To market, to market...

Our hearts have been full of love and prayers for Ella this week.   She has started chemo and will be having surgery when the tumor has shrunk enough.  Though tears often come to my eyes unexpectedly, we trust our Heavenly Father's care and we are praying hard.  We believe in miracles!

Ryan , Levi, Adam, Renna, and Ella in January at Northern Air, the trampoline place

We were able to go to the market in Carbon both Saturdays.  Last week we had given some food to a woman who was begging, so she followed us, clinging to Ron's arm, for the rest of our shopping.  It made us a little reluctant to go again, but the produce is so fresh and so inexpensive!  On Feb. 17th, Ron mostly stayed inside a building, instead of going out in the crowd, and we got some delicious fruits and veggies.

Ron looking for the best bananas

This driver was sleeping in his truck at 7 AM. 
I wonder if he got up early to bring a load to the market, which is open 24/7..

One of many delivery guys.  What hard work!

The cats love the peanut stall!

Cute baby and her father at the back of the market

Loaded with yummy produce...

...but not as loaded as this customer!

Here is our colorful treasure-- all for $14. The little purple objects to the right of the pineapple are purple avacados.  The tomatoes are small, with a tougher skin than tomatoes at home.  The Filipinos like their tomatoes a little under-ripe, so they will be "crisp".  I have not liked the papaya we have had in Canada, but this papaya changed my mind.  Delicious!

Home again, home again, jiggety jig!

Tuesday February 13th, 2018 continued

In our deep sorrow over Ella's illness, the Lord gave us a joyful reunion.  Mary-Rose had sent a message to her name sake, Mary-Rose Villejo Estrada, over Facebook to say that we would be happy to see them at the Cebu Temple whenever they might be coming.  That message was sent at just the right time because Mary-Rose V. replied and said they would be here the next week, so we had arranged to meet on Thursday.

On Tuesday, the day of her birthday, Mary-Rose was being trained by Sister Jodi Ganir in the baptistry.  Mary-Rose sat at the back of the baptistry chapel, so she could observe as the people were gathering for a baptism.  She asked the sister sitting beside her where she was from and the sister responded “Mindanao” to which Mary-Rose replied “Do you know any of the Villejo family?”  The lady replied with a no, but the lady in front of her turned around and said, “I am a Villejo.”  It was Mary-Rose Villejo Estrada, and so the reunion began – a reunion with people we had never seen but who are like family because we have corresponded with them and their grandma for almost 5 decades.   When Mary-Rose and I came to the Philippines in 2009 while on a work trip to Australia, we were not permitted to travel to Davao due to Canadian government restrictions, so we phoned the Villejo home and the person we got on the phone was Mary-Rose.  Now we got to meet her in person.  So M-R sent a message to me that some of the Villejo family were at the temple and I should come and say Hi to them.  So I tried to find M-R and could not, but finally met her on the sister’s side just before a temple session was to begin.  M-R beckoned to Mary-Rose V. (who was waiting on the front row of the session room) to come out into the hallway and then M-R introduced me to Mary-Rose V.  I asked Mary-Rose V. if I could give her a hug and as I did the emotion swept over me and I cried.  The first cry of the day, not the last.

So not much later, there was to be a sealing session.  I went back toward the initiatory area to help there, but a brother came up to me and said “You’re needed for a sealing session.”  When I entered the room, the couple there were a Brother and Sister Jaca, Junadel Jaca who is another grand-daughter of Sister Sabina Villejo.  When I knelt down to act as their son in the sealing, I broke out in tears again.  I think most people in the room wondered what was going on.  Junadel patted me on the back offering some unspoken comfort.  Once my tears were more in control, the sealing proceeded.  It took a long time for the tears to completely stop.  I experienced a deep feeling of joy, finally seeing some of Sister Villejo’s family, whom we love deeply, 47 years after my leaving the Philippines as a young missionary.

Mary-Rose McMullin and Mary-Rose Villejo Estrada

Tuesday February 13th, 2018

Today brought the lowest and highest points of our mission so far.  Yesterday we received a message that Jaron and Bonnie's 12-year-old daughter Ella has a cancerous mass on her kidney.  It was hard to pretend to have fun at the Valentine's party while we were so concerned with our family back home.  Our thoughts and prayers were with them as Bonnie drove Ella to the Mayo Clinic and she had testing done there.

Thursday Jaron sent this update: "Surgery today went about as well as we could hope. The pediatric surgeon biopsied 3 metastatic tumors from her right lung for diagnosing what kind of kidney cancer this is, and more testing. They also put in an access port for chemotherapy, and did an additional procedure in her abdomen so she's pretty sore. We'll spend 1-2 nights in the hospital. Probably chemo starting next week to shrink the tumor, but pathology - tissue testing - will determine what chemo agents are best and if chemo will precede the big tumor excision surgery (by the pediatric urologist) or vice versa. Chemo may be Fargo but prob not Grand Forks [their home town]. Glad to hear it wouldn't be back at Mayo. She will need radiation for it some point (I think 5 days per week for 4 weeks) at which may be back at Mayo.

