15 Jan. 2023 Week #16: Tres Reyes School and President Avenido
Dear Family and Friends,
We have had an interesting week. Monday was an office day. It was Brother Colipapa’s birthday, but we couldn’t go to the party, because I can’t drive. My 90 days were up as of last Saturday. I’m amazed at how they just don’t think anything of it. You would think that it would be a priority for them to help us get our driver’s licenses sooner. Many are driving and have been here more than 90 days. They may not know it is illegal. Some, they haven’t even helped them get their biometrics, to begin the process for Visas and driver’s license, until they have been here for about 60 days. Then again, I was in a vehicle yesterday with one of my leaders and he was driving and facetiming with his family at the same time. I can’t help but think that is against the rules. Well, we had FHE up at the Welch’s in Busay. We rode up with Elder and Sister Woods and Sister Garner. The Parker’s joined us along with Sister Jepson, the finance person for the Cebu East Mission. The Parkers are in the Cebu East Mission. Sister Jepson is about 45-50 and single and has come on a mission like Sister Garner. We had a good time.
On Tuesday we woke up at 4:00 to get a taxi at 4:30 to the Ferry. We went to the island of Bohol. It is in the Cebu East Mission. People from Garcia Hernandez picked us up at the port in Tagbilaran at 8:00 a.m. We had an hour drive and then met with the Mayor and others over the municipality of Garcia Hernandez. Then we visited 7 of their 30 Child Development Centers. They are up in the mountains. Each Barangay has a CDC, and there are 30 Barangays in this municipality. They are an organized association asking us for help. We will help with some of their requests but not all. They want each teacher to have a laptop and a projector. We aren’t going to help with that expensive of equipment for a CDC. We will try to get them educational toys. They fed us lunch and then back to Tagbilaran.
Elder and Sister Strong, a senior MLS couple on Bohol, living in Calape, picked us up. It was a little over an hour through Calape to Tubigon. In Tubigon we were present as the Stongs picked up an arriving missionary at the port and delivered him and two small refrigerators to the Elders apartment. They have four Elders there.
After that we headed back to Calape to visit some of our FAITH garden people. There are 9 families in this project. The weather has been really wet and it is nothing but mud. We could only get to 3 of the 9 because it was too muddy to get to the others. We got plenty muddy. One lady is the custodian at the church. They have paid custodians here to clean the churches like we use to have. It is a good job for someone in need. She is single and has two single daughters that live with her. One of the daughters has two kids. She hasn’t done much with her garden though. It was sad. However, the other have developed their gardens into some pretty impressive gardens. They have just harvested quite a bit and they have some space in the mountains where they have more things growing. They both have vermi-composting going on. That is a compost pile with a cement bottom and bricks cemented in all around so the worms can’t get out. Then they cover the pile with something to keep the rain out so the worms don’t drown. The good thing about these are the worms work for just room and board, and they work 24/7. They are doing a good job. One person is harvesting his compost, then he can use it to make his garden better or sell it to make some money. The other person’s compost pile is about ready to harvest. Then they will fill it with some dirt then a lot of leaves (there is a lot of different kinds of leaves that fall each day), poor dirt, organic food scraps, etc. Then the worms go to work and in 60 days it will be impressive vermi-compost fertilizer to make your garden grow well. They also have received 3 chickens and a rooster for raising chickens or eggs, whichever they choose to do. This project is just ending, it started the middle of October. At least five of the 9 families are doing really well with it. We don’t know about three of them. It was raining all the time, and we were a muddy mess.
We stayed at a motel that night in Tubigon. The Strong’s had gone back to their place in Calape after dropping us off. These two communities are about 20 minutes apart. On Bohol there is one Stake with the Stake being in Tagbilaran and covering about 1/3 of the island. They have 9 units. Then there is one District and it is in Calape with 8 units covering 2/3 of the island.
