Delinquent!

Hello! 

We are still here! But preparation day found us preparing in other ways than writing home. Here's what we were doing!

It's time for mission president interviews, so Sister Winters and I took ourselves down the hill to do some shopping and to get bins and bins of cookies to be used for holding off starving missionaries until we can finish talking with each one. 

Interviews are the most wonderful experience! I don't actually interview, because I am less official. I chat and ask hard questions like "What did you eat for breakfast this morning?" "How is your English study coming?" and "Are you exercising each day?" (Thank you Elder Klebingat! See general conference, Saturday afternoon) To these questions they smile big and say "Ummmm".  I give my best pep talk to those who need it. Then I ask about how each one's family is. This question gets varying responses; often there is much to tell, sometimes it is tearful. Again I wish I could shout from the rooftops about our valiant ones! Many have little or no family contact. A few are disowned. And, there are many who are well loved, supported, and have parents counting down the months while their son or daughter tries hard to ignore the number signaling the end. 

But there is one question that elicited identical responses without fail: "How did you like General Conference?" 500 watt light bulbs go off in every pair of eyes, and they spill out their love of this talk or that one. How they needed just exactly what a specific speaker taught. How thrilled to have a new focus. Many even liked the talk by Elder Klegingat which scored a direct hit for most of us. 

We love these missionaries! We are so proud of them. We are honored to serve side by side, shoulder to shoulder with them. For all the jokes about the church being true because "how else could a bunch of teenagers not bring it to ruin," we want to say, take a closer look at these teenagers. They are budding Ammons, Lehis and Nephis, Almas and Amuleks! We are all striving together to be the Lord's missionaries and bring the world His truth! And some days we are surprised that hapless rookie mission presidents and wives don't crumple the forward motion of His work! That's where the real jokes could begin. :)

So, that's the long answer for the short question of why we were delinquent in getting the email out on the first half of Monday. Cookie buying. Oh, and we finally got a griddle for pancake making, too. Did you know they actually try things out in the store before you buy them to make sure they work? I had to wait a bit for the repacking...avoiding melting plastic and all. This is the practice with light bulbs too! Good idea, right?!

Then, in the evening, President Dahle had a very special talk to give.

A few weeks ago, maybe even several, President Dahle interviewed a wonderful sister just younger than we are for a temple recommend. She was a less active returning! She was so excited to go to the temple, and actually had a sweet experience in her interview and talked about it after to the missionaries. The branch temple trip was scheduled for October 21 and she would be going! She was a cancer survivor, and was just going back for some rechecks. A minor surgery was decided on. So, so sadly, through some complications, she passed away suddenly. Her funeral was Monday night, in her home, where her casket was surrounded by flowers upon flowers, and her family. Her temple recommend was placed in her right hand and she was in her temple dress. Branch members and friends gathered, many of us seated out on the porch and some out into the street. There were talks and hymns, and all was concluded by President Dahle. More somber, but still, sweet is the work.

This was a renewed look at the eternal perspective.

To end on a lighter note, basketball, bats, and beetles. That's the short version of our date last night. I will say that the conclusion found just us out on our court, under the lights, having two short games of PIG. I won't say who won, but I will say that we were both rather surprised! :-)

Name that beetle!

And, as we were driving in the night recently a lizard landed on our windshield!!! The force of the wind blew him unwillingly up, up, up, until he couldn't hang on any longer and disappeared into the dark! Or is this a teenage lizard thrill seeking night game for reptilian delinquents?!

We love you!

President and Sister Dahle

Excellent transportation!

The red bag may hold the catch of the day. 

Masinloc Branch President

Fisherman in every sense. He was out at 3:00 am that morning netting a catch of just over 2 kilos. Smaller than usual.

How many times have you wanted to do this?!

The program for a zone meeting.
Can you guess what it means?

Masinloc Chapel. 

Small or large, our chapels feel the same. 

Nope! No Christmas hymns!

