Saturday, July 25-Friday, July 31 Happy Birthday, Andrew! Happy Birthday, Sarah!

Saturday we got up and ate breakfast with Elder and Sister Green and Elder and Sister Streng at the Streng's missionary palace.  Then Greens left for Dumangas for the boat ride to Bacolod.  We've had a great time together.  We went to Red Panda for lunch with Strengs and then to a Kalibo stake facilitator training meeting with Annie and President Ascuncion.  It was four hours.  They did a good job.  After we went to Streng's and played games and had popcorn and brownies.  I wrote my email journal and sent it from Strengs while the others watched a dinosaur movie.  They are so lucky to have internet at their house.
Sunday Happy Birthday, Sarah!  We attended Kalibo 1st Ward and the opening hymn was no. 305 In Our Lovely Deseret😃. It reminded us of Andrews farewell.  They speak Aklanon here.  It is very different from Illongo.  Though we don't speak either, we have grown accustomed to Illongo and can make out what they are talking about.  We miss the details but get the idea.  We were totally lost on the Aklanon.  One speaker spoke in sort of English and it was a terrific message.  He gave a poem entitled "And God Said No"
I asked God to take away my pride, and God said, "No".
He said it was not for Him to take away, but for me to give up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole, and God said "NO".
He said his spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience, and God said "NO".
He said that patience is a by-product of tribulation, it isn't granted, it's earned.

I asked God to give me happiness, and God said "NO".
He said He gives me blessings, happiness is up to me.

I asked God to spare me pain, and God said "NO".
He said suffering draws you apart from worry cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow, and He said "NO".
He said I must grow on my own, but He will prune me to make me fruitful.

I asked God to help me love others as much as He loves me,
And God said, "Ah, finally you have the idea"!

It was a wonderful message--the Lord gives us what we need to become like Him but it is up to us to Do It.  We assisted Strengs and Kalibo 1st bishop in starting My Path and the first Foundations lesson.  They will continue next week after the church block.  Sister Streng will train 2 facilitators at 5 pm at the church tonight.  We went to Strengs for lunch:  baked chicken, cucumbers, and cooked saboteurs with garlic, onions, ginger and chicken bouillon.  Then we traveled to Tangalan branch for their sixth lesson of Foundations.  It was great fun.  A new group that just opened up in the last three months was there for district conference.  They all came in a jeepney.    It was fun to meet these new members.  Some work in Boracay and speak excellent English.  We headed home around 3 arriving at our apartment at 7:30.  Just as we got in the sisters called.  They were locked out of their apartment and did not want to stand outside to be eaten by mosquitoes.  Lucky us, they came here to our place.  We gave them some juice and visited until a key came.  Kate Sorillas came over.  I loaned her "Horton Hatches the Egg".  She likes to read--mostly classics but she hadn't heard of Dr. Seuss.  Goodnight.
Monday laundry, went to the Center, shopped, home for lunch, SM basement for Family Search display--President and Sister Aquino were there, President Insigne, Cozzens, Hazel Garcia, Butch, Sorillas....big group.  After that we did some more grocery shopping at SM.  Home 4:00.  Raining.
Tuesday we attended 45 minutes of district meeting.  Ray did the recitations.  I did the scripture thought:  Romans 17 about how Christ put all things under His feet and so must we--day by day some point to gain--daily we must remove the Tate's from our heart and mind 'til all evil is subdued.  We picked up Boiser at the wharf at 9:15 and then picked up Sister Cagape at Jalandoni and traveled one hour to Ephrathah Farms.  It is 7 hectares of rolling hills, swimming pools, restaurant, gardens, animals, all organic stuff.  Plus they have dorm type housing, a pavilion, mountain bikes, boating, fishing, camping, a zip line, climbing wall,...it is beautiful and they have a sign:  no smoking, no alcohol, only legally married male and female couples can stay in a room together--man and wife.  The place and people are impressive.  Sister Cagape showed us the way, paid for our wonderful lunch, and then bought us all food to take home--dragon fruit, red papaya, rambutan, and  guyabano.  It was a wonderful time.  We let her off at her chicken farm and went to Jalandoni for a meeting at 3:00 with Boiser, Darlene, Julie, Butch, Sister Cagape and us.  She brought us all breads, mangoes, and carbonara(delicious).  We hurried to get Boiser to the port By 5:00 for his return to Bacolod.  We returned to the Center and home at 8:00.  Did another load of wash.  It is so nice to have the wash machine in the house.
Wednesday 2 Cor 8:14. I put in a load of wash before leaving at 7:30 for zone conference at Arevalo.  Elder Ramos was the spiritual opener.  He talked about his life two years ago on Dec 31st.  He was a military nurse/corporal-secretary for the highest general.  He had forgotten his patriarchal blessing and his mother's words.  Then he had a near accident.  He called his bishop for mission papers.  His father had had a stroke, his brother was serving a mission, his sister was in college, and his fiancee wanted to marry him right now; he was the only provider for his family.  He left everything behind.  I'm a soldier for God now.  His quote: missionary - someone who leaves everything, including family behind for a short time, so that others may be with their families for eternity.  The conference ended about 3:00 but we had to leave at 2:45 to teach an Institute class from The Gospel and the Productive Life manual. Finished around 5:00 and came home to relax before our dinner appointment at 7:00 at Tabuharos (91 year old) her birthday.  There were tons of people, tons of food.  We left early to bring the sisters home by their curfew at 8:00.
Thursday we did our routine and then did some cleaning--the fan, a bathroom wall, sweep and mop floors.  By 10:45 we were getting the truck out and a man came over to talk with us but he didn't speak English.  I texted the elders to come down.  We went to the Center.  Returned to the apartment about 2:30 for lunch/dinner, took a rest, and walked the Esplanade.  We snacked on a mango shake and potato chips while we watched "Meet the Mormons".
Friday we cleaned another fan and finished scrubbing 2 bathroom walls--two walls left.  We went to the Center and waited for Cushings to call.  We picked them up at Ortiz wharf and then to SM for Belgian waffles.  I had garlic tuna cream cheese and chocolate hazelnut and buko shake.  We walked the Esplanade and went to Arevalo to pick up boxes for Cushings and the Guimaras missionaries.  Time to send this.  Ha long, Sister Robinson, Mom