Sunday, July 19, 2009

Much has happened in the Philippines since our last post. We have gone from summer (Feb - May) and we are now in the rainy season which is also know as typhoon season. This will last until the end of the year. So far we have not seen a serious typhoon in Metro Manila although several weeks ago a decent typhoon hit a region of the Philippines that caused significant damage and 15 - 20 casualties. When you see some of the living conditions, especially in poorer areas, you can understand how there can be casualties.


When ever a typhoon is forecast, or even strong winds that might not warrant typhoon classification, advertisers will take down their billboards...and there are many many billboards. The billboards appear to be on canvass and they can be put up and taken down similar to a curtain. Here is a picture of a billboard being put up after it had been down for a few days. The people working on it are no doubt working with the latest safety equipment and every safety precaution is being taken....not likely; that would cost money. It would be cheaper to pay off the family of the occasional employee that doesn't make it home from work.

Talking about safety equipment, we often see electrical workers and we just shake our heads at their working conditions. Firstly, the electrical wires look like a rat's nest or wires. Then the workers lean their ladder on the wires and climb up and do their work. Their safety equipment include rubber soled flip-flops. Here are a few pictures of some we have seen. Too often, by the time we get our camera out the moment is lost. The Philippines is rich with WW II history. It was a key location to both the Japanese and the Allied forces. General MacArthur was referring to the Philippines when he made his famous promise, "I shall return." Located in an area near Manila, is the American War Cemetery. It is a piece of land hallowed by the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers, mostly American and Filipino. We had the opportunity to go there on the Memorial Day weekend, May 23rd, and help "plant" a Philippines and a USA flag at each tombstone. It was a good experience to show a small bit of respect to those who gave all. There are several pictures; it was a very nice morning. It was at the American War Cemetery on May 28, 1961, that Gordon B. Hinckley, then a member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles gave a special prayer for missionary work in the Philippines.

On Monday, April 27, Jen and Jeff arrived in the Philippines; it was a very happy time for us. I had kept their trip a secret from Patty for 4 or 5 months. We enjoyed their company. Thanks to mom and dad Whitehead for taking care of the children, allowing Jen and Jeff to make the trip. The flight from Canada to the Philippines is long. I think Jen and Jeff had a "day and a night and a day as if it were one day" either on planes or in airports. Here we are at the airport.

We spent Tuesday together and then early Wednesday morning we took Jen and Jeff to the airport for another flight. They spent a few days at the island resort, Boracay while we prepared for their return. When they got back we spent an afternoon in old Manila. This is the original site of Manila and is called Intramuros, meaning "within the walls"...or something like that. The ruins are hundreds of years old. Here Jen, Jeff and Patty are with a Security Guard at the Intramuros.
Intramuros has Manila Bay to the south and the Pasig River on the north. This is the Pasig River and a more modern Manila in the background.

One thing that never ceases to amaze us is the plants that grow here. There is such a variety of trees and flowers. We've heard it say that you can stick a pencil in the ground and it will take root. We haven't verified that yet but it wouldn't surprise us if it were true. Jen found some blossoms on the ground and couldn't resist sticking one behind her ear. Isn't that the most beautiful flower you've ever seen?....I think the blossom is nice also.

Happy Days

For the last 4 - 5 months Jennie and I have been carrying on secret conversations (Patty thinks it was secret combinations as she was completely left out of the loop.) Jen & Jeff and I have been planning their trip to the Philippines for several months. It has been difficult keeping it a secret as I wanted to tell everyone I knew that they were coming. Alas, I had to savor my excitement in silence. One challenge I faced was how to get Patty to the airport at 11:55 PM on a Monday night and not draw suspicion? I had to involve others. I asked help from the secretary to the DTA (Director for Temporal Affairs), the man we report to and the man who oversees the temporal work in the Philippines. I let her know of our daughter's arrival and that it was a surprise to Patty. I asked her if she could send me an email asking us to pick up a guest arriving from Salt Lake City. I suggested she say he missed a connection that would have put him here at 12:00 noon (the time visitors usually arrive from the USA) and that due to the late hour no one else was available and for security reasons he should not just take a taxi from the airport. I forwarded the email to Patty and, as I knew she would, she said, "Ya, whatever we are needed to do." The guest we were to pick up was "Brother Walton". The last name needed to begin with a "W" as waiting families meet the arriving travelers in areas designated by last names.
While we were waiting Patty kept asking what Brother Walton looks like, how will we recognize him, how will he know we are there to pickup him. I answered that we look for a white face wearing a white shirt and tie, and, if we don't see him first I'm sure he will recognize us in our name tags. We waited and waited and waited and no Mr. Walton. Patty decided we needed a sign for Mr. Walton so she got a piece of paper and wrote "WALTON" in big bold letters and had me stand up on a bench and hold the sign up high. Oh, the things I had to do to keep this surprise alive???
Finally I saw Jen and Jeff descending the ramp, then they saw me.......I glanced at Patty and she was still scanning the crowd, looking for Brother Walton. Finally when they were about 15 feet away Patty's face went blank and she was speechless, only the 3rd time I've witnessed that in almost 30 years. It was obvious I had pulled it off.
The next several days were great spending time with Jen and Jeff, showing them around, letting them see what we have seen and experience some of the things we have experienced. It was a highlight of our mission. Stay tuned for more details and photos.

Sheets and Fish heads

Caution some pictures may not be suitable for younger viewers.

We spent some time last month organizing ourselves to attend a Leprosarium. What is that you may ask, well it is the fancy new name for a Leper Colony. Yes, they do still have those. We located a Sister willing to make up some sheet sets for us to take. The patients do not all have sheets. Can you imagine lying on a vinyl mattress in this sticky heat with sores and no sheets? Ouch! Some do not have mattresses. The patients are in varying stages of the disease.

The hospital (and I use that term loosely) is in a state of disrepair. A good rain and the sheets would be wet and stay that way until the sun came out. No dryers of course.