It will be a long road. We appreciate all the thoughts, love, and prayers!"

We have cried many tears and prayed fervently.  We are so proud of our children for their support and love for Ella and her family.  It's hard for me not to be able to go help out, so it was a relief when Bethany and Ben arranged their lives so that Bethany could go stay with the kids in Grand Forks.  She was able to stay with Adam, Ryan, Renna, and Levi so Jaron could go be with Bonnie and Ella. We pray that our Heavenly Father will giver them all increased faith and hope, courage and strength.  

Last September (2017) we visited Jaron and Bonnie's family in North Dakota.  We were thrilled to be able to go to the temple in Bismarck with their family.  This was Ella's first opportunity to go to the temple, since her 12th birthday was that week.  There Ella and Adam were baptized on behalf of some of our deceased relatives who did not have temple blessings in their lifetime.  We believe that our loving Heavenly Father wants to give all of His children access to all of the growth and joy possible, which is what the temple is all about.  We believe that God has given  us the opportunity to do temple work for those who have passed on so they can progress in the life hereafter. 
 I cherish this picture of her; she's almost glowing!

Monday Feb 12, not so adventurous

Today was our Valentine's Party for the temple ordinance workers.  Lots of work went into the decorations and the entertainment.  Filipinos love singing and dancing and having fun together!  Ron and I danced and taught a line dance to "Achy Breaky Heart".  Yee-haw!! But sorry, no pictures-- we were dancing!  The party went on and on and on-- dancing and games and more dancing and more games and then karaoke and of course, eating!

So much work on the decorations

Fun spelling game!

With our temple presidency and their wives:
Pres. and Sister Perez, Pres. and Sister Dachlan, and Pres. and Sister Gale.

Great video of our temple

From the blog of our friends, Elder and Sister Hobbs.  We have so much fun with them, and we "so much appreciate" their help and friendship.  They are examples of dedication and goodness.

https://danandtammy.blog/

I love to see the temple.

Monday Adventures February 5, 2018

We had such a great day with our missionary friends.  And yes, senior missionaries can go swimming and snorkeling! We also get to sleep in occasionally.  We work hard during the rest of the week, but on Mondays, we play! It was so fun!  Here is the link to Elder and Sister Hobbs' blogpost about our day on the water and the miracle we experienced.  I'm so grateful that God is mindful of us and helps us out!  We pray that you can feel His love in your life, even in times of trouble.  We love you and wish you were here with us in the warmth!

https://danandtammy.blog/2018/02/08/fish-sanctuary-on-mactan-island/

Here are some shots out the window of the van as we were driving to Mactan Island where we went snorkeling.

Traffic was light

Mactan Island's bright design theme-- painted on public walls everywhere.  The masks are of Lapu Lapu,
who is a hero because he resisted Spanish colonization.

If you look closely, you can see kids playing.  There was one big brother, maybe 7--who took such good care of his little-- maybe 3-year-old brother.  The little guy couldn't run fast because he had one bare foot and one with a huge flipflop.  

We didn't use this dressing room

The small boat that took us out to the slightly larger boat, not to one of the larger ones you can see here.  Wonderful day!

Excerpts from random letters

Excerpts from some letters (some repetition, sorry):

From Ron, January 17:  We are one of 9 missionary couples, 2 Filipinos and 6 other "foreigners".  The two temple presidency counselor couples also live in our housing here. The local temple ordinance workers come when they can.  Traffic is horrible and very slow,  The main driving rule is that to go forward you poke the front of your vehicle of the guy trying to turn to go in front of you and if you get there first, you get to go first.  Most of the driving is at a speed of 20 to 30 km per hour because of that.  There are very few traffic lights and the lines between lanes do not exist so you can make any part of the road your lane.

Local food is quite cheap but we could also buy food in a store that carries a lot of Costco products so it might be a COSTCO subsidiary.  Toilet paper from home costs $30 for a 30 roll package, but at least we can buy it (and peanut butter).  We also bought two watermelons, a red one and a yellow one, so I am happy.  Honey was $4 a pound, which is twice what we pay at home, but again, at least we have some.  that said, I ate at the temple cantina today and my meal included green beans, a type of squash, and a cup of rice with beef strips in a pleasant tomato sauce -- that cost $1.60.

Unfortunately, mangoes are out of season and they are a dollar apiece for large ones.  Pineapples, a smaller variety about 5 inches across and 7 inches long, are 80 cents each, trimmed and cut while you watch.

