The mission is great. In our first two days in the office, we hosted a group of management students and delivered food, water and hygiene kits to people still affected by the flood waters from two weeks ago. One of the TV stations donated the food and covered the event. The church donated the hygiene kits, and LDS charities donated the water. We left at 6:15 am and returned home at 8 pm. Long day. We are so thankful for our driver. Scary roads. We had to go the long way since the main roads were still flooded.
We are jumping back into public affairs just like it hasn't been forever ago. The first day, I skimmed through the training guide and got up to speed. The people in the area office are great. It's quite an operation. Like a business office, The area presidency is here, area legal counsel, real estate and construction, medical, travel, perpetual education, the wheelchair people and LDS charities. I'm sure I've forgotten someone.
Also the MTC for the Philippines is here. We had intake day on Friday. We saw some elders and sisters coming in before we left Friday morning for the flood zone. We have security and drivers and a huge staff of local people working very hard.
Living in Manila is hard. It's dirty and congested with people and traffic. We need our drivers! Our apt is filthy, the air we breath is filthy, the water is undrinkable, and the trash on the street is disgusting. I have decided we need an initiative called "a million trash cans for Manila."
Today we had time to clean our apt. We took down all the curtains and washed them, took apart all four window air conditioners, and washed them, replacing the filters. We borrowed a vacuum. Bought and used a ton of cleaning products. All our dishes have to be rinsed in a bleach solution. We also had the building maintenance people come to clean the grease trap under the kitchen sink. No, I don't know what that is, but the place smells a lot better.
We have a mall across the street from our building. Not so easy to cross the street but doable. The mall has a grocery store, a hardware store and a beauty salon. We finally bought the right kind of electrical converter today. I blew up my hair dryer the first morning. Bought a new one today.
We still don't have internet in the apt. Don't know when I can post this. We miss you all, but are glad to be here.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
The Arrival
To all my loved ones,
After being nearly unmet at the Manila Airport at our arrival at 10:30pm (their time) until near to mid-night last evening (which I believe was on Tuesday rather than on Monday as when we left from Utah) and no less than having been flying for near to 26 hours in total air time and lastly having been up (without any sleep for me) for more than 30 hours straight – we finally did meet our promised contact person at the Airport. Apparently several loads of younger missionaries (a combination of Elders and Sisters) had arrived earlier in the evening and they thought we had just missed our flights and may NOT have been coming. Strangely the young missionaries flew from Salt Lake to LA and then onto Manila, allowing them to leave later in the morning and arrive earlier in the day, but this "old couple" were routed through Detroit – which took much longer and made us arriving much later, in the day, nearly the next day. On our flight to Detroit and then onto Japan there were about two dozen other young missionaries who were going only to Japan, for their service – so on our last leg to Manila - it was just the two of us.
Thereafter, we were driven (in the dark of night on the busy streets of Manila) to our new apartment. Met the other two couples in the lobby and were escorted to our apartment. It is in an high rise building (we are on the 28th floor – oh boy) near the center of Quezon City Downtown - with a nice two bedroom convenience unit, with a small bath, even smaller kitchen, small laundry unit area - two bedrooms - one of the bedrooms has a queen sized bed and the other has a twin sized bed. One of the bedrooms was claimed for Mother’s clothes (small closets) and the other for mine. Finally, to top it all off - we have a medium sized dining/guest living room area off the kitchen area with a few pieces of living furniture for visitors and/or guest.
Today, after finally getting some badly needed sleep – we started the day (around 8 am) – by arranged and re-arranged the laundry area (maybe it is five by six feet in total), move shelving units from one room to another – all in making things seem more like home and getting started in the process of making this place our own.
The other couples seem great, one of the sisters made some nice muffins and stocked our refrigeration with canned fruit juice, for breakfast – today, but most of the food arrangements are yet to be fully understood, that is - do we cook a lot or just eat out.
Tonight the other two Public Affairs couples and ourselves are meeting again for dinner and to start to answer the millions of questions we have about the details of living and working in the Philippines.
Apparently there is a nice small Shopping Mall, with a hardware store and a small groceries store - about a block away from our secured apartment complex, we plan on seeing it also - before our dinner tonight, with the others - plus importantly - I badly need a haircut and one of the other brethren said there is one of them in this area - also. We just returned from buying some household goods and additional clothes hangers, from the hardware store, but didn’t see the food and no haircut. We ran into some other missionary couples, the MTC President of the Philippines, his Executive Secretary, and Medical advisor plus their wives at a Bowling alley in our apartment complex on our return from the Shopping Mall, they also seem really nice and offered to help me out with my haircut problems – tomorrow. Our complex has a Bowling Alley, Tennis Courts, Ping pong Tables, and a Swimming Pool as athletic offerings for the tenants. Seems rather nice for us and everyone seems to use them. In fact one of the couples (the husband was a retired High School Football Coach) was asking about my interests, in sports and involvement - as early as last night.
