Sunday November 23. Second chances!

Another great week.
Elder Robinson spoke at City Ward on Sunday.  Then we went to Molo 1st Ward council meeting.  Then to the San Miguel group meeting.. We finally went home but I had a feeling that we were not through for the day.  We went to Visyas Hospital....do you believe The Lord gives second chances?  Remember about a month or six weeks ago a sister bore her testimony and I did not take care of her?  Well, I had a second chance!  Analisa was at the hospital with her four month old baby boy and we found them and took her dinner.  He, Harold will have surgery on Thursday.  There is a hole where fluid leaks into his face from his skull or something like that.  I feel so grateful for second chances.  We will visit her all week.
Then, we went to another home where the Elders administered the sacrament and I gave a short talk.  The Sister had a stroke, but she is still very pretty.  There was house help there and the daughter.  The Sister did not want me to leave and Ray had to come back in the house to get me.  What a dear.  ....anyway, it was a big Sunday.
Monday, preparation day..I washed a load of clothes, went to the Center(that is a church on Jalandoni Street where Institute is held, family history has a room there and self reliance center is there also).  Sessions, a member/leadership support couple missionary came from Antique and looked for us to have lunch with and so we all went to McDonalds:) I know.  We would never even go there in the states, but it is the best it gets here, then we went grocery shopping which always wears me out because I don't recognize the food still.  It is as foreign as the language.  They have different fruits and vegetables and I don't know what things are and I can't find stuff I'm looking for and the employees don't understand.  I asked for pumpkin the other day.  Well, we gave that up.  We took a meal to Analisa at the hospital and visited and then back to the bungalow.
Tuesday was district meeting with our new zone leaders.  Then practiced making some Filipino noodles and vegetables in preparation for our Thanksgiving celebration.  It turned out great so we took it along with rice to Analisa and her non member husband, Jeffrey who was at the hospital now.  I hope the missionaries visit him while he is there.  They live way way out in the bushes.  But she said he has read the Book of Mormon.  We also visited our 91 year old mother to get a date for her to be sealed to her deceased husband.  She is thinking about it.  Next we had our meeting with Sister Cagape and the volunteers at the Center.  Received an email from Aunt Ranae and she has connections with Sister Cagape.  Their friends the Mortimers served as mission president and as temple president in Cebu and they know each other very well.  It was fun telling her.  Charity won't remember, of course, but Linda Mortimer made her blessing hat.
Wednesday we did another load of wash, took lunch to Analisa and Jeffrey, then went to the Center and ran off leaders guides because we don't have any except online. To the mission home next to make arrangements with the guard to have the gate open at 4 am so we can leave the truck there and take a taxi to the airport Thursday a.m.
Yes, Thursday we left early and took a flight to Manila where we took a taxi to the office there at the Manila MTC and then drove 4 hours to LaLuze Resort where we had training meetings for self reliance, had dinner on the beach (it was beautiful), and played some fun games that we can't wait to play with our grandkids and children:)
We also were able to visit with other self reliance missionary couples and find out what and how they do what they do and that was very very helpful.  We went to our room and slept and then up early for breakfast and more meetings.  A four hour trip back to Manila and then Jim, one of the self reliance employees decided to take us to the American cemetery in Manila.  I can only say it was a very reverent, humble experience.  Then he drove us to our hotel by the airport.  We went to the mall across the street, wow!  The lights looked like giant kaleidoscopes.  We ate dinner there and it was very good.  When we returned to the lobby, a young 30 year old American hygienist had gotten separated from her group.  She was there with a dentist on another island, Tacloban, the one that was wiped out.  He served his mission in the Philippines years ago and when the typhoon hit, he came over and helped build houses, but he is really a dentist, so he came back with her and some others to do dental work for the missionaries going out and those hurting.  They were really busy.  Anyway, they were on different planes and her phone ran out of batteries, he had her backpack with her charger and could not find him.  Anyway, we fed her and spent an hour or so with her until she could make a good plan of what to do and she went to another hotel.  Of all crazy things, she is from Bountiful over by Winegars grocery store!
We slept well and flew back to Iloilo Saturday am, took a van to SM City (a mall), and then a taxi to the mission office church, we sat in on a grow my business self reliance meeting, picked up the truck, went to our bungalow, picked up some My Path booklets and headed to another meeting back at the mission office church.  We came home about 5 pm and we are tired.  Busy, rewarding week.  But I am so thankful for second chances, but I hope that I am more aware next time an opportunity of any kind to do good comes my way..Make my hands like those from Galilee, with love, Mother T, Grandma, Sister Robinson