On The Road Again

Today we hit the road to attend missionary meetings, visit elders, review apartments and do a quick run through the grocery store to get some food on the way home. We only went 110 Km (66 miles), but it seemed to be a trip that was three times longer. We left in the morning and got back well after dark. Driving in the daytime is a fun challenge... driving in the night is a whole new experience. They drive their trikes, jeepnies, trucks and bicycles with no lights, not even a rear reflector. Some have a light that is on bright, others have lights but don't want to waste their battery by turning them on. Some look like they have brake lights, but there is a 50/50 chance they don't work. People walk down the highway and expect you to see them and drive through on-coming traffic around them. I'm surprised we don't see more accidents and funerals. I was going to take a picture of our church parking lot last Sunday as we were leaving, but I didn't. There were 6 trikes (small 90-100 cc motor bike with a covered sidecar), a jeepney (modified jeep about the size of a Suburban) with an open back with facing bench seats, and 1 car... ours! Everyone else takes public transportation - jeeps and trikes.

This is the gate on our driveway entrance to our home. Villas Filicidad - Happy Homes! Our landlord lives in the front house and we live in the red tile house behind his.

This is the flowering hedge next door facing the main road we live on. There is beauty all around, if you know where to look.

 We traveled to Mangaldan for zone meeting, on to Dagupan to meet with the zone leaders and on again to Basista, just outside of Bayambang. We made a few wrong turns, but managed to stay amazingly close to our original meeting times. This is a picture of San Carlos where we stopped at McDonald's for a burger and sundae. Not bad.

 A view of the highway we are traveling on from the balcony at the McDonald's in a "mall".

 Despite the crowded parking lot, we spotted our car quickly... It was the only car. There are always men in the parking lot that are willing to help you maneuver in and out of parking places. The trouble is they use hand signals that have a meaning that are opposite to what you would think. Tapping on the car doesn't mean stop it means to keep backing up. It's hard to explain... you just have to be here. We finished our burger and motored through the dark back to our home in Manaoag. 

Home-Sweet-Home, Manaoag. Home to "The Lady of Manaoag" shrine. It is a national landmark and people from all over the country and beyond travel here the worship and pray for a miracle. You can see the silhouette of the shrine lit up at the end of the road. We counted our blessings that we were delivered by the hand of the Lord to all the places we needed to be and accomplished all we needed to do. Delivered again today to serve another day in His service.