Thursday, February 6, 2014

February 2014


February, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Two months until we return to our homeland! I am not excited much! We had our chest x-rays today so that we can get our exit visas. We also have our reservations and tickets ready for our departure. We have made all of our doctors and dentist appointments and I have made appointments for my hair, manicure, and pedicure, so I will be back to normal.  We are packing a box to ship home with our Philippine nativity, and some clothes we never used (too heavy for this hot climate).

We have heard from our replacements and they have already served two missions in Africa and England.  They are from St. George, Utah.  They were hoping to overlap, but we will be leaving on April 7 and they arrive on April 10.  They are more intelligent than we are and only signed up for an 18 month mission. Dan has been sending them instructions and other helps to set up their stay here and we spoke on Facetime.  They are very nice and will do a great job here. They also have previous experience with the employment services so they will be able to assist in setting up the new Self Reliance Center here in Bacolod. 

Dan and I are already making plans for after we come home.  We have trips to take to see all the grandchildren and children, one to Hawaii, Sedona and Boston already in the works.  Plus, Dan needs to purchase a car and a lap top (his is on it's last legs), we need to finish our back yard with the built in kitchen and some furniture, and then decide what we want to do with the rest of our lives.  We do want to work in the temple so we will be looking forward to that in the fall after all the trips are over. 

This week I was given the assignment to put together the preferred job and school documents for the Bacolod and Iloilo missions. We thought it would keep me busy for the entire week, but it took about 8 hours total.  Dan keeps saying we struggle to cram one day's work into seven days.  I guess we are not your normal old people.   We have finally heard from those priesthood leaders in charge of the new program and still do not really have any idea how they will proceed or if we can assist in getting things up to speed before we go so we just continue to make things up as we go and try to keep busy.  I feel very guilty watching the other senior couples run around crazy while we sit in our office with air conditioning and try to keep busy.  It is difficult to be in this transition period and feeling like we can be doing more.  We have loved being able to help the young adults here, but know it the new program were in force sooner we could have helped so many more.  It will be exciting to keep in touch with the young people as they progress and finish school and become employed.  Their lives will be so much better with a more secure future.

Today was Super Bowl Monday in the Philippines and unfortunately it was a sleeper of a game and we did not have any internet to entertain us.  At lunch time we went to the mall to eat lunch and buy groceries (yes the markets are in the mall).  While we had internet during lunch we found out that many of our Tacloban transfers were being returned to Tacloban so we quickly went to the Stake center in hopes of seeing them and giving them our love before they leave.  We are so thankful for the many missionaries that came to Bacolod and infused our mission with enthusiasm and spirituality for the last three months.  We were talking to many of the mothers on Facebook as we sat with their daughters waiting for the Mission President. We will miss Sister Hogge, Sister Nelson, and Sister Campbell (Australia) so very much and I am not sure how many others are going back.  The only reason I know about these sisters is Sister Hogge's mother sent us the heads up that she was returning so we went to hug her and ran into the other two sisters.  Although I sometimes wonder why we were sent here, the young sisters always thank me for the love and support we give not only them, but their mothers.  Our Mission President does not understand a mother's love and concern so if it were not for me the mom's back in the US would not know much about their children.  One of the Senior elders said the mother's should butt out of the mission business and it is not their business and I just let him have it.  The mother's of these young missionaries who were in Tacloban did not know for days if their missionaries were dead or alive during the typhoon.  I told him if he had ever lost a child in death he would understand their need to know how their missionaries are doing. I also told him that their children was their business.  Oh my trouble making again.  No I have not changed much at all.  Sorry to those who thought I might mellow out a bit (Bishop Stewart).  So after taking photos, exchanging emails, taking belongings to ship home to the US (it is too expensive for the young missionaries to send so we will do it), and giving hugs we came home to spend the rest of our day relaxing.  We will be the lucky ones ( not sarcasm) to drive the young sisters to San Carlos tomorrow so we will get to visit more with Sister Smoot who has been here 6 month and is now transferring.  We had lunch dates set with her and with Sister Hogge this week and transfers cancelled them. We are thankful for the opportunity to serve the young missionaries.  They sometimes keep me going. 

Well, that is it for February.  I know you all sit with bated breath waiting for these letters so I will get them ready and into the mail.  I love you all so very much and am counting the nine Sundays until our return home

Lots of love and hugs.