December 1

Lunes ang 1 Decyembre 

P day. We walked and I was surprised that I could. I had an attack of gout in the knee and had a tough day yesterday, but walking helped loosen it up some this morning. I was able to jog/stagger my 4 straight-a-ways and felt pretty good.

I met with President Amar this morning to discuss our day at Bugasong Branch yesterday and to map out our plan to keep assisting there in the capacity of high councilors. We had a good meeting and we studied Tagalog fo a while. 

Sister S and I talked to Ryan and his family this morning. It was an unexpected treat. We have to wait for them to surprise us with a call now and then. Michael and Emily called too and they reported their fun trip to California over Thanksgiving. Mom talked to Chance too, but I missed that call. 

I got the truck washed today and read scriptures for a good long session, and tried to get the mission presidency to e mail me their agenda items for our meeting Wednesday. I cannot get Pres.Sorilla's e-mail to work. 

We went to rehearse with the young missionaries at 2 this afternoon. We waited 30 minutes and they were still screwing around and about half had not shown yet. We left. Sorry, but I don't do Filipino time. 

I finished "Boonie Rats" a few minutes ago. It is a little watercolor from imagination that I have been playing with. I have been practicing drawing and I like to do soldiers and Vietnam. . . 

It is nothing special, but it is a sketch and I may work on it again and refine the painting. It will likely just go in the stack. 

Iglesia ni Christo. . . These churches are everywhere. We were told that the founder went to America and wanted the LDS Church to give him the Priesthood and he would come back to the Philippines and run the church here. When it was explained to him that the church does not work in that way, he came back and tried to model his own church after the LDS. It is truly part of the great and abominable. The members are forced to pay tithes, forced to attend, and brow beaten, at least, when they do not. I am going to read a little more about the history. This is all rumor. But, stories from people who left them are a bit frightening. 

Below is a picture of James and the Elders working at the FHL last Friday. It was a good time.

We took Djulito to lunch Friday before going to get James and the Elders. We went to Chow King.