Turnover in Leadership

Transfers have come and gone again; our seventh since being here.  Each group of missionaries has had it's own dynamics and personality.  This group was a especially good group. Every one of the elders had been zone leaders, and one was an assistant. And every one of the sisters had been a sister training leader. They left quite a leadership void in the mission. But it gives others an opportunity to step up and lead.  We had a total of 23 missionaries leave this time--14 finished their mission, 7 were visa waiters who left for their assigned missions, one left early, and one had a medical release. Only five arrived to replace them.

Two years ago, there were 260 missionaries in the Angeles Mission, part of the age change bubble of missionaries.  Now we are stabilizing at 200 missionaries, which is quite a reduction.  It has been difficult for President Clark to decide what areas to close and how to allocate the remaining missionaries.

We had another accident involving missionaries and a motorcycle last week.  Two sisters were walking home Monday in the rain when a motorcycle, blinded by the rain hit them, breaking the leg of one of the sisters. Tuesday afternoon, we carefully loaded her and her companion into our car and drove her to the MRC.  The leg was only splinted with a blanket, but she was tough and brave and the only way we could tell it was hurting was from the tears in her eyes. She got a cast from hip to toe, will go home for three months to recover, and then return to her service. She is a good missionary and we will miss her.

Last night about 10:30, Sister Whiting went to the bathroom, and when she turned on the hall light, there was a bat flying around in the hall.  Her screams woke Elder Whiting from a sound sleep, and he was able to catch the bat in a bucket and let it out.  we have no idea how it got in--that's what worries us because we never leave outside doors or windows open.  We worry it might have a secret way into the house and that it has brothers and sisters.  We really really hope it was a fluke.  We also had a big frog at our front gate the other night to welcome us home.  It is a constant battle to keep the critters at bay.

We enjoy the huge thunderstorms most every afternoon because they temporarily cool things down, and they are fun to watch besides.  We hope you are all enjoying your summer weather.

We leave you with the following thought from the Doctrine and Covenants:
"Joseph Smith the prophet and see of the Lord has done more save Jesus only for the salvation of men in this world than any other man that ever lived in it."
--D&C 135:3--

Mahal Kita,
Elder and Sister Whiting

Jeepney of the Week

June 18, 2016 - 13 baptisms in the Cabanatuan Zone
We are on the second row on the left, about the only ones not dressed in white

Sister Whiting enjoys a drink in a bag

Showing off the Tarlac Zone T-shirts

Lucky/Blessed 13

Another eventful week has come and gone, and the 150 mile an hour "mission train"  just keeps on going as well. We spent the week fulfilling our duties in the office, which were quite varied.  Yesterday, we returned to Cabanatuan to do some more work on the senior apartment.  We also picked up a departing missionary.  While there, we experienced one of the highlights of our mission.  We attended the baptisms of no less that 13 converts of every age and circumstance.  There was the gray headed grandmother, the husband who finally joined his wife in being baptized, young men, young women, mothers, and children.  We watched as one after another went down into the water and came up all smiles. and as we looked around at the crowd watching the baptism, we saw an investigator in tears as the Spirit touched her, family members and friends who were elated, and our missionaries who were so pumped to be a part of this great day.  As soon as we get the group picture from the zone leader, we will post it.

These are the days which make serving all worthwhile. Missions are hard. It is hard work and long hours, and sometimes discouraging. We miss our families, the food and culture is so strange, there are all kinds of creepy crawly bugs and critters.  It is so hot and humid.  Driving is a nightmare. The work can be tedious and boring at times, and at other times it puts us way way out of our comfort zone.  But then: someone thanks you for what you do. The locals love you and admire you. You find great satisfaction in your service.  You are overwhelmed by the Spirit as you see the light of Christ changes lives.  The young missionaries love you and see you as surrogate parents. You feel assurance from the Holy Ghost that your offering is acceptable and you are where you are supposed to be.  You feel assurance that all will be well at home.  You make eternal friends.  And you learn for yourself what you have always told your children--you can do hard things. We are blessed beyond measure to be serving.  Thank you to all of you for making it possible for us to serve.

We leave you with this Instagram post from the Church:
 

Mahal Kita,
Elder and Sister Whiting

Jeepney of the Week

Hot House Ghetto Bowling in matching shirts no less!

More Bowling Fun

Sheep in Cabanatuan City--looking for a place to park?

Lunch with the Cab Elders: Clockwise from left--Elder Cowley, Elder Martel, Elder Whiting,
Sister Whiting, Elder Naylor, Elder Faasavalu

A few of the 13 baptismal candidates

Our view during Sunday School today.

Teach, Travel, Repeat

This has been a week of repetition, travel, and bad breaks.  Beginning on Tuesday, we traveled to Cabanatuan for the first of our three Zone Conferences. Wednesday was in Tarlac, and Thursday was in Paniqui (pronounced panicky--tee hee). Each conference lasted 5-6 hours with a opening meeting, two workshops, lunch and mission business, two more workshops, and a closing meeting.  We worked for about a month preparing our workshop--Powerpoint and all--which we presented to each zone for a total of 12 presentations.  By the time we got through with the last presentation on Thursday, we had it down and were really glad to be done.  Our topic was entitled "How Great is Your Calling", which focused on overcoming the "natural man" to be more obedient as a missionary, and learning to turn ourselves outward as Christ did to meet the needs of others before our own needs in order to be more effective missionaries.  We based our workshop on two talks, "Begin With the End in Mind" by President Russell M. Nelson, given at the 2014 New Mission President's Seminar, and "The Character of Christ", given by Elder David A. Bednar at the Provo MTC.  We don't think either talk is available but Elder Bednar gave a similar talk at BYU-Idaho when he was president there.  You can find it by searching in BYU-Idaho speeches.

