Holy Week and Easter

Tarlac, Tarlac

Philippines

13 April 2009

Here in the Philippines the country has just finished Holy Week – 90 percent Catholic. The week has three days where businesses are closed – Monday, Thursday and Friday and there is not much done the rest of the week. Needless to say it is a week long holiday and everyone wants to get out into the provinces and mountains so the main roads will be a mess all week with all the extra traffic this reminds us of holiday travel in the US.

Two other interesting things that take place in the communities – one is that people will be along the roads carrying crosses that are very heavy. We see more resting as we travel than moving in the heat of the day. But they are very impressive crosses made out of good sized trees. The second thing is you will see young men in groups walking along whipping themselves across their back and their backs are bleeding.

Interesting enough with the main religion – Catholicism they do not observe the Sabbath day – it is just another work day for the people including Easter.

Easter weekend in the Philippines. Saturday and Sunday we were able to watch the delayed broadcast of April General Conference in the stake and district centers. Saturday started with Priesthood Session at 8 a.m. then an hour break between each succeeding session. We loved being able to listen to the brethren and sisters as they instructed us just as if we were back home. Saturday sessions were not well attended but Sunday morning session was full to running over. We were touched by Elder Holland’s remarks about the Savior and were uplifted to a higher understanding of his sacrifice for us. What a special two days.

We had a real contrast between our Easter and the dominate religion.

Elder NB & Sister MB

Couple Missionary Gathering

Angeles, Pampanga,

Philippines

6 April 2009

Every six weeks in our mission we have a senior couples meeting with the mission president where all couples gather and have training and share experiences they have had over the last six weeks. There are three couples assigned to work full time in the branches, one in the office, the mission president and his wife and us. One of the discussions that take place is staying with in the area of assignment. When some of the branches take trips to the temple the assigned couple wants to go with their members but because the temple is three missions away a request for travel needs to be sent to the Area Presidency for approval – ‘Red Tape’. Then someone will say “but the Costleys can go anywhere they want without permission”. We act sheepishly until we are in the car and then say ‘YES!’

Time is drawing short for two of our couples who are preparing to return home between now and July. Only one replacement couple has been called so we will be short a couple in a branch. This will be rough because they are so helpful.

Our training at the couples meeting was for the Elders on the Philippines budget process for the stake/ district and ward/ branches. They operate on what is known as a JP Morgan card (visa) where funds are allocated and as they are needed the president withdraws funds in cash then accounts for them with receipts. The unit allocation is based on attendance at meetings.
After the meeting we returned the pickup truck to Manila and were glad to have our little Corolla back – it is more comfortable and easier to maneuver through traffic.

We taught a Career Workshop Saturday in a small ward called Capas in the Tarlac Stake and had seventeen participants in our class. Many of our members are hungry for anything that will help them to face life’s challenges.

Elder NB & Sister MB

Sunrise at Baler

Baler, Aurora,

Philippines

30 March 2009

Our assignment this week was to travel to Baler, a small community on the eastern coast of the Philippines. Baler is the furthest missionary outpost in the Angeles Mission and has four small branches in the area that report directly to the mission president. Four teams of missionaries and a missionary couple are assigned to the area and because of the beauty (the ocean) of the area , all missionaries want to be assigned there.

We had to exchange our car for a high clearance pick-up because we had to cross a mountain range on a gravel road that was steep, very rough and rocky. Our travel time from Tarlac to Baler was five hours of which three hours were in the mountains. Needless to say MB was bounced out of her seat a few times. As we entered the beautiful valley it was full of coconut groves and rice fields and everything was tropical green. They said it is the coconut capital of the Philippines.

We taught two Self Employment Workshops Thursday and Friday to the two out-laying branches and they generated some very good ideas for businesses. They need to now spend time doing the research and developing business plans so they can capitalize their businesses and get started. On Saturday we gave a Career Workshop in the Baler Branch and had a great time preparing them to job search and face to face interviewing. There were a lot of young people there and they are the ones who really need this workshop. The branch president who is working in a local government office said this was his first ever interview. We do all our teaching in English which is sometime a challenge for them to verbalize their thoughts which makes it fun for the whole class.

Sunday evening we presented a fireside on Prosperity which is directed at encouraging the members to save some of their income for their retirement. Filipinos are a very generous people and will give anything to their family to make them happy even at their own expense. It is their culture to celebrate even if they have to borrow money to celebrate – saving is not (part of their culture). As a result most do not have anything to live on when they retire and have to depend on their children.

We had no internet access while we were gone, so no communication for a week. Returned safely on Monday and enjoyed being in our little home after a week away.

Elder NB & Sister MB

Being Taught and Teaching

Tarlac, Tarlac,

Philippines

23 March 2009

On Wednesday this week we sat at the feet of a General Authority as missionaries and received instructions and challenges from him. ElderTeh, of the First Quorum of Seventy and second counselor in the Area Presidency, toured the Angeles Mission with President Puzey. He asked probing questions about our obedience then challenged us to make the necessary improvements to stay close to the Lord. During lunch we found out he has family in Davis County and even in our stake – small world in the church.

We spent some time with part of the Tarlac Stake Employment Committee (SEC) visiting the mayor’s office in Tarlac. Our objective, under direction of the stake president was to offer our church buildings as venues for training of our members in livelihood training. Of course it is open to non-members as well. The stake has interest in new technology – computer training and cell phone repair as well as skills in cosmetology – manicure and hair cutting. We established contacts, obtained the necessary forms and procedures to secure the training now the SEC will need to find the members who desire the training.