Small word of advice!

Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991 filling valleys

with muddy ash while making its way to the ocean. 

Sickle in hand, he begins the rice harvest.

In Their Shoes

Dearest Family and Friends,

October is here and literally the only hint of Halloween is the random single t-shirt worn in a crowd of teenagers the other day that said, "This is my costume". But Christmas continues to gain steam. This week when we had a small delay at the beginning of MLC we sang Christmas hymns to prepare us spiritually! :)

Each day has something miraculous! At temple recommend interviews in Cabalan, there was a darling grandma who had been a member for over thirty years and was just that evening getting her first temple recommend. President Dahle taught her how to do a high five to celebrate. 

First Temple Recommend

Another day we went to do follow up training with one of our newer Sister missionaries and her companion and when we went to take them to their next appointment we got invited along to meet their recent convert. A beautiful and gracious woman. We were invited in! This Sister has a home sewing business that puts out hot pads. She has a serious sewing machine and two employees. How fun to see them in their industry. She was so kind to give us a few to take home, calling the gift an s.r. That stands for simple remembrance. It's a common and lovely practice. 

Visting Recent Converts

We were doing some grocery shopping in the store here that most resembles Costco, and a long time member from Mariveles introduced himself! Coincidence? We met his wife, friend and some other of their neighbors who had all come from there together. He and his wife are newly called area family history missionaries, which is becoming an exciting tool of conversion, retention, and reactivation. We have a trip planned down there for mp interviews next week and so have a dinner invitation! We will plan about connecting them with our missionaries in a powerful joint venture.

Members from Mariveles

Mission Leadership Conference

Finally, this was the week of Mission Leadership Council! It is the day that the mission leadership comes together to council and train together. They are magnificent in their work! They are professionals. They are inspired! And they are a lot of fun. Lunch is served by the incomparable Brother B. and there is an hour when our home if full to overflowing with some of God's greatest.

We love them. The scene of dozens of well worn shoes out on the front entry is my favorite. Their shoes tell a story: each well worn pair carries a son or daughter into daily high adventure in this sacred work. Who would have thought that a pile of footwear could carry such a strong spirit?

We love you! Thank you for your prayers and return messages. 

President and Sister Dahle

Rice Story

Green waves of rice. New favorite color: Philippine Green. 

Emptying bags of rice onto the roadside

Spreading it out to dry. Yes it gets driven on a little. 

And then at days end it gets swept back into the bags.

 We have yet to see the actual act of harvesting, so we will be watching for the missing link.

Twenty-four hours

Dear Family and Friends,

  Really, you will get more like 27 hours, but that in the subject line just doesn't carry the same punch.

Saturday 

6:30 am. Leave for the Iba District family week celebration. We have a plan we think we will carry out through the day.

8:00 am. Arrive, see the church parking lot full of costumed baton twirlers, a marching percussion group, and families, including investigators, with a variety of banners and signs proclaiming 'family!', a few in matching t-shirts made just for today, even some banana leaf woven hats. (Very cool). And of course, missionaries!

8:30 am. We all march through the town, us under our bright green umbrella and wishing like mad that we had about a hundred family proclamation pamphlets to pass out like candy! One of these days we will start thinking ahead of ourselves. We give out our pass along cards without getting too far behind the parade. 

9:00 am. Arrive at a large pavilion all set up with professionally made banners that tell about our church and all that it offers to bless families. There is a large stage and many chairs. This is a beautifully conceived plan with great potential! There are booths set up to the side for health tests and donating blood; missionaries are not allowed. Food vendors gather around the back with their carts of tempting marienda (treats). The band plays while the twirlers twirl. Someone hands us a program that shows President Dahle as the concluding speaker! Surprise! There is also a nice slot titled Guest Speakers: that's me. :) Surprise again! That is when I start praying.

