Our Sunday visit to Mauban

This is Elders Eyre and Navarro with President.

They are his Assistants.  They are standing in front

of the Mauban Branch Meeting House.

On our way to Mauban...

Stop in Barra on our way home from Marinduque

We stopped and took a tricycle ride to the Barra branch 

meeting house so President could interview this sister standing

next him for baptism.  We have our missionaries with us, also.

Sisters Salon and Basa! It was getting dark by the time he finished

the interview.

The fun part was getting to watch these beautiful children practice

for their Sacrament Meeting Program!  There were so cute!

These were some children outside the church peeking in and 

watching the primary practice.  They were happy to get their

picture taken! :-)

Marinduque Zone Interviews, October 2012

Back to beautiful Marinduque Island to interview and visit 

Our missionaries' apartments there! 

Just a shot of a house on the hill with a lighthouse...as we were

entering the port on Marinduque!

Elders Bayla and Dela Rosa at their apartment in Santa Cruiz,

Marinduque.  I think they are good for each other and they had

a very clean and organize place!  It was nice to see!

Nice and clean kitchen!

This picture is a bit dark, but still a pretty view of the ocean as 

we are driving around the island!

Here we are in Boac, Mariduque with Elders Manzon and

Pesamino.  The have a nice apartment also!

Here is their nice little kitchen!  It is funny, in most of the 

apartments, even when they have cupboard space, they love to

store things on top of refrigerator!  This is a really short one!

Here we are with the Packers and our AP's having an absolutely

delicious meal at this Monserrat restaurant.  However, it wasn't

really a restaurant.  It was more like an outdoor food stand! 

But the food was really gourmet and tasty!  The owner is the

brother in the middle back end.  We had some really good

pastas...a creamy pesto linquini and some other pasta dish.

The next day we came back for lunch before heading to the

boat ride back!  We had pork soft tacos and a small egg & 

sausage pizza.  Yum!  "Masarap!" 

These are in elders in their apartment in Boac, Marinduque, Elders

Alvaro and Saunders.  Elder Alvaro is training Elder Saunders,

who just got here last week! They're happy with there apartment!

These sisters are in Mogpog, Marinduque.  They have a very nice

apartment, but this picture was taken at the chapel there. President

had to take care of business at the chapel...recommend interviews,

etc.  The AP's and I went to see there apartment.  President did

there interviews here in the chapel.  Sister Agustin and Sister 

Marino are new companions.  Sister Agustin just got transfer

there and she loves it!

Here is Sisters Austin and Marino...so happy in there nice, clean

and organized apartment!  It is really nice!

This is a picture of their kitchen!

As we travel around the mission, we notice that many of the areas

have pots that line the streets are alike and unique to the area. On

Marinduque, you will see these pots along the way.  Most of them

have plants, bushes or tress planted in them.  These were 

especially unique with the faces on both sides of the pots!

This is always a good photo opp!

Another good one!

Another good shot of Mary...

This is right next to the port at Mogpog!

Transfer Week...Coming & Going, October 2012

This is our group going home in October!  From the left, Sister

Baladad, Elder Torres, Sister Roque, Me, Sister Gabonada, 

President, Sister Villiasis and Elder De Young.

We had a wonderful Home Evening with them the night before

they were leaving.  They all bore powerful and sweet testimonies!

We always have great hopes for our missionaries who have finished

their missions and gone home.  President has always told them that

the most important thing for them to learn on their mission is the 

reality of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how it helps people 

to change and find true happiness in their lives.  

My advice to them was to continue the consistency of prayer,

study and serving others.  If they let go of those good habits, 

they could lose their testimony and their way back to our

Father in Heaven.  I love these missionaries! 

This is our fresh new batch of missionaries!  They are coming so

well prepared...or so it seems!  Anyway, they are always so

excited to get to work!  From the left, front row, Elder Green,

President, Sister Banzali, Me, Elders Discanso and Pioquinto.  

Back row, Elders Malit, Reynolds, Cordova, Geronimo, 

Saunders, Rayos and Aguilar.

  

This is just a shot before going to Transfer Meeting of Elders

Caubalejo and Caling.  Elder Caubalejo is a Zone Leader and

Elder Caling a new trainer!

We are getting ready for breakfast on the morning of Transfer 

Day.  Elder Aguilar was always helping to set the table or clear it

or wash dishes!  He is very kind and service oriented!  We usually 

have a good breakfast of scrambled eggs with melted cheese,

fried rice and pineapple juice. 

This is some of the new batch standing by the Completed Families

Board.  We had a goal of 200 completed families in 2012.  So

far, we have 167 reported completed families. Their pictures are 

placed on the board.  A completed family is a family where all 

the members of that family that can be baptized (8 years old and 

above) are baptized and working together to be sealed as a 

family in the temple.

From the left is Elders Aguilar, Pioquinto, Rayos, Disconso, and

Cordova.

Shopping experience...

This is a sign above the toilet in a bathroom stall in the public

restroom of the SM Department Store at the SM Mall in the 

city of Lipa where Sister Packer and I were shopping!

"Only in the Philippines!" lol!

Siniloan Zone Interviews October 2012

SINILOAN ZONE

I feel really bad...We missed getting a picture of Elders Jones and

Capulac in Paete area apartment.  We went to their apartment 

for interviews but forgot to take a picture with them!!! 

This is the Paete apartment's kitchen.  That apartment is very 

tiny, dark and musty!  We told them to look for another 

apartment!  It doesn't look bad in pictures, but it is!

This is our sweet Sisters Agustin and Meti. They are hard working 

missionaries and they take good care of their apartment in Pakil. 

Here is the Pakil apartment kitchen...It would be nice to have

upper cabinets!

These are the Zone Leaders in the Siniloan 1 apartment, 

Elders Basco and Libutti.  It is a nice big apartment and 

it was nicely kept.

I took this picture while sitting on a sofa in the living room...

Here is their kitchen...

This is their dining room, which also has another kitchen counter

space in it!...

I couldn't resist taking a picture of this refrigerator magnet of 

Elder Basco!  I love it!!  (...even thought it's blurry!)

We are with Elders Ah Wong and Navarro in the Siniloan 2 

apartment.  It is a small apartment, but right by the church.  It

seems to be a nice safe area.

This is the small kitchen area in Siniloan 2 apartment...

Sisters Buduan and Narciso are a beautiful companionship.  They

are both so happy and just want to be good missionaries!

Here I am talking with the Sisters about their Area Books...

Here is the Pakil apartment kitchen. They improvise with 

whatever they can to stay organized, even with no upper cabinets!

We  missed going to the Infanta area...President had already 

interviewed them...Elder Tupou and Elder Johnson are there!

Cute Twin Boys

These twin boys were sitting in the frozen yogurt shop having their

own dish.  As I walked in to take the picture they stop eating and

just stared!  They kind of looked like they were ready to fall 

asleep!  They were so cute!!