On Monday, Elder Whiting dropped Sister Whiting off very early at te office (6 a.m.!) and he drove again to Muñoz to meet with the landlord and her attorney to get the signatures needed for the senior couple apartment. Now that that task is done, we will go this coming Tuesday to clean, deliver appliances and prepare the house. We have been bringing down items that have been in storage from the third floor of our apartment, washing linens, and kitchen utensils, and sorting through things to put in the house. We will be very glad to be done with this task. This will be third house we have prepared for an incoming senior couple. We may have to do one more. It's been a lot of work but we are so grateful to have these senior missionaries here. They lift burdens and do a great work in the mission.
If going to Guimba Zone (Muñoz) wasn't enough on Monday, we were asked to take a sister companionship who had been in Tarlac to the eye doctor home to Paniqui (pronounced "panicky", haha) that evening. Paniqui is only a half hour away, so it wasn't too bad, and we had a good visit with the sisters during our travel. We didn't quite beat the big storm home, and had to hurry into the house. We didn't get too we though.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were days with no rain and plenty to do in the office. Wednesday evening we went to the grocery store because we had no food in the house. On our way, we passed a protest that made us a little nervous. It was a group of about 50 people with signs and loudspeakers protesting the new Philippine president's attitude that Marshal Law is something he will not hesititate to use. We hope he doesn't turn the Philippines into a dictatorship.
Friday, Elder and Sister Pugh came to Tarlac to train us on how do to apartment inspections. We have been assigned to inspect the missionary apartments in the Tarlac and Mabalacat Zones--a total of 16 houses. We learned to inspect for safety and cleanliness, as well as check their 72 hour kits and area books. We started with the zone leaders, sister training leaders, and the sisters who are our neighbors. These were pretty easy as they are some of our best and most obedient missionaries, so there weren't a lot of issues. We did replace one smoke detector and some light bulbs. Sister Pugh then left a spiritual message with them and our neighbor sisters asked us to kneel with them in prayer. We love the young missionaries! They are so faithful.
We then went to lunch with the Pugh's before they went back to Camiling. We appreciated them helping us--it was a sacrifice for them to come in from Camiling, which is an hour away, to help train us. That evening, just as we got home, a huge storm came through and knocked the power out for a half hour, but it seemed much longer than that. We huddled in the dark around our emergency combination fan and light, stripped down to our underwear trying to stay cool, wondering what to do without the internet. We are extremely spoiled. We were very grateful when the power came back on.
As if traffic isn't bad enough in this counry, it is often made even worse by funeral processions and random parades. Friday, we had to slowly inch past a parade of hundreds of boy and girl scouts. They were really cute in their full uniforms, but doubled the time it took for us to get to the office. Yesterday it was a trade or technical school of some sort. This parade not only had hundreds of students walking along, but at least a dozen big floats. The floats were big flatbed trucks elaborately decorated--many of them with a Harry Potter theme. This parade was making it's way through the narrow streets of Tarlac as the Barangay Police stopped all traffice to let it pass. Again, it doubled our travel time to the office and we had to take an alternate route besides. Yesterday was National Family Day in the Philippines, and the Tarlac wards had gathered at the stake center for their own random parade celebrating the family. After their parade, which we politely declined an invitation to participate in, they spent the day at the church with games and activities and the requisite way-too-loud rock music playing all. day. long.
Today will be a trip to Pisapungan for church--we haven't been in a while. We bought some cheap rubber shoes in case it rains. We look forward to seeing our friends and to see how the Church is growing in that little village.
We leave you with this thought as we prepare for General Conference: "The enemies of your own human 'fortress' are both physical and spiritual...And so I beg of you...to live each day so that you might receive from the fountain of light the nourishment and strength sufficient to every day's need. Take time to be holy each day of your lives." --Harold B. Lee--
Mahal Kita
Elder and Sister Whiting
 |
| Jeepney of the Week |
 |
| A trike covered in stuffed animals |
 |
| Selfie with our neighbors, Aira and Richard |
 |
 |
| Boy and Girl Scout Parade |
 |
| Funeral Procession |
 |
| Breaking up concrete by hand |
 |
| Mall cop checking all cars for bombs "wink wink". It's pretty much a joke of a search |
 |
| One of this country's many creepy crawlies |
No comments:
Post a Comment