Interfaith Luncheon

Dear Family and Friends,

Another busy week has passed and the constant thrill of being here is still very fresh and exciting.  This past week we conducted an Interfaith Luncheon with representatives from the Catholic (about 85% of the Filipinos), Muslins (8% of the Filipinos – mainly in the southern part of the Philippines), Ba’hi (a very small faith group) and ourselves.  We had reached out to both the Jews and the Buddhist, but neither found time to join us for this mutual discussion and a very nice luncheon.  We will continue to seek to broaden our audience, but of those who did attend - they totally enjoyed themselves and want to do this again.  Of those who did attend - who were about 30 or so, we had wonderful discussions among ourselves at about six tables – where we had an opportunity to better understand one another and to seek agreement among our common interests and faiths.  This event was a part of the National Harmony Week, as part of the International Harmony Week – celebrated around the world – in most of the developed countries and cities.   With only a few words - we found that seeking common ground among our various faith communities and beliefs – is not hard or very challenging. People of faith no matter their background have far more in common than different.  One of the Area Presidency was the introductory speaker, welcoming our guests to our building and inviting all to enjoy themselves.  It is always nice to have a member of the Area Presidency present at your event, they add so much to the overall spirituality and welcomingness and bring a very nice kind message for everyone.

We have scheduled and have planned to start training around the Philippines, with various Stake and Multi-Stake Public Affairs Directors – their home areas.  This training is conducted annually to both energize the newly called directors and to re-vigorate the older serving members.  Getting everyone of the same targets and objectives surely makes for a far better overall result than having dozens of varying messages and agendas.  Annually the Area Office Staff (mainly ourselves, the two missionary couples and Haidi (our Director) travel out of Manila to their various locations to reach-out and to better understand the challenges and note their successes – that each of these teams face in the forthcoming year and in the past.  Our job is to support and assist these good folks as they do the heavy lifting out in the field.  We are their “first contact” to the Area Public Affairs goals and objectives to orchestrate common themes throughout the Area (the Philippines.)  Our first training session is scheduled for this upcoming weekend in Bacolod (a community/island reachable only by airplane or by long ferry rides.)  Bacolod is in the middle of this island chain on the western side of the country.  We are excited to start and are hopeful our contribution might add to the effort and assist someone in understanding to uniqueness of serving in Public Affairs. Unlike most other Church assignment we serve not on Sundays, or in the scheduled week day activity, but rather as the project are identified and the public and media need to be alerted and notified.  Minutemen to promote, publicize, narrate, and document – unique but very rewarding.  Our best people are these outstanding, well-spoken women, who can craft a concise message and just get the job done - better than anyone else.  The vast majority of our Directors are these wonderfully talented women – who serve so faithfully.

We continue to learn more and more about the unique aspects of daily Filipino life, nearly never does a day goes by that something new is found among these great people. Their constant smiles, and cheerful spirits - amidst the daily challenges of life, just surviving each day on their merger incomes and positively dealing with the regular natural disaster are always refreshing.  How one can be so inwardly content, when life is so uncertain is both amazing and wonderful.  Loving these people is so easy and feeling welcomed and accepted has been no challenge at all.   In addition to the common people we meet in the streets and daily interaction our Church family is even more amazing.  They are from all around the world, having generally to work in various business opportunities here in the Philippines. Their families have been exposed to various cultures as many of them have lived at many other locations around the world.  This makes for a most interesting view of the gospel message and of mankind.  Interacting with them each week, generally on Sundays has caused me to more deeply reflect upon what is really important in terms of life and value. Family and church become interwoven for us – especially since many of us are so far from close family and friends otherwise.  Likewise our Senior Missionary Zone (of about twenty couples) have become (somewhat) our extended family, we have so much in common and each of us are here – just doing the best we can to bless, help, and serve these great people – we love so much.   Many of the other missionary couples have far greater opportunity to see the huge differences between the few who have and so many who have so little.  Things just don’t make one happy.

May the Lord bless, protect, guide, and grant you’re every righteous desire and may each of you know of our love and prayers in your behalf.

With Love Elder Morello