Going away

It is a miracle to think that tomorrow I will be in Utah. My trip is for two weeks. It starts on Wednesday April 27, Liz Ungritch's birthday and 12 year anniversary of my blackest day ever! (when I found the secret US Bank account)  and it ends on Wednesday May 11 but it takes another day to get to Manila so I will be back on May 12th which means I will write back on my blog when I get back on the 13th of May.

Thinking of today, twelve years ago, I will post this quote by President Monson:
" He will not always take your afflictions from you, but He will comfort and lead you with love through whatever storm you face." I am so grateful for His love and the way He helped me weather the storm.

I have to say, I am so thankful for airplanes that can transport you from one end of the word to another. I got a few things I want to do like attend Women's Conference, Mandy's and Spencer graduation, but mostly see my family, Yay! It was not easy to convince my hubby but he accepted in the end. He knows visiting with family is what makes me the most happy but how I do wish he could come with me.

Con amor,
Vero

Gentle hands

Last week The Relief Society activity was to go listen to a woman from Canada tell us about her foundation. Gentle hands, in case any of us would be interested in volunteering. She helps people qualify for foster care while children are waiting to be adopted. Her name is Charity Graff, her father was a pastor here in the Philippines so she grew up here and now she decided to do the same as her parents.  She told us story after story of how much help is needed to rescue children in the Philippines.

She basically sold everything she and her husband Evan had to start an educational  foundation for street boys in 2000. In 2003 they got registered under the department of Social Welfare and Development to rescue children in crisis who are being abandoned or abused so that they could be adopted locally or internationally.  She takes all ages even before they give birth. One girl age 12 came to her door pregnant who had been raped. She gave birth but the baby didn't survived. They cremated the body so Charity helped her in every step of the way.

Another child was rescued from the worst conditions possible. He didn't have a nose because it was bitten by rats. He had a few surgeries done and he is ready to be adopted in a week. Another nine year old girl came to her door because she was being raped by her father and even though she explains, "I had no room for her, how do you say no?"

This is why she is asking for foster parents to take on a child while he or she is adopted. Last year 15 children were adopted to good families. The process takes about a year. You need to check out www.gentlehands.org if you want to learn more. They actually have a staff of about 30 + paid and volunteer professionals that help with therapy for these soul wounded orphans. She is constantly dealing with therapeutic sessions for those children. She even gave us all a little of therapy because someone said" But what if I get too attached to these children and have to send them away." She smiled and said: " You get over it"

The good news is that the wives of the Area Presidency were in that meeting so they immediately arranged for the Humanitarian director to look into Gentle Hands as an NGO so now the Church is donating Thousands upon thousands of food, medicine, and many materials that they may need to sustain Gentle Hands.

Daniel receives applications like this daily and when he told me about this new one I said: Could it be gentle hands? He checked and it was. I am so proud of all the efforts the Church does all over the world in cases like this. Every dollar sent to the humanitarian services goes directly to those who mostly need them. In this case, Charity Graff didn't even ask. We were just there, learning about her NGO and immediately, the money has been approved. It only took two days!

I feel so grateful and overwhelmed for all the good the Church does each and every day!

My testimony

Today at the Area Council meeting I was asked to share my testimony. I only took two minutes or even less. I simply told them how I felt. How my testimony is the one thing I value the most over anything in my life. How I gained it and how I try to keep it. What is so neat about sharing your testimony at a setting like that is that all those people in that room feel the same way. There are no disagreements there. We are all part of the same team. No one there will find it offensive or weird.

 I heard my Bishop once explained at a testimony meetings saying; "Always share what you believe in! " He expressed that everyone should feel comfortable sharing their beliefs, even in a work setting, so long as it is done in a respectful way that doesn’t infringe on anyone else’s rights to believe what they believe. 

For me, It is important that all my friends know that I believe in God. That I also believe in HIs son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost to guide me. Therefore I am a Christian. That I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The same Church Jesus established in his time with the same organization of 12 Apostles, Seventies, Bishops, etc.  And the choices I make every day come from the rooted core values that I believed in as a disciple of Christ. 

I loved learning about other people’s beliefs and religions. I find it fascinating and I love to recognize the similarities between the differing religions as it becomes very clear that many religions stemmed from the same initial roots that branched out into differing versions that changed with time and customs of their own lands.

Perhaps my interest stemmed from having a mother who always believed in Jesus and love learning about Him and the teachings found in the Bible. 

