The Beautiful Flowers of Cebu
Flowers bloom all year round
We have been attending Stakes and Districts to set up the Self Reliance Centers in their buildings. Then clients will have closer access to the computers and assistance when they need it. Our "model" center will assist patrons here and teach when needed.
The senior missionaries occasionally meet for a conference at the mission home. This is the Wielands on the left (family history missionaries), the Halls from Toledo and Brother Somerfeldt from the mission office.
Brother Henderson on the left and the Andersons
This is another group meeting that we had. The new initiative created a lot of interest in the PEF (Perpetual Education Fund) loan program.
After the little fruit and vegetable stands closed just down our street because of reclamation we had to look elsewhere. One of the guards suggested that we go to the wet market at Carbon. Well, everyone goes there but they all say "you have to be careful." So, we took a jeepney and got out at a very crowded area. There must have been two blocks
packed full of small roadside stalls selling fruits and vegetables but then also shoes, clothes, crafts etc. The cars, jeepneys, trucks, motorbikes and everything else were mingling around there too.
There was so much traffic that it took us awhile to get back to the mall. This little fellow was just riding around with his parents (no seat belt).
The Philippino missionaries from out ward.
Occasionally we like to take them for supper. This time we had three sets of elder and the two sisters.
Back at the SRC we celebrate when someone gets a job.
This is Liza Bastillo. She is in our ward. Her husband is a welder and they have two children. The oldest is 15 yrs old and wants to go to college next year. Students from now on will have an extra two years of schooling. Liza is over 35 years and it is very difficult for find a job at that age. All the job ads have a job limit (eg. between 20 and 30 years of age), they may have a height restriction and require someone good looking. But, Liza took the Career Workshop, completed the American Accent class, took a computer course at DMDP (a free manpower program), and practiced her typing and computer skills. She was very nervous but one of the sisters in our ward worked for an ESL (English as a Second Language) call center and encouraged her to apply. It helps to have a "backer" -we call it networking. She was quite excited when she came to tell us that she had a job, even if the shifts were long and not great.
Mira was is from Bohol. She was there during the earthquake. A week after the quake someone came while they were at church and stole their 25 chickens. She was in Cebu now, had taken one semester of interior design and was hoping to get a PEF loan. Well, interior design is not a preferred program and was not likely to be an exception. Courses and schools make the preferred list because the student will have a very good opportunity to get a job when finished the program. But, she took advantage of all the things that we had to offer and worked very hard on her resume and typing. Mira is next to me and the other girl in the "batch" with her encouraged her to go to the IT Park with her and try out for a call center job. She was quite surprised that she got the job and had decided that she would work, go on a mission and then decide about her school goals.
Philippinos love to eat and will use any excuse for food. We decided that white rice only fills you up for a short time so they need to eat often. They like to ask for "subway" which is soup over rice. Everyone eats with a spoon in one hand and a fork in the other. A mango float is graham wafers on the bottom with a mixture of mango and condensed milk in the middle and graham wafer on the top. Ice candy is also popular--mango mashed with sweetened condensed milk and frozen like a popsicle.
Mark and Freny were our non member OJTs (on the job training) . Mark now has a call center job with an airline company and Freny is going back to study accounting.
This is a picture that I took from the news paper. We saw the fire and smoke in the distance from our office window one day. There were 536 home burned and 7000 people left homeless. The fire trucks could not get down the road because the streets are so narrow and crowded. Houses are not built to last and there are so many people. They published a survey in the paper--86% of Philippino people are happy and satisfied with their life. In the typhoon Yolanda area it was still 82%. We were crossing the street one day when two young fellows came to the corner-riding one rusty old bike. The chain came off so they got off and put it on again. They pushed the old bike across the intersection laughing as they went.
Philippino people are very clean. This is a construction site and they have laundry hanging there to dry.
Some beautiful little children on our street.
This is one of the watermelon carvings at Thirsty's where we go to get our mango chuck shakes on a hot day at the mall.
Rain is the one that brings us fruit every week at the office--and shows us how to prepare and eat it. Durian (below) is very pungent--you could smell it the next day in the office. Some say it smells like dirty socks. The taste wasn't too bad --kind of the consistency of pudding. Rain comes from a family of entrepreneurs. They have a fish drying business in Mindanao. Rain graduated from nautical engineering but keeps busy on the side with his small businesses. He planted watermelon on a friends land, tried to get involved in a pig business but the partner backed out. He had a very small fruit stand close to one of the malls. It was doing quite well but he said that others started to sell fruit too and then the lady that he rented the spot from decided that she wanted to use the space. He wants to get married in September.
Durian fruit
Jack fruit is sweet and very good (below)
This young man was mixing cement for a project.
Another choir performance
The missionary Career Workshops are very good. The missionaries are anxious to be going home but we hope that it prepares them somewhat for all the decisions and choices that they will have to make in the near future. They are wonderful young men and women.
Aljane was one of our OJT students and just got her mission call to the Baguio mission. She was attending the temple for the first time with her Grandmother who had traveled across the island to go with her. Aljane has not seen or heard from her mother for years--she works in Dubai. Her father is rarely in the picture but Grandmother is special to her.
This was our trip to Carcar in a rattily, old, open jeepney type bus. It took us two hours. We wanted to go there because it is known for its shoe industry.
This fellow took us to Acacia Grill. He didn't speak much English but when we said shoes he knew where to go.
They have a large shoe and a lot of stalls with many, many shoes.
This is where she worked
 Rice paddies along the way |
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Children can always find some way to have fun
This was a big load in heavy traffic--but the interesting part was the rider on top and another on the cab
Also, these people ricing on a load of coconuts
But, despite the heavy traffic at Minganilia everyone stops and a religious parade marches on.
We commented to each other about the way this driver drove a bus like it was a sports car-pedal to the metal on a straight stretch and weaving in and out everywhere else. When we got back to the south terminal another worker was congratulating him on how fast he drives. He appeared quite pleased.
Lovely little children
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| White Gold Department Store |
This unusual looking fish was called a flower horn fish.
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| They had a lot of coi in one tank |
Manuel is a special visitor. He comes most Friday afternoons. He comes in to look for part-time work. However at his age there are very few opportunities, even though he is an engineer, has worked abroad, worked call center, speaks very good English and is a very gifted writer.
Career Workshop for missionaries going home-four from the U.S., two from the Philippines and one from New Zealand.
President Sabala (temple president-left) is one of the very intelligent, gifted and successful founding fathers of the church here in the Philippines. There are several families--the Perez family, Ballados, Villaneuva, San Gabriel and I am sure others. Pres. Sabala has an education in agriculture and has taught at the college level. He and his family now have a very successful chicken operation. His son was serving a mission in the Vancouver area and met a member of the church that was interested in investing money in the Philippines. That is how that business started. One of his sons is studying medicine in Manila. In one of his talks he commented that the temple refines your character and that he believed in giving your best "no regrets".
This is an American Accent class. Six are members of the church and the others are not. Ramil, on my right, is starting an air conditioning business but thinks that he can work at that in the morning and find a call center job for later in the day. Aser, down in front with the certificate is a PEF student planning to take an IT course. Lito in the green shirt, works as a bagger at one of the supermarkets. He gained a lot of confidence taking the class. Ronilo beside him, is an IT instructor. He thinks that he should send all his students to us. Alvaruel is a college instructor teaching Japanese. He also teaches Japanese at the Institute.
