Dear Family & Friends,
We had a rather light work week – this last week with having two holidays (one was a local one & one was a national one) these were on Tuesday and another on Thursday, it could NOT had come at a better time, since both Sister Morello and I had been fighting head colds and really needed a break.
One Monday we visited and turned over some 6,500 immunization carriers and 60,000 indelible ink pens (to mark each of the children as immunization is completed) at the weekly morning flag ceremony at the National Department of Heath headquarters. This was both a Public Affairs and LDS Charities event with the leadership of DOH. Our intention on the Measles/Polio Campaign is to build a better relationship with DOH Leadership and Other Local Government Leaders as we work to together to help the children (about 12M in the project countrywide.) These trips - took most of the morning going (about an hour and a half – starting at 5:45am), plus another hour and a half at the ceremonies, and lastly about another hour and a half returning back to our Area offices. Traffic in all of Manila is always very challenging - no matter the day or the hour of the day. Following our return to the office we were introduced to a potential senior service missionary couple (a retiring dentist and his sweet wife) who may oversee our dental care activities for us – here in Manila – with young missionaries or potential young missionaries needing dental care. Just by chance Dr. Jackson of Mabuhay Deseret (one of our NGO partner’s) happened to stop by the office, his organization has a dental clinic he is looking at having the Church expand, and the potential couple and we vanned over to see his facility. This took the better part of the afternoon, going, seeing, and returning – but the couple got a good idea of the responsibilities we are looking at having them oversee and manage. So Monday was made up of being mainly out-of-the-office, than Tuesday (off). We took one of the other senior couples to visit the American Military Cemetery and lunch – they serve as leaders over one of the Self-Reliance Centers and Trainers, which doesn’t give them much time for visit elsewhere in Manila. Since in both of our assignment here, we seem to travel all around, seeing both good and bad neighborhoods, I am reasonably comfortable taking others to see the various Manila sites. On Thursday, bright and early (about 5:30am) Pauli and I were off the Cavite (one of the provinces just south of Greater Manila) on meet, visit, and follow-up on one of our Benson Food Development Projects (at IIRR – a new partner NGO.) We visited out in the very, very rural area where learning about and practicing “personal garden” is a part of the regular elementary school curriculum. All of the 5th and 6th graders are tasked with keeping a personal garden at home and a collective one at school – to provide them fresh vegetables and fruits for their meal tables. This improves both them both good nutrients, better health, much better diets, and possibly some small opportunity for a little personal income. After making a few visits out in these rural areas, in the heat and humidity of the morning - we returned to their (IIRR) main offices, about a two hour drive away, ate lunch and viewed their demonstration garden – which they maintain at their educational complex. This was very educational and instructive, much of the same things we have learned over the years of maintaining personal garden in our own backyard, they teach to assist others and lift their lives. On Friday, after another holiday on Thursday, we had our Weekly Measles Campaign Update Meeting with Public Affairs. During these meetings we touch base with one another, making sure everything is getting completed and to check on any of the pending/outstanding budget expenditures. Watching the “checkbook” is one of the many and important tasks that we have been asked to oversee, as well as see that our Church monies are used for the tasked they were intended. LDS Charities is very diligent in using any of the approved funds wisely and for the intended/approved purposes SOLELY.
We had a rather light work week – this last week with having two holidays (one was a local one & one was a national one) these were on Tuesday and another on Thursday, it could NOT had come at a better time, since both Sister Morello and I had been fighting head colds and really needed a break.
One Monday we visited and turned over some 6,500 immunization carriers and 60,000 indelible ink pens (to mark each of the children as immunization is completed) at the weekly morning flag ceremony at the National Department of Heath headquarters. This was both a Public Affairs and LDS Charities event with the leadership of DOH. Our intention on the Measles/Polio Campaign is to build a better relationship with DOH Leadership and Other Local Government Leaders as we work to together to help the children (about 12M in the project countrywide.) These trips - took most of the morning going (about an hour and a half – starting at 5:45am), plus another hour and a half at the ceremonies, and lastly about another hour and a half returning back to our Area offices. Traffic in all of Manila is always very challenging - no matter the day or the hour of the day. Following our return to the office we were introduced to a potential senior service missionary couple (a retiring dentist and his sweet wife) who may oversee our dental care activities for us – here in Manila – with young missionaries or potential young missionaries needing dental care. Just by chance Dr. Jackson of Mabuhay Deseret (one of our NGO partner’s) happened to stop by the office, his organization has a dental clinic he is looking at having the Church expand, and the potential couple and we vanned over to see his facility. This took the better part of the afternoon, going, seeing, and returning – but the couple got a good idea of the responsibilities we are looking at having them oversee and manage. So Monday was made up of being mainly out-of-the-office, than Tuesday (off). We took one of the other senior couples to visit the American Military Cemetery and lunch – they serve as leaders over one of the Self-Reliance Centers and Trainers, which doesn’t give them much time for visit elsewhere in Manila. Since in both of our assignment here, we seem to travel all around, seeing both good and bad neighborhoods, I am reasonably comfortable taking others to see the various Manila sites. On Thursday, bright and early (about 5:30am) Pauli and I were off the Cavite (one of the provinces just south of Greater Manila) on meet, visit, and follow-up on one of our Benson Food Development Projects (at IIRR – a new partner NGO.) We visited out in the very, very rural area where learning about and practicing “personal garden” is a part of the regular elementary school curriculum. All of the 5th and 6th graders are tasked with keeping a personal garden at home and a collective one at school – to provide them fresh vegetables and fruits for their meal tables. This improves both them both good nutrients, better health, much better diets, and possibly some small opportunity for a little personal income. After making a few visits out in these rural areas, in the heat and humidity of the morning - we returned to their (IIRR) main offices, about a two hour drive away, ate lunch and viewed their demonstration garden – which they maintain at their educational complex. This was very educational and instructive, much of the same things we have learned over the years of maintaining personal garden in our own backyard, they teach to assist others and lift their lives. On Friday, after another holiday on Thursday, we had our Weekly Measles Campaign Update Meeting with Public Affairs. During these meetings we touch base with one another, making sure everything is getting completed and to check on any of the pending/outstanding budget expenditures. Watching the “checkbook” is one of the many and important tasks that we have been asked to oversee, as well as see that our Church monies are used for the tasked they were intended. LDS Charities is very diligent in using any of the approved funds wisely and for the intended/approved purposes SOLELY.
May the Lord bless, guide, instruct, and lead each of your righteous and positive actions.
With Love Mike & Pauli Morello,
No comments:
Post a Comment