There are common threads amongst all of us to be found when we share and listen with an open heart and a desire to learn from one another.  I believe that religion should always be a positive influence that promotes acceptance and love and brings people together.  It makes me sad to see how some people (typically those out for selfish purposes masked by religion) have twisted religion around to use it as a negative tool to try and break people apart or drive wedges between them. That is never okay

Always be willing to learn the beliefs of others. Whether you agree or disagree, you will both come away having a better understanding of one another and you will be a wiser person for having opened your heart.

Con amor,
Vero

The Manila Aquarium

Three missionary couples and I went to the Manila Aquarium.  I didn't know what to expect since I thought it was all inside so I was dressed in pants and a long sleeve shirt. What a mistake! It was mostly outdoors and very hot!! I had a hanky to clean my face covered with my makeup running down with big drops of sweat. If there is one thing I hate is sweating. Not the ideal outing for me, but somehow I managed to stay cool by drinking a lot of liquids.

The Aquarium has a few good attractions like all aquariums do but this one at 6:30 p.m. puts on a light show mixed with water and fire. It was good. One thing I noticed is that the Aquarium is right on the ocean. They have a hotel by the name of H2O and a lot of shops and eating establishments within the aquarium. You can literary spend all day there. We came around three and left at seven after the light show but we could have come in at ten when it opened. I always keep thinking of my grandkids and how much they would have enjoyed the animals there.

What is interesting to me is the advertisement they have is amazing but when you are there, you realized how unkept and dated this place is and how no one really takes good care of the facilities. Pretty sad but that was the impression I got. The bird show and the sea lions show was a little overrated. Nothing spectacular. (I guess I am used to the animal shows on Sea World so I am a little spoil. ) Daniel couldn't come with me and probably that was the other thing that made this outing not as fun. I don't have to be entertained too much as long as I am with Daniel. I guess all my complaining has to do mostly because Daniel was not with me but to think of it, it was probably one of those things he would have not enjoyed too much either because the sun was unbearable and he gets burn easily.

In the mood for a move!

Today I am in the moving mood which means that in about two months we are going to move from our home that we had for the past six months to an apartment. Glenna who cleans my home keeps reminding me that the apartment is much smaller. I know it has the same square footage as the home we are in now but it doesn't have as much closet space like our home we are now on Penelope Lane.

I got my clothes spread over three four closets. And my makeup n other personals all spread as well in various rooms. I got a large closet for all my scrapbooking too. The kitchen is also very spacious. So my goal is to organize our things before we move. I love keeping stuff and collecting things but I am not a hardener like those people you see on TV. Thank goodness there are worse people than me, but I can't throw anything away. However I  don't want to waste time and energy in taking things from this home that  will eventually end up in the garbage.

I made the big mistake of not looking through papers when I moved from Bountiful to the DR and many boxes were thrown away that had important papers like the Los planes title papers and some special gifts like the one colon bill I got from 100 years ago and stuff. What I love about this time in my life when I don't have little ones messing up things or being too busy with the countless of schedule commitments is that I can keep my home clean and organized always! I throw things away that are not important to keep because if something is important enough to keep than I filed it away or I organize it in a plastic bin and I label it so that everything in your house has a place. If something is worn out, throw it away. I hate to have to trow away some shoes I got in Japan so I might give those to tia Mila so a shoemaker can make a pair just like that. I wonder if I can find a shoemaker here in the Philippines because i really love those shoes but they are getting worn out.

I also need to start throwing away any papers I don't need. The idea is to find a place for everything. That is the trick to being organized. I woke up today feeling very up beat and wanting to clean, clean, clean. I love it when I'm in the mood!

Con amor,

Vero

Ladies luncheon

Today was the monthly latin ladies luncheon at the home of Jackie Olney, a woman from Bolivia. She is also the person in charge of the cooking class and I am going to be part of her group because I think the group could benefit in making a cookbook to sell to their members. 

That should be a fun activity to be involved in but the question is, should this be in English or Spanish? if it's done in Spanish it would just be a collection of recipes for members only to buy for their families. If it's done in English like Silvia's Book (An Expat guide to living in Manila) it is for anyone who knows English to be able to buy. Or it can be done in both languages. That I think will have to be decided when the times comes. 

