Sorry we’re behind schedule on keeping the blog up to date.  We’ve been inundated with learning new responsibilities, getting our accommodations up to speed, learning to drive, finding food, getting internet, etc.

Here's a brief update:

The night of Tuesday, March 25^th we arrived in Manila around midnight after 20.5 hours flying time from Salt Lake City (SLC to Detroit to Nagoya to Manila).  There were three international flights arriving about the same time, so there was chaos in customs as we disembarked to a steamy room with hundreds of people navigating their way out.  We were met by a wonderful couple and they took us a short twelve mile trip to the Missionary Training Center/ Missionary Recovery Center that sits across the street from the Manila Temple.   We spent the night there and the next day we went on a tour of the site.  It was a great morning as we learned a little about the many people who help in the work of our Heavenly Father.

Here's a picture of us with Kim Ellison, another Nurse Specialist whom we met in the MTC, and flew to the Philippines with us.  She's great and will be serving in the Cebu Mission.

 

Manila Temple

 

Later in the day it was time to go back to the airport and take a 1-hour flight to Bacolod.  The twelve mile trip to the airport took over two hours.  There are over 20 million people in Manilla and I think they were all on the roadJ.  Lanes and traffic restrictions seem to be only suggestions here!

Last Sunday, April 6, 2014, we had the opportunity to attend a baptism and attend Church in an area far from where we live.  It took two and a half hours to travel to this paradise including single lane roads, often not even paved.  Once we arrived we had another mile walk to get to the make shift chapel.  We walked uphill along a stream where people were bathing and washing hair and clothes.  It was muddy, but it was a wonderful experience not soon to be forgotten.   

Rice Fields

 

Walk up the hill to Church

We also were able to attend a baptism which required another long walk.  One of the young women that was baptized, later shared her sweet testimony.

 

Baptism in irrigation pool

What you can’t see from the picture of the baptism, just about twenty feet away were a mom and baby carabao (water buffalo to us).  These large animals are hard workers, working in the fields.

Karen with Momma and baby carabao

The chapel in Colonial Divinia was a make shift structure made out of bamboo with a thatched roof.  The ground was dirt and chickens and dogs wandered in and out of our little Chapel during Sacrament Meeting.  At one point a chicken jumped up on the Sacrament Table before he was shooed away.  Even though little English was used, the spirit was strong. 

Meeting place at Colonial Divinia

Update for Sunday, March 23, 2014

 

 

We have attended the Music and the Spoken Word Broadcast last Sunday and then again today (from the balcony).  Attending in person gives a totally different experience than watching the broadcast on TV.  If you come to Salt Lake City, you gotta go!  We also attended two different wards the last couple of weeks that were all missionaries!

We have visited with our families.  They have been so gracious in taking care of us.


Our time in Utah is drawing to a close.  We begin our journey to the Philippines Bacolod mission early tomorrow morning and will will arrive Wednesday afternoon (Philippine time is fourteen hours ahead of Mountain Standard Time).  

This week we have learning about the medical side of missions.  My impression of this experience; Heavenly Father loves his missionaries!  We have had the privilege of being with and taught by those who not only talk the talk, but who have been directly involved in the care of missionaries.  Elder Schweitzer, of the first quorum of the seventy and his wife also took the time to visit with us.   In our group we had several physicians and their wives going out as Area Medical Authorities.  They have gone to Nauvoo, Illinois and Hong Kong.  One AMA will soon go to Tokyo, Japan.  The rest of us are going out Nurse Specialists to Argentina, Peru, Alabama, Hawaii, and several going to various missions in the Philippines (there are 21 missions currently in the Philippines).  There are currently some 405 missions worldwide and only about 130 have nurses.

This week we took several missionaries we met from the Philippines to dinner (with the Mission President's permission) and today we said our goodbyes to our new friends.  Goodbyes are not easy--we already love the Philippine people!.  

Temple Square Missionaries from Bacolod, Philippines

Thursday, March  20, 2014.  

Karen & I had the opportunity of meeting three wonderful Sister Missionaries serving on Temple Square.  They were all from Bacolod--where we are going to serve!  They are Sister Marquez, Amar, and Torino.  They were so sweet and had wonderful smiles.  They got us  excited about serving in Bacolod.

 

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Our mission began early the morning of Monday, March 10, 2014.  Our son Spencer, his sweet wife Stephanie and Nathen (6), Tyler (4) and Kaylee (almost 2) came to see us off at the airport at 6:00 am.  We got to have hugs one more time from some of our favorite people!

We flew to Salt Lake City, took a shuttle to the Provo Missionary Training Center (MTC) and entered the doors of a wonderful place where our lives changed.  Within thirty minutes of arriving we had a place to stay, we had our agenda, had our missionary badges, and we were escorted to a quick lunch before our classes started.  We joined about 120 other senior missionaries for the weeks' activities (the picture above only shows half the group).  There were many missionaries that were called to serve in their own stakes.  There were about fifteen couples preparing to go to Nauvoo.  There were missionaries called in many different capacities to serve around the world.  There was even a couple preparing to serve in the Tucson Arizona mission and another couple planning to serve in the Ukraine!

The week quickly went by and when our classes ended Friday afternoon, we had fond memories of many wonderful people we had the opportunity of spending a short time with.  Our instructors were young and the spirit was strong and when we left, our last instructor said, "now go give them Heaven".

This morning several of us were brought to Salt Lake City, where we will spend the next week in additional training.  Our first stop was to drop a couple off at the airport headed for Samoa.  The sweet sister said when they put in their papers for this mission, they said they would like to go anywhere, but Samoa.  They received their call and their call is to Samoa.  This will be their fifth mission to Samoa!

We loved being with the young missionaries.  Young people from many places preparing to serve in many places.