Pictures from Sister Lorraine

Since I left my camera at the dental clinic, Sister Lorraine said she would get me some pictures for the Activity Day bread making.  Looking at the pictures makes me laugh all over again. Think of the images you see in pinterest and then the hilarious pinterest fails. I've got it covered!!!

The kids were right with me listening as I showed them what we needed to do

As more hands got into the dough - it just got better!

They were "shaping" the loaf - soon it was in pieces

So many helpers! when we started the real batch of Sacrament bread!

In between shaping loaves and making the real batch of bread, Miss Maryanne taught her speciality: Friendship bracelets

The little kids had to get in on the action as well as the kids from 8 to 11

Yup - life is great!!

Miss Maryanne showed the girls how to make friendship bracelets - Angelo left as soon as he heard about paper rockets

The little kids with Angelo leading the way made paper rockets that could be blown off a straw.

Both loaves were crispy charcoal on top and anemic white on the bottom

But with a little jelly (and cutting off the burnt part) it was a treat for all

I'm counting this as a success though not how I planned the night

I love Sister Lorraine!  She just rides through and helps me achieve whatever I dream up!

Being Thankful

After watching many conference talks today, I was pondering on the fact that I am on this mission that was tailor made for me specifically and couldn't help but be aware that God knows and plans for my individual circumstances when He has so many other Very important things to do.
I thought about the fact that I went on this mission to support Jeffrey as I had another plan, the mission would be "later" in life.
My specific talents and assistance were needed in October of 2016, the timing of Kelsi and Nate coming to our home in May, Rachel leaving for school in September, getting a call from Bill Atkin, and everything just fell into place like it was meant to be.
I am so very grateful for the feeling of purpose and contentment, the feeling that what I am doing matters. I am perfectly aware that if I wasn't here all the needs would be met another way. I am just grateful that I can be part of something that feels right and good and big. I love my Primary children and the satisfaction of loving children, I love getting to know the sisters I go visiting teaching with and to. I love being with Jonah and learning about this country. I love being part of the Quirreno 1st ward and getting to know all the members. I love getting to know the young missionaries at the MTC  (though I don't love saying good-bye). I love observing the customs and culture of a foreign land, and I love knowing that what I do everyday at the dental clinic matters. I love the promptings I get to do something for someone and find later it was important to them. Being on a mission for the Lord Jesus Christ is really an awesome experience.   He supports and sustains His servants and I am so happy to be part of this adventure.

I'm not sure how to explain how prayers as a missionary are answered... It is different...It's like the Lord is accelerating the process so I can learn how to use his redemptive and enabling power in these few short months before things get back to normal......prayers are answered quickly.......prompting seem to be more clear and more often....the wind is at my back...I'm doing a real poor job of explaining......I can't think of a instance that sounds right.....it is amazing, it is real, it is unexplainable.

Girls Day Out

We went on another 'Jonahing" adventure. I wanted to pick up a few things from S&R (Costco in the Philippines) and asked Jonah if she wanted to go. She came back the next day and said Divine and Roma wanted to come too. So we made it a Girls Day Out.

Roma is always elected to take the group selfie as she does a great job. We went to S&R then had pizza from the deli

The pizza was huge and half got taken home - I thought about my boys as teenagers

We traveled to a year old mall that is fashioned after Venice complete with waterways, and European structure

Of course we waved to the gondola driver and the kids in the boat

We took pictures of this amazing mall (I'll just show the beautiful girls) 

The mall was decorated with artwork and shops that featured things from Venice. Of course it had all kinds of food and shops from all over the world and cinemas etc.

I'm not sure why but the 'fence' we were standing beside over the "canal" had little locks all over it. I'm thinking there is some kind of love tradition of sealing a lock but it could be something else. I am aware of 3 coins in a fountain but I don't know the custom behind the locks.

We traveled a short distance but had long time driving to another mall to find Christmas decorations and other stuff then traded some shoes for another size

We managed to fill the trunk with all the shopping and considered it a great day spent together
Luckily Jeffrey came home shortly thereafter and brought home some supper
Perfect

Making Bread

This batch turned out well

We made bread for Sacrament Meeting last night in Activity Day with the Primary children.

I could leave it at that but the reality was actually hilarious in parts. I always have to laugh because whenever I plan, I visualize an ideal of how the activity will turn out and it NEVER remotely looks like the plan.

The kitchen (which only has empty cupboards, a sink and some sideboards) was being used when I got to the chapel so I commandeered a class room. The flour was flying all over with 5 sets of hands helping out, water was being dropped and splashed and I didn't look at any of the clothes the kids wore back home. I can still see Chiyo's face when the flour plopped into the cup in her hands and exploded into her face - I couldn't stop laughing.
Previously I had made up a batch of dough so the kids could see the whole process. We took the dough and each of the children got to 'mold' the bread into a loaf and get completely sticky in the process. After they washed their hands we made up a batch of bread and the fun began. I had asked around for an oven, so when it came time to bake the bread, our Primary president Sister Lorraine walked up to the third floor to plug the oven in the kitchen and put the risen dough into the oven. The oven only went up to 250 degrees. When she came back to the classroom and told me  I told her to put it on for an added half hour.

