Craigs in Cauayan

This coming week Donna and I will reach our one year mark in the field.  This anniversary of sorts has caused me to reflect and remember.  Time has gone fast and the experiences have been life changing.  As I reflect, I present 10 memories and reflections about the past year in no particular order of importance as follows: 1.  I still love the Filipino people.  I fell in love with these kind, gentle, happy people almost 39 years ago when I first served here as a young missionary.  It is called the land of smiles and hospitality.  To newly arriving foreign missionaries I invite them to nod (here you nod raising your head not lowering  it) and smile at the first 10 strangers they pass on the street.  They report that 8 to 10 smile broadly and nod back.  I then ask them how many would smile at a stranger and nod back at home?  Not many. traveling salesman (there is a motorcycle under there) 2.  Young missionaries. ...

Missionaries have a lingo all their own. 26 1/2 months and no release date yet! Their Trainer is their Nanay (Mom) or Tatay (Dad).  Trainers call the missionaries they train "Anak" (child) or (Apo) grandchild (if the missionary is being trained by their trainee).  There is also a whole range of other titles, "Lola", "Lolo" (grandparents), and I still don't quite understand the whole range of different relatives they can have in their mission. They say they were "born" in their first area, and often talk of "dying" in their last.  If they are the last companion to someone going home, they will often say they "killed" their companion. Much has been said over the last few months about all of the missionaries who went home early, and there were lots of them.  Elders usually serve for 24 months, and Sisters for 18 months.  Some are getting re-assignments, but those who were approaching their release date in the next f...

Birthdays in the mission field are a treat.  We had cake three days this week, and President Craig felt very loved.  We have been chuckling all week, however, as one of the missionaries thought he was turning 70!  I remember the days in my early 20's when I thought that 50 was old... We quickly let him know that 70 was still a long ways off! Delicious cake from the Sisters in Tuguegarao, complete with birthday hats! Birthday wishes and treats from the Elders in Santiago Cake and breakfast from the Sisters in Solano Surprise birthday dinner and T-shirts! LOL! Everyone loves to get T-shirts made here.  There are shops everywhere that print whatever you want on a shirt, and they are relatively cheap as well. It was good to drive around a bit this week and see the beauty of nature.  I love the green and the farms and the cycle of the crops.  It helps to see that life goes on, even though we feel like we are at a...