Elder and Sister Whiting in the Philippines: "Punted"

June is history and July is upon us! We have had an eventful week. We traveled twice to Cabanatuan to prepare the senior couple's apartment with the wonderful help of Elder and Sister Pugh and the Cabanatuan Zone Leaders. We moved some furniture in, hung curtains, had the internet installed, and unpacked the kitchen. One more visit to dust and set up in a couple of weeks and it's ready for Elder and Sister Dansie.

Wednesday, we came home to a commotion in our neighborhood. Our neighbor two doors down had been found dead in his apartment of an apparent heart attack. He died alone a day or so before. He was a retired patent examiner who spent his career working for the UN in Zurich, Switzerland. He had moved back to his native Philippines just a few months ago. He lived alone, had a really nice pickup truck that he washed every morning, and was a very pleasant man. He spoke very good English and we visited with him occasionally. Elder Whiting talked to him just last week when we came home and found we had no water. The man was frustrated with his country and stated he could live anywhere in the world he wanted to. He doesn't have any worries any more, and hopefully he is listening to the gospel message in the spirit world.

We spent the rest of the week in the office doing the usual. Friday night we witnessed an incredible lightning storm. We watched as the lightning danced nonstop among the clouds. We've never seen anything like that in Midway. We love the big tropical sky with its beautiful clouds and storms and blue sky and sunsets.

Yesterday, we were invited to teach a couple with the office elders. The man is actually an inactive returned missionary from Idaho, married to a nonmember Filipina. She has been taking the lessons, and the elders wanted us to meet them. So we went over yesterday afternoon and called from the front gate (as opposed to knocking on the door). Finally the man came out and said his wife wasn't home and told us to come back later when she was home. That is called being "punted" in missionary slang. We arranged to meet them at 6 pm when the wife was home. Well, just as we were driving there at 6, the heavens opened up and it started pouring down rain--in sheets and buckets. We parked in a Catholic church parking lot (of all places) and walked the half block to their home. In spite of the umbrella and the attempts to not walk through the water, we were soaked in seconds, the road was running like a river, and were were "punted" again. The wife was there, but she had company and would not let us in. The elders were so frustrated, because they thought the appointment was all set up. We just laughed it off and swam back to the car. It actually gave us a taste of real missionary work; working in all kinds of conditions and being rejected and turned away more than being let in. We are grateful for the experience. We laughed all of the way home, and our shoes will take days to dry.

Today, we were warmly welcomed at the Dapdap branch by the 30 or do in attendance. We met a newly baptized young man, an investigator, and witnessed another recent convert father pass the sacrament. We enjoy going to the Dapdap branch, which is pretty much being held together by the branch president, his wife, and their recently returned missionary daughter. As we celebrate our pioneer heritage this July, we are rubbing shoulders with true life pioneers here in the Philippines. As we do with our ancestors, their posterity will call them blessed.

We leave you with this scripture thought on this Independence Day weekend:
"For behold this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off ..." --Ether 2:10--

Mahal Kita and Happy Birthday America!
Elder and Sister Whiting

Congratulations to Bryant and Rebecca on the birth of Lila and Ivy! As if you weren't busy
enough already! You have a beautiful family, and we now have 18 grandchildren!