Bob and Gloria as College Lecturers

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

We had an amazing experience today. We were invited to a college up in Bogo to speak at a Symposium. They wanted me to speak to nursing students and education students about mental health/illness and Bob spoke to the same group in the afternoon about Understanding Mormonism. We each had 2 hours - including questions at the end. At the end of mine I talked about healthy families and gave away copies of the Proclamation to the World. Bob gave away 71 copies of the Book of Mormon to students who came up and asked for one. About 80 people attended each session. It was very fun to interact with these young people. It was held in a big cement ampitheatre with a tin roof with seating for about 500. About twenty students sat right in front of us on the main floor. The rest sat around the top row of seats where the had a lovely breeze - I sat up there for Bob's talk. A tender mercy was that they started the afternoon session an hour early - only took one hour for lunch instead of two - so we finished in time to drive back home last night. We had thought we would have to spend the night as it was scheduled to conclude at 5:00 p.m and we don’t like to drive that road in the dark. They had a lunch for us of a whole roasted pig – eyes and all – roasted on a bamboo pole over an open fire. It smelled delicious and tasted even better. They served it with ‘hanging rice.’ Little woven packages – made of narrow strips of palm fronds - with rice inside are hung over a large pot of water and steamed until done – hence the name ‘hanging rice.’ They are so appealing to look at, but the rice inside tasted just like ordinary rice – a bit of a disappointment.

After the program, the professor who invited us, one of the deans, the school ‘auditor’ and sister of the owner – it is a private college – each invited our missionaries to come to visit the campus and said they would be welcome any time. One said, “Our students need more faith and belief in good things.”

Busay School

Tuesday, February 21, 2005

This is me climbing the steps up the hill from Busay School. The school is at the bottom of a steep canyon – the steps are set into the mud of the hillside – a scary thought after the recent mud slides. I am carrying flowers the children gave to me. Most of their parents are flower farmers and sellers. They sell the flowers on the streets of Cebu City. This area is about 15 minutes away from where we live! The school is divided into two parts. The older children have about 7 classrooms at the bottom of the hill in the valley. Half the school was washed away in mudslides in 1995. The younger children have their classes in a covered basketball court on the side of the hill – about 100 stone stairs up the canyon side. The Principal doesn’t like to go up and down the steps – she thinks it is too dangerous so she stays in the upper school and has a head teacher in the lower one. The school has a garden and the children grow vegetables. One class was making weather vanes out of cardboard in pots of plaster of Paris. We had a very interesting time visiting this school. They actually had a library for the older children, plenty of desks and supplies. The teacher for manual arts was a baker so they have a large oven and are teaching the children how to work in a bakery! This is in the same room with the saws and hammers where they teach wood shop. Yikes! Unfortunately, the school doesn’t qualify for humanitarian aid since the local school district and city charities have them fairly well-stocked – by the standards here. Elder Crespo and Elder VanderVeen – the two office elders, and Nats – our office cleaner – resident of Busay – and ward Young Men’s President, went with me. We had a great time.

Sibonga Visit

Sunday, February 19, 2006

We went to Sibonga Branch today. It is the farthest south unit of the Church on Cebu Island. It is about two thirds of the way down the island. It is in a very peaceful farming area along the coast with low hills to the west. The area along the east coast south of Cebu City seems more prosperous than north of the city, and also more so than the west coast. We saw two big cement plants, a steel mill and another big factory that I couldn’t figure out what was. We also saw a power plant. All of these provide employment to people in the area.

Sibonga is a small branch, about 45 were in attendance today. They meet in a rented house that is quite adequate for their needs. We arrived an hour early, not being sure what the roads would be like we left home at 6 A. M. and only took two hours to get there. (It took about 2 ½ to get home as there was much more traffic on the road.

They asked us both to speak in Church – I shared my testimony in Visayan and Bob talked about Jesus Christ. Then I went to Primary. The Primary President taught the older children, and the Second Counselor in the Branch Presidency taught the younger ones. He had put pictures about the lesson in his shirt pocket and would pull out one at a time and talk about it. He was sitting knee to knee with the children and they loved it. I then went to Relief Society, which was held on the porch right outside the Primary window. I could look in and see all the children leaving and going outside to play or run down the street. I went back to Primary and pulled out paper and crayons and a chart of the Plan of Salvation and got the three girls who were still in the room working on that. Soon there were 7 more children wanting to do it and before long all the children were back in the room working away and coloring and labeling their charts. Even the little ones had crayons and were working away. They took the rest of the hour (and a little more) to finish and were so proud of their work. They showed their parents and were waving their papers around. I encouraged the Primary President to plan more activities as a part of sharing time and to get paper and crayons from the budget.