Wednesday morning the Stong’s picked us up at 6:00 a.m. to take a two hour drive to Ubay. We there met President James Avenido. He is the branch president of the Ubay branch. He is the principal of the Tres Reyes Elementary School. It is a 40 minute boat ride to the school. The boat is basically a canoe size boat with outriggers to keep you safe in the choppy waters. It has a motor. They had two boats that morning to haul us along with the other 5 teachers. It was raining and windy so we got soaked, however it is not like back home. It is still warm even though you are wet. When we arrived at the island it was low tide so we had to get out of the boat about a hundred yards from shore in water just over our knees and hike to shore. Then we went up a muddy trail for about 300 yards to the school. We arrived at their neat and tidy school. Neat and tidy, but don’t get the idea it was anything like the schools in the U.S. It was very nice for here and clean. They have a lot of pride. The outside is very colorful like all schools here. It was impressive. However, they don’t have any electricity on this island. They never have. The teachers have this 30-45 minute boat ride everyday to school and then that long again after school. When they get back home then they have to do their required reports, and use their own computers and printers to create materials for lessons. It is pretty much a 14 hour job with very little pay and they have to pay for the boat. The government assigns them there but doesn’t compensate them for the travel. It is really sad. However, if we get them set up with solar panels they can create lesson plans on their computers, copy papers on a printer, do reports, etc. during their lunch time and recesses. Then they can have some family time when they get home.
President Avenido, oh my, even if we didn’t care about the children, but we do, we need to go to bat for this young man. He joined the church six years ago. He met and married a returned missionary in the Cebu Temple 4 years ago. They had been married for three weeks and she headed back to Hong Kong to her job. They had been married about a year and she had leave to come home to visit when Covid broke out. They have now been married for four years and only spent the first three weeks together. She has not been able to leave Hong Kong. She is coming home this May when her contract is over, never to return to Hong Kong. President is amazing. He is doing a great job as an educator and as a branch president. We have to go to bat for someone like that. All of you who are contributing to the Humanitarian Aid fund on your tithing slips, would you want your money going to help this project or not? I do. However, I’m a little bit, okay, a lot different, from the normal person. If at anytime we tell you about a project that we are doing and you don’t think it is a good project for helping people, let me know and why. We want to spend your money appropriately. Thanks for giving.
Well, it was a wade to the boat, a wet ride to the vehicle, a couple hour drive, a couple hour wait, a couple hour ferry ride, an hour taxi ride, and then we were home sweet home. It is funny how we have started calling our apartment home. It was so good to see the smiling faces of all the staff here. They are so good to us.
Thursday was another day of office work. Friday was another visit with the Carcar schools with our boss, Kenneth Lee, (he is below Jairus). He was here to help us understand how to do school projects. We then visited a school here in Cebu that we had visited with Jairus when he was here. Brother Lee was here to help us learn that it is important to visit the Division Office of schools first. Then, when we went to this school here in Cebu and didn’t visit the Division Office, I had to ask why we didn’t visit the Division Office first. Well, some back tracking, and he was for sure talking like some school administrators I have had. Thank goodness I have had some real good school administrators. Needless to say, I’m not the sharpest tack in the box and on this visit the water went from being murky to muddy. I now understand what to do as clear as mud!!
Saturday was an office day and then in the evening it was watch Cokeville Basketball. I’m grateful for technology to be able to watch the kids back home and grandkids. I’m grateful these things can be “On Demand” so when you can’t catch it live you can watch it later. I have to admit, I am catching most of the Cokeville girls and boys games, the Mt. View girls games, and the BYU women’s basketball games.
I just want to finish with my appreciation for President James Avenido, his commitment to his teaching staff, his students, his branch, and his wife. I am so impressed with his diligence in such a difficult situation. Please offer a prayer for him and his wife. I’m looking forward to meeting her in May. Hopefully I will be able to share a photo of them and his school with solar panels and electricity. The gospel is true. This is the Lord’s work and as we stumble along I’m sure He will help us to help His children. I wish I wasn’t such a slow learner so we could help more of his children faster. But we will help some. Thanks for your prayers on our behalf and these people and your financial contributions through the Humanitarian Aid. Also, thanks to those who sent us letters this past week. It was so good to hear from you.