No regular cell phone yet, no internet, no TV, no radio, - but we did purchase a disposable cell phone at the airport (last night) in our attempt to contact Salt Lake for assistance while we were lost but it is not our permanent one nor do I know "how to call it ?" – that is what is the telephone number.
One last note, I cannot send this brief note right now, but I thought I should write my first impressions while there were still fresh on my mind, once we get to the office tomorrow I should be able to transmit things then. Mother is still resting again and now she’s in the shower getting ready for our exploration of the shopping area. We write again soon, may the Lord bless everyone (including us) and we’ll be talking soon once I get things arranged.
For now, love Dad
After being nearly unmet at the Manila Airport at our arrival at 10:30pm (their time) until near to mid-night last evening (which I believe was on Tuesday rather than on Monday as when we left from Utah) and no less than having been flying for near to 26 hours in total air time and lastly having been up (without any sleep for me) for more than 30 hours straight – we finally did meet our promised contact person at the Airport. Apparently several loads of younger missionaries (a combination of Elders and Sisters) had arrived earlier in the evening and they thought we had just missed our flights and may NOT have been coming. Strangely the young missionaries flew from Salt Lake to LA and then onto Manila, allowing them to leave later in the morning and arrive earlier in the day, but this "old couple" were routed through Detroit – which took much longer and made us arriving much later, in the day, nearly the next day. On our flight to Detroit and then onto Japan there were about two dozen other young missionaries who were going only to Japan, for their service – so on our last leg to Manila - it was just the two of us.
Thereafter, we were driven (in the dark of night on the busy streets of Manila) to our new apartment. Met the other two couples in the lobby and were escorted to our apartment. It is in an high rise building (we are on the 28th floor – oh boy) near the center of Quezon City Downtown - with a nice two bedroom convenience unit, with a small bath, even smaller kitchen, small laundry unit area - two bedrooms - one of the bedrooms has a queen sized bed and the other has a twin sized bed. One of the bedrooms was claimed for Mother’s clothes (small closets) and the other for mine. Finally, to top it all off - we have a medium sized dining/guest living room area off the kitchen area with a few pieces of living furniture for visitors and/or guest.
Today, after finally getting some badly needed sleep – we started the day (around 8 am) – by arranged and re-arranged the laundry area (maybe it is five by six feet in total), move shelving units from one room to another – all in making things seem more like home and getting started in the process of making this place our own.
The other couples seem great, one of the sisters made some nice muffins and stocked our refrigeration with canned fruit juice, for breakfast – today, but most of the food arrangements are yet to be fully understood, that is - do we cook a lot or just eat out.
Tonight the other two Public Affairs couples and ourselves are meeting again for dinner and to start to answer the millions of questions we have about the details of living and working in the Philippines.
Apparently there is a nice small Shopping Mall, with a hardware store and a small groceries store - about a block away from our secured apartment complex, we plan on seeing it also - before our dinner tonight, with the others - plus importantly - I badly need a haircut and one of the other brethren said there is one of them in this area - also. We just returned from buying some household goods and additional clothes hangers, from the hardware store, but didn’t see the food and no haircut. We ran into some other missionary couples, the MTC President of the Philippines, his Executive Secretary, and Medical advisor plus their wives at a Bowling alley in our apartment complex on our return from the Shopping Mall, they also seem really nice and offered to help me out with my haircut problems – tomorrow. Our complex has a Bowling Alley, Tennis Courts, Ping pong Tables, and a Swimming Pool as athletic offerings for the tenants. Seems rather nice for us and everyone seems to use them. In fact one of the couples (the husband was a retired High School Football Coach) was asking about my interests, in sports and involvement - as early as last night.
No regular cell phone yet, no internet, no TV, no radio, - but we did purchase a disposable cell phone at the airport (last night) in our attempt to contact Salt Lake for assistance while we were lost but it is not our permanent one nor do I know "how to call it ?" – that is what is the telephone number.
One last note, I cannot send this brief note right now, but I thought I should write my first impressions while there were still fresh on my mind, once we get to the office tomorrow I should be able to transmit things then. Mother is still resting again and now she’s in the shower getting ready for our exploration of the shopping area. We write again soon, may the Lord bless everyone (including us) and we’ll be talking soon once I get things arranged.
