Saying Goodbye to our Sister

This is our dear Sister Morton! She had to go home a bit early for

medical issues!  She is a hard working missionary, full of love for 

all!  We will miss her terribly.  Since she had served a full year,

she was given an honorable release for having served a full-time

mission!  Love you sister!

Here we are seeing her off at the airport!  She had mixed emotions

about going home, but she looks very happy here, huh?

Elder and Sister Packer love her too!

Yes, the elders were sad to see her go too!  From the left, Elders

Bandiola (came to Manila with us to see a doctor about migraines)

and Diaz, Sister Morton, Elders Navarro and Eyre.  Elder Eyre is

taking Elder Diaz's place as an Assistant to President (AP).

The Garden Wedding Reciption September 2012

This sweet couple was married in the Manila Temple that morning

and came back to Santa Cruz, Laguna, for this reception in the

back of the LDS chapel there.  Don't you love these adorable

children?  The little girls are in their fancy long dresses and the 

little boys in their "barang" shirts (which are traditional formal 

wear for the men).  

The parents of the Groom and Bride are following the pedals

being dropped by the children...

Then, of course, the Bride and Groom next!

They were a beautiful couple...even more so in person!

The sun was a little bright on the couple at first...a little warm until

the sun went down a little.

Some traditions are just like ours!  They fed each other a bite of

wedding cake.

Each table got to have a picture taken...I had someone use our 

camera too!  It was a nice breezy day which made it okay to be

outdoors!

They brought around a picture of the Bride and Groom for guests

to sign.  This is Elder Cook at our table posing as he signs. :-)

Visit to Santa Cruz, Marinduque, Sept. 2, 2012

You could see these fisherman out very early to get a good catch 

while the water is still calm.

A few more fishing boats out on the water this early morning!

These are members of the Santa Cruz Branch in Marinduque!  

What a wonderful spirit we felt with the saints in that branch.

Our Sick Sister Missionary

Sister Pruden became very ill.  All symptoms suggested Dengue 

Fever.  However, when she got to the hospital and tests were 

done, it was discovered that she had pneumonia and a bad UTI.

She stayed in the hospital for a few days to get hydrated and

feeling better.  You can tell by her eyes that she is smiling behind 

that mask!  She was feeling so much better!

This is Sister Taobure, Sister Pruden's campanion.  She is happy

and very patient as she stays at the hospital with her companion,

waiting for her to be well enough to go home.

Hidden Valley, Alaminos, Laguna September, 2012

President and me with Sister and Elder Packer.  At a place called

Hidden Valley.  We heard it was a beautiful place to visit... 

beautiful natural pools and green pretty grounds!

You can see it is already getting dark!  President had too

many visits to make and was not able to get back very early!

This is the pretty path to the pools!

Here is President with Elder and Sister Packer on the path! We

are searching for the pools!

It's really getting dark now that we found the pools!  I hope you

can see it's natural beauty without much light!

Elder and Sister Packer by one of the pools.  I couldn't get 

President down there soon enough to get a picture before it was

too dark!

This is kind of a nice shot of some of the greenery around the 

pools!

Various Pictures of Missionaries Aug. & Sept. 2012

Elder Viloria with his companion, Elder Sollano as they visited the 

Mission office one day.

Sister Rombaoa with Sister Morton and a Cabuyao Stake

Conference.  They had been companions before.  Sister 

Rombaoa is a returned missionary now.  She came to visit

us when Elder Bednar was here...

Two returned San Pablo missionaries came back for a visit!  This

is President and I with Sister Rombaoa and Sister Guzman.  We 

are standing in front of our "Completed Families" picture board!

This huge bulletin board is full of pictures of over 135 completed.

families. A completed family is when all members of the family 

that are of required age (at least 8) are baptized. Our goal is 200 

completed families in 2012.

Elder Navarro (AP), President, Elder Visoria, Elder Diaz (AP) 

and me having one last picture taken with Elder Visoria before he

goes home.  He was going a little sooner then his batch, so we 

wanted to get a picture with him.  We will miss him!

Elders Navarro, Visoria, Bactad and Diaz waiting for the bus for

Elder Visoria 

We are standing and waiting for the bus to Manila to take Elder

Viloria who is going home.  We will miss you, Elder! Standing

with him is Elders Diaz, Delos Santos, Brown, and Navarro.

Zone Conference, September, 2012

This is our Marinduque Zone.  Front row...Sisters Marino and

Villiasis, President, Me, Elders Knight and Tagulao, Sister 

 and Elder Douglas. Back row...Elders Sanchez, Diaz,

Manson, Navarro, Naeata, Lalo, Mayola and Guba.