On Tuesday in Cabanatuan, President Clark broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his foot when he landed awkwardly as he stepped down from a table.  He finished the zone conference that day limping around, had x-rays that evening, and has grudgingly hobbled around on crutches ever since.  It hasn't slowed him down much, just changed the way he does things.  He jokingly told the missionaries that he broke his foot when he landed awkwardly after dunking the basketball like LeBron James.  They got a kick out of that.

Friday evening, we helped the Clark's host dinner for the Paniqui bishops and stake presidency and their wives at the mission home.  Sunday, we made another trip to Manila delivering sick missionaries to the MRC. Not long after we got home, we got called to the emergency room because two of our sister missionaries and some ward members were hit by a trike.  One sister had a concussion and bruises, the other sister was unhurt, but the young woman ward member had a skull fracture and broken bones in her face.  She faces a long recovery.  It could have been much worse.  So, after a long day of travel and three hours in the emergency room, we came home and fell into bed.

 Yesterday we traveled back to Cabanatuan to attend a zone activity at a bowling alley, which as one American elder put it, the most "ghetto" thing he's ever done.  The balls were the size of shot puts with no holes for your fingers, and the pins half the size of regular pins.  The bowling alley was very old and dilapidated and the pins were set and the balls returned manually by real people.  A-mazing.

We leave you with a thought from President Nelson we used in our workshop; his definition of enduring to the end: "Does that mean inhaling and exhaling until we can't anymore"? No! it means the endowment and the sealing ordinances of the temple."  ("Begin with the End in Mind", 2014 New Mission President's Seminar)

Mahal Kita
Elder and Sister Whiting

Jeepney of the Week

Angeles Mission Zone Conference Pictures

The largest snail we've ever seen--about six inches from tip to tip

President and Sister Clark posing with a missionary who understands.

Tending the bishop's son while they ate dinner. Missing the grandkids.

Our neighbor Richard had to show Elder Whiting that he has the same hairdo.

Ghetto bowling with Cabanatuan Zone.  Elder Fillmore shows the size of the ball and his cool bowling attire.

Setting the pins and returning the balls by hand.

Cabanatuan Zone Activity. Bowling! It (we) are so HOT!

A Welcome P-Day

It's been a busy and fun week. The first three days of the week were filled with office duties, zone conference planning meetings, and other mission duties.

On Thursday, we left our apartment at 5 am and drove through the mountains on steep, winding roads that would never meet U.S. engineering standards to Baler, (pronounced Bel Air).  We met up with Elder and Sister Pugh and spent the day with them and the zone leaders visiting the five missionary houses in the zone, inspecting them, and installing smoke/CO2 detectors in all of them.  We also did simple things like replace fans, toilet seats, water filters, light bulbs and toaster ovens as needed. We then took the zone leaders to lunch at the only not scary place in town, the Costa Pacifica hotel.  We then drove back through the mountains in a heavy rain for three hours to Cabanatuan and stayed the night there.

Next day, Friday, we took a P-Day and drove back to Baler to be tourists and see the beautiful sites in this area.  On our way through the mountains, we passed a really bad wreck.  A  motorcyclist was going down a hill around a curve and hit a bus coming up the hill.  When we got there, the body of the motorcyclist was still lying in the road where he landed, all of the bus passengers were standing alongside the road, and emergency responders were just arriving.  That is now the second fatal accident we have seen; and we are grateful we haven't seen more.

When we got to Baler, we hiked to a couple of beautiful waterfalls, marveled at the miles and miles of coconut groves, saw the world's oldest Balete Tree (600 years old), and then went to the beach and walked in the very warm water of the Pacific Ocean. We again had dinner at the Costa Pacifica and drove back to Cabanatuan.  We didn't stay in Baler because the only not scary place to stay is the Costa Pacifica and they want $500 a night.

Saturday morning Elder Whiting had meetings across the mission in San Jose with President Clark, and Sister Whiting went with the Pugh's to do inspections and smoke alarm installations in the Bongabon Zone; another beautiful coastal area of the mission.  In total, Elder and Sister Pugh have inspected and installed smoke alarms in all 90 missionary homes.  What a wonderful service this has been to our young missionaries.  Thank you Elder and Sister Pugh!

Today we attended fast meeting in the Tarlac 1st ward.  We have observed an interesting custom here in the Philippines; after sacrament meeting, during the postlude, no one gets up from their seat until the bishop does. It's an interesting show of respect for the bishop.

We leave you this week with Elder Neal A. Maxwell's words about our Savior, which will be part of our zone conference workshop next week:

"Jesus' character necessarily underwrote His remarkable atonement.  Without Jesus' sublime character, there could have been no sublime atonement."

Mahal Kita,
Elder and Sister Whiting

Jeepney of the Week

The resort town of Baler (pronounced Bel Air)

In front of the 600 year old Balete Tree

Elder Whiting explores the Balete Tree's root system

Senior missionaries are allowed to kiss their companions!

In the Pacific Ocean surf at Baler

Baler, Philippines 

Mother Falls in Baler Philippines

Elder Pugh is an avid birdwatcher--he spotted some beautiful birds on our hike.

Sister Whiting at Mother Falls, Baler, Philippines

Elder and Sister Pugh and Elder Whiting, Baler

Some of the miles and miles and miles of coconut groves

Baler Branch chapel

Dingalan Bay, Philippines

Dingalan Bay, Philippines

Elder and Sister Pugh install the last of 90 Smoke Alarms

A funny warning sticker on the tank of a motorcycle