Sabado ang 21

Home from Manila. What a huge, densely populated place. The temple, MTC, MRC, and Area compound is very nice and the area just around the temple, like all other temple sites I have seen. The area prospers because of the temple.

Not such good news about my hearing. We spent hours at the St. Luke's Medical Center and had tests done. The doctor told me my hearing loss is nerve damage due to age and injury over long years.  He prescribed Vitamin B and ginkgo biloba to keep from further deterioration. We had devotionals in the evenings with the senior missionaries and ate supper together. It was nice and quiet.

Right, Elder and Sister Kasteler

Elder And Sister Garrett

These folks are dedicated to helping . . . Recovering missionaries, and they do many humanitarian projects to help outside the church, planting love seeds.they took great care of Sister S and me. 

We flew in this morning, arriving in Iloilo at 9:30. The office Elders picked us up and we drove them back to the office. We interviewed with President Aquino for a little while and told him hello from President Trask and Boycee. We went to lunch at Uncle Bobs and had pretty tasty salad and Australian steaks, then we started for San Jose. 

We stopped at 7-11 to get a drink on the way out of town. We could not believe that on the radio being broadcast in 7-11, was Popeye the Sailorman, who lives in a garbage can.some lightweight puny voice guy was singing. So I took the opportunity to belt it out for the folks in the store, "I'm Popeye the sailor man. I live in a garbage can. I love to go swimmin' with bare naked women; I'm Popeye the Sailorman." 

They all got a big kick out of that; some old fat white guy bellting out a barracks ballad type song in 7-11 downtown Iloilo. They won't see that again.

We are planning church at Sibalom tomorrow. We thought it would be fun to visit Djulito and his family tomorrow. He worked here Friday, but we were gonzo. Looking forward to a restful day, the Sacrament, and worshiping with friends. Tomorrow I think I will read and note some of the notes I have written over the year. I took my list of medications in to the doctor and noticed some really cool notes from Elder and Sister Ardern and Elder Robbins. Some that stick are, "Read the scriptures reverently." I like that. Another, "read slowly and ponder the talk of the Savior and Father in Heaven." Great study tips.

Elder Robbins talked about half full and half empty. Life being what we make it attitudinally. He calls for us to compare the attitudes of Nephi with those of Laman and Lemuel. My favorite is "Read reverently."  The Spirit comes. He loves the scriptures, The Savior, and reverent worship.