Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Jared and Guilia's Wedding
February 26, 2014
Today we attended Jared Garcia and Guilia Nobleza's temple
sealing in Cebu temple and then their reception at the Stake Center on the
temple complex. We were so excited to be
included in their special day. Jared
served his mission in the Bacolod Mission and was the Mission Assistant when we
arrived here. We loved him instantly because he was such a fine young man and
he helped us get acclimated. Guilia is the daughter of Elder Nobleza who is an
area Seventy who lives in Bacolod. Elder
Nobleza is also the general manager of BDO Bank. Out of the thirty people
invited to the wedding we knew all but 5 of them (who were the young friends of
Guilia. The temple president, President Pacaduan conducted the ceremony. We were so happy to meet Jared's parents and
be able to tell them what a wonderful son they raised.
When Jared returned home from his mission he was checking
out Facebook and he saw Guilia's post of one of his friends pages and sent her
a friend request. And... they hit is off
instantly.
After the wedding we were escorted to the reception and
asked to sit at the presidential table.
We tried to politely decline and were asked to sit with the family at
the presidential table along with Bishop DI and President Escobar. We felt like we were imposing by sitting at
the special table but the leaders told us we needed to sit these so we do not
offend. I will never get over the humble
feeling of being cherished and treated like angels by the Philippine people. The receptions was so different as they began
with a hymn and an opening prayer. The
parents of the groom thanked everyone for coming and gave some advice to the
young couple. The brides parents had
asked several people to also give advice including Dan. The reception also included special soloists,
dance productions, and dinner. During
dinner they showed videos of the couples lives prior to courtship, during
courtship and during their engagement. They also included the flowers being
thrown and the cake cutting ceremony as we do in the U.S. Another common tradition is when people hit
their glasses with a knife so there is a tinging sound the bride and groom kiss
(on the mouth, is how they said it). The
couple were embarrassed as the two fathers kept the tinging going constantly. Guilia
asked everyone to add that the parents
of the couple be required to kiss when the audience clapped as they clap often.
Then after a little while they decided since Elder Sinema and I were at the
parent's table that we should kiss also.
Oh my do they know how to have fun.
Some of the advise given was interesting. Bishop Di said that when coupled disagreed
that they had to trade off being the one who explodes and the one who listens
with each disagreement. Not sure how
that would work. President Escobar said that the couple had to kiss seven times
each day and never go to bed without saying "I love you" to each
other. Dan said that life was full of opposites: happiness and sadness, light
and darkness, good and evil and that if
we always endure to the end and help each other through the oppositions, life
will be a wonderful experience. A lovely sister who was Guilia's teacher said
that if the couple always remember that each of them are a son and daughter of
God and that as such they are expected to be worthy of that title by
remembering the covenants they had made with each other and their Heavenly
Father as they were sealed that would be able to keep in mind the
responsibility to keep the promises they had made. After the closing song and prayer, the
dancing began: the father and daughter dance, the son and mother dance, the
bride and groom dance and then all couples were asked to join in to the
dancing. Dan made a valiant effort
before saying that I should go and ask Guilia's Grandfather (widowed) to dance.
He is probably in his mid-eighties and uses a cane so we carefully made our way
to the dance floor and finished the dance.
He was so thankful that I would offer to dance with him. His granddaughter kept thanking me over and
over for being so kind to her grandfather.
The best part of the evening for Dan was the whole reception was over
before 7:30 pm. What a lovely experience
we had and will always remember
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.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Tagbilaran
December 29, 2013
Thursday we took the ferry to Cebu so that we could go to
the temple and prepare for[JS1] taking the ferry to Tagbilaran for a visit and a rest! Friday, we went to the
temple. We were of course early and so
we were the witness couple again. The
amazing thing about that is the temple sits all the new attendees in the front
row and as I sat down the woman who was placed next to me is one of our PEF
participant's mother, Sister Navarro. It
was her first time to attend the temple and she and her husband and children
were being sealed for time and all eternity. She is the mother of Dionalee from
San Carlos. She is also the grandmother of the baby Dan had blessed our first
year here. She was so happy we were there with her family. It was totally random us being there because
we had planned on going to the temple at nine in the morning, but because we
were very tired we did not get there until the eleven o'clock session. Sister Navarro was so happy and in tears that
we were these for her first time. I felt truly blessed that we had gone to the
later session so we could be there with the Navarro family. I have grown to love so many of the people
here and the Navarro's are a wonderful family who believe we were sent by our
Father in Heaven specifically to help her daughter and so many of the members
of her ward.
After going to the temple we drove over to the port to buy
the tickets and pay for the car to take the ferry to Tagbilaran. We found the right place and so Dan went in
to buy the tickets while I waited in the car.
I just closed my eyes and rested for a little while and fell asleep for
must have We found the right place and so Dan went in to buy the tickets while
I waited in the car. I just closed my
eyes and rested for a little while and fell asleep for must have been quite a
while because when I woke up I played a little Tetris on my phone. After a
little while I noticed it was getting dark, so I decided I needed to go find
Dan before it was totally dark and we were separated. I asked the workers in the business in the
direction Dan walked and was told to go around the back of the building. Then the security guard at the back of the
building asked if he could help me. I
told him my husband went to buy tickets for the ferry and he showed me where it
was but it was closed! I knew Dan was still inside so he asked the security at
the door to allow me to enter. Dan had
been inside since 2:10 and it was going on 5:30 by the time I found him. That is how long it took him to buy the
tickets. It was crazy. At Christmas time
in the Philippines everyone travel home to their families so the ferries are
packed. We had to travel through a
different port also because the port we traveled through last time is still
closed due to the earth quake. The ferry
ride we were able to take took four and a half hours to reach the island. We
are used to the two hour ferries so this was really quite long. By the time we got off the ferry and started
to drive to the resort where we were staying it was very dark and our little
Toyota doesn't have defrost so it was a long and arduous journey to the resort
La Pernella which is quite a way from the city.
But it is a beautiful and tranquil place. I do not know how Dan made it since the
windshield on the passenger side was totally fogged up and I could not see at all. What a blessing he remembered how to get to
the resort and that he could see.
Today is Sunday and we attended church in Tagbilaran 2nd Branch and it was so wonderful. The members just love the missionaries and
make us feel so special and welcome. We
were even asked to take part in the Sunday School portion of the meeting
telling about the PEF changes.
The wonderful changes include no counter payment with the
tuition so the young people can borrow 100% of their tuition now. Also, there is an incentive of 40% that
students can repay through their performance: grades, having a mentor,
graduation and securing a job. So many
more will be helped with the new changes.
If we were going to be here I bet we would double the 200 applicants we
had the first year we were here.
Well, the rest of the week will
be quiet and relaxing and I look forward to the rest. We will return to Cebu on Saturday and then
on to Bacolod on Monday. We planned to
spend New Year's Eve here in the country hoping I will be able to sleep, since
last year there was such extreme noise from about 11 pm until 4 or 5 am. The Philippino people believe that the noise
will frighten all the bad spirits and events away. After the year they have had with earth
quakes and typhoons, I expect the noise to be even more severe in Bacolod to
ensure a better calamity free year in 2014
Friday, December 20, 2013
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