Language Speaking Assessment Pilot Program Kick-off

LSA - A VERY NICE CHANGE OF PACE!

 Elders and Sisters in our Morong Zone coming in to take their language assessment.  Sister Jardine and I with some of our favorite missionaries!

Missionaries scheduled every hour to sit and take the online assessment with audio headsets.

Sister Zollinger getting ready.....

Elder Rajan and another Elder on the other side of the room....They were all a little nervous thinking it was some kind of test, but it ended up being kind of fun showing off their Tagalog skills.

The native Filipinos just hanging out together while their companions who are learning Tagalog took the assessments.

We went through lots of bakery goodies in four days!

Elder Johnson and Jardine looking busy in the hall!

A great gathering place....and to think we get to do this every three months for three years!
Well we won't be here for three years but the pilot program will go that long.   Our next time will be in December.

Sister JoAnn Schlager from Missouri is such a wonderful friend and mentor!  I just love her!!  She is like a sister to me.  She will go home in February and I won't know what to do without her.  She and her husband were the couple who showed us the ropes when we came and got us settled.  They were assigned out where we are and then were asked to move into the city and be the Mission Office Secretaries.

Me and Sister Strebel from California.  She is an amazing young woman who is so fun and a terrific missionary who just happens to be Kami Williams and Molly McCall's cousin.  She goes home in about 6 weeks.  

Moving the Elders

COGEO ZONE LEADERS AND DISTRICT LEADERS:  Elder Loste., Elder Tino, Elder Martin & Elder Dickens, with Elder Jardine and Johnson loading the truck.

 

Hauling stuff up the hill from their apartment to be loaded into the truck.

I didn't want to kill myself again and knew that I couldn't just sit by and not help so I called out to about a half dozen young kids and asked them to help carry stuff up the hill and told them I would pay them each 10 pesos!

This family helped guard the missionaries stuff while they took the truck full of stuff to the new apartment.

After I paid them their 10 pesos, I asked them all. "What are you going to buy with your money?"

This cute boy in the purple said instantly...."FOOD!"  I gave him some pesos for his little brother hiding in the back too.

tkkjl

 

 This is a picture of the landlord of the old apartment who is a member of the church and temple worker.  Her husband spent 20 years working in Saudi Arabia coming home only very little, while she raised her 3 kids.  Today they own about four apartments and her three married, educated children live right there as well.  They are teachers etc. and other professionals but even with that sacrifice what they have is still very little.  The baby is her grandson and is 18 months and it's not a very good picture but this cute little guy counted to ten in English and knew all his colors!  I was very impressed.

 More families living under the freeways....even worse than the squatters!

The Teresa Branch improvements!

LEFT:  the new arrangements at the podium....

 RIGHT: the tray with a diffuser, tissues and hand soap in the ladies room (CR)

 And the best thing ever.....TOILET PAPER!

When I cleaned it, I even took the time to fold the end of the toilet paper into a nice point like they do at nice hotels.....hahaha

This was the temple with the moon shining through the night clouds after FHE on Monday night.

So pretty!

Johnson's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week....

The Church Cleaning Crew

 Elder Tizon, Elder Blessent, Elder and Sister Johnson :), Elder Oyler and Elder Ballon

Check out Elder J's T-shirt....total sweat job. 

Mission Home in Corinthian Gardens

 This is a very beautiful subdivision....first time we'd been here.  First time to see anything that even resembled a neighborhood like in the states.  We don't see this EVER where we serve!

WORKING WITH THE SISTER MISSIONARIES

 

 HIKING IN TO A FEW INVESTIGATORS HOMES

 Me and Sister Sanders from Houston, TX and Sister Fewster from England.

These are the homes we went to.....

 The way was so muddy but the people were very welcoming.

 This cute little one-month old guy was listening in on our discussion.  The mom removed the blue mosquito netting off him long enough to catch this sweet picture.

The mom of this little guy is below reading a scripture or two.  The baby is her fourth son and she, her husband and the oldest boy is soon to be baptized.

This Sister and her son lived a little more in town in actually one of the nicer homes we've been in.

 Manila Temple at night reminds us that although we have a bad week here and there, 

this is what it's all about!

Transfers, Roadshows, Goal Smashing Baptisms....& More Towels! :)

Transfer Week!

Elder Karawa from Kiribati
Elder Briones, PHL, Elder Natural PHL, Elder Baile, PHL
We lost Karawa & Natural....:(

Elder Karawa & Natural both left our Malaya Branch.

Big guys...
Elder Tonga and Lokotui from...you guessed it, Tonga!

Elder Esmabe, PHL & Elder Lokotui both left the Tanay Branch.

 We picked up the four guys above and added two leaving from Sampaloc and stuffed us all in the truck....This is a selfie of us.  Elder Karawa was sitting on my lap in the back seat and was holding the upper hand rail so hard so as to take the weight off of me.  When I finally looked up he was just sweating great beads of sweat.  I told him to relax and sit!  LOL.  It's more fun in the Philippines.

Sister Dickison,Cedar City/Siste Faka'osi, Tonga both left!

 

Our beloved ZL Elder Merrill-Farmington....:(

 

Elder Tampac, PHL left from Binangonan

While waiting for Elder J. to help with the Malaya Elders luggage I was laying back in the seat with my eyes closed....
woke up at 4 am to start this day....
Any way I open my eyes to see this guy staring at me through the window!!
Scared the BEEGEEBIES
outta me!  I couldn't get him to respond in any way so I passed some food through a crack in the window.  We found out later he was deaf & mute.

District Video Roadshows

Cute Decorations!

 

Singing, Dancing, Acting...all sharing their talents.  These are the best pictures I could get.

Part of the audience.  The row of boys in the center and the girls behind are from our 

Teresa Branch.

Seven Baptisms....from Teresa

Two tall brothers in the back are John John and Mathew Afalla. Young boy on left with his grandpa is John Ray Garcia.  The Mother and three children in front are Renedios & Cherry Mae Padua and the two younger boys are Don and John Mark Paduo Idao.  All of these children are over eight years old...the little girl is 11--the youngest is about the size of a four yr-old!  So tiny here!!

One of my FAVORITE KIDS...

Something about him reminds me of Cameron!  He is very quick witted and just darling...He is one who is learning the keyboard.  He also sings quite well,

This was taken during the closing hymn of church, he was turning around reading the words to the song upside down.  He's 14 and is such a cute kid!

TOWELS ON HEAD...AND RANDOM ACTS OF PHOTOS...

 

 

 This picture shows the Mission Office buildings in the far left corner across the street.  Kids are always under the elevated train rails and just playing, making a living or often just living on these cement areas. 

Rainy day for one of our LOOOOONNNNNGGGG drives!