24 December 2023 Week #65: Merry Christmas!!
Dear Family and Friends,
Last Monday we presented two projects and neither one of them passed. We have more work to do. One of them is for a school out in the mountains where they need cement floors instead of mud or dirt depending on the weather, and they don’t have electricity, so they need solar help. Just when we thought we had it ready we find out we didn’t ask enough questions. It is difficult when you are doing something that you don’t know how to do, and you don’t even know what questions to ask. We hope we get the problems solved and get this project passed. This third-grade sports brain of mine just can’t think of all the things to solve problems in construction. Now, we don’t meet again until January. We only had one meeting in December. Our questions need to be answered by school people and they are out for Christmas break also. So, we don’t know when we will get the questions answered.
With the other project, “Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Rehabilitation and Wellness Center”, (how about that for a name), we need them to present to us a government certification. Their certification expires at the end of this year. They are in the process of getting it renewed. We can’t help them until they are tax exempt. Otherwise, that comes back on the church and can last a long time. We like this project. They currently have about 120 patients that come to the clinic and 28 homebound patients. We are providing them with devices for helping injured or long-term disabled patients get better or maintain some kind of mobility, etc. We will provide a traction table and tables to lay on for the PT people to stretch the patient instead of the floor, weights for strengthening, dumbbells, medicine balls, ankle weights, and knee braces so the knees will be stabilized while performing strengthening exercises. Some patients are stroke patients or handicapped. This helps them keep some kind of mobility. Another thing is a finger ladder, a device to help provide dexterity for their fingers and wrists. We really like this project also. They have been working on the renewal of the certificate for a while and hope it will come through soon. We hope so, too.
That afternoon we headed to Mandaue to continue the relief project for the fire victims, only to find the gates at the stake center locked and no one there. It was a long 2 hours in the vehicle for a 10-mile round trip drive. Plenty of exercise. Exercising the patient muscle. Traffic was terrible. A moving parking lot.
Tuesday morning, we headed back to Mandaue only to find it all locked up again. My communication skills are poor. We came home. We finally made connection. That afternoon we headed back, helped for a couple hours with loading about 1,200 food kits on to a large truck and then delivered them to the fire victims. Brother Colipapa does a great job with this kind of stuff. It seems he knows everyone. He is the head of an EMS group and is well acquainted with the heads of these disaster relief organizations in the cities. Swarms of people when we arrived at the delivery site and then we couldn’t deliver until after the government officials finished addressing the people. The stake president, President Baculio, finally signed the food over to the barangay and we left at about 7:00 p.m. We took President Baculio back to the Mandaue Stake Center and then headed home. We arrived home at about 9:00 p.m. Once again, a lot of exercise of the patient muscle. However, I don’t anticipate being anymore patient when I get home from this mission than before.
All this stress seems to bring on colds for me. After state basketball I would always be sick with a cold for a week. We made a temple session on Wednesday and then it hit. I spent most of Thursday and Friday in bed. Clyda sewed a lot of Kangaroo Tubes. She went to the senior missionary party at the mission president’s home on Thursday evening. She went to the Prestigio party with the seniors and staff on Friday evening. She said both parties were good. She ate well at both. While I laid in bed on Friday with a huge heartbeat right between my eyes at the top of my nose, Clyda met up with Elder and Sister Huff for a temple session at 11:00 and then they went out to lunch together. She enjoyed being able to be with them for a few hours. They are a great couple. Then on Saturday I felt good enough to get out and about a little. We went over to the office to watch the Mt. View/Evanston girls’ basketball game on the big screen. I watched some of the worst basketball I have ever seen. At half time Evanston had only scored 5 points. Mt. View had scored quite a few more but it was still bad basketball. I told Clyda that the Evanston coach had better not say to his assistant, “Well it can’t get any worse.” One time when we were playing in Dubois, Wyoming, at half we were getting killed and we had only scored 5 points. Coach Nate or I said, “Well, the good thing is it can’t get any worse. Well, the second half we only scored 3 points ending with only 8 points in the game. We then commented after the game we will never say it can’t get worse unless we score 0. Evanston out did us, they scored 4 points and finished with 9.
I then took Clyda to do a little shopping and I stayed in the vehicle while she went inside. Then we came home, and I went back to bed.
