Friday, August 7-Friday, August 14 2015

Friday we used the truck to transport 4 sisters and 4 elders to move apartment and church equipment to a house where church will now be held on the main floor and the elders will live upstairs in San Miguel.  The district leaders are very excited about it.  It took about four trips with one trip taken by Bishop Salazar and his van/truck.  We were done by noon to shower, read scriptures, etc.  this is my first time to skip exercising.  I stayed in the truck the whole time and slept while Ray carried stuff along with the missionaries that we brought to help from our district.  After they ate lunch in the house but Ray kept coming out and staying with me.  I was just sleeping.  At this point I had no voice.  I realized, to my delight that he preferred my sick companionship to that of missionaries having fun.  We are bonded.  Another sick night, he came in on the bed and just read beside me.  He wanted to be with me!--not alone.  It is so fun.  We received an email today from Andrews mission president, President Arrington, informing us of Andrews attributes that make him good for his new calling in the mission office.  It was very nice.  There have been golf ball size raindrops for days now and flooding.  Not us but I took some pictures of places down the street.  Boiser could only get a boat to Dumangas so we will be driving an hour to pick him up.  The meeting tonight was cancelled because we can't make it there and back.  We took him to SM and home to bed.  Yeah!
Saturday I slept better last night but around 3:59, I think there was an earthquake.  The bed was vibrating and Ray was not causing it.I swabbed my throat with a q-tip and metrosexual to see if it would help me get well.  We picked up Boiser at 8:30 and there were 30plus people there already waiting for the 9:00 meeting.  Remember, here a 9:00 meeting usually starts at 9:30 and people don't show up until 10:00.  We just kept opening more walls and setting up more tables and chairs.  It was great!  Largest group was from Kalibo--3 1/2 hours away and through rain storms which usually cancels church.  Next biggest group was Antique 2 1/2 hours away on the other side of the island. Also, Grace Villavert sent with her father an ointment for me to try for my shoulder.  That was so thoughtful of her and so nice of him to bring it.  Back to the attendance.  This shows their interest. There were over 115 people showed up. They were rewarded.  Tony SanGabriel came and spoke for 45 minutes--a real spiritual treat.  This was unexpected until the night before.  By 11:30 lunch was served, more meeting until 2:10.  We were able to take Boiser to the Fast Cat this time; it was running so that is only 20 minute drive.  That was nice because we had an invitation to Theos 1 birthday party.  This was like a wedding reception.  We were suppose to wear something yellow.  Yes, I did.  I took pictures.  It was wild.  A full catered dinner; a dj did games; and a magician did a fun show.  What a lot of work but it was so much fun!  And also this night there was a young girl, Abigail, 11, baptized and a man who we had passed on the road many times using a four legged chair as a cane and we had talked about buying him a cane.  He was also baptized.  He cut his hair, shaved..he turned out nice looking.  And he has seven canes at home but likes the chair best.  It also gives him a place to sit down when he gets tired.  Anyway, it was astig!  My new Illongo word, meaning awesome.  Home to bed.  It was a great, tiring, day.
Sunday we attended Mandurriao Ward, loaded up the sisters and elders and drove there early as we have been counseled to be at the church 30 minutes early but the gates were all locked.  But our newly baptized man with the four legged chair was there at the gate waiting to get in.  We all waited through the rain before someone finally came 20 minutes later.  The man was lucky, he had a chair to sit on😜 after the car gate was open, Ray drove in, walked around to let me out and slipped in the water.  He was soaked all the way through fr his neck to his pants and legs.  He had to go home to change.  I should have gone with him.  (Never leave your companion, even when it seems innocent).  While he was on his way out of our parking, a motorcycle had parked in our area and he bumped it with the truck.  It fell and broke some things..  We'll find out an estimate tomorrow.  And I just worried at church, did he black out?, you know, whatever can be dreamed up and worried about...waiting.  Lesson learned:  NEVER be alone; stay within sight and hearing of your companion.  Anyway, after church we went home, ate leftovers and went to San Miguel group.  I still don't have a healthy voice so I just listened.  But I am improving.  We went to Arevalo to get internet.  It was locked up but we could stand by the office windows and get reception.  We could read Elder Andrews letter and see his pictures.  Then home.  Read some scriptures.  We were short of time this morning.  Quennie and Brakie were at church.  They are very faithful but I think they will flourish in the states.  Brakie only speaks English and Chinese.  Goodnight.