For now, love Dad
Monday, August 26, 2013
The Flight
We are in the Detroit airport waiting for a flight to Nagoya, Japan. We are traveling with about a dozen young elders and sisters, all going to Japan.
The people at Delta call it "Missionary Mondays" and have a lot of helpers in the check in area. We just walked quite a ways and had a whole line of elders following us. Lots of people smiled and waved.
Our flight is boarding now. No time for phone calls.
Love MOM
PS. Boarding announcements are in English and Japanese and Tagalog (yes, I can understand some words.)
The people at Delta call it "Missionary Mondays" and have a lot of helpers in the check in area. We just walked quite a ways and had a whole line of elders following us. Lots of people smiled and waved.
Our flight is boarding now. No time for phone calls.
Love MOM
PS. Boarding announcements are in English and Japanese and Tagalog (yes, I can understand some words.)
Saturday, August 24, 2013
The MTC Experience
Wanted to give you the particulars on the last week. Our housing was
at the downtown Provo Marriott. We had a shuttle driver every morning
and evening. We started at 8 am every day and basically learned how
to teach small groups. The Senior Couples had all of their instruction
at the Chapel next to the MTC.
Our meals were in the MTC cafeteria with the 4000 other young elders and sisters. Meals times were spread over 3 hour periods. The food was good, and after we figured it out, very orderly and efficient. I have never been in a cleaner cafe.
We were usually finished by 4:30 every day. Then we had dinner in the cafe and were back to the Marriott by 6pm. Hardly a tough schedule. We did have homework, but nothing to tedious. Section of Preach My Gospel, or some scriptures.
The other couples were amazing. Going to every corner of the earth, doing everything imaginable. We talked to several going as office couples, humanitarian (in Indonesia), and 4 sisters going to
Independence, Mo. Another couple married only 6 months going to Orlando, FLA.
We also had one sweet couple on their 5th mission going to Germany. Amazing couples. It was great to be around them.
I suggest by way of getting ready for a mission, you guys go home teaching together. Mike and I just have a sense of when to give the other a chance to talk. That seems to be a huge learning curve for
some couples.
We are trying not to stress out about our flight that leaves Monday morning and gets in Tues. at Midnight. Someone named Clem is picking us up from the airport. Two couples from the Area Office said they have our apt. ready for us. Can't wait to start, PAULI
at the Chapel next to the MTC.
Our meals were in the MTC cafeteria with the 4000 other young elders and sisters. Meals times were spread over 3 hour periods. The food was good, and after we figured it out, very orderly and efficient. I have never been in a cleaner cafe.
We were usually finished by 4:30 every day. Then we had dinner in the cafe and were back to the Marriott by 6pm. Hardly a tough schedule. We did have homework, but nothing to tedious. Section of Preach My Gospel, or some scriptures.
The other couples were amazing. Going to every corner of the earth, doing everything imaginable. We talked to several going as office couples, humanitarian (in Indonesia), and 4 sisters going to
Independence, Mo. Another couple married only 6 months going to Orlando, FLA.
We also had one sweet couple on their 5th mission going to Germany. Amazing couples. It was great to be around them.
I suggest by way of getting ready for a mission, you guys go home teaching together. Mike and I just have a sense of when to give the other a chance to talk. That seems to be a huge learning curve for
some couples.
We are trying not to stress out about our flight that leaves Monday morning and gets in Tues. at Midnight. Someone named Clem is picking us up from the airport. Two couples from the Area Office said they have our apt. ready for us. Can't wait to start, PAULI
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Getting Better
The cafeteria was much less noisy and crowded today. Tomorrow is intake day for 900 young elders and sisters. We were told to keep out of the way, but watch from a distance. Apparently it's quite a site to see.
Tomorrow we give our first lesson to a volunteer acting as not a member of our church. Mike and I made up a lesson plan. I am grateful we home taught together for so many years. Pretty great to know your companion so well.
We have a devotional at the Marriott Center tonight. More on that tomorrow.
All is well.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
And So We Begin
We're here in Salt Lake staying in a very nice Little America Hotel. We start
Public Affairs training in the morning. Ready to go!
Saturday, August 10, 2013
And We're Off
We finally got our luggage down to 50 pounds each and have left our little home on the first leg of our mission. Security was a breeze and we're waiting for the plane. Thank you to Dennis Grant for shuttling us to the airport. And many, many thanks to Jan Hamilton who is caring for our home. All is well.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Packing
I thought I was doing so well! Both suitcases packed and my closet empty. But one suitcase weighs 70 pounds! Now the fun of deciding what not to take. We leave Sat for training in Salt Lake.
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