This is our Lucena Zone, and largest zone!  Front row...Sisters

Gabonada, Snow and Calla, President, Me, Sisters Taobure

and Pruden, Sister and Elder Douglas. Back row...Elder Clark,

Sister Huni, Elders Abad, Cabacungan, Collado, Pascua, Navarro,

Waga, Diaz, Cortez, De Guia, Dela Rosa, Calisaan, Kartchner, 

Lahom, Johnson, Nance, Rosario and Howes.

This is our Lopez Zone.  Front row...Elders Garnica, Bandoy, 

Hansen, President (not ready?), Me, Sisters Nabus and Roque,  

Sister and Elder Douglas.  Back row... Elders Lacson, Rivera, 

Sembrano, Navarro, Diaz (with eyes closed :-)), Najorda, 

Kleinlein, Leavitt, Delfin, Torres and Yost.

This is our San Pablo Zone.  Front row...Sisters Pitman, Salon, 

Padua, and Cayanan, Elder and Sister Packer, President, Me,

Sister and Elder Gines, Sisters Baladad and Basa. Back row...

Elders Bandiola, Eyre, Brown, Delos Santos, Navarro, Diaz, 

Shepherd, Mendoza,Tamale, Torculas, Edvalson and Smith.

This is our Siniloan Zone. Front row...Sisters Narciso and
 Buduan, Elder and Sister Packer, President, Me, Sister and
Elder Gines, Sisters Agustin and Meti.  Back row...Elders
Navarro, Perez, Basco, Navarro, Diaz, Libutti, Ah Wong,
Merriam, Figuration and Capulac.

This is our Santa Cruz Zone.  Front row...Sisters Maka and 

Pajarin, Elder and Sister Packer, President, Me, Sister Gines,

Elder Gines, Elders Nalesoni and Glenn. Back row...Elders 

Nerza, Lalangan, Ocuaman, Bayla, Diaz, Navarro, Pratt,

Biala, Bactad, Viloria and Sollano.

This is our Lipa Zone.  From the left...Elders Adams, Dait, Diaz,

President, Elders Cello, Tolentino, Tagulao, Navarro, Seggay,

Inlayo, Alvaro, Meniano, Guyer, Me, Elder Jones, Sister Folau,

Elder De Young, Sister Donato, Elder Thompson, Sister Lamosa,

Elder Ebuen, Sisters Yorro and Harris.

This is our Cabuyao Zone.  From the left, Sister Begontes, Elder

Diaz, Sisters Macariola and Carmichael, Elder Navarro, Sister 

Morton, President, Elder Trapsi, Me, Elders Sasaggi, Abendanio, 

Burton, Pablico, Illustrisimo, Natividad and Orro. (Elder Palavi

was missing from this picture)

This is our Batangas Zone.  From the left, Elders Viloria, 

Mac Millen, Cook, Tupou, Hurst, Pesamino, Silvosa, President,

Me, Elders Surio and De Leon, Sister Pacampara, Elder Navarro,

Sister Ramos, Elders Salisbury and Pascua. (Elder Eldridge is 

 missing from the picture)

This is our Mindoro Zone.  From the left...Elders Revillo, Ayap, 

Caling, Ignacio, President, Me, Elder Butler, Sisters Francis and

Segaysay, Elders, Perez, Pascua, Galutera, Lucila and Caubalejo.

This is me with Sister and Elder Douglas at the end of one of our

meals. It was a delicious lunch.

These missionaries are enjoying their meal and each others 

company!  They are Sisters Taobure and Pruden, Elders 

Garnica, Bandoy and Rivera, Sisters Snow and Calla.

Elder Hansen is enjoying his dessert with his back to us... Starting

from the left, Elders Nance, Dela Rosa, Torres, Cortes, Navarro,

Pascua and Najorda.  Rubi's husband, Bishop Baliwas is in the

background serving juice.  Rubi's catering group served our 

lunch for the three days of Zone Conferences.

President took a lot of pictures that day!  At this table, Sisters 

Roque, Nabus and Villiasis, Elders Lacson and Sembrano and

Sister Marino.

At this table we have, from the left, Elders Delfin, Guba, De Guia,

Waga, Sanchez, Alinsoot, Manson, Lalo and Mayola.  With the

exception of Elder Waga, these elders are all serving in 

Marinduque right now.

Lucena Zone sitting together as they discuss some things and 

receive their pouch (mail).