Well it’s Monday morning in Manila, about 8:15am, I have already showered, dressed, and gone to the adjoining commercial/business building to "our engineering department" for required "work permits" for the Globe Internet and Sky Cable installations scheduled (hopefully for some time today), in an attempt to bring some normalcy to our world. Apparent neither of the two other senior missionary couples in our same apartment building had anything like the many challenges we have been facing for either of these services being installed into their apartment units. One step at a time and one hurdle at a time to leap, to get anything finished in the Philippines. I say hopefully this happens today - because the "work permit" first have to be approved (by who I know not) and they are only good for - one day at a time. Plus I have some concerns that the planned technicians scheduled for today - actually do - show up. We just sit here and wait for their arrival, much the same as in the States, but here at least I had something meaningful to do while I waited. They are scheduled for anytime between 8am and 5pm, but with our luck (if they show up – at all) they will come about 4:55pm and take all night completing their installation task.
Yesterday we attended an English speaking Church Unit (a Branch) here in Manila, where we have been - for now - permanently assigned to attend (or for now at least.) The unit is made up of various (mainly Americans) English speaking people from around the world who are working here - in Manila for work. Many are in banking or with an Embassy and are here for several years with those assignments. Sacrament Meeting was being at home, but afterwards Mother and I were asked to cover a Primary Class of 7 to 9 year olds. They were wonderful and delightful to teach, during Sharing Time – Mother stayed with the class, but since I have been tasked to reach out to Foreign Embassies and Ambassadors, I thought it wise for me to attend Priesthood Meeting. I met several people in the Branch who might help me with that assignment over the next several weeks and/or months. The Branch President work at the American Embassy as an Assistant of some nature, who might be my best angle to start.
Last night Elder DuPaix and I returned to the same Church Building for Stake Priesthood which focused on getting more engaged in "missionary work" as families. The Stake President is wonderful and very talented, but some of the others (who were speaking and teaching) were using "guilt" as their motivators and it has been my personal experience that isn’t a very effective method, to get the positive results one really wants. The meeting lasted for nearly two and half hours, often repeating the same themes, but I have been told - the people of the Philippines are known to need repeated challenges to get the results you are looking for….it is never bad to repeat the "key challenges" if you want positive results.
Last week at the office was just crazy, we had tours of the complex nearly every day, with getting snacks for each group. Apparently it is expected for guests to be fed (with food) when they join you for a visit at your home, business, or in our case our Church Complex. I think I already stated this but we tour the Area Offices, then our Philippines MTC and MRC (Medial Recovery Center for missionaries), then the Temple Annex and Temple Grounds (connected via a tunnel under the main road outside our offices.) Once we have Internet - I will send some pictures - so you can better see what I’m talking about. These tours have "PowerPoint" presentations to introduce ourselves – to our various guest - to start and overall last for several hours altogether. The purchasing of "these various snacks" is a BIG thing and often takes the better part of most mornings. We purchase from KFC, Burger King, or Krispy Kreme as well as from the local market about two block down the street. Since I don’t have a Church Credit Card yet, I’ve just been the "bag man" thus far – just carrying the goodies for the others. A lot of busy work, but we have built some beginning relationships with important government and/or political leader types in a positive way - towards the Church and our overall presents here in the Philippines.
Love you all and greatly miss you. I’ll keep you posted on our Internet and other connections to the outside world as they progress and are hopefully finalized.
May the Lord bless, protect, and guide each of our lives – Love Dad.
Later in the day (around 12:30pm) … well no one shown up yet, we have cleaned again, which is nearly a daily activity, follow-up called both Globe (the Internet folks) and Sky (the cable TV folks), assured they are still coming sometime before 8pm tonight and that installation will be complete before they leave. Further, we called our apartment agent (everything in the Philippines has a whole host of middle men involved and don’t really know what they do, except cost more money), but he still hasn’t gotten any word on the critical issues we are having with electrical (our flash water heater blowing breakers) and other poorly wired lamps, appliances, etc., our bed which looks like an old horses’ back, our window blinds, which are a yellowed and terrible bent mess, and our washer/dryer which only sort of work, our shower drain which was installed on the flat of the floor and doesn’t drain, and other requested items … we have been chasing our Singaporean landlord for now, nearly two weeks without any real positive result.
Our apartment engineering department did come up to see some of the electrical problems discussed above, but could only recommend purchasing items I dare not leave the apartment (in case the techs come from Globe or Sky while I’m gone) from the hardware store (across the street) to buy to fix things. All in all I’m just wasting time most of today, waiting on the tech to show-up!
In the meantime I loaded all of our receipts (expenses) into an Excel spreadsheet to check what things are costing and for getting started and it is more than what we have budgeted, so I think we might need to cut back - a bit - to stay on target, in upcoming months.
Love again Dad….
Still later (now it’s about 4pm) and we just finished installing Internet … HAPPY DAY ! All is well ….
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