We Hit the Road Running!!

We had grand plans about how to begin our experience here in Valencia - the place to be our home for the next 17 1/2 months but like we had learned in the MTC, flexibility is the key to being successful missionaries.  Our plan had been to get our things (what few clothes we had brought) hung up, get the lay of the land, stock our cabinets and fridge that is only 6 cubic feet, meet the missionaries and then begin work.  Getting the lay of the land was not easy at first as most streets are not marked and directions are given by waving one's hand in the general direction of where you want to be with them stating, "Not far, not far!  That way, that way!"  It took us a few days to be on time to the Dumaguete church buildings for the various meetings we attended and now we are able to take short cuts, recognize landmarks, and sometimes find the "Not far!"
We have now been here two weeks, experienced one transfer, attended baptisms, and I have had the opportunity to assist the sisters with a service project for a sister who needed her laundry done and by that I mean hand washed in a tub outside.  The young Pilipina sisters have done this their whole lives so they were adept - by the time we were finished with the washing my knuckles were bleeding from the abrasive soap and the scrubbing.  Each piece is then rinsed 5 times.  The elders and sisters here do their own laundry in this manner except for the few who have washers in their apartments.  (I know of one who has a nice washer and another who has one that is filled for the washing and refilled a couple of times for the drying).  Clothes are hung, draped on lines and fences along the road, between houses or anywhere they can be dried.  The sister we served was expecting her 7th baby and I was privileged to take a pic with her little boy when he awoke from his nap.

The first week we were here was spent trying to fix as many problems with the young missionaries' houses as we could get to and just trying to meet as many as possible.  Most days we were gone from home about 10 hours and so tired when we returned we sometimes were in bed by 8:30.  This is probably the time I should talk about the traffic.  For those who know us well, you know that I have always been the driver of our family and while we both got our Pilipino driver's licenses, I choose for Elder Anderson to drive.  It is very stressful and exhausting for both of us and I am doing my best to not be  too "white-knuckled" all the time.  I am not sure why they paint any lines in the streets as no one seems to understand that they divide the traffic.  Motorcycles, tricycles (a motorcycle with a covered side car), jeepneys, cars, trucks, large buses, semis all ignore the lines while pedestrians, including small children, walk along the side of the road with no apparent concern for the traffic.  Much of the time at night vehicles drive with no headlights.  IT IS TERRIFYING!!

Did I mention that there are no stop signs at the intersections?  The principle here is to go with the flow which somehow works.
Elder Anderson and I had our first ride on a tricycle and jeepney as we loaned our truck to a zone leader so they could more easily make transfers to and from the ferry late at night.  Quite the experience.


Our second Sunday here was district(stake) conference which was incredibly wonderful.  The chapel and cultural hall were packed including the stage.  The church is the same worldwide except for the air conditioning.  In the district building there is AC in the chapel & cultural hall which works well but the rest of the building is not.
We had Elder Pajarro from Manilla, a 70 who is the area President, I think, came with his wife.  They were both great speakers & teachers.  Equally as important was the opportunity to hear from Pres. and Sister Schmutz on a couple of occasions that weekend - we had some new missionary training on Friday followed by conference on Saturday & Sunday - a sweet tender mercy to be taught by our President that all love so much and now we were given the opportunity to come to love him & his wife as well.  They are incredible people who love the Lord and are helping these young missionaries to come closer to our Savior.
A word about the music - two branches were assigned to sing Saturday nite and there was a district choir on Sunday- absolutely beautiful.  They all wear matching something.  The brethren all have the same tie while the sisters either have matching scarves or blouses.  The Spirit was strong and they sang from memory.  There were 54 in the district choir.
Because the mission for us now is so much fixing and repairing and because it is difficult for us to always find what we need such as new refrigerator shelves, we have felt the hand of the Lord directing us with ideas & trashed materials that we can use to create some of the things we need.  We are seeing miracles daily as we watch these young missionaries and visit with their new converts & investigators.  We are truly blessed to be here.