Thank You Family!

We just returned from another looooong Sunday drive yesterday.  Leaving Sunday morning at 5:30am we arrived in time for an 8am sacrament meeting in Santiago.  During sacrament meeting, a young girl sitting in front of us kept turning around giving us huge smiles.  As the meeting progressed, all the young kids disappeared to entertain themselves outside the "sacrament hall", as they call it here. She was the only one in her section who stayed, but she started getting restless during the meeting. I couldn't resist giving her my last *reverence book as kind of a positive reinforcement for staying put.   For the rest of the meeting she sat totally absorbed, looking at all the pictures in the booklet. Her father was also interested in the book.

After sacrament meeting I sat in the foyer waiting for Elder to finish talking with the bishop about the finished member records he was returning to the Santiago Ward. I could hear the Primary children singing Primary songs. It was so endearing hearing "Whenever I Hear The Song Of A Bird" and "I Know My Father Lives" sung with their Filipino accent. By the way, none of the children know what a lilac tree is.... but they sing enthusiastically about it anyway!  Every once in a while Krystal would appear out of Primary and grin at me some more....with her prized reverence booklet clutched in her hand. 

After having passed out a billion **Jesus stickers, we then traveled another half hour to Santa Lucia.

Once the Santa Lucia meetings were over Elder held a meeting with the ward counsel to have them update their ward member list. I have learned from past experience that while the parents are in their meeting with Elder, their children are running around the meetinghouse with nothing to do.  This time I came prepared.  I was sitting in a classroom doing my usual baby-blanket crocheting, when in came a mob of the most adorable children.  The only white lady in the meethouse is always quite an attraction. So I knew they would eventually come in to where I was.  I handed out ***Book of Mormon story booklets I had made when teaching Primary in Centerville.

I told them the story of Ammon and then distributed crayons.  They all very industriously started coloring their Ammon booklets. It shouldn't have been so surprising that the most sought-after crayon color was brown.  One of the younger children would color for a while, then look up with her beautiful sparkly brown eyes to show me the newly-colored part of her picture.  She had such a pleased look on her face when I acknowleged  that her coloring job was "maganda".  It was so adorable. (And I was so angry with myself that I didn't have my camera!)  I asked each child the only Tagalog sentence I have memorized: "Ano ang pangalan mo?"  They all answered, telling me their names. And what beautiful names the Philippine names are! Eventually Elder cracked out the merienda for the ward counsel. The kids caught wind of the event and disappeared, only to reappear with cookies and soda in hand.  Cookie crumbs, crayon shavings, and spilled soda were all that remained of our after-church Primary session. 

We will return to this same meetinghouse in a few weeks when Elder will give the bishop their finished member reports. I promised the Primary President sets of all the Book of Mormon story booklets I have made. I will also throw in plenty of brown crayons!

We love all you family dearly and appreciate your love and support of us while we are away.


*A huge thanks to Stephanie and family for creating and sending us reverence booklets. They have been a lifesaver to all the restless children during sacrament meetings. Thank you for also sending mini Gospel-oriented coloring books and crayons. They were a hit. I will have to print off more. And also thank you for the traditional handmade calendar. We can't live without it. (I added McKenna's hand-colored flowers she sent for my birthday that are always displayed on the "ref", as it is called here.

**Thanks to Laurel for being kind enough to send an 18-month supply of Jesus stickers.

***Another  thank you to Laurel who sent my masters of the Book of Mormon story booklets.

And a gigantic thank you to Scott, Traci, and family for the cute handmade birthday cards and emails.

Thank you Natalie, Dave, and family for the adorable birthday cards, not-too-badly-melted chocolate bar, and the Christmas video. (I didn't even cry when we watched it! I big girl!)

Thanks to Camille and girls for their emails.  They are appreciated.

Jeff and Elder's mom also get a big thank you for all their emails.