Halfway Home

The rainy season has begun.  It's not quite as hot as it has been, but it's much more humid, so it feels if not as hot, even hotter.  An American Elder's father served in the Philippines and he told his son that it's hot and wet, hotter and wetter, and hottest and wettest.  We concur!

Today we attended the Padapada 2nd Ward; a building with no air conditioning, just ceiling fans. We were done in by the heat by the end of the meetings and were grateful to retreat to our little air conditioned bedroom for the day.  We have decided we will never get used to the heat.  Even Elder Whiting, who was almost always cold at home, is having a hard time with the heat.  The Tagalog word for hot is Ma-een-it.  We have that word down!

We made back to back trips to Manila last week. Sunday we took Ron and Diana Williamson down for their return home.  They have been here four months helping out--and we have appreciated their help.  Monday, we took a Filipina visa waiter down.  She is now somewhere in the Salt Lake City East Mission.  We're sure her skin has dried out and she is freezing to death!

Tuesday, May 24th, marked the halfway point of our mission. It's all down hill from here!  We didn't burn anything--Elder Whiting didn't bring enough ties to spare one to burn, and Sister Whiting was not sure what sister missionaries burn.  It was too hot any way! So we went to dinner instead.

Friday night, we helped President and Sister Clark host the Guimba District leadership and their wives for dinner at the mission home.  There were about 25 in all.  They rode a jeepney for two hours to attend. After dinner, President Clark talked about the goal of making Guimba District into Guimba Stake and what needed to happen before that can come to pass.  He then entertained their questions and concerns about missionary work. They went away with a better idea of how to use the missionaries and what they need to do to become a stake.

Along with our office duties, we have been preparing our workshop for Zone Conference to be held June 7-9.  We will leave you with some thoughts from that presentation:

"Knowing who you are, changes what you do."  --Bonnie D. Parkin--

"We do not preach and teach to 'bring people into the Church' or to increase to membership of the Church.  We do not preach and teach just to persuade people to live better lives ... We invite all to come unto Christ by repentance and baptism and confirmation in order to open the doors of the Celestial Kingdom to the sons and daughters of God.  No one else can do this."
--Dallin H. Oaks; Preach My Gospel, pg. 9--

Mahal Kita
Elder and Sister Whiting

Jeepney of the Week

This car was driving down the streets of Tarlac.  

Throwback to the first of the month and the Mission Tour With Elder and Sister Haynie.
This was the new members and investigators meeting at the Mission Home.

Our hard working Office Elder and Assistant take a nap in President Clark's
office during their lunch break.

Wives of Guimba District leadership with Sister Clark and Sister Whiting

Guimba District Leadership and wives at the Mission Home

Busy

Happy Sabbath,

Today we went again to Pisapungang with Burgos Branch members.  Because the village is so far away from the chapel, the faithful branch president and members take sacrament meeting to the new members there three times a month.  They do this in the afternoon--after they have had their regular block of meetings in the morning.  This is true ministering. Today we joined them, and instead of not understanding what was being said in Tagalog, we  didn't understand what was being said in Ilocano--the language of the tribe.  We did learn a couple of words in Ilocano, but we have forgotten them already. ;)  Brother and Sister Fallorin, the chief and his wife who Elder Whiting baptized, were so happy to see us, and they thanked us for making the sacrifice to attend.  That made the travel over the rough road and the heat and humidity all worth it.  We had driven in with the branch president, but we chose to walk out.  It was evening by then and we enjoyed the walk since it was relatively cool and all down hill.

We finished another transfer this week, sending home a wonderful group and welcoming another wonderful group of missionaries. It is a challenging week with long hours and lots of emotion.  It drains us all. Now we begin to prepare for Zone Conference in three weeks. President Clark has asked us to teach a 45 minute workshop reminding the missionaries of their purpose.  We've got some work to do to put that together.  In addition, we are getting another senior couple the end of July and we have been charged with finding housing for them in the area of the mission they have been assigned to.  So, we will do for the Dansie's like we did for the Pugh's--find and furnish a house for them.  Thank heavens for the zone leaders and missionaries in the area who will do most of the leg work for us in finding a place.  We really really appreciate their help.

