2013 mission: 2014

Above is the Church yard. It is kept very lovely and well manicured. It seems like there is always something blooming. The seasons are not well defined--May and June seem to be the hottest. That is summer break.

President and Sister Schmutz finished their mission here in July 2014

President and Sister McCurdy. They came in July and the missionaries love them already. They are from Idaho.

This is our trip to Toledo. We stayed at the Days Hotel which was very nice. We went to prepare them for the "Ribbon Cutting" but realized that they didn't even know what they were supposed to do.

These children were playing in the water by the hotel

And wouldn't you know everyone was preparing for a holiday weekend and McDonalds was opening a new restaurant.

We thought that we were there to help them organize their new Self Reliance Center in their district. They were enthusiastic but the meeting agenda changed quickly. They now have a center in the chapel with Service Missionaries and are open three days a week to help members and teach classes.

We all went out for food which was a hit.

View out our bedroom window-fishermen early in the morning.

Not a lot of cars but lots of trikes (motorcycle taxis) and bicycle taxis (bicycads).

This classroom is dark and looked very crowded. Sixty students in a class is quite normal.

Very mountainous across Cebu with little houses built on stilts and hanging off the edge of the narrow roads- sometimes not so great roads.

I'm not sure when they would be able to get this truck off the road. It had been there about 2 days some of the people said.

Sometimes getting to your destination is a bit of challenge. This jeepney was traveling over the rocky, windy, mountain road.

Elder and Sister Hall are the missionary support couple in Toledo. A month later we returned for "Ribbon Cutting".

Brother Robert Lajera and his wife are the service missionaries for the center. They are on the left.

I always think that it is interesting that the rice is just spread out along the side of the road to dry.

This was another "Ribbon Cutting" in Mandaue. They were quite pleased that two of the city government officials were there.

Elder and Sister Neo are the service missionaries for the new center in Cebu City Stake.

The end of July Sister Keller and I went over to Bohol. We met President Saballa for lunch at JJ's restaurant. I noticed that his glasses had both arms taped. He had worked abroad but wanted to be home with his family. Right now his source of income was driving a motorcycle taxi.

Still a lot of evidence of the earthquake.

TESDA was our next stop. They offer a lot of technical courses but the school here is much smaller than Cebu's.

This is a class computer technology students. Other classes were sewing/tailoring, bread and pastry, driving and computer hardware.

The students in the sewing class were very busy. The fellow showing us around said that they really didn't have enough sewing machines but they had to make due. There were two fridges in the kitchen, but only one regular stove and some wooden counters.

Then we went to the church and met Sister Annabelle Nueva who is the Planning for Success teacher before we attended the ACE (Academy for Creative Enterprises) graduation. Sister Keller and I were the guest speakers. Bishop Pino and Brother Pacana were the ACE facilitators.

After the graduation ceremony they had some business to finish and we left in the dark and rain to find our way back to the hotel--not many street lights in Bohol. But, a trike did come along and pick us up.

Everything was quite comfortable at the hotel, there was a flat screen TV and air con (noisy though) but the shower was a little weird. The drain was on the other side of the toilet.

But the next morning we went to the market. It was huge and very interesting. You could get anything here--food (meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, candy, nuts), tools clothes, hardware, shoes etc.

Making little bags of peanuts.

This was the meat and fish isle. Every day they was and clean everything and get ready for new fresh supplies.

This is an American Accent class. Joel (third from the left) is the boyfriend of one of our OJTs. He finished his IT courses and is now looking for work. He wants a call center job because you can make more money but he has also interviewed for other positions. It is hard to find a job. Next to him is Jhon Duca. He is a high school graduate (until this year they finished high school at 16). With no formal art training he is amazing. He says that he spends all day working on an art project. I was able to get a church member who has a graphic design business to look at his work and I hope will give him some leads. Jhon is a very kind person and was always very concerned about his friend Jay Ramero. I think that Jay Ramero may have had some challenges in his life as his father liked cock fighting and gambling. Jhon's half brother is in the green shirt in the bottom row. He had taken a short housekeeping course. Jhon first came into the center because Sister Keller and I talked to his father when we were riding in his taxi. We meet some of the nicest people. Ralph with the dark blue shirt in the back row finished computer science and will be continuing with a masters degree. But, he would take time off work to come and help Jay Ramero with his resume because he knew that Jay wanted him to do so. Joshua in the light blue shirt (bottom row) was deciding whether to go on a mission or get a PEF loan and go to school. He is quite young but feels the pressure to support his single mother and younger five siblings. Ramil next to him has a computer hardware repair business. Dennis in the red shirt has completed the American Accent training but comes just for practice-he now has a call cent center job.

