Domingo, 4 Mayo

Early Sunday morning. I am up painting so I can have a little painting to show the class tomorrow morning. We have had such a busy week that I have had no other time. I am not complaining. The week was fun and zipped past.

Yesterday we took Brother Kib and Sister Percy to Sabalom to invite less active youths to the ym/yw activity starting Tuesday. Sister Percy and Kib are both return missionaries and lead the youth in the area. We had a good time and talked to several.

It was an absolutely beautiful morning and I was ebullient after finding my arthritis meds. I felt so good, saying "good morning" to everyone, waving, giving candy to little ones and talking to guys building trikes bodies in the barangay.

It turns out that the pharmacy changed the color and form of some of my meds. I thought I was taking an anti-inflammatory when, in fact, I was doubling up on my blood pressure meds. So, my blood pressure is super and I was so stiff and sore that I couldn't walk.

In the afternoon/evening, we went to Dao and met the Dao Angels (Elders Ualat and Mondragon . . . prounounced Wallat and Moandragone). They sign their texts as the Dao Angels . . .two beauties.

Elder Mondragon is the one in my hat. Don't know what is going to happen to these two when they get transferred apart. They are quite a team.

We went to the Dao Branch family home evening. We met the Elders in Tobias Forneir barangay sign. They had 3 investigators with them so we loaded them up and went about another 15 km to the Branch. There we met the members and other Elders from Dao and had a great home evening.

Elder Bohman, from Las Vegas, gave a scripture talk and we sang and had a prayer. Then we had a short lesson and played games and had a talent show. One of the elderly sisters stood and sang some love song from the 50's and she was very good. The local priesthood holders sang together and were great, loud and pretty much in tune. The missionaries sang "Called to Serve" with fervor. They played the movie, "The Other Side of Heaven." We had a plate of pancit, a sort of muffin, and Sister Sessions took snicker doodle cookies. We three Americans loved the cookies. Don't know how the pinoys liked them.

The Branch Pres. bore his testimony and talked a few minutes to close. We sang and one of the little sisters closed with prayer.

The weather has been amazing in the morning and evening. The sunsets are spectacular. We are getting more used to it, but the food is wanting.

Taken outside the Dao Branch house last evening.

Here are some pictures of interest to us/me:

Here is one of the southeast asian tractors . It is actually a large roto-tiller that they hook a trailer onto and, as can be seen, drive it from the trailor. They had just driven across the river near Dunito's house and were taking rice to the market at the barangay.

This old farmer was headed down the road with a huge load of stuff. Since I know I can't have an elephant, I want a carabao. They are docile, powerful creatures that love to pull and eat. I saw a guy riding one down the road the other day.

This lady is at one of the multitude of community well/pumps drawing water for washing. The women come to the pumps and wash their clothes by hand in buckets and tubs. The clothes then hang on strung wires, electrical wires, fences, or are spread on top of vegetation to dry.

This street in Sibalom is where there is a trike manufacturer. They build the cars and bodies out of aluminum and sheet metal and weld them wearing nothing but a pair of sun glasses. I stopped and talked (as best we could) with one of the guys building them. They are built on powerfully strong frames and last many years and km's. He showed me how they attach to the motorcycles. Pretty interesting. One of the Sibalom branch presidency lives where you see the  robin egg blue gate.

For some unknown reason, back many years, the Philippine government asked the U.S. to leave our military bases in the islands. I can't for the life of me figure why, when they are so poor and could use the pesos, and the employment.

President Obama was in Manila last week and I believe they ironed out a plan to put some military back in the Philippines, particularly Subic Bay. I know President Obama wants to give China a jab and I know the Filapinos want help protecting the South China Sea.

China wants Palawan (a beautiful island in the Philippines that can act as a border between the main islands and the SCS). So, the Philippinos now need us again. I am so ignorant that I thought Subic Bay was still in use by the Navy. Duh!!! Well, last Friday, the Philippine government asked for them to come back. (They say they offered, but . . . )

I'd love to see some of our guys around. This place is a bit lawless and crazy. Some is fun, some is downright scary.