27 August 2023 Week #48: My Bonita Home for Girls
Dear Family and Friends,
Monday morning started off great with our turnover at My Bonita Home for Girls, Inc. It is located up in the mountains outside of Bacayan. It was a long turnover with several segments, snacks, and later lunch. Another group was participating, Zonta. They have adopted the Home and help out in all kinds of ways. It is fun to see a group of ladies that are present for these young, abused girls and help in all kinds of ways. They shared a program of dancing and singing, of course we are in the Philippines. There were a lot of members of the church present. Mary Ann Balen, in charge of Family Services for the church in the Philippines, flew down from Manila. Our dentist Merlyn Matthews was present along with Marilou Cardenus, and Erma. Annie Rineva MC’d the event. All these ladies are part of the Stake Self Reliance group and especially over Emotional Resilience. It was a great event and very satisfying. We gave the “Home” the furnishings for an independent living situation for twelve girls. They can now plan menus, cook for themselves, budget money, etc. so they can go out and not have to return to their homes where a lot of them were abused. In the turnover we were asked to share a message. We taught about prayer and that they have a Heavenly Father that loves them and will hear and answer their prayers.
We didn’t return home until late afternoon and then we had a fun FHE with the seniors at the Lahug Church. The temple is closed for four weeks. As a result, patron housing is also being repaired and cleaned, etc. The Taylors and Koyles are on vacation on Palawon Island. The Dickinsons came over from Toledo, but the Welches were sick, and the Eppersons were caught in traffic returning from Talisay. So, we had a small group, but a great time. The Parkers came with Sister Lacanieta and Sister Jepson. Sister Jepson led us in a fun game after the Parkers shared with us a lesson.
On Tuesday we had our Monday meeting because Monday was a holiday. I’m amazed that our anniversary was a national holiday. I’m grateful that they honored us because we were too busy to even go out for dinner to celebrate. The meeting was pretty long and then we spent most of the day at the office. We finished our monthly reports without too much foul language. We had a good visit with Norman Harrison about a solar situation at Sapunga Elementary. That evening we had Sister Ramos and Sister Alvez over for Taco Tuesday, with some rice also, not for us but for them. Always an interesting drive to take them home down narrow busy streets.
On Wednesday we helped the senior office missionaries feed the City Zone a late breakfast. We hung around and visited and then watched their talent show at 11:00. It was the missionaries’ prep day. Elder Welch in charge of English Connect had them prepare musical numbers in English. They also needed to have the musical numbers be gospel related. Our sisters did a great job. There were several good numbers, but I think Sister Ramos and Sister Alvez were the best.
We met with Ayo and Erlwin, and several others, basically the same group as Monday, out in Bacayan at Safe Haven. It is an addiction recovery home for addicts of all kinds. The gentleman that created it is an incredible guy. They house about 50 addicts of all kinds and ages and men and women. He was an addict that straightened his life out and then decided to help others. A lot of the people who help him are people that have gone through his faith based Safe Haven addiction recovery program. He was an impressive guy, and this was really neat. I’m not sure exactly how we will be able to help, but several of the others will. For example, one lady has a business that needs people who can work by themselves on computers. Her company supplies the computers. So that is neat because it is often hard for a lot of these kind of people to get jobs with their backgrounds. This however provides them a job where they can work alone and at the recovery facility. Others that came can help with counseling, and all of the churches Self Reliance classes. Pretty cool! Traffic was terrible and we got home after an hour-long drive that can be a twenty-minute drive.
On Thursday we had another good and busy day. In the morning Clyda had Sister Manatad and her two service missionary companions over for sewing lessons. I headed to the office to do computer work. Clyda said it went great. The young sisters were excited. I came home just as they were leaving, and it was fun to feel their excitement.
After lunch we headed back to Bacayan to Mabuhay Deseret. We had a great meeting with Natalie. They need help with DSWD as a partner to make prosthetics for amputee patients. We really want to help with this. We had a great visit, but it will take a lot of work to get this project, and it is expensive. Once again, the traffic was bad. It is a narrow busy road out to Bacayan. By the time we got home I was stressed out. Driving these narrow roads with so much traffic, motorcycles all over, and pedestrians everywhere, can get a little stressful. We worked on Project Development Worksheets for a couple member welfare projects and the power point presentations to go with them.
Friday brought more office related work. At 4:00 we headed out to shop and go to get in our anniversary dinner at Italianas. It was a wonderful meal and it is amazing that my dear Clyda has stuck it out with me for 44 years. I can’t believe I graduated from high school 50 years ago and have been married this long. I still feel pretty young, although I can’t move very well and can’t remember what I went into a room for, or what happened yesterday. To do this letter, Clyda has to tell me each day what happened.
Saturday, we went to the market to get vegetables. We haven’t been for a couple of weeks. We watched the Cokeville girls play against Evanston in the volleyball tournament because Mylocalradio.com televised it. That was the only Friday game we were able to see. (Our Saturday is your Friday)
At noon we headed to Mandaue to another “Preparedness” program that their stake held. The emphasis this time was on 72-hour kits.
