2016-08-15 Palawan, Visitors, Family Home Afternoon at the Ostlers' & Finish Strong

Our Sister Training Leaders volunteered to try out some special manual "washing machine" tools to see it they would work for the missionaries and possibly Filipinos.  The sisters were only too glad to try them out!

 This is a beautiful place on top of a hill in Palawan.  It is called Baker's Hill.  We hope there will be a temple there some day!!

 Here is a wonderful group of faithful saints from Quezon and Narra Branches on their way to the temple for the first time!

 What a treat to see Sister Esmolo again!  The joy we feel at seeing that our elders and sisters are still "strong in the Lord" is great!  The Philippines is in good hands with these incredible sisters and elders!

Sister Margo Brockbank came back with her husband to visit the Philippines.  What a great joy it is for us to see our missionaries find an eternal companion with whom they can be equally yoked.  These two will do so much good for the world and the Lord's church.

We enjoyed having Arnold and Suzie, Josh and Lyle Nepomucena over for dinner and family night.  (Coron Branch President and family) They shared their many talents with us.  Josh is getting so good on the violin and piano, and Lyle is quite the singer!  Here they are showing off their new moustaches they "grew"/borrowed from Benjamin and Caleb's song, "If I Only Had a Moustache!"

 Sister Duford taught Josh to play while she was on Coron.  He now accompanies the congregation on the piano when they sing in church, as well as playing beautifully on the violin.

 For Preparation day on Monday, we had over a wonderful zone of elders and sisters.  They took over the kitchen and made Pizzookies! (large, delicious, half-baked chocolate chip cookies with a huge scoop of icecream melting on top. Our son, Benjamin, was visiting so he helped with the activity.  He was such a blessing to have here.  He repaired things and organized his brother Caleb's collection of broken items saved to be used for parts.  It was so wonderful to have time with Benjamin! 

                                                    This is for his mom!

   Where on this whole earth can you find such a great group of young men and women like
    these????

Our hardest meeting....our Finish Strong meeting where we meet with the missionaries who will be going home the following transfer.  It is so hard to realize they will be leaving so soon.  We know the parents are anxious to see them, but we sure wish we could keep them!