A Most Unusual Thanksgiving

Now who is going to believe me when I say we worked hard on our mission!



Bonnie and Gloria head out for fun




Clear water, great fish, great fun!


Is my life jacket big enough?

November 23, 2005

We received an email from the Johansens this morning telling us that the Aaron Imoh family from Port Harcourt were sealed in the temple yesterday. What joy!

The Pollocks called last night. They are in Cebu and we will have breakfast together this morning and plan some time for fun.

What fun we did have – amazing. We had a delicious breakfast at the Marriott in Cebu and then sat and planned the next day. Bob and Jim went to the concierge to see what reservations for hotels they could find in Cebu. Because of the South East Asia Games – Olympic Preparation – every hotel that was at all acceptable was full. Bob suggested that I go with them (he felt he needed to stay here and work to get the support in the bank for the missionaries) and that we go over to Bohol. The only good hotel we knew on Bohol was also full, so they ask about others and were referred to the Bohol Beach Club. It looked fine in the book; they had rooms; so they took it, all the while wondering what it would really be like.

While they were negotiating, Bonnie packed and I sat in the foyer and visited with a young man – Marriott busboy – and invited him to come to Church and to read the Book of Mormon. He liked the idea of a living prophet and said he had a cousin who was a member and that he had played basketball at the Church near him. He said he would ask his cousin if he could go to Church with him. I hope he does!
We headed over on the 1:30 Ferry and enjoyed the wonderful ferry ride. We were met at the pier by a van and driver and with one other guest were driven through Tagbilaran, over the bridge to Pangloa Island and around the east side of the island to the most beautiful, perfect tropical beach resort. After checking in, we immediately put on bathing suits (the President said Senior Couples can swim), and went in the ocean. The water was warm – no waves, little swells, and a coral reef in quite close. It felt so refreshing. We were the only ones in the water; one lady was sitting on a deck chair under an umbrella and a couple of people were picking up shells way down the beach. Bonny and I walked north along the beach quite a ways picking up shells and coral and then discarding them in favor of better pieces. We then rinsed off and went in the pool – shaped like two circles joined on one edge with an arching bridge over the joined part. We swam during a brief rain shower then had dinner at a poolside table eating food that we had brought with us. We didn’t see any mosquitoes at all; the resort staff was instantly available, but not hovering. It was perfect. I had my own room – a little creepy to sleep alone in a strange place, but it was a fine room; I was right next door to the Pollocks; and I could get up early and read without disturbing anyone. We went to bed early, full of plans for the next day, beginning with a sunrise walk on the beach.

We headed out about 5:15 A.M. just as it was beginning to get light and had a lovely walk south along the white sandy beach until the beach ended and lava cliffs began. We turned back and went up to a delicious buffet breakfast. Bonnie and I rented a kayak and paddled north just outside a buoy line marking a marine preserve, then turned around and drifted back along the coral reef. It was great – good exercise and beautiful environment. First we had thoroughly slathered ourselves with sunscreen! Jim went to the business center to work for an hour via email. Then we all took the glass bottom boat tour of the reef. After seeing what amazing fish were right there off shore from the resort, Bonnie and I decided we wanted to snorkel. We went in to the water sports office to make the arrangements and got set up with equipment, boat, and driver, but when the woman in charge walked out to see that we got on the boat – it wasn’t there. Apparently a scuba class had taken it and the driver when their boat’s motor wouldn’t start. We sat and asked her questions about the reef and other things to do and then decided to go swimming and have lunch and come back at 1. She said the reef where we would snorkel was a No 2 spot, but that 45 minutes away to the southwest was a small island that was No. 5 for snorkeling and for scuba diving. But, that was a four hour round trip activity – and I had to leave at 4 for the ferry going home, so…We swam, had a Thanksgiving lunch of stuffed squid – the stuffing was especially tasty, seafood gumbo soup – very good, citron chicken, delicious, rice and pineapple, mango and watermelon for dessert. Not your traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but at least I was at the beach!

The boat and driver were ready when we walked back down to get our masks and fins for snorkeling and off we went. The driver didn’t look too happy – especially when we had trouble climbing around the motor to get in the boat, but off we went. It was about a five minute ride to the sea side of the reef where he tied the boat up to a buoy. Then we popped on our gear and looked over the side. The water was so clear that it was hard to believe his instructions to jump over – the reef looked inches beneath the surface so we eased ourselves over the side of the boat and lowered down into the water – and try as we might, we could not reach down with our fins and touch the reef. Then off we went wearing life jackets so we floated along the top of the water, looking down. And what amazing fish we saw. I think I saw every species I have seen (of the small colorful tropical fish) in the Scripps Aquarium. We were the only ones out there snorkeling – except that after the boat driver saw we were fine, he popped on a mask and fins and began working on the bottom of his boat! We saw angel fish, tiger fish, zebra fish, black spotted sea stars, bright blue sea stars and bright orange ones. We saw those tiny little bright blue fish that dart in and out of the coral, small eels, black fish, bright yellow ones with the big black eye spot on their back fin, shiny, almost transparent ones, orange, black and white vertical striped ones, yellow and black horizontal striped ones and many, many more. Bonnie had been snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef and said this was ever so much better. We could hardly imagine what it would be like at the No. 5 spot since this was so perfect. We stayed in the water for an hour – and then it was time to head back. What a wonderful, beautiful, exciting, relaxing activity. We loved it. It is hard to describe how wonderful it was. The only sound you heard was your own breathing; the water was warm; there were many varieties of coral and small sea plants of all colors; and there was the huge variety of fish some in schools, others by themselves seemingly oblivious to us. What an amazing experience.

We walked along the beach a bit, then went swimming, had a pina colada (with no alcohol of course) by the pool and then I had to shower and dress and catch the ferry home….very grateful for good friends and good fun. I wished Bob had come to enjoy it too.

It was dark for the ferry ride home and then I took a taxi back to the apartment and it was back to work – laundry and preparing visual aids for the training in Bohol (yes I go back on the ferry again on Saturday morning – blessed me!) Bob had accomplished a lot, after great computer problems and was glad he had stayed home. He had a traditional, and delicious, Thanksgiving dinner with the President and Sister Anderson and the Zone Leaders – turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, pumpkin pie, the whole works!