Last Monday, while walking at the templex, we met a Filipino and his father and brother. However, the parents of the young man had moved to Vancouver, CA. before he was born. He had just completed his mission and the family had come to the Philippines to visit family before he begins school this fall. The young recently returned missionary asked us where we were from. We said Wyoming. He said do you know any Halls (Wyoming is quite small, and I know almost everyone). Well, we do know a family with the last name Halls. He then asked if we knew Ammon Halls. Of course, I taught him in 3rd grade, etc. They were in the same mission together, never were companions, but lived in the same house for quite a while. He says Ammon is a great missionary. That was fun. He then asked me if Elder Perry really did visit Cokeville because his wife was from there. I assured him that that was true.
It was fun to see a little cross-country action, good job Tel and Kimball and Drake. It was fun to see a little volleyball, (Mylocalradio.com televised some more on Saturday), good job Mariah and Mylie and Cokeville girls. I’m glad the football team had a successful scrimmage. We love and miss the sports and kids we have coached and grandkids participating. But we know we are where we need to be.
Sunday meetings were great. In our Sacrament Meeting a member of the Stake Young Women’s Presidency spoke on “How Much of the Gospel Would Your Children Know if all They Knew Is What They Had Been Taught at Home?” by A Theodore Tuttle, October General Conference 1979. I thought I was listening to a member of the General Young Women’s Presidency. WOW! She doesn’t have any children, so it was a little emotional for her because I think she is a little older. It is hard to tell these Filipinos ages. So, she took her context from being raised by a single mother. They were strict Catholics. They were very observant of all the Catholic traditions at home and at church. (She did mention one brother) When this young lady was 12 the missionaries taught them the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. They were baptized and her mother was then as committed to it as she had been to Catholicism, and she stayed true. This young lady went inactive at age 14-18. But, because of her wonderful mother she came back around. She shared many wonderful examples of her mother’s kindness, encouragement, teachings, spirit, and example. (2 Nephi 25:26 – “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” I am grateful I had two parents like that. I never doubted their testimonies of Jesus Christ. Whatever short comings they may have had, I was oblivious to. I only knew they were trying their best to follow Christ and lead us to follow Him also. I am so thankful for that!
Holy Habits
Righteous Routines
“Lift Where You Stand”
With love,
Dad and Mom
Grandpa and Grandma
Briant and Clyda
Week #48 8/21-8/27
Monday morning started off great with our turnover at My Bonita Home for Girls, Inc. It is located up in the mountains outside of Bacayan. It was a long turnover with several segments, snacks, and later lunch. Another group was participating, Zonta. They have adopted the Home and help out in all kinds of ways. It is fun to see a group of ladies that are present for these young, abused girls and help in all kinds of ways. They shared a program of dancing and singing, of course we are in the Philippines. There were a lot of members of the church present. Mary Ann Balen, in charge of Family Services for the church in the Philippines, flew down from Manila. Our dentist Merlyn Matthews was present along with Marilou Cardenus, and Erma. Annie Rineva MC’d the event. All these ladies are part of the Stake Self Reliance group and especially over Emotional Resilience. It was a great event and very satisfying. We gave the “Home” the furnishings for an independent living situation for twelve girls. They can now plan menus, cook for themselves, budget money, etc. so they can go out and not have to return to their homes where a lot of them were abused. In the turnover we were asked to share a message. We taught about prayer and that they have a Heavenly Father that loves them and will hear and answer their prayers.
We didn’t return home until late afternoon and then we had a fun FHE with the seniors at the Lahug Church. The temple is closed for four weeks. As a result, patron housing is also being repaired and cleaned, etc. The Taylors and Koyles are on vacation on Palawon Island. The Dickinsons came over from Toledo, but the Welches were sick, and the Eppersons were caught in traffic returning from Talisay. So, we had a small group, but a great time. The Parkers came with Sister Lacanieta and Sister Jepson. Sister Jepson led us in a fun game after the Parkers shared with us a lesson.
On Tuesday we had our Monday meeting because Monday was a holiday. I’m amazed that our anniversary was a national holiday. I’m grateful that they honored us because we were too busy to even go out for dinner to celebrate. The meeting was pretty long and then we spent most of the day at the office. We finished our monthly reports without too much foul language. We had a good visit with Norman Harrison about a solar situation at Sapunga Elementary. That evening we had Sister Ramos and Sister Alvez over for Taco Tuesday, with some rice also, not for us but for them. Always an interesting drive to take them home down narrow busy streets.
On Wednesday we helped the senior office missionaries feed the City Zone a late breakfast. We hung around and visited and then watched their talent show at 11:00. It was the missionaries’ prep day. Elder Welch in charge of English Connect had them prepare musical numbers in English. They also needed to have the musical numbers be gospel related. Our sisters did a great job. There were several good numbers, but I think Sister Ramos and Sister Alvez were the best.