Sunday, I felt pretty good, so I attended church. We combined, the Lahug and Apas Wards at 9:00. It was a very good meeting with both bishops and one member of the stake presidency speaking. One sister from the Apas Ward sang “Away in a Manger”. She was accompanied by the member of the stake presidency. It was a beautiful musical number. The member of the stake presidency commented on the cooler weather. Now that was a loose use of the term cooler from this Wyoming kid’s perspective. Clyda and I decided we would say, “not as hot”. Right now, it is hot, it will get hotter, and then extremely hot! Next year this time we will probably be wishing for the heat of the Philippines. I am extremely fickle.
We spent Christmas Eve with the Colipapa family. They are so good to us. They also had the four young Elders who serve in their ward over. One Filipino from Quezon City, one from Mapleton, Maple Mountain High School, Elder Harris from Gilbert Arizona, whose mom is Filipino, but all the family has migrated to the US. And Elder Schwab from Smithfield, Skyview High School. His dad graduated from Star Valley. Scott Schwab is his grandpa’s brother. He has only been out a couple months. We made several connections with the other Elders because of where they have served and places we have been to and people we have met in those areas where they served. It was a wonderful evening with games, food, visiting and laughter.
I forgot about last Monday night’s FHE with this group. We were given a few minutes to share about our hobbies. Clyda told them about my love for sports and coaching and then I shared a PowerPoint that I created about Clyda’s love for gardening. It was fun to get to know about their hobbies. Twenty people and there weren’t any two hobbies that were the same. Some enjoyed dabbling in some of the hobbies that weren’t theirs that other people shared. Some admitted hating some of the hobbies that others enjoyed. That provided some good chuckles, those who hated math and those who loved it, etc.
At this point in our mission, we reflect on how blessed we are to associate with these wonderful senior missionaries. There is such a diversity in callings and individuals, but they all bring a love for the gospel and a desire to serve. We have a tremendous respect for them and marvel at their goodness. They and we love this Christmas season and have a joy for the birth of Jesus Christ. He is the reason for the season.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
We loved Violet playing “Away in a Manger” for us. That is our favorite, and we reflect on the many times we sang it at family gatherings. Clyda and I especially love it not only for its meaning, but it is written in our voice range for altos and basses. We have enjoyed the videos of the Nativity Presentations in Ft. Bridger and Thayne. Thank you Micheli’s and Heiner’s. We are grateful you do these for your communities, and we love watching the videos you share with us. We are grateful that you have family and friends who help and communities that support it.
With love,
Dad and Mom
Grandpa and Grandma
Briant and Clyda
Week #65 12/18-12/24
With the other project, “Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Rehabilitation and Wellness Center”, (how about that for a name), we need them to present to us a government certification. Their certification expires at the end of this year. They are in the process of getting it renewed. We can’t help them until they are tax exempt. Otherwise, that comes back on the church and can last a long time. We like this project. They currently have about 120 patients that come to the clinic and 28 homebound patients. We are providing them with devices for helping injured or long-term disabled patients get better or maintain some kind of mobility, etc. We will provide a traction table and tables to lay on for the PT people to stretch the patient instead of the floor, weights for strengthening, dumbbells, medicine balls, ankle weights, and knee braces so the knees will be stabilized while performing strengthening exercises. Some patients are stroke patients or handicapped. This helps them keep some kind of mobility. Another thing is a finger ladder, a device to help provide dexterity for their fingers and wrists. We really like this project also. They have been working on the renewal of the certificate for a while and hope it will come through soon. We hope so, too.
That afternoon we headed to Mandaue to continue the relief project for the fire victims, only to find the gates at the stake center locked and no one there. It was a long 2 hours in the vehicle for a 10-mile round trip drive. Plenty of exercise. Exercising the patient muscle. Traffic was terrible. A moving parking lot.
Tuesday morning, we headed back to Mandaue only to find it all locked up again. My communication skills are poor. We came home. We finally made connection. That afternoon we headed back, helped for a couple hours with loading about 1,200 food kits on to a large truck and then delivered them to the fire victims. Brother Colipapa does a great job with this kind of stuff. It seems he knows everyone. He is the head of an EMS group and is well acquainted with the heads of these disaster relief organizations in the cities. Swarms of people when we arrived at the delivery site and then we couldn’t deliver until after the government officials finished addressing the people. The stake president, President Baculio, finally signed the food over to the barangay and we left at about 7:00 p.m. We took President Baculio back to the Mandaue Stake Center and then headed home. We arrived home at about 9:00 p.m. Once again, a lot of exercise of the patient muscle. However, I don’t anticipate being anymore patient when I get home from this mission than before.
