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?

Dear Family & Friends,

Another great week on our mission has now passed; we worked all weekend with the Filipino National Day of Service.  This is a day where the LDS Church in particular leads the way and partners with various local governments, or GNO’s to do a “Mormon Helping Hands” Project within their community.  The individual Stake (like a catholic diocese) selects the project and provides nearly all of the labor and some of the expertise for the project.  We have hundreds of Stakes in the Philippines and there were hundreds of projects to select from.

The particular event we attended and captured in our narrative/pictures was in Cavite, about a two hour drive from Manila (to the south.)   We started early around 5:30am to drive down in hopes of missing the crazy Manila (always heavy) traffic on getting out of town, but of course it was heavy as always and delayed us really getting really on-the-road on the expressway to the South. Cavite had partnered with a GNO and one of the local community governments (called a barangay) to build additional housing units for the poorer members within their area with a simple 12 by 25 feet included a small kitchen area structure for their families.  There were about hundred plus units already inhabited with a total of 600 family units planned or under various phrases of construction.  Our 650 plus members from two Stakes & one District poured the flooring on about 20 individual family housing units – mixing the concrete by hand (with sand, gravel, cement, and water) and then hand carrying it to the site.  It was about 96 degrees plus 60 to 70 percent humidity, in full sun.  It had rained (at the site) the night before and there was mud everywhere.  In fact we nearly buried our church car in the soft mud while driving into the construction site following one of the leaders.  Additional to pouring the floors they dug the footer holes for an additional hundred individual family units.  These holes were a meter (H) by meter (W) by meter (D) for the main superstructure footers and a half meter (W) by a meter (D) for the walls (which are made of cinder block.)  The footer digging was particularly hard because the soil was hard or very rocky and much of it took using picks in addition to shovels.  Nearly two-thirds of these footers were completed by the eight hours of our project were completed. To understand the layout - a housing unit is made up of four or five individual family units tied together under a common roof.   Additional to the 600 total plus - individual family units being built on this site – it is planned to also build a club house (of sorts), a playground, an athletic (recreational) structure, and many grassed (landscaped) areas for the various families to enjoy and use.  A major undertaking by anyone’s definition but for our Church it was very, very hard and very time consuming.  Apparently the Church has worked (or at least some of the nearby members) have worked at the site during the earlier phrases of construction.  All in all is was wonderful to see the hundreds of people, all engaged and working hard to benefit their fellow’s citizens.  Additional to our 650 members some of the residents to offset their housing joined our teams of people to either guide or assists as well.   Many “Mormon Helping Hands” made the day goes fast and the work worth doing!   After driving home (the two hours) back into Manila (thru the normal heavy traffic) – Sister Morello and I just crashed for the balance of Saturday. 

One Sunday after the normal church meeting starting at 10am, but then following our return home, in the afternoon - since there is a Catholic Church located just next door to our 40 story apartment building - formerly called Pope John II before Sunday.  Since the Pope received sainthood on Sunday afternoon (in Philippine time) we watched the renaming, then second Easter celebration, and Sainting ceremonies viewed on a large screen TV in our mall.   After the viewed ceremonies the local Church held renaming mass and other activities well into the evening, much the same as they had during last week’s Holy Week.   Living next to a “no honking zone” where we thought it would be very quiet because of the Church being there - has become one of the busiest areas in the entire mall.  No matter another afternoon/evening of much activity of singing, music playing, preaching, and community voicing has become normal to our little part (corner) of the mall.

On every Monday morning - we have an Area Office Devotional, where one of the staff members - give an inspirational message (of around fifteen to twenty minutes) with songs and public announcements at 7:30am.  Our new drive time to our offices is about fifteen to twenty minutes (but now both ways) so we get up around six to be at the offices for these events.  Normally our work day begins about 7:30am and ends most days around 4:30pm to 5pm.  The critical fact is most of the time we work a business day schedule but often like National Day of Service or Earth Day our days are much longer and out in the sun.  The weather here (that is in Manila) has been especially dry since the first of the year with droughts to the north of us.  It is very hard to believe but flooding to the south (of the Philippines) and droughts to the north.  The weather here is so varied and changeable in minutes.  The rain when it comes (the average 90+ inches / year) comes by the buckets but when it doesn’t rain we have droughts.  The poor farmers, who mainly grow rice – have to deal with each too dry or too wet – and this doesn’t account for all of the twenty plus typhoons each year.  If there were a people who need a break in life than the Filipinos surely are those peoples. No matter they smile all the time and are generally happy and cheerful.  A lesson for the rest of the world to learn from and to follow.

Sister Morello and I have learned much, enjoyed even more, and are sad to announce and realize that nearly a third of our stay here (in the Philippines) is coming to a close, as we serve the Master.  May the Lord bless, protect, guide and direct your lives as you attempt to follow His Commandments.   We love and miss each of you and look forward to the day seeing you in person in fourteen or fifteen short months.

With Love, the Morellos

Some of the commerce along Manila Bay and Elder Morello in our carriage ride in Old Town Manila.