Paint fumes and a day at the Ilagan Sanctuary

Pres. Hiatt’s term as Mission President ends in July. The Facilities Management group has had workers here for the last two months getting the mission home and mission office ready for the new President. They have been painting the exterior of the buildings and the surrounding wall. The two senior couples’ apartments upstairs got a new coat of paint and some repairs. (We are the only couple that live outside the mission office.)

Last week they painted the mission office interiors. This was a good chance to move and organize things. Elder Koontz and I also lined all the shelves in the Supply Room with heavy plastic, so as not to damage the new paint with all the boxes that arrive for the missionaries.

Here are some pictures taken “during”the painting. When we put everything back, I’ll show some “after” photos.

We have tried to spend some time away from the office just to get some fresh air. On Saturday, March 2nd, we went with another senior couple to Ilagan Sanctuary. It had a lot to offer, though some areas were not open because of damage from the last typhoon. We took in the zoo, the caves, a hike to a waterfall, and a walk through the quiet forest connecting these sites. It was a fun day and a much needed break.

 So many things to see and ways to go.

  Mom can hold the whole mountain up with one little finger.

 The scary creature emerges from the depth of the earth.

 Trapped in a hole

 In the caves.

 The animals were hot and tired.

 The senior couple that we were with chose to play with the large snake. I just took pictures and mom, as you can see below, stayed a long ways away!

 Not getting any closer!

 The hike up to the falls was worth it. It was easy and beautiful.

 Mom took the oppurtinity to cool her heels.

 There was only enough room in and on the back of the trike for us 2 couples, so our guide rode on top.

 One last picture with our guide before we left.

There is always rice or corn being dried on the highway. You just use the other lane.

The real work animal of the Philippines.

March Zone Conferences

Zone Conferences were on March 12-14. The Cauayan Mission is the largest mission in the Philippines, area wise. Traveling from the north to the south of the mission can take eight hours. Zone Conferences are divided up into three areas so the missionaries do not have to spend a whole day traveling. This time, Pres. and Sis Hiatt were able to attend. They train and teach the Elders and Sisters. The senior couples help by bringing the missionaries supplies, housing needs, and mail. We also set up for the catered lunch. 

I bring the sewing machine from the mission home and try to do any mending the missionaries need. In the last two months, I've repaired 48 pairs of pants (hems, ripped seams, tears from tricycles barbed-wire fences, pockets and belt loops), added chest pockets to two white shirts, narrowed down nine ties, mended three shoulder bags, and re-enforced button holes and buttons. 

It sure is fun to see the missionaries, especially now that we are getting to know them more.

Elder Koontz thinks Elder Leausa is Sam R.'s doppleganger.
Seeing Sam's picture, Elder Leausa said he was more handsome. Sam said, "He's dreaming".

A picture of me and my 'bodyguards' Elders Leausa, Sua, and Finau.
Elder Finau will be playing football for BYU when he completes his mission.

Original Bayombong Branch

We visited Bayombong this past Saturday. It was our "P"day. We decided to just get out of Cauayan and take a drive. We ended up in Bayombong, so we found the Elders assigned there and asked for their help in finding members of their branch who I had baptized 40 years ago. We found Lorna and Alejandre! We also found Helen, but she would not allow us to take a picture. She said another day when she had a chance to make herself more beautiful. We have all become older, but I can still see them in the picture below. Lorna appeared to have suffered from a stroke and had lost the use of her right side and some speech capabilities. Sister Helen remembered me right off. She was funny to talk with.  It was a great reunion. As it turns out, none of them were currently active, but said that they would come back again. I have great hopes for them.....

Answer to prayer

On a Saturday morning about three weeks ago, Elder Koontz and I went out for a morning jog. It was about 6:30am, so not hot yet, but not cool either. As we were heading back, a tricycle with about five boys was driving slowly by us. They were all wearing gym shorts and tee shirts. Elder Koontz, as he is running along beside them at their speed, asked, “Are you going to play basketball?” Basketball is the national favorite sport here. To our surprise, they answered with a resounding, “No. Wrestling!”

These young athletes were part of the 14-member wrestling team. They were training for the CAVRAA, an annual athletic meet of elementary and secondary school students from the local provinces. The week-long meet was scheduled to begin on March 5th, about three weeks from the time we met them. Also, the Cauayan City team members came from five different high schools. Many of the wrenstlers were just in their first year of wrestling. School was still in session, yet the athletes were excused from classes to train for their sport. Their day started at sunrise. They trained and practiced at the school. They also slept there and were fed “home cooked” meals of rice, chicken, and vegetables. (That was on the menu the evening they invited us to join them for dinner.)

The coaches were a husband and wife team, both English teachers. They also had two university students helping them, but their expertise was in the martial arts. Elder Koontz mentioned that he wrestled in high school and was a referee for seven years. He asked if they would mind if we came to their practices. They said, “You’re an answer to our prayers.

