Friday, October 9-Friday, October 16

Worked on an on-line meeting acceptance with Chad Furness, worked on social security papers again, watched some conference, went to eat at Promenade and did small grocery shopping, checked on money place, got the car washed, purchased some different rat poison, went to Arevalo to return a bowl to Sister Aquino and the Assistants to the President saw us and ran over to our vehicle.  They said they were just praying for some help and we showed up.  We took two elders and two sisters to the Molo bus terminal; returned and took two elders going to Parola wharf going to Guimaras.  It's 4:20 so we are headed home.  I prayed this morning that we would find service today.  Thanks Heavenly Father!
Saturday 7:45 sitting behind the priesthood within sight and hearing (if he yelled) of my companion😄. Conference in the Philippines😓. It actually makes me homesick.  Helaman 10:4,5..." For thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will".  How great would it be to be like Nephi and the Lord could trust me to do and say only His will.  Oh, I'm loving conference!  Conference buoyed me up.  Priesthood session was at 8:00 then Saturday morning session was 10:00-12:00.  Then a lunch break.  We had an errand and we ate at Mang Inasal--chicken with calamansi, vinegar, oil--yummy. It hit the spot.  2:00-4:00 was the afternoon session.  After we gave 8 missionaries rides--2 sisters came home to the apartment for sea salt water and essential oils.  Sister Miggin is having some foot problems, caused from plastic shoes in humid weather--the feet never dry out.  After I took care of Sister Miggin, they left and we ate, drew pictures, and read scriptures.  Goodnight.  More glorious conference tomorrow!
Sunday left at 7:30 for Arevalo, General Conference broadcast 8-10, then10-12.  We gave 11 people rides home, 4 sisters, plus Sister Insigne and two daughters in back seat on laps and 4 elders in the truck bed.  It was announced that President and Sister Sorilla, who are our landlords and he is a counselor in the mission presidency, they will report to Manilla November 6.  He will be the executive secretary to the Area Presidency.  That is their mission call!  They are a great couple.  We will miss them.  We went and visited Mel and Erl Cozzens.  Came home and read.
Monday washed, cleaned some, and met Cozzens at McDonalds at 9:00.  We took Mel home and we three went shopping for material that is sparkly for the couples dinner/dance in November. Erl showed us the Tatay textile store.  We picked out material and then Ray took Erl home and we went home and ate, checked on our wash and brought out of it inside.  Ray took me back to Erls house and he went and picked up President Insigne and a cabinet to take back to Jalandoni.  A lady came to measure me for my sparkly outfit and I drew a picture of how I wanted it to look.  She is a seamstress. About 3:40 Ray returned to pick me up and we returned to the apartment.it is really wearing to drive here.  It is a constant battle--no one stays in their lanes.  They turn from any lane left or right.  You never know what they are going to do.  I'm making a five layer dip to take to Sorilla's for fhe tonight at 6:00.  This will probably be the last with them.  We taught them all conference pictionary.  They really got into it.
Tuesday zone meeting--4 sisters in the back seat, 4 elders in the open cab.  We now have 24 missionaries in our zone.  Most stayed after for more meetings so we just took two sisters home by way of McDonalds as per request to celebrate one of the sisters in the apartments birthday, Sister Samorin.  However she is sick so we are picking up some ginger and cutting some lemon grass to steep for her.  After we dropped off the sisters, we went to Jalandoni.  5:00 we stopped at McDonalds for a Big and Tasty meal, we share now.  I eat 1/4 and six fries and Ray takes care of the rest.  However, we also got apples pies and we eat our own😐.  It's fruit so it's not fattening😋.  While we were at Jalandoni, it poured rain and a lot of pumping out of water was going on as we drove home.  I did steep the ginger and lemon grass and we took it to Sister Samorin.  She had slept most of the day.  We prepared the clothes for washing tomorrow
Wednesday washed our whites and hung them out to dry.  Every day is a happy day in the Philippines with Ray;  the sun is shining, roosters crowing, warm or hot weather with or without a storm (it always seems like an oxymoron when it storms because it is never cold), often a nice, gentle breeze, and my favorite person who knows me best and still loves me is next to me.  How blessed I am.  We cut my hair this morning.  It got unbearable.  We are still entertaining a rat for all the traps we have laid and all the poison we have set around.  But he keeps "surprising" us with quick appearance/disappearance acts.  We bought a jug of water on our way to Jalandoni, P15, approximately 2 gallons.  We wash the dishes with it and our hands and cook with it.  9:15 we are at Jalandoni--it is a brown out, no power except for the centers generator.  12:30 back to the apartment to bring in the dry laundry, eat lunch, take a rest, (I hate that phrase; it sounds like we are old😖), and returned to Jalandoni.  On the way, Ray stopped and purchased 2 green coconuts@30P each.  5:30 we went to the Esplanade for a brisk mile and a half walk.  Then home for 6 Tostitos with cheese sauce, mashed avocado with lemon, and sour cream.  Satisfying.
Thursday 3 Nephi 9:14 "yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me."  This scripture is so hopeful.  After all the wickedness of the Nephites and Lamanites, there is hope for me, a sinner; change, give my whole heart, might, mind, and strength--a broken heart and a contrite spirit.  We are feeding the rat peanut butter mixed with poison granules on a plastic spoon behind the refrigerator.  Last night and this morning we can see the handle moving while he licks off the peanut butter and leaves the granules.  This is a smart rat.  Ray is ironing his white shirts.  He used his new hatchet and chopped off the bottom of one of our coconuts so it would sit flat and then chopped off the top so we could get the coconut water out; then chopped it in half to scrape out the soft coconut meat.  It's all in the refrigerator now.  He had such a great time with his new hatchet.  We went to Jalandoni and tried to see about my SS and Medicare.  Ray called Medicare but they said to call somewhere else.  It poured rain.  Picture will come.  The streets are full.  We stopped at SM and paid the phone bill and picked up a few groceries while we were there.  Went home and washed eggs before I put them in the refrigerator.  Then cooked our dunch (dinner at lunchtime).  Fish, onions, red peppers, cabbage with lemon rind.  Laid down then returned to the center.  At 5:00 we will walk the Esplanade...come off ten pounds😫6:00 home, snack, read, bed☺️
Friday washed socks, made wheat tortillas (6, as I roll them out with a drinking glass).  We had pancakes and a pomelo for breakfast.  It has very thick skin, the sections are bigger than grapefruit, not as sour or as juicy as grapefruit.  It started sprinkling rain, lighter, then heavier, then lighter etc. ( brought the wash in under cover)8:45 we left for Jalandoni, worked some there until 11:30 and went to Arevalo to check on transfer times, as we heard they had changed, also checked on Christmas conference--nothing set yet, picked up apartment check papers, and reviewed with the AP the locations and received current phone numbers for contacting.  Elder Craythorne is so helpful.  Picked up some bananas and half a kilo of lanzones at a stand on the road in San Miguel.  1:00 back to the apartment--ate and rested.  2:30 went to the Esplanade for our walk early;  it looks like rain later.  Spent some time looking up Elder Rasband's wife's family tree.  She is a Twitchell so I knew we were related.  Her name is Melanie Twitchell and we connect at my ggg-grandfather, Ephraim Twitchell 1803-1872 so our gg grandfathers were brothers and her g-grandfather and my g-grandmother were first cousins.  Great grandma Twitchell married Hutchings and was Grandma Becksteads mother/father (Hutchings).  So fun to follow a hunch but if their name is Twitchell, we are related--that's what my mother said😆