9:45 am. Again, I am blessed with a little idea of what to say. I say again, because this kind of speaking invitation happens regularly for both of us. President Dahle doesn't bat an eye. I do. But here I must say that those excruciating hours of standing in front of institute and seminary students ( and I should have bolded the word excruciating because my faith and my fear had many arm wrestling bouts), paid off. By the kindness of a loving Father I am able to do this.

10:00 am. (Here is where our own plans are tossed out) There is an hour of really fun games and activities before the closing remarks are given by the mission president. Wow! He really teaches every time! I am married to this man! He too, knows what to say. Elder Uchtdorf said it's okay for me to say, "I am so proud of him!"

11:30 am. Lunch. Someone so kindly hands us each a specially ordered meal from Chow King.

12:30 pm. We take the Elders and Sisters to their respective apartments in Botolan. We see that the Sisters new apartment is lacking in a few basic items, like drinkable water and a rice cooker. Almost equal in importance!

3:00 pm. Arrive at a baptism for four, our Elders' investigators. We are the 'concluding remarks'. Surprise!

4:00 pm. Shopping for Sisters, then a treat of Greenwich pizza! Hawaiian Loaded!

6:45 pm. Return to Sisters' apartment. Here I will note that the Sisters' apartment is located at the back of a large family compound which is guarded by five dogs, and an uncountable number of chickens. Uncountable because they run squawking hither and yon from the dogs. Naturally, the dogs are anxious to greet the new strange lady who reeks of terror, by barking and growling ferociously the whole way. (Only my walking partners can fully appreciate this scene.)

7:30 pm. Back on schedule! Now we are heading to Castilliejos to welcome and interview a late arriving Elder and his trainer. 

9:30 pm. Headed for home.

Sunday

7:30 am. Head back to Botolan for church.

8:55 am. The congregation sings "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" as a prelude/time to be quiet hymn. :-D I am not kidding! This is business as usual for the -ber months! It is wonderful. The night before we heard Kenny G. playing something holiday on his saxophone in the grocery store! I love Kenny G. for Christmas! Even now we are listening to him play, ...and so, I am offering this simple phrase, to kids from one to ninety-two... We usually wait for the first snowflake to fly, but we are out of control this year!!

9:00 am. The meeting begins, and you will never guess who the concluding speakers are. 

We cannot believe how greatly we are blessed! 

Our prayers are also with all of you!

Love,

President and Sister Dahle

Have you ever seen anything this charming?

The definition of cute

Transfer Day

Here are some of our heroes:

Olongapo bus station on transfer day:

Our newest batch!

On we go to conquer the foe! (also a shout out for the Cougs)

Dearest Ones,

     We are at the conclusion of our second transfer. We loved meeting our new arrivals! Wahoo! President Dahle should be bleary eyed and tipping over for the amount of sleep he hasn't had, and the learning curve he has been climbing. Oh my. There aren't any tutorials for creating, realigning, transferring, calling, and releasing in the zones and districts and the missionaries who inhabit them.  We are serious enrollees in the 'school of hard knocks and learn as you go.' Everything still feels like ground work, but I think we might be having some fun! 

     Last week we traveled to the very southernmost area of our mission and we were so delighted with what we found! Mariveles is a coastal town at the very bottom of the Bataan Peninsula and according to four great Elders who would know, you can see the lights of Manilla across the bay at night. The city is flavorful in a lovely way, and the geography is breathtaking. The sun was shining! Hasn't anyone decided to come yet?! ;)
     In other areas, President interviewed a new Elder and his trainer at the edge of the sea, sitting on poles arranged for the purpose of holding a small absent fishing boat. And a later interview, at a chapel across the street from an ice cream shop who's sign provided me, with the help of other waiting Elders, a good Tagalog lesson.

     The very best sight was, you guessed it; our own missionaries! We are learning where they live, where they walk and how they are doing. Our happiest days are those spent out seeing them and serving with them!    
      Another heartening fact: the youth members here are going out on missions in droves! Do you know what that means for the future of this part of Zion? And today we sent five of our own back out to help bring forth real growth in the church right here in the Philippines. We hope they see their future as bright and filled with purpose.