Monday I realized that to keep from wrestling with coveteous thoughts, I need to memorize scriptures.  The president gives us three every week.  After routine laundry, we headed to Jalandoni.  Still struggling with frozen shoulder and head cold but both are improving.  Received email from April and Rachael.  Ray got cash to pay the guy to fix his motorcycle, about P1900.  We made phone calls to make arrangements for apartment checks in Antique and called for hotel rooms for then and also for Saturday for My Path in Roxas, four hour drive.  We ate lunch and returned to the Center.  Came home and had lesson 8 in Foundations.  We talked about plans for when we return😜.  Maybe we better stay😇.  Anyway we are having a "brown out", a power outage.  No electricity from 6:30-9:30 pm.  It gets a little warm without fans.
Tuesday we took entire district to zone meeting at Jalandoni 7:15 am.  Outstanding training by Elder Taguiam on Obedience.  Sometimes we think what is being asked is too small and inconsequential, like Namaan when told to wash in Jordan 7 times; and sometimes we think what is asked is too big like Abraham and Isaac.  But Jesus set the example:  John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him who sent me.  Blessings:  Mosiah 2:22 and behold all that He requires of you is to keep His commandments; and He has promised you that if he would keep His commandments, he would prosper in the land; and He never doth vary from which He hath said; therefore, if he do keep His commandments He doth bless you and prosper you.  And Sister Serveza's training was :  I Can Do This
If you have it available, she played an amazing video clip (we have a copy and will show you all when we return) Barcelona Olympics sprint.  Then a missionary contributed this:  F.     A.    I.    L.  First Attempt In Learning. I loved this.  We went to our office to prepare for apartment checks and "My Path" for the rest of the week.  Ray is working on a furniture business plan for the branch president in Tiolas.  Lots to do before we leave tomorrow morning.  We came home and ate my own version of squash soup:  steamed a squash of some kind, took out the pulp and blended it, added coconut milk, dried cream of chicken soup, salt, and pepper.  It was satisfying.  Put a load of wash in and out to dry.  Preparation, preparation, preparation.  There is no place safe to eat so a lot goes into an overnighter to Antique.
Wednesday we left at 6:30 am for Antique, a 2 1/2 drive through the mountains.  It is so beautiful.  I can't imagine the Garden of Eden being more beautiful!  We arrived at the zone leaders apartment at 9:00 as planned and the baker, Pomello came up with the birthday cake I order about 30 seconds later.  Elder Rubow, 20, birthday tomorrow so the cake is to give pieces away to all the missionaries in his zone for apartment checks.  He's a great elder so he has been the presidents baby sitter for three companionships.  He has a good comp now.  Their apartment is the nicest elders apartment in the mission.  Having said that, they have a rat cage.  They have caught three in five weeks.  They come in through the drains.  Anyway, we checked San Joes, Hamtec, and Dao today.  While at Dao we waited for two missionaries to go up the mountain for a baptismal interview and the other two to work.  While waiting, Ray always thinks of something good to do.  We went to the beach and walked in the waves.  We saw a young boy fishing with something shaped like a skate board with a fin and a post with a fishing line about 75 yards long and it had several short lines and hooks dangling from the long line.  He walked along the shore pulling.  It was so interesting.  We watched him get a tangle and stop, run, untangle and run back and as he pulled, the skateboard swam like a fish out into the waves as he pulled at the other end.  We headed back to see if the missionaries were ready, and we were within 30 of our timing so it was great.  A rain storm started just as we dropped them off at their apartment and really poured down after we got into our hotel room at the Pinnacle 2:13 pm.  We are actually tired.  It is a lot of driving...from 8:30-2:30, with an hour break and no lunch.  😟 we laid down for a bit and then went to Gaisanos Mall and had chicken mang inasal and a buko shake.
Thursday we picked up the zone leaders at 8:00 and drove to Sibalom (30 minutes) for more apartment checks, the to Bugasong (45 more minutes) then back to San Jose where we took Elder Bowden and Elder Rubow for lunch (Rubow's birthday today Aug 13).  The four sister missionaries and Grace Villavert joined us.  1:00 we headed back to Iloilo along the coastal road.  It is beautiful.  I am sending some pictures.  We reported to Arevalo (the mission office) with the apartment check reports and our vehicle report.  After we went to Jalandoni to meet up with President Sedano with a plan for a furniture business.  To the apartment at 6:30, put away dry clothes, unpacked, killed mosquitos, lizard, and had a snack, and relax.
Friday August 14 a day to prepare for our weekend trip to Roxas and send our emails.