Dear Family & Friends,

Another week completed and we are still very excited to be here, in the Philippines – serving in Public Affairs. This week, was the last week of doing things all alone, now that the Pyles’ (the other senior missionary couples) in our Public Affairs offices, have come back from going home (to Utah) with the death of Sister Pyles’ mother. She needed to return home to handle things and assist her family in all of the issues associated with the loss of her mother. One doesn’t really know how much - you’ll miss someone until they are gone or away. Great to have them back, to help and cover the many things we are doing and are a part of our assignment.

This past weekend, some twenty senior missionary couples (more than forty of us) journeyed off to a nearby (about two hours by van) coconut plantation south of Manila (in the provinces.) We took four vans full of people, then travel south - early on Saturday morning to enjoy this exploring experience. During our visit we saw lots of coconut trees with even more coconut products, a beautiful waterfall where we ate lunch, with our feet in the water (see picture) lots of real caribou pulling the people carts, many more rice fields (to and from), a museum (see the pink church), the plantation house (see the other pink house), native dancers, singers, and musicians - and all of the normal Filipino countryside during our travels. The whole experience was wonderful (see attached pictures.) 

On Sunday morning (in the early at 7 am) we had a special “memorial day” ceremony at the American Manila Soldiers Cemetery. In preparation for the whole day’s event our Boy Scouts (along with many other Phillippines Scouts had a Two day - Camporee at the Cemetery complex) Wile camping and doing merit badges our Makati Ward Scouts and the Other Scouts placed flags (7 thousand of pairings of flags – One US & Filipino) on each of the grave stones around the site. Many organizations, including our faith offered wreaths for their fallen comrades-in-arms with both national political and international representative as speakers and prayers. The armed services from the Philippines provided a flag ceremony, with music, and a color guard - to greet and welcome the several hundred guests to the event. The day was wonderful, but a bit on the hot and humid side. (See more pictures)

Afterwards we attended our normal church meetings (our church meetinghouse is somewhat nearby the cemetery) and then enjoyed a nice meal Mother prepared with Sister Doig & the Pyles after which we generally had a restful late afternoon and evening. It was very nice day, one evening of rest before we start another very busy week full of many scheduled activities. 

Time surely goes much faster when you’re busy with many varied events.

One another note we are changing the people living in our Missouri home while we are away. One of the ladies who have been living there is buying and moving up to the Nauvoo, Ill area, after having retired just before she joined us last September. We have selected to have a young, medical resident student couple (one of the President & Sister Lewis kids) with two small (twice) daughters move into our place, for the balance of our mission, or until July 2015. They can do a few more things around the yard and house and help us overset the cost of keeping the place intact while we have been gone. The home apparently is a constant challenge no matter how much you attempt to prepare ahead of time for your leaving. We have kept the utilities, insurance, and taxes all in our name to make returning easier, but this has offered a host of additional issues, only leaving has exposed. One less worry, once they are in place and the transition has fully occurred.

May the Lord bless and grant each and everyone all their righteous desires of their hearts.

With Love the Morellos’

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Dear Family & Friends,

Another great week under our belts here on our mission in the Philippines; as usual we have worked hard all week and now that the weekend has come we are totally exhausted. I think now that it is Saturday, we’ll just chill here around our nice apartment. We have our weekly cleaning chores to do and then just read and/or watch some TV to relax. This week was particularly hard since we were still covering for both our assignment as well as the Pyles’ – who are still in Utah until after the 23th of May, when they return near midnight via those “short flights” from the U.S. Speaking of those short flights - we have one of the couples leaving this upcoming Friday, after having served for eighteen months in perpetual education – that is where they oversee, distributing and following up on scholarships to deserving young people – wanting to get an education to better their opportunities for better employment and careers. They live in our same apartment (building); in fact, they were the first of now more than six other couples - to move into this particular apartment complex. They have been very helpful in our adjustment, for the third time after moving into Eastwood (the overall mall complex where we live now), with all of the other senior couples of our mission.

As I stated last week once in a while we need a day to recharge your batteries, so on Saturday we just chilled around the apartment and mall – not doing much of anything but resting. Sister Morello had a lesson for the Relief Society (the Women’s Organization) to prepare for Sunday but I didn’t have anything especially since I had finished my dropping off and picking up the laundry, and some small shopping for a few items at the grocery store on Friday early evening. So Saturday was generally very restful for me.

On Saturday afternoon (early evening about 5:30pm) we attended a Ward Talent Night, with much of the congregation performed in one way or another with light refreshments provided by everyone. The talent was great and the laughter was even better. We totally enjoyed seeing from children of four or five years of age to senior missionaries in their seventies, doing all sorts of performances of musical, readings, dancing, playing instruments, etc. during the night’s event. Truly this is a very gifted and talented group of people we attend church with each week. Our Bishopric (all three members who often volunteer service) are leaving the Philippines in the next weeks or so, so we expect this upcoming Sunday a see a total change in staffing generally throughout the unit. People in these type of International Church Units, are here about three or five years at the longest and then move onto either other countries or return home (from wherever they are from.) We have visitors from around the world nearly every week at church with us, making this whole experience (each week) very interesting and insightful.

On Sunday we went to Church early to sing in the Ward Choir, since our Director (the wife of the Bishop) who is wonderful and outstanding and their family - are leaving in a few weeks to return to the United States. He has been here with the US Government assisting in distributing financial aid among the Filipinos and has been given a nice promotion to return back home. In think they are going to Northern Virginia, where all good Federal Government officers live. In one of those small mansions – located there. They are a wonderful family and have contributed much while they have been here for nearly five years - now. They truly will be greatly missed.

