Baguio

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We spent the last week of November in Baguio for the Mission Leadership Seminar for the Philippines Area.  It was a wonderful experience to be together again with our batch-mates, and also to meet and get to know the other Mission Presidents in the Philippines. 


But first, we had to get there.  Baguio is only 140 kms away, but it is a 6 hour drive through the mountains.  We left Cauayan at 7:30 am, and headed for Bambang.  We have driven that road many times in the past 5 months, so that was the easy part of the trip.  It is also about halfway.  At Bambang we headed into parts unknown, into the mountains.  There is an easier way around, but it takes double the time, so we decided to try the shorter route.  We were told that the road was good, and also much less traffic than usual, so that sounded great!  We spent three hours on the windiest road I have ever been on.  I thought the Banaue road was like a bad carnival ride.  This was a bad carnival ride on steroids.  Think of that mousetrap ride at the fairgrounds for three hours straight.  It was concrete all the way, so that was a blessing.  Reading was out of the question, because motion sickness would have been inevitable.  But the trip was so beautiful!  There was little to no civilization, and forest and vegetable fields.  It made me feel like I was maybe in the mountains back home.



It was a big highlight for Kipp to take a trip down memory lane and be back "home" in Baguio (his mission headquarters as a young Elder).  It was a wonderful 5 days of training, eating delicious food, being tourists for an afternoon and socializing with wonderful people we have grown to love here.  It is easy to feel inadequate around such strong and inspired leaders.







It was great to be in Baguio with Peter and Kelly Sackley, dear friends from home.  Peter's father was Kipp's Mission President in Baguio when he was young.  It felt like President Sackley was nearby.


Standing at 20 Kisad Road, where the mission office used to stand
Baguio is sometimes called the "City of the Pines".  Because of the elevation, it is much cooler than other parts of the Philippines, and they have pine trees!  And strawberries!!!  And it was Canada weather in late Spring, 23C was about the hottest it got!  Just right for us.



Kipp was President San Gabriel's (Philippines Butuan Mission President)  Zone Leader in San Fernando, La Union



Can you spot Elder Craig? or Elder San Gabriel? or as a bonus, Elder John Bytheway?


With President and Sister Cauilan, of the Philippines Cavite Mission

View from our hotel window


Thanksgiving Dinner! Even included turkey and cranberry sauce






Trying my hand at weaving...let's just say I shouldn't give up my day job!
We were inspired by talks and training from the Area Presidency.  That was the highlight for us.  We were anxious to return home to Cauayan and use what we learned.  We also were rather homesick for these young missionaries we have grown to love so much.  We know that God loves these young missionaries because He lets us know that all of the time.

We stopped in Bambang on the return trip home and spoke at a YSA activity that evening.  It was a very enjoyable night.  I loved it.  We spoke and some of the returned missionaries bore testimonies, and then we played a couple of games.  We played "Do You Love Your Neighbour?".  We laughed and laughed, and only understood half of the things they said, so sometimes we jumped up when we didn't need to.  For example, one fellow said he didn't like people with black hair.  Kipp got up...lol! We had great memories of playing that game over the years, and breaking the legs off of Nona's couch...



Saturday morning we taught a lesson with Elder Wirthlin and Elder Franks in Bagabag.  It was a lovely family, who live way out in the mountains, in a beautiful reed hut.  It was wonderful to teach that family about temples and sealing families together forever.




This mother hen had "gathered her chickens under her wings" (3 Nephi 10:4-6) because she felt threatened by me and my phone taking photos of her




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