One little boy was especially cute, and especially wild. When I came in from Relief Society, I left my scriptures, by mistake, out on the porch on the step. I called him over to the window and then I picked him up and showed them to him and asked him if he could go get them for me. He ran off and pretty soon was back, lugging my very heavy scriptures. He was so proud of himself, and after that he was my friend and stayed right by me – I think he figured I needed a lot of help!

Through Rain and Fog to Lutopan

This photo, taken in September, shows how the mountains looked today as well.

Sunday, February 19, 2006

We just returned for an all-day trip over the mountains to Toledo and then back up into the hills to Lutopan. It has been raining for four days and nights straight and rained the entire trip. The mountains were shrouded in clouds making for slow and hazardous driving but beautiful views. Also, we saw very few bicyclists and not nearly as many dogs on the road. The mountains are primarily volcanic and in many places there are patches of bare black rock surrounded by an amazing variety of shades of green from all the plants. Today, waterfalls were plunging down many of these rock faces – some large, others quite small, but all were lovely.

I felt blessed to be in the passenger seat and enjoy all this beauty while Bob watched the road.

After dropping off mail, a couple of letters and two big packages, to the missionaries in Toledo, we headed back up the hill – about 20 kilometers south of where we came down from Cebu – to Lutopan. We arrived early and found the Branch President there of Lutopan Branch One. He asked us both to speak in Church. I also did all the Primary since the leaders didn’t show up – the rain makes it very hard to travel for some who live a long way up dirt roads or paths. There is so much mud everywhere. Sister Saval was there to take care of things, but she wasn’t feeling well. She has had a series of strokes and forgot to take her medicine this morning. I had fun singing, telling Bible stories, and drawing with the children. I used nearly everything in my ‘magic’ bag. One of the children last week called it that when they needed a pencil sharpener and I pulled one out of my bag. I have learned to keep it well-stocked.

Bob taught the Priesthood lesson since, again, the teacher couldn’t make it. We were glad to help, since we have a car and didn’t have to personally deal with all the mud!

I told the story of Nephi going back to get the plates and Bob recounted events from the life of Christ. We were happy to be there and help.

In Lutopan Branch Two, I taught Relief Society. Only four sisters made it; none of them were prepared to teach. We had a good time reading parts of the Wilford Woodruff lesson and talking about what it meant in our lives. Then I went in to Primary and taught the second hour there as Sister Saval was again holding down the fort, with one other sister to help her. They have an eleven-year-old boy –Bart – in the Primary who is wonderful. He sings enthusiastically and knows all the songs. He listens attentively and asks good questions and enters in to every activity eagerly. The younger boys watch him and do whatever he does. What a blessing that he is such a good example.

Again we both spoke in Sacrament meeting. I talked about the story of Abish and Bob repeated his talk from the previous meeting. We have learned to have talks ready and in our scriptures at all times.

Both Branch Presidents expressed thanks for our help and we felt that we were where we were needed today – a good feeling.

Bogo and San Remegio Visit

Young Women in San Remegio are taking keyboard lessons so they can play at Church meetings




Gloria with San Remegio Branch Primary Leaders. The young sister is the Bogo District Primary Leader.

February 5, 2006

On Saturday we drove two hours - well it took us three hours due to funeral processions (3) that take up one side of the highway and slow traffic to a standstill. The people walk, about four abreast, behind the hearse. Some carry flowers; most just walk along for quite some distance. We also encountered very heavy traffic in the city and took almost an hour just to get out of Cebu. We went up to the north end of our island to talk at a Missionary Fireside. It was a wonderful experience. We have visited and taugth in that area - Bogo- several times and feel like we have friends there. Bob talked about signs of the true Church, and I read and talked about Alma 5. We ate dinner with Anne and Fleming Hansen and saw the end of a baptism that Elder Little and Morales were conducting for their new convert as well. Then on Sunday we went to San Remegio Branch, a small - 28 people - branch nearby where Bob taught Sunday School and I helped with the Primary. They have a new young returned missionary as Branch President and he is eager to follow his manuals and to do things 'right.' The two sisters in charge of Primary were both in their 70's and obviously love, and are loved by the children. The third sister in the photo is the District Primary President. We were happy to be able to help a bit. We drove the Bogo District Primary President and her 6 year old son Jonas back to Bogo as they were visiting the little San Remegio Branch as well. On the way we talked about teaching people how to do their callings. One problem here is the people out in the bukid - country - don't read English. Church manuals are available in their language - Cebuano - but were translated by very well educated people and many of the words used are unknown to the country people so, in effect, they can't read those manuals either! It is a challenge. Their public schools remind me of those in Nigeria and are based on rote memory and recitation, which really hinders them when it comes to problem solving. The children are especially bright and eager to learn and it is a great pleasure to help in Primary. I am also doing Relief Society trainings at District and Stake Conference Auxiliary meetings and that is also quite interesting.