Dear Sweet Agustins

We have the sweetest friend who comes each week and cleans up after us. She is so soft-spoken, cheerful, and speaks kindly of everyone.  Sister Agustin is an ex-relief society president.   

The Agustins have three children.  Their oldest daughter, Hazel, is a returned missionary and is currently a substitute teacher.  Next comes Maveric, who is also a returned missionary.  He is a recent college graduate, looking for a job in education.  Peter will be graduating from college in March, also in education. 

Peter made these stars, called parol.   They are made of rice grass that he spent a long time looking in rice fields to find.  How do you like our umbrella-stand-turned-Christmas tree?

The Agustin family joined the Church seven years ago.  Previous to joining the Church, they belonged to the Catholic Church. They all went to church on Sundays and stood at the back of the cathedral. After about fifteen minutes, Bishop Agustin would say, "Ok, I've prayed. Let's go."  And that was that....they exited the church!

Sister Agustin arrives promptly at 9am every Monday and doesn't leave until 5pm.  She says she will always stay until her work is finished, so I hide the last of the ironing from her, or pitch in and help her finish whatever she's doing so she will leave on time. She resists my meddling, but I win out.

Notice the window in the picture below. One day I found Sister Agustin washing the outside glass. She had opened the window, was standing on the top metal of the half window, was hanging on with one hand, and washing the outside glass with the other. She must have feet of cement. There's no way my wimpy Americano feet could withstand the pain of standing on a thin metal frame like she did. Nor would I be willing to take my life in my hands just for a clean window.

Here are some other things she does for us:

 

Going into our back courtyard to hang clothes this morning, she found a dead cat. She told us about it, but by the time your dad had found the landlord, she had put the cat in plastic bags to haul off.  I chastised her, but she said that was part of her job. Not! (I could have taken a picture of the whole process, but decided some pictures are better left untaken.)

Sister Agustin spoils us rotten by doing such detailed, careful work.  She even washes my hand mirror every week and tucks my shoelaces inside my jogging shoes. She would iron my nightgowns if I didn't hide them from her.

Besides being the best worker ever, she is also the best source of information. When we need to know where to buy things and directions for going places, Sister Agustin comes through.

The apartment sparkles when she's done.  She never leaves without hugging me and saying, "Love you so much, Sister." What a sweetheart.

***************

Sister Agustin's husband, Bishop Agustin, is the bishop of Laoag Ward 4. Notice his cute straw hat with "elder" woven into it.

He washes all the mission vehicles every Monday, plus our car...... and immaculately, I might add.  

Sometimes we are in a hurry and don't wait for him to finish.  It looks finished to us, but he is very upset that we take the car without, what he considers, a finished job. He is such a humble, cheerful, selfless, hard-working man.

We love the whole Agustin family.  They are a blessing to the Church.

Love, Mom and Dad