Our Experience with Providing Tres Reyes with Solar Power

Tres Reyes Solar Power Project 

July 1, 2023

Our experience with providing Tres Reyes Elementary School on an island with solar power was a wonderful adventure with the hand of the Lord involved in big ways. Tres Reyes is about a 30–45-minute ride on a small 6 passenger fishing boat from Ubay. The time varies depending on the weather and the wind. That influences which port you can leave from in Ubay. You don’t want to have strong winds going cross ways with your boat. When we first went there it was a 45-minute rainy ride into a pretty good wind. Coming home later that day was less than 30 minutes with the wind at our back.

This is an island that has never had electricity. The students sit in dark rooms on cloudy days and real hot rooms on sunny days. The teachers must prepare all lessons at home in the evenings and print out materials to take to class the next day. That leaves them very little time for their families.

Elder Randy and Sister Julie Huskinson were the missionary couple that we replaced as Humanitarian Aid missionaries here in the Visayas. They left ten days after we arrived here. They took us on a whirlwind tour of the Visayas and tried their best to help us get acquainted with this amazing work. On October 7th they had received a proposal from President James Avenido of the Ubay Branch and Teacher Head at Tres Reyes. The Huskinsons had helped a neighboring community school, Bien Unido, with repairs from the damaging Typhoon Odette. They helped recover roofs of buildings and supplied 40 computers to their destroyed computer lab. Brother Randy Tingsten, second counselor to President Avenido, is the industrial arts teacher at Bien Unido. He told James what LDSC (Latter-day Saints Charities) had done for their school. That prompted President James Avenido to contact the Huskinsons. On October 20th they turned it over to us since they would be leaving in a couple of days.

On November 10th-12th we were making visits to the island of Panay where the city of Iloilo is located. We were with several other people associated with LDSC. On the evening of November 11th we stayed in Iloilo. My brother Burke told us about a couple by the name of Elder and Sister Mitch and Elaine Peters who were missionaries there. They had worked for Burke on the church ranch in Nebraska. Burke said they were great people, and if we ever got a chance, to be sure to look them up. So, we contacted them and arranged to meet them for dinner. It was great meeting and getting to know them.

On November 17th I sent my first of several emails to James Avenido. He responded back almost immediately. We had a few conversations, but nothing really happened because of my lack of knowing how to go about this work.

Finally, we needed to go see a project in Garcia Hernandez, Bohol, and check up on a FAITH garden project in Calape, Bohol. So, we decided to arrange a visit to Tres Reyes while we were over there. We contacted James to set a date. We contacted Elder and Sister Paul and Shauna Strong, from American Fork, MLS missionaries living in Calape, to see if they could take us to Tres Reyes. They worked with all the branches in the Calape District and knew President Avenido well. They said they would love to take us.

On January 11th with Elder and Sister Strong we met James and took a windy, wet boat ride to Tres Reyes. It was so fun to visit this school and we felt immediately that we wanted to help this school get electricity. A few hours later we took another windy, wet boat ride back to Ubay. Unlike in Utah and Wyoming the wet was warm not cold.

On January 14th a lot of messages began. We kept Messenger hot for several months. James had an electrician come take a look at the school and give him recommendations for solar materials. After receiving it I didn’t feel good about it and just waited for a few days not knowing what to do. Finally, after praying many times about how to go about this I felt like I should go visit our FM people in our office building. None of them knew anything about solar power. However, one of them had a friend, Richard Inigo, north of Manila who has a business named Called2Serve Energy. Richard specializes in solar power systems. On January 23rd I gave him a call, and on January 25th I ended up connecting Richard and James. James told him what all they wanted to have the system provide power for. Richard sent a list of materials for the project. It was a lot more involved than the previous list and James was so happy that we had made the connection with Richard.

