HIGHS AND LOWS

Every six weeks a group of young missionaries goes home and a new group arrives.  Since the six week schedule would have transfers occurring on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, it was moved up a week.  On Tuesday morning those going home attended a temple session followed by a few workshops in the afternoon and then a testimony meeting after dinner.  Eileen and I conducted one of the workshops.  Basically, we addressed the life changes that the missionaries would experience upon returning home: the lack of focused purpose and daily structure; their individual responsibility for financial support and career preparation; and then choosing friends and an eternal companion.  We asked the missionaries to first write down what lessons they had learned and what good habits they had made on their mission.  We then had them apply these lessons and habits to the new set of challenges that were about to confront them.  The discussions we had were both entertaining and insightful.  All was going as planned until Elder Kaufusi asked Eileen, why/how did you decide to marry Elder Healy?  Listening to Eileen’s answer reminded me how fortunate I am to have her as my eternal companion and risks she took entrusting her future to someone as young and unprepared as I was.  

On Thursday, President and Sister Alder treated the senior missionaries to a fabulous lunch buffet in Manila, after which we visited one of the Church sponsored Giving Machines in a local mall.  I believe there are several in the U.S. with only two outside, one in London and the other in Manila.  The machines are vending machines where users can buy (donate) various humanitarian related project items: a child’s eye screening or hearing test, an amputees artificial limb, a child’s school backpack, etc.   The items ranged in price between 50 and 1,000 pesos (approximately 1 to 20 USD).

This past week we have had a few things take place that are difficult to comprehend the logic behind them.  A needless redesigned office parking lot, a sister missionary's expression of displeasure, a missionary apartment’s faulty water storage system, etc.  They all involve good people endeavoring to deal with difficult situations but perhaps falling a bit short.  I have been reading, SAINTS, THE STANDARD OF TRUTH - Volume 1.  Unlike many prior Church history books, it tries to portray the early saints as accurately as possible, noting their challenges and frailties.  I found myself seeing similarities between the interpersonal challenges they had and those that still confront us here in Antipolo.  It seems that, almost always, we and other are trying to do our best but falling short due to our “natural man” tendencies.  Our Lord’s direction in Matt. 7:1-3, that I should focus on my own faults and judge less is something I need to work more at doing.

Our APs, Elder Chandler on the left is being assigned elsewhere and Elder Ivins in the middle is our new AP.  We love working with them.

President Alder taking a quick snack between interviews of departing missionaries. 

Elder Bills doing a final tally of money with Sister Scanlan before she departs for the US.

Just doing his job - this welder works right outside our window.

We had a wonderful parking lot at the office until someone had the idea to rip it down and  allow us only 4 parking spots for the mission while we have 6 vehicles that will be parking there. It makes it really difficult to get in and out of the lot and truly makes no sense to us at all.

I was surprised to see this at a local restaurant. One of my granddaughters has painted an almost identical picture

Sister Lor's family came to the mission home to pick her up. It was a joyful reunion.

Sister Gibson saying good-bye to Elder Kaufusi.  He is anticipating playing football next year at the U of U.

This is the huge line of people waiting to enter the mall which doesn't open until 11 a.m.  I would think the week before Christmas it would open sooner.

The buffet the Alders took us to was like nothing we have seen in the last 6 months. 

There are only 2 Giving Machines outside of the U.S.  One is in Manila and the other is in London.

There were many different items you could purchase for those in need. Some were as cheap as 2 U.S. dollars.

We did an inspection of this group of Elder's apartment. They were pleasant about the fact that they hadn't had access to any water for 48 hours. Needless to say Russell got on that right away and they now have water.