Beauty All Around

We found another beautiful area in our mission this week.  It is nice to get out to visit these areas that are far from the bustle of the busy cities.  The Cagayan Valley is filled with farms.  Rice and corn fields abound.  Farmers can grow 3 crops of rice in a year, or 2 crops of corn.  Fruit grows in abundance.   We were out in the foothills of the mountains, and the corn crops were growing on the side of the mountain.  I have only ever seen corn grown on flat prairie fields, so this was so unusual to see.  Last week we saw a mountain side planted full of pineapple plants.

Our week was filled with two sets of interviews,  working with the missionaries, and a day hosting guests from Manila.

Elder and Sister Wakolo came out to visit us on Wednesday.  We felt so blessed to have them come.  They came to teach us, and also to answer our questions.  We were encouraged and strengthened by their visit, and are excited to move forward in teaching and empowering our missionaries.  On the evening of their visit, they went with us as we went to teach with the missionaries.  "Teach" is a very loose term.  I go out and watch the missionaries teach, and I listen as they speak in Tagalog, knowing very little of what they say.  Once in a while they ask me to share or testify in English, but it's all a bit awkward.  I hope that improves with time.  President Craig understands far more than I do.  Having served in the Philippines 40 years ago, he did learn to understand it, even if he couldn't speak.  He broke into Tagalog at the Macdonalds drive thru the other day, and I was impressed!  I don't even know if he realised he was doing it!

We had a sweet experience visiting with this lovely lady with the Sisters.  They had an appointment with someone else, who forgot their were coming and wasn't home.  Not to be deterred, one of the Sisters said she was pretty sure a lady from the Branch lived on the next street, and maybe we could go to see her.  We walked over to the next street to see if we could find her house.  As there are very few street names labeled and even fewer house numbers, that involves asking questions.  The Sister was new in the area, so wasn't really sure.  We started down the street, and when she someone outside, she asked him if the lady lived nearby.  Sure enough, she lived a couple of houses down the street.  We found here sitting on a bench outside her house.  She was happy to see us, and we went inside to visit with her and give her a message.  She is a widow, with no family nearby.  As we were talking, she told us that she was so happy we had stopped by.  She was having a very sad and lonely day, and our visit was just what she needed.  There are never any accidents when you are out on the Lord's errand!

Thursday we drove to Santiago and worked for the afternoon and into the evening with some of the missionaries in Santiago.  President offered for the Sisters and I to have the van, so that we cold have A/C, but I had no desire to get stuck on a narrow dead end street and try to get the van turned around, so I declined the offer.  I jumped out of the car with my umbrella, and off we went, walking the streets of Santiago.  (President and the younger Elders were thrilled to have the air-conditioned van) We taught 6 lessons!  (President Craig and the Elders only taught five, but it's not really a competition) I felt like I was melting!  It was 39C with 90%+ humidity!  I was grateful for my umbrella to provide shade.  I was touched at the first home we went to.  The Sisters were teaching two women, at a home of a member.  She had such a wonderful testimony.  She told me in all humility how poor her family was.  I could tell by my surroundings that this was true.  There is poverty everywhere in the Philippines, but some people are markedly more poor than others.  We sat outside her cinder block house on old wooden benches.  She went on to tell me that although she had so very little by the world's standards, really, she was very rich.  She had the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it made her rich.  My heart melted; her faith was so strong!  We have so much, and sometimes we get so wrapped up in our accumulation of worldly goods, that we forget what really matters.  I was grateful for her humble testimony.