We got a wonderful letter from Dennis and Georgia Dawn Clegg this week!  Included with the letter was the following quote, which we love and wish to close with:

"We once knew well our Elder Brother and our Father in Heaven.  We rejoiced at the prospects of earth life that could make it possible for us to have a fullness of joy.  We could hardly wait to demonstrate to our Father and our Brother, the Lord, how much we loved them and how we would be obedient to them in spite of the earthly opposition of the evil one.  Now we are here. Our memories are veiled. We are showing God and ourselves what we can do.  Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar His face is to us."

--President Ezra Taft Benson--

Mahal Kita,
Elder and Sister Whiting

Jeepney of the Week

Elders Thacker and Fillmore are worn out at the end of Transfer Week

Cattle in the road.  Is this Wyoming or the Philippines?

Huge thunderheads.  The rainy season is just around the corner!  The sky in the Philippines
is big and beautiful!

Sister Whiting navigating the half washed out bridge
on her way from Pisapungan

Under the Banana Tree.  Sister Whiting rocks the skirt and hiking shoes look!

Down the hill to the meeting in Pisapungan

Mission Tour, Subic, and Mother's Day

We wish all of our mothers a Happy Mother's Day!  Sister Whiting was spoiled by notes and posts from all of her children.  In addition, many of her "Mission Children" sent notes and texts wishing her a Happy Mother's Day.  She loves being their "Mission Mom"

We have had a great week in the mission.  It started out with a pizza party last Monday with the Tarlac Zone.   It was their reward for again meeting their Standard of Excellence, which is two baptisms per companionship per month.  This is the second SOE pizza party we have been able to attend since coming to the mission.  Way to go Tarlac Zone!

We were privileged to have Elder and Sister Allen D. Haynie of the Seventy tour our mission. His assignment is counselor in the Philippine Area Presidency.  They arrived at the mission home Tuesday evening and we were invited to share dinner with them.  After dinner, about 30 new members and investigators arrived by jeepney and were privileged to hear the Haynie's speak.

While the Clark's and the Haynie's held a Zone Conference on the other side of the mission on Wednesday, we buckled down and worked in the office. Thursday was our turn for Zone Conference. Beginning at about 8 a.m. Elder Haynie interviewed some missionaries, greeted each missionary individually, and then we settled in to be taught by them and the Clark's.  We had a wonderful lunch, then spent the afternoon again being taught.  The day ended with a wonderful question and answer period where the missionaries brought their own inspired questions for Elder Haynie.  We know his answers were inspired because of his response to a question posed by an elder whose family is having a great trial right now.  Elder Haynie answered as if he knew everything about the elder--which he did not.  It was amazing to see how perfect the answer was for the situation.

Saturday we finally celebrated our anniversary. We left early in the morning for Subic Bay in our casual clothes--that felt strange.  We were met by the Wrights, residents of the area who acted as our tour guides for the day.  They were recommended to us by the Olongapo Mission Office when Elder Whiting contacted them for information on the area.  The Wrights are service missionaries having served six years so far in the mission.  They own a nice little farm and have a beautiful home.  They were the perfect hosts as they took us to a Sea World type aquarium and other places of interest. We watched dolphin and wild animal shows and did a totally bizarre thing.  We went to the "fish spa" where we put our feet in a tank and had what were called Doctor Fish come eat the dead skin off of our feet.  It was the weirdest pedicure we've ever had, and most likely we will not repeat it.  When they were sucking on our feet, it tickled and felt like pins and needles all at the same time.  Just bizarre. But all in all, we had a wonderful day and have made some great new friends.

Yesterday started Transfer Week; and we picked up two departing missionaries and took them to the mission home.  Today we taught the Departing Missionary Self Reliance workshop, and the rest of the week will be just busy.