With love,
Dad and Mom
Grandpa and Grandma
Briant and Clyda
Week #16 1/9-1/15
We have had an interesting week. Monday was an office day. It was Brother Colipapa’s birthday, but we couldn’t go to the party, because I can’t drive. My 90 days were up as of last Saturday. I’m amazed at how they just don’t think anything of it. You would think that it would be a priority for them to help us get our driver’s licenses sooner. Many are driving and have been here more than 90 days. They may not know it is illegal. Some, they haven’t even helped them get their biometrics, to begin the process for Visas and driver’s license, until they have been here for about 60 days. Then again, I was in a vehicle yesterday with one of my leaders and he was driving and facetiming with his family at the same time. I can’t help but think that is against the rules. Well, we had FHE up at the Welch’s in Busay. We rode up with Elder and Sister Woods and Sister Garner. The Parker’s joined us along with Sister Jepson, the finance person for the Cebu East Mission. The Parkers are in the Cebu East Mission. Sister Jepson is about 45-50 and single and has come on a mission like Sister Garner. We had a good time.
On Tuesday we woke up at 4:00 to get a taxi at 4:30 to the Ferry. We went to the island of Bohol. It is in the Cebu East Mission. People from Garcia Hernandez picked us up at the port in Tagbilaran at 8:00 a.m. We had an hour drive and then met with the Mayor and others over the municipality of Garcia Hernandez. Then we visited 7 of their 30 Child Development Centers. They are up in the mountains. Each Barangay has a CDC, and there are 30 Barangays in this municipality. They are an organized association asking us for help. We will help with some of their requests but not all. They want each teacher to have a laptop and a projector. We aren’t going to help with that expensive of equipment for a CDC. We will try to get them educational toys. They fed us lunch and then back to Tagbilaran.
Elder and Sister Strong, a senior MLS couple on Bohol, living in Calape, picked us up. It was a little over an hour through Calape to Tubigon. In Tubigon we were present as the Stongs picked up an arriving missionary at the port and delivered him and two small refrigerators to the Elders apartment. They have four Elders there.
After that we headed back to Calape to visit some of our FAITH garden people. There are 9 families in this project. The weather has been really wet and it is nothing but mud. We could only get to 3 of the 9 because it was too muddy to get to the others. We got plenty muddy. One lady is the custodian at the church. They have paid custodians here to clean the churches like we use to have. It is a good job for someone in need. She is single and has two single daughters that live with her. One of the daughters has two kids. She hasn’t done much with her garden though. It was sad. However, the other have developed their gardens into some pretty impressive gardens. They have just harvested quite a bit and they have some space in the mountains where they have more things growing. They both have vermi-composting going on. That is a compost pile with a cement bottom and bricks cemented in all around so the worms can’t get out. Then they cover the pile with something to keep the rain out so the worms don’t drown. The good thing about these are the worms work for just room and board, and they work 24/7. They are doing a good job. One person is harvesting his compost, then he can use it to make his garden better or sell it to make some money. The other person’s compost pile is about ready to harvest. Then they will fill it with some dirt then a lot of leaves (there is a lot of different kinds of leaves that fall each day), poor dirt, organic food scraps, etc. Then the worms go to work and in 60 days it will be impressive vermi-compost fertilizer to make your garden grow well. They also have received 3 chickens and a rooster for raising chickens or eggs, whichever they choose to do. This project is just ending, it started the middle of October. At least five of the 9 families are doing really well with it. We don’t know about three of them. It was raining all the time, and we were a muddy mess.
We stayed at a motel that night in Tubigon. The Strong’s had gone back to their place in Calape after dropping us off. These two communities are about 20 minutes apart. On Bohol there is one Stake with the Stake being in Tagbilaran and covering about 1/3 of the island. They have 9 units. Then there is one District and it is in Calape with 8 units covering 2/3 of the island.