Two more Career Workshops were completed – the last one (total of 5) for Angeles University Foundation with over a hundred and twenty graduating students and a small ward were we taught twenty. Both had their challenges and rewards but the most rewarding is when we work with members. In the AUF session (a Catholic University) we had one member of the church come up to us and thank us for bringing the workshop there, her name was Sunshine, a great name for the Philippines! Seven members were in the ward training. A few were filling requirements for Perpetual Education Fund (PEF) – these were sharp kids.

We are traveling to Baler next week so we will be late posting our blog.

Elder NB & Sister MB

Native Fruit

Tarlac, Tarlac,

Philippines

16 March 2009

Our entry this week will be short with a few pictures to show our fruit trees – many of which are just coming into production. We see these along the road in single trees or in large groves where there are hundreds of trees. The three pictures are of green fruit – banana, papaya, and mango. We have been eating banana since arriving and have tried many different varieties – the smaller the better. Mangos are in season now and we are enjoying them – learning how to cut them the best way to reduce the mess and enjoy the fruit. They are about the size of my hand and can fill you up. Papayas are just coming into season so we cannot report on how they taste but we will find out how to prepare them from the missionaries soon.

The last picture is of a two Zone (Tarlac and Paniqui) ‘P Day’ (36 missionaries) held in a mango grove. They played volleyball (we didn’t join in because it was about 95 degrees) and at noon had their lunch of Filipino chop suey and boiled rice with a fish (whole – only gutted) on the side. Everything but the fish was quite good.

We traveled and taught two different classes this week for another fulfilling week.

We are very healthy – eating well and walking in the country for our exercise.
Elder NB & Sister MB

Member's Success

Capas, Tarlac,

Philippines

9 March 2009

Two events this week gave us insight into the workings of committed and driven members.
We were invited a few weeks ago to visit the livelihood project of a family in Capas. Their project was growing and marketing oyster shell mushrooms. On Wednesday, we drove there and spent about three hours looking and being instructed in the process of growing, processing, marketing and selling their product. They started with 200 tubes as growing units back in November 2008 and have expanded to 1,000 tubes. These tubes have the seeds, as they call them, with nutrients which produce the mushrooms. They are harvesting every day off this tubes and selling in the local market place as well as to grocery stores. One of their customers is a tricycle driver (motorcycle taxi) who buys from them and re-sales to his customers and makes a few pesos.

The neat thing is they give samples and show people how to use their produce. They are growing and expanding their business now to the point they have to add more production space. Housing (low cost – bamboo and old gunny sacks) for the 1,000 tubes is in a little hut with very high humidity about 8 X 10 feet and it is dark of course. They are in the process of building a new hut that is 9 to 10 times bigger to stay on top of the demand. All of this in just four months.

On Friday we were invited by the Provincial Governor to the town of Victoria (55,000 people) to celebrate the graduation of the first cosmetology class – hair cutting and manicure. We were invited because we assisted a sister (who is a driver) as she visited the local government livelihood educators, the governor’s office and the mayor to offer our church facilities as a venue for training. After four weeks the courses completed and the testing passed there were 53 candidates to receive their certificates 20 of which were members. They were recognized by the governor at the mayor’s office with about one hundred people looking on.

Just before the program started they asked Elder NB to give an inspirational talk – it was short and sweet. We both were asked to stand in the award line and congratulated the whole class. What a privilege.

Elder NB & Sister MB

Hey Medic

Vargus, Tarlac, Philippines

2 March 2009

It seems like when we are asked to do something it is in groups: Be a medic.

Sunday evening we were preparing to leave to pick up a missionary sister who was returning home after her mission and bring her to Tarlac for the night. She was in Paniqui, an hour north of our home when the mission president’s wife called – she is the chief medic in the mission. She was checking on us to see if we could help with a dog bite. One of the elders in Santa Ignacia Zone (about a half hour from our home in a different direction) had been bitten by a dog. Sister MB gathered up our first aid supplies and other necessities suggested by the Area Doctor out of Manila and we were off.

We knew where the elders lived but they were out in Vargus a small farming community about 20 minutes from their apartment. We found a member who rode with us and we found the Vargus Chapel and the victim. He was surrounded by a group of young adults who were practicing a musical number for an upcoming ward conference. As we worked on the wound – two punctures and a scrape – cleaning and washing with soap we had a crowd watching every step we took. We call the Area Doctor and informed him of the injury and received instructions. The wound was not very bad and after cleaning it and bandaging it, we gave the doctor’s follow up instructions to the elders.

We were told by the doctor that we must go look at the dog to see if it had any signs of being rabid. It was dark when we left our house and it was a dark night out in the country with lots of stars. Elder NB gathered up three young men – one had been with the missionaries – and set off to find the dog. We drove about fifteen minutes up an unimproved farm road then walked another 500 meters (about a third of a mile) to find the home. Along the way we met one of the bishop’s counselors and he joined the search. The “she” dog had puppies recently but had no signs of being aggressive with us so we took her picture and went back to the church. The counselor will watch the dog for the next ten days to make sure it doesn’t turn rabid.
We were home late after completing our original objective.

On the following Wednesday we were pressed into medic service again when attending the Paniqui Zone meeting. A sister missionary told us the mission president’s wife wanted us to look at a cut on her foot. We had not brought any first aid supplies with us but the sisters had done a good job of cleaning it up. She had hooked her heel on a stair tread and torn a deep cut in the back of her heel – it needed stitches. We asked the branch president to help as we took her to a nearby hospital. They cleaned it and put butterfly stitches on at the sister’s request.

At last report the two missionaries are recovering well and the dog is not rabid.

We spent Monday and Tuesday on our real job, teaching the Career Workshop to departing missionaries. This class as pictured above was another spiritual feast for us because of the spirit they bring to the class

Elder NB & Sister MB