I am finding that even though we usually have great attitudes, sometimes discouragement can set in! As I said previously the "hotter" season has kicked in and I really struggle with the heat! Roy is a desert rat and seems to thrive, but I don't. We have worked really hard in past weeks closing apartments, moving missionaries, and even finding new apartments. It all requires a TON of driving and can be very exhausting and frustrating. When we interact with missionaries they always make us feel like the work is worthwhile.... but the honest truth... we have been running on "empty tanks" for a while now. Dengue Fever is big here and between that and amoeba... we feel so bad to see our young missionaries get sick. Every now and then one gets sick enough that they have to go home breaking everyone's hearts. Once in a while the seniors get seriously ill too and that is so sad to see. One of the other senior couples full of energy and positive attitude and young at heart, arrived in the Philippines just after Roy and I did. The husband got a simple illness and his body reacted badly and we are worried for his life right now! He is in the hospital, intubated and waiting to get stable enough to be flown home. We pray for him every day and are watching closely. My Dad told me a few weeks ago to take car, of myself and stay healthy "because are lot of things over here that try to kill you!" Donta mean to be negative about a place that is very wonderful in many ways.... but Dad is right. Thankfully we are tired, but healthy.
Bottom line; the workload, the worry and the heat ... We needed a break and found that our other senior missionaries were feeling the same way. So, we cooked up a little trip for fun and really enjoyed ourselves! This week's pictures capture our long weekend and how we regained our energy. It is SOOOO amazing to work with like-minded senior couples that are volunteering AND paying their own way to live in a somewhat scary place in the world and just trying to do good. BUT.... are still willing to play!
Above: Roy enjoying his first ever charcoal ice cream. He says it was great!
Above; there should be a rule against a senior missionary looking this handsome in his new red hat!
Above; the resort we stayed in has an amazing series of Koi ponds. My sister Cynthia rents a home from a friend who has a really cool, backyard koi pond and I've always like it. I had NO idea how interactive these fish can be! This was a photo of them begging (I kid you not!) for treats just like dogs!! I spent several hundred pesos buying Koi treats and feeding the fish. I felt like a little kid and decided that we are going to have to build our own pond when we return home. Audra & Jim if you are reading this.... we gotta have a Koi Pond!!
Above; this was our ferry for the 4 hour trip back to Cebu from Bohol island. It was the oddest thing and I've now seen it several times; no seats - anywhere! Just bunk beds so you can take a nap. It made it tough for us old folks to play cards but, but they were great for naps!
Below: I get a kick out of this sign every time I see it when boarding a ferry!
Below: We got to see Tarsiers while staying on this island. They are native to only a few spots in southeast Asia and Bohol Island is one of them. They are the world's smallest primate and are protected in the Philippines & they even have a breeding program to try to bring their numbers back up. They are tiny so they don't take up much space but deforestation and high population numbers have really caused them problems. They have a wonderful sanctuary where under pretty strict control you can get within a few feet of them. They are nocturnal so we were really lucky to see one with his/her eyes open. Their eyes are bigger than their brains and they are so small they would fit into the palm of your hand. There little toes are like tree frog toes and they have a long tail that looks just like a rat tail. It was a quick little side trip but very, very cool!
The other things we did on this island were swimming ... yes in the water swimming .... WITH whale sharks. They weren't any more dangerous than the Koi, but it was amazing to swim/snorkel within a few feet of such a large animal! Roy actually got bumped by one and although we weren't supposed to touch them, he had to push it out of the way. We got a cool video of the whale shark session, but I have to figure out how to upload the video and feeling a bit dumb right now!
Below: I love to end with a missionary picture. Below is Prince Brigham Espinoza (yes, that is his real name). He is an amazing young man that came on his mission when he was 25 after receiving his engineering degree. He lost his mother before he came to serve, but he has an amazingly positive outlook and he his is one of our favorites! He spent months as an "assistant to the president" or AP and worked in the mission office for 5-6 months so we got to know him well. I've seldom seen anyone have so much fun working so hard! He is tall and handsome and his outlook on life is wonderful, AND his dedication to the Lord is the BEST thing about him and something I'm sure his mother-in-heaven is proud of! I wish I had a daughter for him to marry! We nick named him "Elder Escondido" and "baby bear." He goes home in May, and we have really enjoyed working with him and will miss him terribly when he leaves.
Comments