Mission President's Seminar May, 2013

This is a picture of some of the Mission Presidents wives and other

leaders' wives visiting after our Mission President's wives break-

out session.

This is another shot taken at the wives' session...Sister Jackson

(wife of AMA) is playing the piano at the far end.  Sister Carlos

is next and not sure who is standing looking the other way, Sister

Schmutz, Sister Donato, Sister DeLaMar and Sister Pagaduan.

We love visiting and sharing ideas...

Sister Monahan talking to Sister Neilsen and Sister Ardern with 

Sister Teh sitting with another sister...  This was during the break-

out session for the Mission President's wives...

Our Area Presidency's wives, Sister Nielson, Sister Teh, and 

Sister Ardern. They have been a wonderful help and support to us.

Some of the changes that came about after this Seminar:

Missionaries are not to stay at the Mission Home.  We have 

always had the ones going home and the new ones coming in stay

at the Mission Home a couple of nights.  The Area Presidency 

informed us that has been a tradition here that was not really

authorized.  The Mission Home is for the Mission President's 

family and guests.  So we found a hotel close by where the 

missionaries spend the night.  They still have meals, Home 

Evening, orienting and training at the Mission Home.  They just

sleep at the hotel which is only 3 kilometers away!

They also asked us not to have a big Transfer meeting where all

the missionaries being transferred come to the mission home and

have a big meeting to find out their new companion/new area. The

only ones that come to the mission home are the trainers for the

new missionaries.  That was a hard one! We now have to arrange

for all the other missionaries who are transferring to meet up 

somewhere and get to their areas.  

At the end of the Seminar we met up with some of our returned

missionaries for dinner. Pictured are President, Spencer Abanggan, Me,

 Sister Yorro, and Sister Agustin.  It was so fun to see them!

Fun Pictures in our Travels...

Motorcycle Bride and Groom...

This picture just cracked us up! It looks like this Bride and Groom 

are on their way to the wedding! :-)  Check out her spiked heels!  

Here is a closer shot.  You can see she is carefully holding on to 

her beautiful dress.  Hope they don't hit a bump!!

Closer still...She is dutifully hanging on to that dress!

Transporting the Ducks

Okay...Just know that these ducks are alive!  I guess this is the

only means they have of transporting them!  Poor things...

A different angle of the same tricycle...They look a little happier 

in this shot!

Sister Training Leaders May & June 2013

This is 6 of our 8 Sister Trainer Leaders...4 companionship's...  

They will make a wonderful addition to the leadership in our 

mission.  Each companionship is assigned to help in training all the 

sisters in all aspects of the work...Companionship study, planning,

practicing, teaching and are so kind and ready to help.

Okay, this is the whole bunch.  This picture was taken at our 1st

MLC (Mission Leader Council) meeting in June, 2013. They are 

with their companions...Sisters Snow and Cayanan, Sisters 

Asuncion and Folau, Sisters Carmichael and Macariola, and Sisters

Lamosa and Pitman.  They are enjoying their work and all the

sister companionships are enjoying the training they give.  They

are an inspiration to them!

Lipa Stake Conference, May 18-19, 2013

President and I were invited to attend the Lipa Stake Conference with Elder Brent Nielson and his lovely wife Sister Marcia Nielson.  I was privileged to work with Sister Nielson on Saturday to help teach the Auxiliary Presidencies from the wards and branches in the stake.  She taught them well about Preparing Spiritually to Lead and Teach, and about how to help in Raising Up a Generation to Serve.  I was given time to then teach the Auxiliary Leaders about Nurturing the Returning One.  We wanted to help the Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary leaders to know that they are an auxiliary to the priesthood.  And that all auxiliaries exist to help Church members grow in their testimonies of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the restored gospel.  Through the work of the auxiliaries, members receive instruction, encouragement, and support as they strive to live according to the gospel principles.
Saturday evening there was an Adult session...Sister Nielson talked about the language of God.  Read the scriptures with your family so they are familiar with how our Father in Heaven communicates with us...through His written word.

Elder Nielson... Luke 21... Fear and faith cannot coexist.  Demand improvement only...God will make up the difference.  Challenges come...we must not fear.  God allows us to grow through challenges.  President Kimball said. ..."Give me another mountain to climb!" Talk by Pres. Eyring..."Mountains to Climb."  The Lord gave us families to help us through our trials...We weren't given a manual to raise a child...instead God sent a mother.  By divine design, fathers are to preside over your families in love and righteousness.  God looks at men as providers.  He showed the video with Elder Todd Christofferson..."Let us be Men".