Wednesday morning the Stong’s picked us up at 6:00 a.m. to take a two hour drive to Ubay. We there met President James Avenido. He is the branch president of the Ubay branch. He is the principal of the Tres Reyes Elementary School. It is a 40 minute boat ride to the school. The boat is basically a canoe size boat with outriggers to keep you safe in the choppy waters. It has a motor. They had two boats that morning to haul us along with the other 5 teachers. It was raining and windy so we got soaked, however it is not like back home. It is still warm even though you are wet. When we arrived at the island it was low tide so we had to get out of the boat about a hundred yards from shore in water just over our knees and hike to shore. Then we went up a muddy trail for about 300 yards to the school. We arrived at their neat and tidy school. Neat and tidy, but don’t get the idea it was anything like the schools in the U.S. It was very nice for here and clean. They have a lot of pride. The outside is very colorful like all schools here. It was impressive. However, they don’t have any electricity on this island. They never have. The teachers have this 30-45 minute boat ride everyday to school and then that long again after school. When they get back home then they have to do their required reports, and use their own computers and printers to create materials for lessons. It is pretty much a 14 hour job with very little pay and they have to pay for the boat. The government assigns them there but doesn’t compensate them for the travel. It is really sad. However, if we get them set up with solar panels they can create lesson plans on their computers, copy papers on a printer, do reports, etc. during their lunch time and recesses. Then they can have some family time when they get home.
President Avenido, oh my, even if we didn’t care about the children, but we do, we need to go to bat for this young man. He joined the church six years ago. He met and married a returned missionary in the Cebu Temple 4 years ago. They had been married for three weeks and she headed back to Hong Kong to her job. They had been married about a year and she had leave to come home to visit when Covid broke out. They have now been married for four years and only spent the first three weeks together. She has not been able to leave Hong Kong. She is coming home this May when her contract is over, never to return to Hong Kong. President is amazing. He is doing a great job as an educator and as a branch president. We have to go to bat for someone like that. All of you who are contributing to the Humanitarian Aid fund on your tithing slips, would you want your money going to help this project or not? I do. However, I’m a little bit, okay, a lot different, from the normal person. If at anytime we tell you about a project that we are doing and you don’t think it is a good project for helping people, let me know and why. We want to spend your money appropriately. Thanks for giving.
Well, it was a wade to the boat, a wet ride to the vehicle, a couple hour drive, a couple hour wait, a couple hour ferry ride, an hour taxi ride, and then we were home sweet home. It is funny how we have started calling our apartment home. It was so good to see the smiling faces of all the staff here. They are so good to us.
Thursday was another day of office work. Friday was another visit with the Carcar schools with our boss, Kenneth Lee, (he is below Jairus). He was here to help us understand how to do school projects. We then visited a school here in Cebu that we had visited with Jairus when he was here. Brother Lee was here to help us learn that it is important to visit the Division Office of schools first. Then, when we went to this school here in Cebu and didn’t visit the Division Office, I had to ask why we didn’t visit the Division Office first. Well, some back tracking, and he was for sure talking like some school administrators I have had. Thank goodness I have had some real good school administrators. Needless to say, I’m not the sharpest tack in the box and on this visit the water went from being murky to muddy. I now understand what to do as clear as mud!!
Saturday was an office day and then in the evening it was watch Cokeville Basketball. I’m grateful for technology to be able to watch the kids back home and grandkids. I’m grateful these things can be “On Demand” so when you can’t catch it live you can watch it later. I have to admit, I am catching most of the Cokeville girls and boys games, the Mt. View girls games, and the BYU women’s basketball games.
I just want to finish with my appreciation for President James Avenido, his commitment to his teaching staff, his students, his branch, and his wife. I am so impressed with his diligence in such a difficult situation. Please offer a prayer for him and his wife. I’m looking forward to meeting her in May. Hopefully I will be able to share a photo of them and his school with solar panels and electricity. The gospel is true. This is the Lord’s work and as we stumble along I’m sure He will help us to help His children. I wish I wasn’t such a slow learner so we could help more of his children faster. But we will help some. Thanks for your prayers on our behalf and these people and your financial contributions through the Humanitarian Aid. Also, thanks to those who sent us letters this past week. It was so good to hear from you.
With love,
Dad and Mom
Grandpa and Grandma
Briant and Clyda
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