Week 7--August 9-15, 2015
This plant is growing at the mission home. The blossom looks like an Olympic torch.
The grass around the mission home is very well manicured. In many areas, including this lawn, the grass is cut with a pair of scissors by a gardener.
Each day as drive to the mission office we see this man. He is selling cigarettes to the jeepney drivers. They will buy one or two cigarettes from him. He even provides a lighter for them to light the cigarette.
A closer picture of him showing the box he carries his merchandise in. He has a towel under his hat to protect him from the sun and we also think to absorb the sweat.
This street peddler is selling small towels that most of the people in the Philippines carry to wipe the sweat off their brow and neck. Many of the young children will have a towel stuck down the back their shirt to catch the sweat.
On Sunday, August 9, we were asked to attend a lesson being taught to an investigator. The investigator is Filipino who has been taking lessons for 10 years. He is a 23-year law student who is studying to take his bar exams. He has lived in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Preston, Idaho. He attended BYU for a couple of months. He will be an excellent member of the Church. Tom gave the Priesthood lesson today on "The Sacred Calling of Mothers and Fathers."
Monday, August 10--We had our first experience of being at the office by ourselves. The Ences and the office elders were all out on mail run to various areas in the mission. Tom worked with Elder Biggs on the transfer board and North Grid. The North Grid is an Excel document that displays all ten zones and the assignments of the missionaries on two pages.
Tuesday, August 11--Garnalee spent the morning sending out letters to bishops and stake presidents for missionaries who are departing on September 23. She also prepared the release certificates for the missionaries going home in September. We also attended the dinner and testimony meeting at the mission home for the nine missionaries who are going home tomorrow. Tom spent a couple of hours working with President Bertin setting up Dropbox so he can do the weekly newsletter.
Wednesday, August 12--Today is transfer day. We also had nine new missionaries arrive this morning, two are VISA waiters heading to Australia. Tom got a haircut today for P40 and with a tip of 10P that is just over $1 in the US. Garnalee's haircut at a salon a week ago was 480P which is just over $10 US. We had the opportunity to meet with Xavier Zamora (the investigator) again today for another lesson.
Thursday, August 13--Garnalee spent the whole day doing missionary letters. First she emailed the parents of the new arrivals to let them know that their missionary had arrived safely in our mission. She included pictures of the missionary with the mission president and his wife and the missionary with their companion. She then emailed a welcome letter and information packet to three new missionaries that will arrive in November. She then prepared envelopes to stake presidents with the release certificates for the missionaries who are going home in September.
Tom, Elder Campbell, and Elder Ence received a training on lease agreements from an employee at the Area Office. The Church leases over 2000 apartments in the Philippines alone.
Friday, August 14--Tom and Garnalee spent time with Elder Biggs on ordering supplies for the mission. Garnalee also spent time with Elder Biggs learning more about system to enter the data on converts.
An interesting side note, Chad sent us an email with a link to a website called Quora. The article was talking about the inefficiency of eating rice with chopsticks rather than a spoon. The article was illustrated with several pictures showing people eating rice with chopsticks. One of the pictures was of Tom when we were on our mission in Hong Kong at Cheung Chau Island. The picture had been posted on our blog but we have no idea how Quora got the picture.
Saturday, August 15--Just a regular PD of laundry, cleaning the apartment, and some grocery shopping. We did treat ourselves to dinner out at Chili's. Tom did spend several hours with President Bertin at the mission home working on the weekly newsletter which he will be doing from now on.
On Sunday, August 9, we were asked to attend a lesson being taught to an investigator. The investigator is Filipino who has been taking lessons for 10 years. He is a 23-year law student who is studying to take his bar exams. He has lived in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Preston, Idaho. He attended BYU for a couple of months. He will be an excellent member of the Church. Tom gave the Priesthood lesson today on "The Sacred Calling of Mothers and Fathers."
Monday, August 10--We had our first experience of being at the office by ourselves. The Ences and the office elders were all out on mail run to various areas in the mission. Tom worked with Elder Biggs on the transfer board and North Grid. The North Grid is an Excel document that displays all ten zones and the assignments of the missionaries on two pages.
Tuesday, August 11--Garnalee spent the morning sending out letters to bishops and stake presidents for missionaries who are departing on September 23. She also prepared the release certificates for the missionaries going home in September. We also attended the dinner and testimony meeting at the mission home for the nine missionaries who are going home tomorrow. Tom spent a couple of hours working with President Bertin setting up Dropbox so he can do the weekly newsletter.
Wednesday, August 12--Today is transfer day. We also had nine new missionaries arrive this morning, two are VISA waiters heading to Australia. Tom got a haircut today for P40 and with a tip of 10P that is just over $1 in the US. Garnalee's haircut at a salon a week ago was 480P which is just over $10 US. We had the opportunity to meet with Xavier Zamora (the investigator) again today for another lesson.
Thursday, August 13--Garnalee spent the whole day doing missionary letters. First she emailed the parents of the new arrivals to let them know that their missionary had arrived safely in our mission. She included pictures of the missionary with the mission president and his wife and the missionary with their companion. She then emailed a welcome letter and information packet to three new missionaries that will arrive in November. She then prepared envelopes to stake presidents with the release certificates for the missionaries who are going home in September.
Tom, Elder Campbell, and Elder Ence received a training on lease agreements from an employee at the Area Office. The Church leases over 2000 apartments in the Philippines alone.
Friday, August 14--Tom and Garnalee spent time with Elder Biggs on ordering supplies for the mission. Garnalee also spent time with Elder Biggs learning more about system to enter the data on converts.
An interesting side note, Chad sent us an email with a link to a website called Quora. The article was talking about the inefficiency of eating rice with chopsticks rather than a spoon. The article was illustrated with several pictures showing people eating rice with chopsticks. One of the pictures was of Tom when we were on our mission in Hong Kong at Cheung Chau Island. The picture had been posted on our blog but we have no idea how Quora got the picture.
Saturday, August 15--Just a regular PD of laundry, cleaning the apartment, and some grocery shopping. We did treat ourselves to dinner out at Chili's. Tom did spend several hours with President Bertin at the mission home working on the weekly newsletter which he will be doing from now on.
Dad's famous! Here's the link: http://www.quora.com/Why-do-Chinese-people-eat-rice-with-chopsticks-when-eating-with-a-spoon-is-easier
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