On Sunday, Elder Nielson taught in a meeting that was held for Youth and Young Adults in the Stake.  He taught them about their "Road to Happiness"...
1.  Know who you are!  There is so much more of who you are than who you are right now...
2.  Keep the Commandments!  That keeps you safe...D&C 82:10 "...when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise."
3.  Serve others... If you lose your life (serving others) you will find it... Learn what is important and what is not.  "Never let a problem to be solved be more important than the person to be loved." (Pres. Monson)
4.  Good Education... If you think you can earn a living in this high tech world without an education, "You're crazy!"
5.  Serve a full-time mission...The Lord sends you to a place where you can grow... Stay with in the bounds of worthiness.
6.  Marry the right person in the right place by the right authority...

After that, we had the General Session of the Conference.  Sister Nielson gave a powerful talk on what she entitled, "The Parable of the Peach Tree".  The best peaches are at the top of the tree.  Stay in the top of the "Gospel Tree".  Don't let anyone talk you down out of the gospel tree...stay in it!

Elder Nielson taught...In the Church of Jesus Christ...people love each other and God.  Always move forward with faith! Matthew 19...Rich man...What lack I yet? When Christ told him to sell everything and follow me...he went away sorrowful. In contrast, when he called His disciples to "leave your nets and come follow me...they did leave their nets straightway and followed him." The Heavens are open to everyone!  The Lord came to a 14 year old. The Pope announced that the heavens were closed.  The gift of the Holy Ghost helps us to know what to do in our lives!  That is the difference of His Church.  He taught, "Having the Holy Ghost with us...It's in us like breathing.  Remember that the Savior took 40 days to get control of His body.  In Gethsemane the Savior prayed, "Father if it be possible remove this cup from me... Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done."
President Peterson talked about the the importance of the Book of Mormon in our day.  It was not written for Moses' time or Jeremiah's, Abraham's or Enoch's...Neither was it for the time of which it was written in the Nephite/Lamanite times.  It is for our day and if we feast upon the words of Christ we will know what we should say and do to have eternal life.  My talk center on "How are we to Govern our Lives" that I have given in another Stake Conference.  Put on the whole armor of God and you will be guided and protected to choose well and direct our lives in such a way that we will continually put the WILL of the Father ahead of our own.

Transfer Week, Going and Coming May, 2013

This was our batch of missionaries going home in May.  From the

left Elder Trapsi, Sister Donato, Me, Sister Ramos, Sister Pruden,

President, Sister Salon, Elders Delos Santos, Knight, Smith and

Caubalejo.

Elder Delos Santos and Elder Knight singing while Sister Pruden 

accompanies them Monday night before Family Home Evening.

Elder Trapsi looking through our book of Returned Missionaries 

from the Philippines San Pablo Mission during our term.  Elder

Caubalejo looks like he is busy signing someone's BR 

(Book of Remembrance).

Sister Donato is doing her last email to President! :-)

Elder Trapsi seems very relaxed, doesn't he?  :-)

Presidents Assistants, Elders Pascua and Burton are working hard 

to help make a smooth transition with the transfers...

Getting reading for Family Home Evening with their President, is

Elder Guyer and Sister Pruden.

Here's the whole group gathered for Family Home Evening, Elder

Caubalejo, Sisters Donato, Salon, and Ramos, Elders Trapsi, 

Delos Santos, and Smith, Sister Pruden and Elder Knight and 

very little of Elder Guyer showing through.

Gotta love him!  This is Elder Knight displaying his native hat he

is taking home!  

This was our new batch for May.  From the left Elders Pineda, 

Garcia, Hunter, and Talanoa, Sisters Manwill, Jacobsen and 

Hoffman, Elder Tolentino, President, Me, Sisters Baird, 

Warburton, Cox, McKinney, and Malig, Elder Tuivaiti, 

Sister Tua'One, Elders Layugan and Tavita.

New Trainers' Training May 17, 2013

New Trainers Training

This is a meeting where we bring in all the missionaries who are going to train the next new batch of missionaries.  They come to the San Pablo Stake Center (instead of to the Mission home) to instruct them and get them ready to follow the 12 week training program with their new trainees.

They are reverently waiting and preparing  to have a revelatory

 experience with the Mission President and his Assistants.

Lipa Zone Meeting May 15, 2013

Lipa Zone Meeting

This meeting is where the Zone leaders, with the help of Sister Training Leaders, meet with all the districts in their zone and teach them what they learned at Mission Leaders Council (Formerly Zone Leaders Council).

This is the Lipa Zone at McDonald's after their Zone meeting.

We seem to eat together with our missionaries often! :-)