior couples trip to Clark Museum on the old U.S. military base. We watched a 4-D movie that was kind of a cross between a historical documentary and an Chamber of Commerce promotion.  The museum itself was really nice--it's only a year old--and had nice displays on history and culture, the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, some WWII artifacts, and a very slanted version of the history of the "Imperialist" United States occupation of the Philippines.

Lunch was at a nice deli attached to a gas station in Clark.  It was a very nice day. That afternoon, we sat in on the last half of a lesson to Mary and the kids.  We hope they come to church today.  We will be attending sacrament meeting today, then will be transporting a missionary to Manila.  He has been reassigned to a mission in the states because of health reasons and he leaves Manila tomorrow. It worked out okay for us to take him because we can't go back to our apartment until this evening because they are spraying for termites.  We hope that does the trick.

We leave you with the words of Alma to Zeezrom in Alma 12:34--"Therefore, whosoever repenteth and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest."

Mahal Kita,
Elder and Sister Whiting

Jeepney of the Week

Sister Whiting and Sister Pugh and President Nelson Mission Conference

Clark Museum:  L-R Brother and Sister Williamson, Elder and Sister Pugh,
President and Sister Clark, Elder and Sister Whiting

Sister Whiting playing around with the green screen

Waiting for the 4-D movie