Food Food Yummy Food!!

Oh how I love food!  I think I have already gained several pounds starting in the MTC.  Not only was the food delicious with a great variety - build your own wraps!!, BYU creamery ice cream!, soups, sandwiches, chicken fried chicken, cookies to die for, ice cream bars, etc. etc. but I didn't have to think about what to eat (well, maybe a little thought about what to choose) nor shop for it nor prepare it.  That all adds up to such enjoyment plus the added bonus of not doing the dishes.  Add to that the opportunity to sit with a thousand plus other missionaries while dining!!  Now for some reason the MTC has rules about taking pictures in the cafeteria so I have none.

On to Cebu, we were immediately met by President S. & his wife & two of the AP's who took us to a little cafe where we met one of the office senior couples for a yummy lunch.  Broke the first rule of eating in the Philippines & ate lettuce & no one stopped me.  It worked out fine - no bad results.  I am assuming they know all the places that are safe to eat.

They delivered us to the Quest Hotel in downtown Cebu after a harrowing drive there!

Then on to the mission home for some training & instruction from the President.  We met many of the sisters in the mission who were there on Pday making cookies with the President's granddaughter who is visiting.  This ended about 6 pm on Wednesday after arriving at 11:45 & leaving SLC at 8:45 on Monday evening.  Yes you read that right.  We left Monday nite & arrived Wednesday morning & while I dozed some on the plane (George never slept) we were like walking zombies.  We were to have dinner at our hotel with the senior couple who lunched with us but there was no way I could have eaten a bite.  I did, however, want to share a picture of the buffet we planned to eat as well as the breakfast buffet we ate the next morning.

Once in Cebu we were offered some fruit we had never eaten & when we arrived here even more.  We did eat one fruit named durian fruit which is large & spiny & stinks to high heaven before it is even opened.  One of the elders at our district meeting had the insides in a bag for a snack for himself & offered to share with us.  It looked like slimy boiled chicken but much softer & smelled much worse out of it's skin or hide would be a better word.  I decided even before Elder A that I would try it.  I had hope that the sweetness would be a surprise but NO!  It was nasty.

Here are pics of two of the fruits we've eaten & I have really enjoyed.  Don't ask me the names of them - I do not know!!

I added water to the fruit with the seeds in the glass & drank it - wonderful.  The red fruit's thick layer is hard but the white insides is yummy!!

Now you may be wondering if all we do is eat.  We had planned on taking a couple of weeks or so to find our way around, get settled, get over the jet lag & make certain we had what we needed to be effective.  For those of you who have served, that just isn't how it happens.  We have been going from 9 am to about 7 pm each day with just a short lunch break.  Our primary responsibility is to support & assist the young missionaries so we have been looking at & fixing apartments, purchasing the things they need, renting new ones, attending baptisms, district meeting & getting lost!!
We are having a great time.  All seniors should give this a try.

From the MTC to Cebu

     The map picture every missionary takes!!  The Philippines are a long way away from Broken Arrow, Ok.

                                         Our wonderful district & fabulous teachers!!

The MTC is, as Brother Kneib says, like a religious retreat!  There were "seniors" there from all over the U.S. going to places all over the world - South Africa (and they had requested Germany because of their fluent German), West Africa & Ethiopia, Cambodia, England, Los Angeles, Australia, & of course, the Philippines.  There were "seniors" of all shapes, sizes, physical abilities but we all had in common a love of our Lord & His gospel.  Many had served several missions & for many this was the first.  The more experienced missionaries assured all of us that it is addictive & we will want to serve time & again.  I realized that, like being in the temple, we knew nothing of socioeconomic status, financial means, or church callings & none of those were ever mentioned.  We did share our family situations, housing arrangements & travel plans but mostly we shared profound spiritual experiences with one another.
The most stressful part for most of us were the times we had to actually teach investigators who had a role to play - our teachers observed to critique us!  It was a fabulous experience where much was learned about ourselves, our abilities, our strengths & weaknesses.  All in all we had a wonderful time but were anxious to get on the way to Cebu.

On a lighter note, because this was the largest senior group ever to be trained - 128 of us - the church provided us lodging at the Marriott hotel.

Elder Anderson & I were constantly looking for the young missionaries coming to Cebu.  We found a couple of districts & quickly loved them.  Being in the midst of thousands of young people from all over the world, preparing to go to every nation, kindred, tongue & people was a blessing & privilege.  It is what we would call one of the "miracles of Mormonism" - where else would you find kids 18, 19 years of age leaving their lives behind to serve for 18 - 24 months at their own expense?  It is truly amazing.

We are excited to serve & grateful for our family's support & love which makes this easier for us to leave our home & family behind.