Our Cauayan Home

The Mission Home/Office is in downtown Cauayan. There is a church building next door where three branches meet. Also next door is the SM Mall. It has, among many small specialty shops, the SM department store, Ace Hardware, restaurants (McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Buffalo Wings & Things), and a grocery store. We have gone there to grab lunch or purchase groceries because of the convenience.

The mission president and his wife, Pres. & Sis. Hiatt, live in the mission home. The other senior missionary couples, Elder and Sister Allen (Lone Piney, WY) and Elder and Sister Roberts (Mesa, AZ)  live in the two apartments above the office.

Our kitchen/dining area. To the left is the CR (comfort room).

They've found an apartment for us about 2 kilometers from the office. I'm not sure what our address is. There is a big sign when we turn onto our street, "I (heart) Turayong", and people seem to know where that is.

Our living room. (They attached the picture too high.)

Dad wrote on a family chat on Jan. 12, when we arrived in Cauayan: (*Mom added the notes that are italicized.)

"We have an apartment."

Our bedroom.

"It is about the size of our bedroom at home. (*Mom's notes: Our whole apartment AND the carport would fit in our family room at home) When we arrived yesterday, Sister Hiatt kept using phases with the word “cute”.  But, it was rough. It smelled somewhat musty as I walked in. That did not help my impressions, and the "cute" descriptions were not blocking out the smell. However, mom and I had made the commitment that we would go wherever, and do whatever, the Lord asked of us. We got busy. Mom got material for curtains, and sewed them by hand. (*We bought pre-made curtains, then Mom hemmed them by hand) We unpacked together. I put up rods for the shower curtain and windows. A hook for the clock."

"I did sit down on the sofa at one point and closed my eyes for only a second. When I opened them, I was shocked. The whole place had been transformed. It was clean. Everything had a place and neatly in place. The furniture had all been rearranged. The bed was made. All the clothes were organized by type and color in the closet. She put away some things she did not want to use, and brought out other things. The kitchenware was all organized. The place was ready for real estate pictures!"

"I really only had my eyes closed for a second. (*It was actually about 2 hours) Sister Koontz is amazing!!"

This is our home for the next year! When they were looking for an apartment for another senior couple, the requirements were a garage or carport parking, and that there be a gate. It's in a 5-year-old complex of about sixteen apartments. The caretaker keeps the entrance and courtyard  tidy. However, there are about five dogs caged right near the entrance. There are times when they are barking, snarling and making all kinds of noise. The street we live on is very poor. There are dogs out in front of every place. We jog in the mornings and say hi or magandang umaga to everyone we meet. The are all becoming very nice. We are greeted back by all our neighbors. It is not Enumclaw, but it is home for now. We do have to run our air-conditioning most of the time that we are here. It is very hot and humid in the afternoons. 

We cook with a hot plate and a small toaster oven and small microwave oven. If we were to make cookies, it would only be two cookies at a time.

Mom saw her first 'butiki' (gecko) in the apartment - of course she screamed. We have since purchased a threshold sweep for the bottom of the main door.