Dear Family and Friends.

Apparently we miss our p-day every six weeks! Sunday night twenty missionaries on their way home came for a two night, one day stay. President interviewed, they had career training, ate a few meals, packed and repacked their heavy suitcases, bore final testimony in a closing meeting and they were off to spread turbo light throughout the world! Twenty families are experiencing one of the top ten happiest moments in life as I write this. Some of these sons and daughters we had come to know well in our short six weeks here, and we will genuinely miss them.

The outgoing group - we miss them already!

Wednesday morning we raced to the bus stop in Olongapo to greet and bring home eleven new missionaries! I was surprised to see MANY others of our own there too. Transfer day means the mission is on the move, and everyone with a new assignment packs up their bags in a hurry on Tuesday night and heads for buses going every which way. I'm amazed that these things happen without us even realizing what is going on! It's hilarious how little we STILL understand about this giant thing we are trying to do!

We loved bringing these new missionaries home, along with their trainers, for a meal (catered), some training and a testimony meeting. Then each off to their first field of labor with their nani (mother) or tati (father), again regressing to the role of anak (child). Before long these new ones will be the nanis and tatis, and make their trainers into grandparents. :) These are treasured relationships!

New Missionaries and their trainers

Saturday was the baptism for two families we had come to know! It was grand and beyond. One family of four had come to all our zone conferences to give the missionaries actual practice teaching and the family taught them right back! The thirteen year old daughter, who is now my special friend, brought her nonmember friend to her baptism saying she would now be her teacher! Yeah! The second was a family of two - the sweet grandma and grandpa were the ones that President went wading and teaching with the assistants to a couple of Sunday nights ago. They brought their two year old grandson along. Hopefully their children will be ready eventually. Who wants to come and have this kind of fun with us?!

What it's all about...

Our shipment came! It's Christmas!!!

I think our house lizards have been multiplying and replenishing. The baby ones are so cute, and they aren't quite as fast to run and hide. I wonder if the larger one that leaped out of President Dahle's cereal box this morning was the same one I evicted from the three hole punch. Hopefully he will learn his lesson and choose a more subtle and less obvious abode. :)

With love and gratitude to you for the prayers and for the support you are to us!

President and Sister Dahle

Office Elders and AP's - our tatis ;)