In This Family We Serve Missions: Along the Trail This Week

I think I know where all the members of the church in the mission live...

...at the end of a long muddy trail or on the other side of a river.

It's a long way down the road to our member's home.

I think we will be able to perform in a circus when we get home.

We found all the saints we went out to see and have had a wonderful spiritual experience with each of them. It is amazing to be in such humble circumstances and feel the Spirit so quickly. We teach from the scriptures, testify of God's love for them and promise blessings through obedience to the commandments. We commit them to live the commandments, attend church and partake of the sacrament to renew their covenants each week.

Every family has a copy of the book of Mormon on their shelf and know right where it is when we ask them to read the scriptures with us. We have a member of the branch with us to show us where the members live and also interpret for us. They often can understand English, but have a hard time speaking English, so our interpreter is important in communicating our message and helping us understand their feelings. Every family remembers the missionaries that taught and baptized them and have many fond memories of their conversion. We feel so blessed to be able to return to theses families and invite them to experience those sweet feelings again.

Over the river and through the coconut, mango and banana trees to grandma's house we go!

We found a home industry at the home at the end of this muddy road. They make bamboo and rope baskets for export.

Tata Guiterras and his daughter and granddaughter accompanied us on this day. Tata is grandpa Guiterras nickname. He was one of the founding pioneer saints in this area of the Philippines, baptized in 1980, and a bold missionary. He loves to reactivate and help the saints. He has a garden at his home and gives half of the harvest to members of the branch.

We had a problem and Tata was there to help us solve it. We received a wheelchair for an investigator with a paralyzed leg. Her knee is stiff and it is painful to bend it, so she needs a leg brace on the wheelchair. Tata cut a piece of bamboo from his pile at home to the length we needed, with a very dull coping saw...

...and trimmed the joints and smoothed the surface with his big, sharp, bolo knife. Tata was a carpenter before he retired and is still very skilled in the use of his tools. We tied the bamboo pole to the wheelchair armrest and fastened a sling to it to hold the sister's leg in place. It is a temporary fix, so she can attend church now. some members of the branch that have welding skills are working on a permanent solution. (Picture to follow in the next post)

Sandra and her two little daughters, her sister and the two missionary sisters. Picture before the pole was lashed to the wheelchair.

With scriptures, bamboo pole and muddy shoes we returned home with great joy and the sweet peace the gospel of service and love brings.

The week ended on another high note with two baptisms, one for the Mapanadan Branch and another for the San Jacinto Branch. We felt connected to all the baptisms because we had taught them in their homes, prayed and shared our testimony with them.

Sister Florida is a wonderful woman. She operates a private school in Alaminos and has been a Catholic seminary teacher. She was introduced to the Gospel by her grandson, who also baptized her.

It's always nice to ride off into another beautiful sunset after a week of work in the Kingdom.

TIRE REPAIR

You can't expect to go where we go and not have a flat tire once-in-a-while. I asked around to find out where to go to get a slow leak fixed. "Can I go to the vulcanizer in town?", I asked. "No!" was the quick response. We learned that some places are willing to serve, but not trained in how to do a professional job. We traveled a half-an-hour to Urdaneta and had a shop do it there. They had a real patch and for $2.50 I had a professional patch job and can ride with confidence now. It was pouring rain and the noise on the tin roof covering the shop was deafening, but we all had a few good laughs. All the workers in the shop go to church each week, pray every day and don't want to learn more about the church today. Someday maybe.

IN THE KITCHEN
We received a precious gift last week... an extra framed picture of the Savior. We brought it home and hung it in our living room/kitchenette area. It is amazing the special spirit we feel in our home with a picture of the Savior mounted on the wall.