The girls had fun with Miss Maryanne making friendship bracelets and the boys all followed Angelo making paper rockets they blew off of straws.  I spent the time wiping up glue and flour off the floor and tables.

The bread came out crispy burnt on the top - charcoal hard - and the bottom was not raw - but anemic white. I started laughing again. Using a plastic knife because there were no drawers of silverware (or anything else) in the kitchen, I cut off the top of the bread and handed out jelly with plastic forks and spoons and we all ate chunks of mostly finished bread.

I actually had a really great time and as the night progressed the laughter welled up more and more. We never did get around to the other two projects I had in bags waiting to go - the whipping cream to make butter just came home, the quilt pieces can be brought out another day and the magic trick pieces can be put together on another night.

After I got home I put the children's dough in the loaf pans, let it rise for 10 minutes and baked it up. I had to laugh again when I saw it come out. Not perfect but beautiful.



I'll take much longer to write up what I told the children in 2 minutes. All of us are different, (I pulled out the flour and oil) all of us like different things and react differently to life. When we mix our different lives into experiences together and then have adversity (like a hot oven) we all come out being useful and great.  Every time I look at the Sacrament Bread I know Jesus Christ is mixing us up with people who have different experiences and reactions to life and as I share and get to know others my life is enriched and as we work through adversity together I become a totally different - hopefully useful and good person.

Just like a ball pinging back and forth

The rain was gently falling as we drove into the Area compound. When I opened the dental clinic door everyone was assembled around the front desk for a small devotional. After the prayer I came around the desk and Sister Stewart had 3 lists she wanted verified of 'future', 'field', and 'Senior' missionaries who had come in September. I looked it over and started to compare it to my records for 5 minutes while I booted up the U drive to start the process of getting a schedule for tomorrow. I noted two field missionaries who were not on the list she had, before I ran a note up to the front desk for the doctor and talked to Sister Carlos. Coming back down the hill I sped up to walk in with two missionaries who came early for their dental x ray screening. I entered their information in the x ray room computer, then came back to the U drive to start the schedule again and opened the door for the missionaries coming to their appointments. One was Sister Tesch. I told her we were relatives because my sister had married a Tesch. I got a picture with her and asked for some family names. Then I went back to the x ray room computer for other missionaries who came in for screening and back to the U drive priorities just to find out the temple schedule for the missionaries is not on our system yet and I can't make appointments until I know if they will be here or not. One of the dentists needs help with their computer screen. After setting the work chart up I turn off the program and turn it back on and it works perfectly while I get credit for just knowing. I let some new missionaries in and show the outgoing missionaries how to get out of the door. It is 'locked' with a magnet and needs to have a button pushed to release it. Then back to the U drive problem and Sister Hoem's walks in. She has a good idea to print off the temple schedule and compare it to the names I had collected for Wednesday's schedule. With two of us looking back and forth the job goes much faster. She answers a call from Elder Eckert who told us he would be gone in the afternoon and needed the schedule early. We laugh and said okay. I check for field missionaries coming in and of course there is someone, so we have to input that data and write up a list of which missionaries we want each hour to accommodate the oral surgeon and divvy up the rest between the other two dentists. We welcome new missionaries for their appointments and call up to the front desk for those who didn't make it. Sister Hoem's re-enters all the data while I began making patient charts (paper - hard copy) for the  new schedule. She makes up the digital patient charts and I input the digital x rays from another computer on those digital charts. Schedule success! It was 9:15 am. I consider life wonderful that it took just under three hours. Then it is back to the lists to compare and finish for Sister Stewart.............life just goes on, the ball keeps bouncing....

Cousins somewhere along the line- This is before her surgery

After surgery with her companion

Holiday

Christmas decorations are going up - a little at a time - but relentlessly.  You can hear carols in the mall and stations that have Christmas music on.

Second floor in Eastwood mall has taken down the summer flowers and gone straight to tinsel and glittery balls

Each mall has a theme and the decorations are added to each week

It is a lot of fun to watch the decorations for Christmas and a tree being built of iron as the sweat rolls down your back.
I see only a very few decorations for Halloween and of course Thanksgiving is not a  holiday here. They do have lots and lots of hero holidays. They also have holidays in Metro Manila whenever the President needs the traffic to be small for an international gathering. He just calls for a holiday and declares no school or work. You don't have to have snow days if you have President Duterte. 

The ball in the Arcade

Monday started out beautiful!

The skies here are never boring

Security They watch day and night

Every morning at 6 they have a quick devotional and briefing

When I got to work my day turned into Pin Ball Machine with me being the ball. I kept running back and forth going from one project to another, stopping to get a missionary from the MTC or go drop off a note or record or guide someone somewhere. But it was the paperwork (actually computer bugs) that had me scrambling one way and another. I need some kind of bookmark or something that lets me know where I am when I get interrupted. Then as I would slowly work my way into organization, something else would come up.
Right now I am resting comfortably in my slot - until I go to work tomorrow morning.