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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