We went to practices each day, sometimes twice a day at first. They wrestled Free-style, which has different rules than collegiate style wrestling which Elder Koontz is more familiar with. He taught them some of his favorite moves. Things got busy at the mission office so we went in the evenings. If we skipped a practice, it was never more than a day. One morning we even brought some missionaries, one a high school wrestler himself, and he taught them a different technique. The team members were very respectful and appreciative and always called us 'Sir' and 'Ma’am'.

We drove to Tuguegarao City for their first day of competition. It was sad that we couldn’t attend any more. But, the team came home with two gold and three bronze medals!! They also invited us to their post season retreat that weekend— to a beach resort about three hours away. We declined. It was 1) our p-day, 2) our turn to stay at the office while the painting crew was there, and 3) out of our mission boundaries.

Their loudest fan dressed as a missionary.

Our prayer as missionaries is that we can share the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ and minister to those in our area. I think THEY were an answer to OUR prayers.

Sunday is a day of rest...

On Sundays we attend church at two different branches - the Aurora Branch (25 minute drive to the west) from 8-10am, and the Cauayan 3 Branch (which meets at the church building next to the mission office) from 1-3pm. Both have scheduled their branch council meetings on the first Sunday of the month, so we sometimes don’t get home until after 5. Fast Sundays are long days!

Most of the talks and lessons are in Tagalog. I can catch a few words and get the gist of the message. GoogleTranslate is my friend. Some members speak Ilocano, of which I understand nothing! In Relief Society, many of the sisters won’t speak English, so I find it hard to keep up. Then, they ask for my comment (haha).

I’ve helped in Primary much of the time. No surprise to anyone, is it? Each branch has about ten children, ages two to eleven, who attend and are all taught in one class. The children are so well-behaved, even the little ones who should be in Nursery. (Both branches do not have a Nursery class.) I’ve tried to teach them some new Primary songs. Many of the leaders are converts who never attended Primary. insert picture of the Primary class w/ Crissa & Jamaica

The members of the Aurora Branch has a district temple trip scheduled in May. We met with some to help them with their family history. Many don’t have computers or internet at home, but I think we overwhelmed the WiFi at the church. I’m noticing similar family names as in my pedigree chart. Hmmm? Distant cousins? insert pict of RS family history group

Baptism in Aurora Branch January 19, 2019

Office duties

We’ve been in the Philippines for almost six weeks. Life here in the mission is measured in six-week transfer cycles, so, we’ve had quite a few FIRSTs... first Zone Conferences, first Mission Leadership Conference, first batch of departing missionaries, and meeting the first batch of new missionaries straight from the MTC. Oh, and one week we had the mission president’s wife and three younger missionaries all in the hospital at the same time! I think that was a first also. And hopefully the last.

     Our mission call assignment was that we were to be ‘Member and Leadership Support’. Our  president warned us that that may change. Since arriving here, we have been given specific assignments in the Mission Office.

     Elder Koontz handles and distributes mail and packages to/from the approximately 170 missionaries. We drive down to the post office once or twice a week to pick up incoming letters and packages. Mail is sorted at the office, then picked up by the missionaries when they come to Cauayan. Otherwise, the mail is delivered when there is a meeting in the out-lying areas. Some areas of the mission are two to three hours drive away.

     As Supply Manager, he keeps inventory of missionary teaching supplies. He prepares orders of pamphlets, books, dvds, record-keeping materials, etc., and has them ready for pick-up or delivery (same as mail). The missionaries usually text him with their teaching supply needs. He receives 5-10 texts daily.

This is 6’4” Elder Roberts having his picture taken at the License office.
He was told to get lower so that his face would be in the camera.

     The Area Presidency has instructed that all foreign elders with a current driver’s license from their country should obtain a Philippine Driver’s License. The senior couples went about a month ago. It took 4 hours for five of us to get our licenses. (Yes, I even have a license!) We thought that was a short time considering that ‘seniors’ are given a pass to go to the head of the line. (Filipinos are so respectful of the elderly.) I don’t think I will ever drive here. More about that later...

Elder Koontz has made three failed attempts to take groups of our younger missionaries to the license office. Either they just got new computers,  or they were not working, or some other reason. Well, he went there and made sure that all involved knew how the computers worked and told them to expect him the next Monday. He returned with a group of ten elders last week on their p-day and they all came back to the office within TWO hours. Each with a new license. His quick method? ...He prepared and printed their forms, gathered photocopies of licenses and passports, and had them in line before the license office opened at 8am. Some of our elders got up at 4:30am to catch a Jeepney to be at the office by 7:30 that morning. All were tired, but happy!

     He is also our Technology Specialist. Almost daily we can hear someone in the office ask, “Elder Koontz, how do I do (.........)?” All the office computers are going to be replaced next week so I’m sure he’ll be busy.

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.