On February 1st we were once again in the Iloilo area working on some projects and we had asked Elder and Sister Peters if they would be willing to take us around for two days. They seemed happy to do so, we wanted to get to know them better, and we needed their help. At the end of a long day when we kept getting delayed, we were headed back into Iloilo about 3 hours later than what I wanted to get back, I asked if they knew an Elder Coates serving in the Iloilo Mission. They said, “Yes, and that is him right there.” We had just passed him riding his bicycle. We went back, picked him and his companion up, threw their bikes in the back of the truck and gave them a ride to their apartment. We had just met Sherilyn Coates’s grandson, Warren Coates’s son. The hand of the Lord was with us. Then as we were headed to our motel the Peters asked us what other projects we had going. We told them about this Tres Reyes deal. The only problem is that the church doesn’t pay labor, so we were trying to figure out how to get the system installed if we could get the project approved. Richard was willing to do it for a price. We were at a standstill. The Peters said, “We know a couple, Norman and Cheryl Harrison, and the husband installs solar power for a living. He would probably be willing to come and do it.”

We didn’t say much thinking that having someone come from Orem, Utah to do this was crazy. After about two days of not being able to get the idea off our minds we decided to ask the Peters if they were serious. We gave them a call and without hesitation, they were pretty sure that the Harrisons would be more than willing to come and do this. Come to find out, Cheryl and Elaine had been mission companions in Montana when they were young ladies. Then later on the Harrisons moved to Montana and lived close to where they Peters were for about 7 years. They did a lot of things together with their families. They had a great connection and respect for one another. So, we contacted the Harrisons and they agreed to come. It blew us away. You have to go around a lot of corners to find people that willing to help.

So, we finished developing the project and presented it for approval by our Humanitarian Team on March 6th. It passed, providing we could arrange for the installation. On March 10th as we visited with the Harrisons via a video conversation, they confirmed that they were willing to come and do this project. We couldn’t have been more excited if they had just put in a BYU Creamery into our apartment building. On March 24th the project was approved by the WSR committee for the Philippines!! Now, get it done.

Many snags arose. It took over a month just to get a PO. Then, when it finally came our Vendor couldn’t get the materials. His suppliers were now out of the supplies he had bargained for three months earlier. This process was agonizing. Finally, in the middle of May we got an okay from our vendor. We now could let the Harrisons know to get their tickets.

We picked up the Harrisons and Nathan Peters, Elder and Sister Peter’s son at the airport on the night of June 9th. How exciting to finally meet them. It was then a whirlwind. We met Arman Mapa, one of Nathan’s work associates who helped with the project, and we caught the 7:00 a.m. ferry to Bohol after about 3 hours sleep. Now the fun would begin! Fun, you mean hot exhausting work for Norman and the crew. They did an incredible job while Clyda, Cheryl, and I had a whirlwind trip for about 4 days checking out projects both on Bohol and a trip back to Cebu. The rest of the story now needs to be told by the Harrisons and Peters. Needless to say, the hand of the Lord was big in this project coming to pass. There were a lot of puzzle pieces that had to be connected for this to happen and the Master Puzzler had It all under control while working with humans. It is amazing what He can do and bring to pass even with us. Just like spreading his gospel with 98% of it being done by 18–23-year-old kids. And it is working in marvelous ways. Truly a testimony of the Lord’s hand involved in this great work and in our individual lives.

Thank you, Norman and Cheryl Harrison, for your willingness and your preparation to do this great project. Thanks, Nathan Peters, for your willingness and your connection with Arman. Thanks, Elder and Sister Peters for being here and putting this into motion by befriending us. We are grateful to all of you for this wonderful connection. We are grateful the Lord orchestrated all of this for President James Avenido, the teachers, learners, and community of Tres Reyes. The Lord lives, loves us, and wants us back with him. This is just another testimony of this great work the Lord has going on. “For behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Moses 1:39

“He has no hands but our hands,
To do his work today.
He has no feet but our feet,
To lead men in his way.
He has no tongues but our tongues,
To tell men how he died.
He has no help but our help,
To bring them to his side.’ Author unknown by me.

Thank you Norman and Cheryl Harrison. We are indeed grateful for your goodness, time, money, example, and sacrifice for us and this great project. It was a pleasure getting to know you!

Sincerely,

Elder and Sister Teichert