 I met Estefanie Duenas from El Salvador, she has been here for eight years. Her husband works in the Asian Bank. They have a 15 month old baby girl.  Her mother is from Germany, her father is from El Salvador and she is married to a fellow from Italy. She grew up in El Salvador but the parents have divorced so the only ties she has to El Salvador is her father who still lives there. She was coming in as we were entering the home too and when she told me she was from El Salvador I couldn't believe what a great coincidence that was. She seemed very nice. There are a few other women there from Honduras, Guatemala and Costa Rica that usually come to this. There is a girl in our ward from Honduras that sometimes comes.

Most of the women in this group have young children.  I would say the average is about 40. this would be a perfect group for my little sisters. Mari or Vanessa. Two things I don't relate all that much is that I don't have kids at home and I don't enjoy drinking like they do. Next time I would like to know anyone there who is an empty nester like me. 

The food as always was wonderful and plenty of it so no diet for me today. I invited Silvia from our ward who is new here from Uruguay and married to a Chilean so it turned out to be a fun activity for both of us after all. 

Tuesday's Devotional

Today I went to a devotional of a missionary couple that have been serving in the Philippines. Every Tuesday there is a devotional at the office at 8:00 a.m. but for some reason they were not having the missionary couples participate but Daniel changed it and now before they get to go home, we get to listen to them. Here is a poem they shared with us from President Packer: 

THE THINGS I KNOW

I had a thought the other night,

A thought profound and deep.

It came when I was too worn down,

Too tired to go to sleep.

 

I’d had a very busy day

And pondered on my fate.

The thought was this:

When I was young, I wasn’t 68!

 

I could walk without a limp;

I had no shoulder pain.

I could read a line through twice

And quote it back again.

 

I could work for endless hours

And hardly stop to breathe.

And things that now I cannot do

I mastered then with ease.

 

If I could now turn back the years,

If that were mine to choose,

I would not barter age for youth,

I’d have too much to lose.

 

I am quite content to move ahead,

To yield my youth, however grand.

The thing I’d lose if I went back

Is what I understand.

 

Ten years later, I decided to add a few more lines to that poem:

 

Ten years have flown to who knows where

And with them much of pain.

A metal hip erased my limp;

I walk quite straight again.

 

Another plate holds neck bones fast—

A wonderful creation!

It backed my polio away;

I’ve joined the stiff-necked generation.

 

The signs of aging can be seen.

Those things will not get better.

The only thing that grows in strength

With me is my forgetter.

 

You ask, “Do I remember you?”

Of course, you’re much the same.

Now don’t go getting all upset

If I can’t recall your name.

 

I would agree I’ve learned some things

I did not want to know,

But age has brought those precious truths

That make the spirit grow.

 

Of all the blessings that have come,

The best thing in my life

Is the companionship and comfort

I get from my dear wife.

 

Our children all have married well,

With families of their own,

With children and grandchildren,

How soon they all have grown.

 

I have not changed my mind one bit

About regaining youth.

We’re meant to age, for with it

Comes a knowledge of the truth.

 

You ask, “What will the future bring?

Just what will be my fate?”

I’ll go along and not complain.

Ask when I’m 88!

 

And last year I added these lines:

 

And now you see I’m 88.

The years have flown so fast.

I walked, I limped, I held a cane,

And now I ride at last.

 

I take a nap now and again,

But priesthood power remains.

For all the physical things I lack

There are great spiritual gains.

 

I have traveled the world a million miles

And another million too.

And with the help of satellites,

My journeys are not through.

 

I now can say with all certainty

That I know and love the Lord.

I can testify with them of old

As I preach His holy word.

 

I know what He felt in Gethsemane

Is too much to comprehend.

I know He did it all for us;

We have no greater Friend.

 

I know that He will come anew

With power and in glory.

I know I will see Him once again

At the end of my life’s story.

 

I’ll kneel before His wounded feet;

I’ll feel His Spirit glow.

My whispering, quivering voice will say,

“My Lord, my God, I know.”

                                                   

         

 

I love the life lessons we can take away from his poem.  It reminds me to be grateful for the years of wisdom I have gained.  It reminds me that all the book learning and life experience cannot take the place of spiritual learning that we gain by exercising faith in our believes.  It also helps remind me that every day of my life I should be growing closer to God by living my life in a way I know that He would be proud of.   I believe that trying to live our lives like that, is the best way to help each of us get to the point where we can say “I know” for ourselves.

Con amor,

Vero