All this stress seems to bring on colds for me. After state basketball I would always be sick with a cold for a week. We made a temple session on Wednesday and then it hit. I spent most of Thursday and Friday in bed. Clyda sewed a lot of Kangaroo Tubes. She went to the senior missionary party at the mission president’s home on Thursday evening. She went to the Prestigio party with the seniors and staff on Friday evening. She said both parties were good. She ate well at both. While I laid in bed on Friday with a huge heartbeat right between my eyes at the top of my nose, Clyda met up with Elder and Sister Huff for a temple session at 11:00 and then they went out to lunch together. She enjoyed being able to be with them for a few hours. They are a great couple. Then on Saturday I felt good enough to get out and about a little. We went over to the office to watch the Mt. View/Evanston girls’ basketball game on the big screen. I watched some of the worst basketball I have ever seen. At half time Evanston had only scored 5 points. Mt. View had scored quite a few more but it was still bad basketball. I told Clyda that the Evanston coach had better not say to his assistant, “Well it can’t get any worse.” One time when we were playing in Dubois, Wyoming, at half we were getting killed and we had only scored 5 points. Coach Nate or I said, “Well, the good thing is it can’t get any worse. Well, the second half we only scored 3 points ending with only 8 points in the game. We then commented after the game we will never say it can’t get worse unless we score 0. Evanston out did us, they scored 4 points and finished with 9.
I then took Clyda to do a little shopping and I stayed in the vehicle while she went inside. Then we came home, and I went back to bed.
Sunday, I felt pretty good, so I attended church. We combined, the Lahug and Apas Wards at 9:00. It was a very good meeting with both bishops and one member of the stake presidency speaking. One sister from the Apas Ward sang “Away in a Manger”. She was accompanied by the member of the stake presidency. It was a beautiful musical number. The member of the stake presidency commented on the cooler weather. Now that was a loose use of the term cooler from this Wyoming kid’s perspective. Clyda and I decided we would say, “not as hot”. Right now, it is hot, it will get hotter, and then extremely hot! Next year this time we will probably be wishing for the heat of the Philippines. I am extremely fickle.
We spent Christmas Eve with the Colipapa family. They are so good to us. They also had the four young Elders who serve in their ward over. One Filipino from Quezon City, one from Mapleton, Maple Mountain High School, Elder Harris from Gilbert Arizona, whose mom is Filipino, but all the family has migrated to the US. And Elder Schwab from Smithfield, Skyview High School. His dad graduated from Star Valley. Scott Schwab is his grandpa’s brother. He has only been out a couple months. We made several connections with the other Elders because of where they have served and places we have been to and people we have met in those areas where they served. It was a wonderful evening with games, food, visiting and laughter.
I forgot about last Monday night’s FHE with this group. We were given a few minutes to share about our hobbies. Clyda told them about my love for sports and coaching and then I shared a PowerPoint that I created about Clyda’s love for gardening. It was fun to get to know about their hobbies. Twenty people and there weren’t any two hobbies that were the same. Some enjoyed dabbling in some of the hobbies that weren’t theirs that other people shared. Some admitted hating some of the hobbies that others enjoyed. That provided some good chuckles, those who hated math and those who loved it, etc.
At this point in our mission, we reflect on how blessed we are to associate with these wonderful senior missionaries. There is such a diversity in callings and individuals, but they all bring a love for the gospel and a desire to serve. We have a tremendous respect for them and marvel at their goodness. They and we love this Christmas season and have a joy for the birth of Jesus Christ. He is the reason for the season.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
We loved Violet playing “Away in a Manger” for us. That is our favorite, and we reflect on the many times we sang it at family gatherings. Clyda and I especially love it not only for its meaning, but it is written in our voice range for altos and basses. We have enjoyed the videos of the Nativity Presentations in Ft. Bridger and Thayne. Thank you Micheli’s and Heiner’s. We are grateful you do these for your communities, and we love watching the videos you share with us. We are grateful that you have family and friends who help and communities that support it.
With love,
Dad and Mom
Grandpa and Grandma
Briant and Clyda
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