Temple Tour

Well, it is officially into the “ber” months now in the Philippines. They are supposed to be the coolest months of the year! We’ve already noticed some new Christmas lights and 1 Christmas tree up in a business in the Naic bayan. We heard Christmas music being played in a tryke the other day as it was passing us so we know the holiday season is beginning.

The Morgan’s from Roy, Utah, joined our little group last Wednesday.

They are a very special couple and are going to be a wonderful addition to the mission. They are living and working with the SanGabriel District and Zone about 45 minutes away. We didn’t realize that the couple missionaries would get better with every addition but they are just like our Sisters and Elders and seem to be sharper with every change.

Last Saturday was a Temple Tour for our mission. What a treat it was to be there! Each Zone brought their investigators to learn about the Temple. We had over 300 investigators attending! They met in a pavilion behind the ancillary building on the Temple grounds and then left in groups to visit 7 stations that were set up around the Temple. They were taught about the meaning of the Temple, Temple work, the restoration, family history and so on. Many of those attending from the Provinces (like Naic) had to leave at 4:00 a.m. to arrive on time in Manila. We had 50+ from our Zone. It was such a treat to see so many there. One brother who was attending the last tour noticed the no smoking signs on the Temple grounds, he had just had the first lesson and so the Word of Wisdom hadn’t been mentioned yet. He was so touched by the Spirit that he quit smoking on the spot. He had been a 2 pack a day smoker for 30 years. He was miserable for awhile but now has a baptism date set and is very excited about the gospel. The “Temple” feeling is so sacred. The tours will be going on regularly for the mission and we’re sure there will be some wonderful success stories to unfold. This month has a fruit that is a doozer! It is stinky as the dickens! In Tagalog it is most definitely mabaho (smells bad)! Just bringing one home from the store made our car stink for days. Durian is brutally spiky with big seeds and such an odor! One of our Elders described the taste as a cross between an avocado and an onion. (Personally we think he was being kind in his assessment.) Our sweet Filipino missionaries liked it! We’ve decided it is an acquired taste but it is a totally cool, awesome looking fruit.

A new Sanders business in Rosario, Ph (yes, those are power lines hanging in the foreground)