Week beginning December 14

Sunday 8am we headed to Passi; it is about a 2 hour drive from Iloilo.  We attended Sunday School and Priesthood/Relief Society and then spoke in Sacrament meeting. There was a wonderful spirit about the Ward.  After we spoke, we met with the Bishop and a counselor and they set a date for next Sunday to have facilitator training and "My Path".  They are very receptive to the initiative from the modern day prophets sent to them here in the Philippines.  We hurried back to Iloilo to watch the First Presidency Christmas Message.  Then we drove President Insigne to the airport and were so happy to be able to give him some service.  His mother died and he was joining family in Manila for the funeral.
We returned to our bungalow to make final preparations for the Institute class about developing talents and abilities which we will substitute for President Insigne at 6:30 am Monday.  After the class, we had 8:30 workshop with the outgoing missionaries. There were 15 going home, mostly Americans, 2 Filipino, 1 American Samoan.  It is always a fun experience and then Butch invited us to his house for "mango float", which is somewhat like a mock cheesecake layered three times with mangoes, very tasty.  They also gave us "I'm a Mormon" notebooks that he designed.  Then to the mission office for internet for emails.  Next to pay car payments, put in some wash, and made reservations at INJAP Hotel for New Years Eve.  We were invited to join two other families.  We are told that fireworks smoke is very bad and makes it hard to breathe in houses.
Missionaries left on Tuesday, Elder Ortiz, and Sister Walton from our district were among those who left.  Another batch that we will miss.  We also had a combined district meeting because of our loss of missionaries. Then we had lunch and went to the wharf to pick up Erwin Boiser who came from Bacolod.  He works for the Church and he is going to have a meeting with our volunteers and specialists and church service missionaries.  We took him to Diversion 21 Hotel and visited for a while and then went back to the Center until after the meeting.  We did some cleaning in the Center.  Boiser did some facilitator training, then cleaned up, and returned him to the hotel and took Butch home around 9:30.
Wednesday we made two more car payments so we are caught up through January.  We picked up Boiser and had some organizational layout of self reliance people.  We went to the mission office to check out new apartment arrangements and how to get in early the day after Christmas for our phone calls with our Chile and California missionaries.  We shopped a little for food supplies, read the scripture advent candle, plus one of President Monson's Christmas stories "Christmas Gifts, Christmas Blessings" and Jesus the Christ.
Thursday we did another load of laundry, the cleaning lady came. Wow, that is a luxury I have never had.  It costs about $4.50 to have the bathroom cleaned, the floors swept and mopped, two area rugs washed by hand and the counters washed and the fans taken apart and cleaned. And we pay her better than most.  We finally were able to have time to call Angela and Rachael at the mission office.  Transfers were today and the building was just buzzing.  Next we went to pay our water bill, Ray answered a few phone calls from Bacolod.  At night the Iloilo Stake had a couples Christmas Dinner/dance at the Diversion 21 Hotel.  The food was great, fish, tender beef, noodles and rice and fruit salad.  It was all very beautiful and we were the show of dancing, we did the box, also the waltz and jitterbug.  Funny huh? That we would be the show offs:). It was very fun and people kept talking to us about it the next day.
Friday I made 16 mini loaves of banana bread and then went to the Center to clean and organize.  We delivered our banana breads to Sister Tumbus (90 yr old) our neighbor and Butch and President Insigne.  We received the news of the impending loss of a pregnancy of our daughter and we were so sad but it was interesting in our sorrow, the scripture advent candle was John 14:26-27, The Comforter.  It made me feel as if The Lord was aware of her and of us away at such a distance.  I am grateful that our married children have two sets of parents.  And that in the scheme of things, the answer is always Him, to whom we look for all things.  This is His season of all seasons in the year and it is to Him where we look in all our trials and tribulations.
Saturday our scripture reading was Joseph Smiths testimony and Oliver Cowderys.
"These were days never to be forgotten--to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude in this bosom."  Oh what joy it is to serve a mission for The Lord Jesus Christ, to represent Him.  I hope to be a worthy representative.  We ate breakfast and went to Arevalo for  a stake Relief Society conference.  Then we shopped at Robinson's Mall for a few items for Christmas and we found some sour cream!  No one has had any for a month.  Yeah!  We ate some thin Greenwich pizza, picked up two games, and went to Arevalo to call Nathan and family.  Back to bungalow and sometime in our comings and goings we met another neighbor in her car who introduced herself, Mrs. Nanette Burano.  So that was fun.  Also as we were preparing for bed, the Leganes Bishop called to see if we could speak tomorrow, so we hurried and adjusted our talks including the Saviors birth in our messages.  What can we give Him?  Give Him my heart!  Merry Christmas!  With all my love, Sister Robinson, Mom, grandma