New Apartment

Dear Family,

We have finally moved from the long standing units at Pioneer Highlands where the Public Affairs (& other senior missionary couples and regular missionaries from both the Manila and Quezon City Mission) have lived for more than the last fourteen years.  Our new location is called Orchard One at the Eastwood Mall in Quezon City, so we finally also now live within the boundaries of our own mission.  We still attend weekly church (on Sunday) meetings outside of our mission, but now live within its’ boundaries.  There are some twenty other senior missionaries couples living – in one of the near to twenty (20) in total apartment complexes at this mall area.  It is both an open and closed mall, with dozen of clothing, specialty, variety stores and lots of American-like restaurants.  I say American-like because everything here is just a little off.  It has far better street and public area lighting at night and there are dozens of security and police all around. The streets – no matter the hour of the day are crowded with people going here or there. There are several call center located in the adjoining business offices to the apartments around which makes this mall a beehive of activity all of the time.

We were the last couple to move here, in part because the contract with the church on the unit will were living in was NOT finished until March 31^st and the finding a new place – which was acceptable to us was somewhat challenging.  We wanted it to be clean and have a washer/dryer unit for laundry and many of the units (near to twenty-five or more available for renting) we looked at did not meet one or both of these criteria. The spray for bugs twice a month upon request, because of the hundreds of people who live in this mall area.

But no matter - we have now moved, still dealing with getting everything up and running as it was at our old place - correctly – things like, the air conditioning and the internet are our current challenges.  We have technicians scheduled for one reason or another of these items - they don’t come or the paperwork isn’t correct with the apartment complex, or the parts they need to complete the job aren’t here so we have to re-schedule again and again.  After more than a week of this nonsense I’m ready to just do missionary work at the office and focus my attention there rather than sitting around the apartment waiting for someone to come – but comes and never on time.  You all know how being late effects my attitude about getting the job finished and how much weight I put on being on time and ready to perform.

But as their promotional ad says - for the Philippines: “It’s more fun to be in the Philippines.”  As Rob put it in one of his recent telephone calls – “This is a second world country.”  Not a first or a third but a second world nation – a want-a-be! 

In short, we still do not have the internet in the apartment restored therefore calling each of you is on delay or hold - until it is re-located from our other unit and completely transferred.  With a lot of hope and a little luck - I’m waiting the arrival of the technician (as of the writing of this e-mail) and by 5pm today we should be up and running again. I’ve been often told – the “third time” things are scheduled should be the charm – right!  

No matter we will let all of you know once we are up and running again and have working internet.  But in the meantime - it’s back to writing e-mails and sending them from work. 

Our missionary assignment is mainly a 7:30am to 5pm weekdays (most weeks) job.  We have some weekends where we travel to other parts of the islands to training on Public Affairs, but this mainly this occurs during the first two quarters of each year.  We have been tasked with planning a “news writer’s seminar” for mid-year somewhere near Manila for the Multi-Stake New Writers from around the country and we often hold one more Multi-Stake Director’s training in the last quarter each year.  But other than these two outstanding events most of our traveling around is within 50 to 75 kilometers of Manila by car without any overnight stays.

We love the variety of the work assignments and the can-do attitude that exist in the office, the work is good but the challenge is even greater.  There is always more to do than time to do it, especially since most things have to be done on the Church’s e-mail network which is among the slowest in all of the world. It’s hard to believe but we have completed nearly a third of this mission and we have just gotten started, time flies when you are very, very busy and doing a good work.

We miss all of you the most and wish only the best for each of you - as you meet the personal challenges of life individually.  We pray for your success, happiness, and peace as families each day both morning and night.  May the Lord bless, protect, guide, and assist each of us as we move forward towards eternal life as one great united family unit. 

Love Dad