We leave you with some thoughts from the mission tour: From President Clark--We are children of Heavenly Parents who love us perfectly and have never made any parenting mistakes with us.  Trust them.
From Elder Haynie--Happiness and peace are not mutually exclusive.  It is not either/or; you can and should have both.  The scriptures do not say that men ought to be somewhat moderately happy in this life.  The scriptures say men are that they might have joy.  Trust in the timing of the Lord's answers to your questions; trust yourself that you can make good decisions.  Remember, as is says in D&C 8--"I will tell you in your MIND and in your HEART." And D&C 121--"Let VIRTUE garnish thy thoughts unceasingly, then shall they CONFIDENCE wax strong in the presence of God."

Mahal Kita
Elder and Sister Whiting

Jeepney of the Week

Subic Bay, Philippines; a former U.S.Navy Base

Giant fruit bats with a wing span of up to 5 feet.  Just one of the creepy
crawlies that live in the jungles of the Philippines.

Fish Pedicure. Ewwww. Never again.

Sister Whiting with Mila and Dale Wright. holding a bottle of
home made mango jam preserved by Mila.

Elder Whiting and Mila and Dale Wright at their farm near Olongapo, Philippines

Tarlac Zone Pizza Party--Standard of Excellence!

Thanks for the memories, Cleo.  Rest in Peace.

Dapdap for Church; Squealing Pig Next Door for Dinner

Sister Whiting is still working on Baptism and Confirmation Records; and Elder Whiting is done with his work, so he is writing again this week.

We've had our noses to the grindstone this week - can't think of anything earth-shattering.  We took a short term missionary to Cabanatuan one day - takes much of the day to drive as well--we've talked about the roads and modes of transportation and 'rules of the road' before!  We took another missionary leaving early part way to San Fernando; turned her over to President and Sister Clark there, and drove home in the rain.

Today we attended church in Dapdap again - the little branch meetinghouse has paper thin walls, so above the noise of the dozen ceiling fans we could hear the squealing pig next door (we're sure it was being bled out for dinner), the dogs barking, the roosters, etc.  Also the power went out during testimony bearing.  Oh well - par for the course! But these member 'pioneers' are strong and faithful and we love them. We paid a generous fast offering there - hope we can leave a positive influence on the branch.  One convert, baptized yesterday, was confirmed today.  (We had 112 baptisms in the mission last month)

Yesterday we served lunch to the 12 stake and district presidents and 2 area seventies gathered for training.  The other night we bought a drill and masonry bits to drill holes to hang pictures in the office. (Elder Whiting thought he was done with concrete walls!)

This week we celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary.  We are lucky to have each other.

We leave you this week with an extract of our Mission President's weekly message: "The Miracle Formula ... this is a profound piece of knowledge. OBEDIENCE + WORK (faith) = MIRACLES.  We all want more miracles in our lives.  We know that faith must precede the miracle and now we know that faith is manifest through our good works.  Elder Russell M. Nelson teaches that a mission is an exercise in obedience training. 'Obedience brings success; exact obedience brings miracles'..."

Love you one and all!!
Mahal Kita,

Elder and Sister Whiting

Jeepney of the Week

Forty Years Together

First Counselor in the Tarlac Stake Presidency, President Garcia, and his family on their way
home from church.  This is a special multigenerational LDS family that "gets" the Gospel.

We occasionally see horses pulling carts.  A remnant of the past.

In our mission, we talk about the "Divine Companionship" as taught by Elder Holland.  It consists of our missionaries and the Holy Ghost.  It is demonstrated by the "Third Chair".  The story behind this is that an investigator would always put up three chairs when preparing to be taught by the missionaries.  The "Third Chair" was for the Holy Ghost. It has become a symbol in our mission of the importance of teaching with the Holy Ghost.  Our missionaries strive to always have the "Divine Companionship" with them when they teach. We are putting together a collage of "Divine Companionships" in our mission and thought we would share ours, the Assistants, and the Office Elders' contributions.  We think they are pretty creative.

Office Elders' Fillmore and Branzuela let the Holy Ghost be in the Driver's Seat 

Elders Thacker and Amparado recreated the original "Third Chair" photo at the home of investigators now members

Elder and Sister Whiting strive to have the Divine Companionship in their office assignments.