We met with Ayo and Erlwin, and several others, basically the same group as Monday, out in Bacayan at Safe Haven. It is an addiction recovery home for addicts of all kinds. The gentleman that created it is an incredible guy. They house about 50 addicts of all kinds and ages and men and women. He was an addict that straightened his life out and then decided to help others. A lot of the people who help him are people that have gone through his faith based Safe Haven addiction recovery program. He was an impressive guy, and this was really neat. I’m not sure exactly how we will be able to help, but several of the others will. For example, one lady has a business that needs people who can work by themselves on computers. Her company supplies the computers. So that is neat because it is often hard for a lot of these kind of people to get jobs with their backgrounds. This however provides them a job where they can work alone and at the recovery facility. Others that came can help with counseling, and all of the churches Self Reliance classes. Pretty cool! Traffic was terrible and we got home after an hour-long drive that can be a twenty-minute drive.
On Thursday we had another good and busy day. In the morning Clyda had Sister Manatad and her two service missionary companions over for sewing lessons. I headed to the office to do computer work. Clyda said it went great. The young sisters were excited. I came home just as they were leaving, and it was fun to feel their excitement.
After lunch we headed back to Bacayan to Mabuhay Deseret. We had a great meeting with Natalie. They need help with DSWD as a partner to make prosthetics for amputee patients. We really want to help with this. We had a great visit, but it will take a lot of work to get this project, and it is expensive. Once again, the traffic was bad. It is a narrow busy road out to Bacayan. By the time we got home I was stressed out. Driving these narrow roads with so much traffic, motorcycles all over, and pedestrians everywhere, can get a little stressful. We worked on Project Development Worksheets for a couple member welfare projects and the power point presentations to go with them.
Friday brought more office related work. At 4:00 we headed out to shop and go to get in our anniversary dinner at Italianas. It was a wonderful meal and it is amazing that my dear Clyda has stuck it out with me for 44 years. I can’t believe I graduated from high school 50 years ago and have been married this long. I still feel pretty young, although I can’t move very well and can’t remember what I went into a room for, or what happened yesterday. To do this letter, Clyda has to tell me each day what happened.
Saturday, we went to the market to get vegetables. We haven’t been for a couple of weeks. We watched the Cokeville girls play against Evanston in the volleyball tournament because Mylocalradio.com televised it. That was the only Friday game we were able to see. (Our Saturday is your Friday)
At noon we headed to Mandaue to another “Preparedness” program that their stake held. The emphasis this time was on 72-hour kits.
Last Monday, while walking at the templex, we met a Filipino and his father and brother. However, the parents of the young man had moved to Vancouver, CA. before he was born. He had just completed his mission and the family had come to the Philippines to visit family before he begins school this fall. The young recently returned missionary asked us where we were from. We said Wyoming. He said do you know any Halls (Wyoming is quite small, and I know almost everyone). Well, we do know a family with the last name Halls. He then asked if we knew Ammon Halls. Of course, I taught him in 3rd grade, etc. They were in the same mission together, never were companions, but lived in the same house for quite a while. He says Ammon is a great missionary. That was fun. He then asked me if Elder Perry really did visit Cokeville because his wife was from there. I assured him that that was true.
It was fun to see a little cross-country action, good job Tel and Kimball and Drake. It was fun to see a little volleyball, (Mylocalradio.com televised some more on Saturday), good job Mariah and Mylie and Cokeville girls. I’m glad the football team had a successful scrimmage. We love and miss the sports and kids we have coached and grandkids participating. But we know we are where we need to be.
Sunday meetings were great. In our Sacrament Meeting a member of the Stake Young Women’s Presidency spoke on “How Much of the Gospel Would Your Children Know if all They Knew Is What They Had Been Taught at Home?” by A Theodore Tuttle, October General Conference 1979. I thought I was listening to a member of the General Young Women’s Presidency. WOW! She doesn’t have any children, so it was a little emotional for her because I think she is a little older. It is hard to tell these Filipinos ages. So, she took her context from being raised by a single mother. They were strict Catholics. They were very observant of all the Catholic traditions at home and at church. (She did mention one brother) When this young lady was 12 the missionaries taught them the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. They were baptized and her mother was then as committed to it as she had been to Catholicism, and she stayed true. This young lady went inactive at age 14-18. But, because of her wonderful mother she came back around. She shared many wonderful examples of her mother’s kindness, encouragement, teachings, spirit, and example. (2 Nephi 25:26 – “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” I am grateful I had two parents like that. I never doubted their testimonies of Jesus Christ. Whatever short comings they may have had, I was oblivious to. I only knew they were trying their best to follow Christ and lead us to follow Him also. I am so thankful for that!
Holy Habits
Righteous Routines
“Lift Where You Stand”
With love,
Dad and Mom
Grandpa and Grandma
Briant and Clyda
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