Boys will be boys wherever they live!!

 It doesn't matter where you live, you can find little naked boys playing in water.  And it always brings a smile to our faces.  This first little guy is one of our grandsons in his backyard in Oklahoma where sometimes playing in the water is the only way to cool off.

Look at that smile enjoying himself staying cool!!!
Love this boy!

These next two pics were taken on our way home after a long, hot day of working with sweat pouring off of us - our clothes were damp with the constant perspiration.  We wanted to join in their fun to cool off.

Don't know what the other two are waiting on!!  

And he is readying himself for the plunge!!

Boys will definitely be boys wher'er  they live!!!!

Bringing in the sheaves takes on new meaning.

Sugar cane and rice seem to be the industry on this part of Negros island.  Everywhere we drive the fields are either in the process of being planted, growing, burning or being harvested.  As we have watched this process it brings new meaning to "bringing in the sheaves" and it's application to missionary work.  At the crack of dawn, many men, with machetes in hand, converge upon the cane fields to be harvested where they first cut the cane, then strip the cane of the green part of the plant, bundle it and walk it up very small ladders into the semi cane trucks.  It looks to be exhausting work as they handle the cane one by one. 

Sugar cane harvest 

Notice the small ladder and the load of cane he is carrying on his shoulder.

Some use their carabou with a handmade trailer to haul to the semi

There are a few tractors here used in the harvest for hauling.
It is over 100 F. here - notice the kinds of clothes they are wearing.

As you might imagine it gets quite hot here with the sun blistering down on them.  Most wear long sleeves with t-shirts tied on their heads to protect them from the sun.  They even make shelters to protect them from the sun during their lunch hour and break time.

Cane shelters from the sun.  Notice the man sleeping under the one with the shirt hanging for additional shade.

And sometimes the trucks stack the harvest too high, go too fast, and fail to use the side of the road that is flat!  Luckily
no one was hurt but the wind shield was gone and it took hours to reload the cane costing all of the workers time not paid.
The elders say they see this frequently!

 As a child raised in the Baptist church, one of my favorite songs was "Bringing in the sheaves".

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,

Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;

Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

      Refrain:

Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves,

Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,

Fearing neither clouds nor winter’s chilling breeze;

By and by the harvest, and the labor ended,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

      Refrain

Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master

Though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves;

When our weeping’s over, He will bid us welcome,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Refrain

 As we serve here in a land "white already to harvest" we are seeing the sheaves literally and figuratively being harvested.  What a blessing to serve in such a country as this where the elect are ready and waiting to hear about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and where we are witnessing this marvelous harvest.

Look at all of the missionaries supporting Sister A. at her baptism.

Siquijor island baptism in the ocean.  What a treat.  We actually could hardly witness it - low tide so they were
way out there.  Some brave soul carried his camera out to get this picture.

This brother and his wife are deaf and were taught by our sister missionaries as well as ASL missionaries
serving in Washington DC.  A recent convert, Brother D., helped us learn to teach him using text
and the ipad when the skype with the ASL missionaries didn't work.  What a blessing to be part of.

Transferred? Seniors don't get transfers

Just as we were getting comfortable and making lots of friends in the Dumaguete District, our mission was expanded to serve two districts north on the same island, Negros, which are Cebuano speaking.  Don't know why exactly the districts were assigned to our mission  - the previous mission, Bacolod, is an Ilongo speaking mission  and their missionaries had to learn another language when they served here.  But we are excited to serve in this part of the Lord's vineyard that looks like a National Geographic documentary!!
We have 38 missionaries here serving in two zones.  
The area is much more "bukid" or mountainous than our area in Dumaguete although some of that is bukid as well.
We have elders serving and living up in the mountains.  One companionship lives in the house where the church meets - the living area is where sacrament is held.  The elders live upstairs and only use the downstairs for the kitchen and comfort room.  It is a beautiful place and much cooler temperatures at that altitude.  These first three pics are from that area called Cabangtasang.

Area where the elders took us to meet members and teach investigators very near their home.

Caribou on rice terraces at Cabangtasang

Flooded rice terraces.

The rice terraces are hundreds of years old here.  We see them drying the rice on tarps laying along the road.

Parade on our way home from working in Cabangtasang.

 These next pictures are from another mountainous branch called Macasilao where the branch meets under these canopies.  The benches are made from long lengths of very straight bamboo.  Really quite comfortable.  The Sunday we attended this branch the attendance totaled 98.  Amazing!!
The elders do not live on this mountain due to no phone service - they live in a nearby town near the beach but travel daily on hable-hable (only transportation available) to work their area.  Their hours are 8 am to 5 pm with their studies in the evening.  They carry all of their food and water with them for the day.  They love this area.

Many sat under the shade of the tree and in an area in front of the house on the right with bamboo seats.

One of the cute sights we see while traveling throughout our area.  The boy was on the carabou as well but when he saw me hop out to take the picture, he jumped off and smiled!