The temple here is beautiful with its settings of palm trees, shrubs and other trees on a well manicured 10-acre parcel.  The saints come from fairly far away as well as locally.  Numbers are low this time of year, but apparently things pick up in March.  Today a bus loaded mostly with youth arrived and they did baptisms with a few of the adults also doing endowment sessions.  We have had the opportunity to use our language training to greet people in Cebuano and say an occasional word or two in conversation.

Our apartment is very comfortable.  We have a 15 by 25 feet area with a nice table and chairs, a hutch/buffet for tablecloths, etc, a desk for our computer and phone, plus a sitting area with two spartan arm chairs and a couch.  A TV is found in a nook in the room as well.  Our kitchen is quite nice with a fridge and a stove with four burners (strange heating elements) and a water cooler.  We can drink the water out of the tap here.  We are on our third fridge already though.  The one we have now works, but makes more noise than I am comfortable with.  (But as soon as the management learned about the noise, they got us another, quieter fridge.  Very helpful people here!)

We do have a shower with hot water, for which I am grateful.  Our bedroom has a queen size bed in it and a separate air conditioner which we are learning to adjust so we are neither too hot nor too cold.

Birds actually are plentiful in the yard which is unusual in the cities I have lived in during my young missionary years.  Our building also has housing for temple patrons --  with a capacity of 150 people I think.  Some youth groups of over 60 come to do baptisms.  They travel by boat from the various islands and stay for a few days.  It was nice to see youth in the temple today along with all us old temple ordinance workers, and to talk with some people who have lived in the same areas that I served in many years ago.  

We enjoy the Filipino people and have some friends here now that are from the States as well.  I just got my first haircut this morning, and maybe I will sweat a little less now.  Our apartment is air conditioned, thank goodness, as is the temple.  We spend 7.5 hours a day at the temple helping with ordinances, and have Sundays and Mondays off.  We go to different wards each Sunday, since we are not assigned to any one in particular.  Some fun things we have done is driving to the top of nearby mountain and eating dinner at the top. Ten years ago there were few cars on the road, but now there are many.  Speaking of on the road, I have not dared drive here yet -- they have some unusual traffic rules. 1) cars have the right-of-way: people do not. 2) The car with the front ahead of you has the right of way, so when you come to the intersection with five roads coming into it and no traffic light, you ease ahead to get the front of your car ahead of other cars coming across your path and that is how you eventually work your way through.  At the same time, there are hundreds of motorcycles buzzing by you and in front of you carrying their passengers.  I will drive smaller roads on a Sunday to get a feel for the van here once I get a drivers licence.  We have good water to drink in our apartment, a fridge that is about 2/3 the size of one at home, a gas stove with all the labels around the knobs worn off, a tiny tub but good shower, and a queen size bed, so things are pretty good.  There is no carpet in our building -- all tile.  There are a dozen apartments like ours on this third floor of a large building.  The second floor is for patrons, and can sleep 150 people.  The bottom floor has a  reception area, a mission office, a family history office, a cantina, and some custodial-engineering areas.  It is a two minute walk from our apartment to the temple.  So life is good.  We keep in touch with our kids using Facebook messenger and a fun app called Marco Polo.  I am still trying to get a phone working so that we can call in Canada and the USA free.

From Mary-Rose: Went on our second jeepney ride yesterday--fun and hot and squishy!  We went all by ourselves, too--figured it all out and got to the store just fine.  The slowest part was getting a taxi to go home, and then the ride home.  Traffic is so craaaazy here!  

Some of the other jeepney passengers.  The windows are open both sides, behind your back.
The exhaust from traffic can be nasty, but the people have been so friendly.

Here's a pic of two newer jeepneys.  

People here are so pleased when we just say "Maayong buntag" (Good morning) or "Walay sapayan" (You're welcome).   We are working on learning some of the temple ordinances in Cebuano-- that's where they say we would be used the most.  One woman was helping me with the pronunciation and she said, "I never thought I would hear an American speak Cebuano. It is so cute!"  

Since the Manila Temple is closed until May, any new missionaries coming to the Manila Missionary Training Center from Southeast Asia have been coming to the Cebu Temple for their own endowment.  We have met young men and women from Mongolia, Kiribati, Thailand, and Indonesia.  It's exciting to see their enthusiasm and their love of the Lord.

I am surprised at how quickly we have felt "at home" here.  It is a wonderful place to be.  The Saints here have little in material goods, and maybe because of that, they have developed a great faith.  Their prayers are never rote, as mine have often been, and they serve in the temple, sometimes at great sacrifice.  We have a lovely, clean little apartment and great people to work with.  We are so blessed!!