Larry is that you?

     Wildlife update: Since we came here there has been this rather loud croaking noise at night that sounds like its coming from our aircon unit at the top of the stairway. Only slightly disturbing.  Today we have learned by a telling that its a LARGE gecko. When it jumps on you, it uses its sticky feet to hang on and you can hardly get it off! But don't worry it's not dangerous. Ummm. Lets hope it stays in the outside part of the aircon eating insects and cockroaches, and doesn't waste its valuable time coming inside where I hope there are none of the above. Our wonderful lizards are doing a fine job and don't need any help!  I hope there will never be a picture of him! 

     

With love,

President and Sister Dahle

The yellow up the side of the road is rice that has been spread out to dry! 

The Bowens came for a mission tour

Dear Family and Friends,

It's preparation day again! This day gets here lightening fast each week, but that's because each day dissolves into thin air and it's bedtime again! Being engaged in much fun work must be the reason.  Each day has something to look forward to.

Last week we looked forward to having Elder Shayne M. Bowen and Sister Bowen coming for a mission tour. They walked through the door on Tuesday in time for lunch. They taught us while we drove through driving rain, over ice cream at our kitchen table, and at every other available moment, along with two big zone conference meetings and a mission leadership meeting. What a gift! The timing and content were, as you would expect, ideal. We are newly inspired and guided in our overall view, and the missionaries have been given improved vision for their possibilities! Did you know that you can train fleas to stay in a bottle with no real lid? If they believe there is a ceiling they don't even try to jump out of the jar.  Elder Bowen helped expose our false ceilings and encouraged more ambitious goals! The sky is the limit!

Elder and Sister Bowen with our lovely senior couples

Remember our cultural event from a few weeks ago? These four boys who participated all now have mission calls! (2 to the Philippines, 1 to Hong Kong, 1 to Redlands CA!) We will be here still when they return we are excited to see them when they get back!

We enjoyed the Bowens thoroughly and the experience was 100% lifting. Heavenly Father is so kind.

I've been playing our extensive playlist of Mormon Tabernacle Choir music. We have their patriotic album, and God Bless America came on. I asked Sister Mercy if she knew what they were saying.  When I told her she laughed that they would sing for God to bless only America.

With Sister Bowen

The kids playing in a "swap safari" after the storm.

I explained the best I could, then invited her to sing something patriotic from here, which she did with her characteristic smile and a fist pump at the end.

We have been 'dampened' by the edge of tropical storm Kalmaegi (Luis). It should be worn out by tomorrow in time for three days straight of road tripping. See what I mean by fun work? We are going out to visit our latest batch of missionaries, look them in the eyes, see where they live, interview and teach. And probably learn plenty from them and their trainers.

Merry Christmas! I mentioned the -ber months earlier, and sure enough! It's happening! There are trees and decorations for sale in The National Bookstore. Lighted figures and hanging designs that resemble stained glass windows are at roadside and just waiting to be taken home by any early enthusiast! I don't think there is Halloween as we know it, of course no Thanksgiving, so why not just go for the biggie?

This is a Christian country and make no mistake. There are references to Deity at every turn, from the sides of jeepneys to road signs to t-shirts. So the early celebrations are not just for the sake of retailers; we are not expecting to see too many Christmas Shoppers. One guess would be its for the fun of it (everything is more fun in the Philippines!), and from a sincere belief in Christ.

Have a wonderful week!

With love,
President and Sister Dahle

P.S. This little doll sat by me in Relief Society a couple weeks ago. She was confirmed today. We entertained ourselves by taking selfies with my iPad. Don't judge us...the scriptures refused to come up. :-/ ...plus I couldn't understand the lesson and she couldn't hear it. (She is deaf). Isn't she cute?!?