We’re off to another event, or hosting someone, or something (not sure now) haven’t looked at my calendar yet - but busy as ever as we begin another week of serving. We love the people, love the land, and the weather is crazy hot. NO COLD WEATHER HERE ! We have been told the rains are about to begin in a few weeks (near the beginning of June) and we have been told that the outside temperatures will reduce a bit then. We have had a rather dry Winter/Spring thus far with only a few days of rain this year. But we understand the rainy season will make up for that very quickly once it begins. In fact, in a country of nearly 90 inches of rain each year, they are talking of drought and water shortest if the rains don’t come soon. Just one more climate challenge to deal with amidst earthquakes and seasonal typhoons, these poor people can’t get a break – one disaster after another seems to be their lot. And on top of everything else in the South – they keep on fighting after having signed a peace agreement. Haven’t learned the first rule of the playground, put down the rocks and stop throwing them. It should be time of naptime with milk and cookies, not fighting with one another all the time. We are responsible for the southern third of the Philippines, from a Public Affairs standpoint - but because of all the fighting and the periodic kidnapping of “white folks” we can’t travel into those areas. So all of our support of their public affairs efforts comes via either the internet or on the telephone. Our Director travels there and offers the “hands-on” support they might need and we follow-up.

Well that’s about all for now, in conclusion, may each of you be bless, protected, and guided by the wise choices you make and may everyday be your best.

With Love the Morello’s

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Dear Family & Friends,

We just finish another great week on our mission here in the Philippines; we worked hard all week and now that the weekend has come we are simply totally exhausted. Once in a while we need a day to recharge our batteries, so on Saturday we just chilled around the apartment and mall – not doing much of anything but resting. We did have a Primary Lesson (Sunbeam class of four year olds) to prepare for but other than getting a haircut, dropping off and picking up the laundry, shopping for a few items at the grocery, and preparing a lesson – we did nothing. After listing everything we did – do – it seems like resting is a lot like our normal days, a thousand things to do and little time to do all of them. Our friends and co-workers (here in Public Affairs) the Pyles - had to go home to Utah with an emergency death of Sister Pyles Mother – last Monday. It had been expected but deaths in ones’ family are never easy, and leaving at the last minute even makes it harder. But no matter they boarded the airplane and flew more the twenty-five hours back to Utah (home) to handle things.

They had planned and organized two wonderful events: one was an Inter-religious Luncheon/Dialogue and another was an Interfaith Peace Camp between the Muslims, Mormons, & Baptists. The Inter-religious Luncheon had five religious groups attending: Mormons, Muslins, Catholics, Baptists, Baha’s and the other had three. Both activities were outstanding but with their departure we were left to pull together the few (last minute) details and execute their plans. We experienced long days and very busy hours of keeping everything going and “on track” during both of these events – where we were reaching out and building friendships. We hosted (our Church) both of these events at one of our building, in light that we have the room and air conditioning for groups of forty (on the one day) and nearly seventy (on the other.) With the Interfaith Peace Camp the Mission Training Center (MTC) happened to have a day off from work – so our fifteen Young Single Adults (18 to 25 years old) who attended were primarily from their ranks. Our young people were wonderful, friendly, well-spoken young people who effectively shared our faith and its’ standards with these other two faith groups. Near to forty-five Young Single Adults in total were in attendance with fifteen from each faith. Both days were great and our task of building bridges of understanding and friendship were furthered.

Now it’s Wednesday of the following week and we are having another beginning to this week, as normal – just as busy as always. We hosted the Mayor of Urdaneta, a town of nearly one hundred thousand people, of about three to four hours driving distance away. She was wonderful, during her first year of service as Mayor; she was able to turn around the budget of the community from losing money to now having a surplus. She managing the town “like a business” and holding the various department heads accountable for any and all of their expenditures – that are not already included in their regular operations. Accountable among government officials is not generally the way business here has been done, and it is very refreshing to see where government can benefit from wise operating practices. She was signing MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) on partnering with us on the distribution of wheelchairs to their handicapped. We look for wise partners to assists us in helping the handicapped with providing them with more accessibility with giving them wheelchairs. We have distributed thousands of wheelchairs worldwide to the handicapped, and in the Philippines we have provided hundreds each year. Just one more way we follow our mission – we do what the Savior, Jesus Christ would do and model our lives after His Commandments, a big challenge but in doing so our individual lives are truly blessed.

I’m off to another activity, the Forum with the National Committee on the Filipino Families, at one of the National government agencies, Department of Social Welfare & Development. This is an all afternoon event, where guest discuss the “resilience of the Filipino peoples.” They seem to be able to smile amidst disaster-after-disaster, and bounce back no matter the event. Something the World generally could learn much from. Most of the event will likely be in all in Tagalog, the language of the common people and a language I understand far better than speak. So I hope we can benefit from attending and learn something new. I’ll let everyone know hereafter, in a future post.

In conclusion, may each of you be bless, protected, and guided by the wise choices you make and may everyday be your best.

With Love the Morello’s

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Just wanted to give you a look at our latest senior zone picture. I am in the front row and Michael is in the back. We had less people willing to sit on the floor so I did it. Don't we look happy and relaxed? These people house the missionaries, take care of them at the MTC and when they are sick, do legal work for the whole country, do wheelchairs and other humanitarian projects, do Perpetual education, take care of the Area Presidency, and assist the members and young missionaries in every way. Oh and some do public affairs. Aren't we a great bunch?