Many of our clients come from the "province"--Leyte or Mindanao. They hope for better opportunities. Ralph came because someone from the church in his fitness club sent him. They come, and rent a room in a boarding house. Charmaine is new in the city and didn't know anyone but they soon make friends and then they go job searching together..

Ronnel (standing on the left) teaches IT at one of the colleges and wanted to know if he could send his class to the American Accent course. Ramil next to him owns a computer repair business. He shows up at the office occasionally saying that he needs more business. Averuel kneeling on the right teaches Japanese students and teaches Japanese at the institute. His family didn't think that he was that smart but he is the only one with a masters degree.

It is always interesting teaching the missionaries just before they return home. The American elder on the left was so tall that even kneeling the Philippino sister had to move to one side.

Our manager Mary Ann with her mother and sisters above and with her husband(Jun) and two boys (Jerl and Derk)

This is the group of missionaries and self reliance PEF managers who received the new program training--education, job search and starting and growing my business.

Steve Mann from Salt Lake-Facilitator

President San Gabriel with his son Raj. Raj quoted the Twelve Articles of Faith at his baptism. President San Gabriel is a church employee in charge of the PEF ( Perpetual Education Fund) program for the Philippines. He also has a call center business.

The party after was at the clubhouse and very impressive.

We are visiting with the Grandmothers (Vilanueva and San Gabriel) also on back left are two grandchildren from the United States.

President and Sister San Gabriel have two children Raj an Francine . Sister San Gabriel is a dentist and she is a specialist so has other dentists that do the regular work.

I have had a wonderful mission here in Cebu, Philippines. My heart breaks for the children and people that we see on the street begging. They feel there is no hope and no where to go. We are not able to help them all and we hesitate to give them a handout because then they target us again and again. The only way to help people here is to do it in the Lords way and that means teaching the people to be self-reliant. They may need to change their habits and develop some skills, get a job or start and grow their business. There are many challenges and the church programs help them change self defeating behavior. All things with our Heavenly Father are spiritual. If we are obedient the Lord has told us that the world is full and there is enough and to spare. They must learn to provide for themselves and their families so that they can also serve We have so much. It is hard for us to undertand the sacrifice families make to even take ride a jeepney ride to church--it costs 9 pesos or about 15 cents. There are so many beautiful little children here. I will be forever grateful for my children, and wonderful grandchildren. I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for food on the table, clothing and a comfortable home. I have learned to serve and love these people. Perhaps it is me that has learned the most and become a better person, more able to serve and love my fellow man.

The start was a bit of a challenge but look at little Wyatt Norman Evans now. He was born
June 2, 2014

My Father passed away May 2, 2014

This is our street--F. Cabahug

This lady sells odd individual items-candy and cigarettes

This is our baby (Rianna) and her big sister Lianna who is four years old. They greet us most mornings and Rianna spends a lot of time in the wooden play pen. Often she is having breakfast of white rice with chocolate on it. The street is very busy by 7:30 AM as most people are eating, selling things, cooking, brushing their teeth or just socializing.

This little lady a few steps down has her items to sell

This lady sells us quail eggs--very tasty.

Filippinos are very clean and there is a lot of laundry done daily.

This fellow is a regular with his tray of candy and cigarettes--one at a time.

We meet this street cleaner and although he doesn't speak much English we "hi five" and shake hands

Chris is the house boy at the apartment. He does many odd jobs (washes the cars every day, cleaning the halls, and he fixed our toilet). He is always around.

They are going to move those rocks

We thought that this looked a little dangerous but someone on the ground assured us that he had a safety belt--I am not sure if it was attached to the power line or the ladder???

Below are Chinese chickens. They are more fluffy than our chickens. They don't really look like the cock fighting roosters that we see all along the streets.

We see these young fellows regularly as they are on Pres. Roxas street. They say that the project they ware working on will take two years.

From our window at the office FGU building 503

Two different kinds of scaffolding below. The fellows on the bamboo seemed very comfortable and were painting without a hard hat, safety line and usually with flip flops on their feet.

The red scaffolding took days to put up and take down and they had stairs. But I did see one fellow doing sit ups one day -I guess he needed some exercise. Another day one of the fellows was sort of hanging out resting.

Any excuse for a parade.

This is Rianna --she was in the parade with her mother. There must have been thousands of followers and the traffic just patiently waits.

This is our regular trip around JY Corner. We buy vegetables at the market and it is one way to get to the temple on Gorordo Avenue.

All little boys love motor bikes

To market to market

These little boys were having a great game. If you notice Clayton the ball is definitely flat. and the net was just a board that kind of stuck out from the roof.