We have been told that time flies in this calling, but I had decided that those were big fat lies. Imagine my surprise when I realized we have already completed the first 1/9 of our time here! Need I say more? :)
Since I last wrote, we have learned a couple of things we never ever wanted to know:
1. What the inside of a Philippine hospital emergency room looks like. (Three times in one week, no kidding!)
2. How to help someone stop a hyperventilation syndrome event. (And how long it takes to recover yourself afterwards.)
I admit to praying for less growth for a day. Stagnation! Boredom! Please! Just for 24 hours!
Today we have had a lovely recovery day. Prayers are answered! Even weak, wimpy, uninspiring ones.
We have been to an outdoors baptism! Up in the jungle of the Bataan Peninsula there is the lovely town of Morong. They have a quaint little chapel with twenty or so wooden benches that have slats along the back. The windows open and the ceiling fans blow. Out to one side there is a white cement font and on Sunday there were four people baptized in it. A newly widowed mom, and two of her young sons. Her two older daughters were converted a few years ago, one who would dearly love to serve a mission, but is torn about staying home to be the support her mother needs. There will be a discussion in Branch Council Meeting about how to help. And there was a younger man who looked like a much needed future Young Men's president or another counselor for the branch president! Gather!
I keep thinking our lizard escapades will thin out, but not yet! President Dahle keeps a few treats here in his closet. One day he carelessly left the lid off his prized trail mix. You guessed it!
We have another transfer coming up and the six week cycle begins again! The sister missionaries that came out in the wave are starting to go home in the same flood of numbers that they came out in. We lose nine next week! Nine! Nooooo! I always tease them about staying for three years. They laugh really hard and pack their bags. "We need to go home and get married, Sister Dahle!" We are sending home women of faith who aren't afraid of anything, and who look beautiful and are happy even while living in the humblest possible circumstances and working so hard in their labors. They are choice and will be pillars of power and light in their future homes.
Off to the races!
With all our love,
President and Sister Dahle
 |
| By the friendship gift tower and bell given by Japan. |
 |
Monument at Mt. Samat
|
 |
A visit to Mt. Samat.
We went up into the top of the cross.
|
 |
This is harvest! Cut it by hand, feed the sheaves into the thresher, the grain comes out into a bucket which is then dumped into white sacks. These are carried to the road so the rice can be dumped out and spread to dry. It is scooped and swept back up at days end and hauled away.
|
 |
| It's a surprisingly deep harbor! Isn't that a beauty! |
 |
| Morong Chapel |
 |
| A ride home from church in Morong. |
 |
Newly set apart missionary. His first name is Lehi. He is called to the Provo, Utah mission!
|
 | ||
The covered faces are standard business. Sun protection.
Also, do you see anything here that seems alarming?
 |
 |
Up in the clouds.
This mountain is in the center of the Bataan Peninsula. We could see the ocean on both sides.
|
