A new grandson! and more

August 25, 2010

A momentous day! Peter Whitney Ward born (our August 25th is your 24^th, etc). We hope everything went well and that Liz is feeling very unpregnant now. Peter was a very big boy—9 pounds 7 ounces—about the same as Dallen. I don’t know how she does it!

This week has been full of new things: we started working half-day shifts every day which means 7 to 8 hours daily instead of 12-14. Yesterday we went to the temple at 1 and I came home at 8:30, Larry at 9:15. Today we went at 7 and came home at 2:30 (Daddy actually came home at 1). I felt as if we had hardly started when it was time to come home! And when I got here, Larry told me that there was a new Nordic treadmill set up in one of the empty storage rooms. Guess what I did? Yes! But only for 20 minutes. By then the sweat was pouring off me. Daddy, on the other hand, went for a walk outside and hasn’t come back yet. He delights in seeing new places and people. I am content to look at bare walls and have an even place to walk at the present. Maybe as I build my strength up I will venture out with him on these rough, narrow and twisty streets.

Our next new thing is our adoption of two Filipino missionaries in the Cebu Mission. The office couple, Ann and Kevin Reed from Boise, Idaho, suggested to the Temple missionaries that it would be wonderful if we would “adopt” some of the Filipino missionaries who are orphans or come from non-member families or have little family support. Maybe some of our grandchildren would like to draw pictures for our “adoptees”. WE have one sister, Lorina Villacampa Bundac, whose birthday was August 24, 1984 and is the only member in her family. We also have one elder, Ronnel Bartolome Baldovino, whose birthday is November 29, 1988, and is also the only member in his family. There are so many faithful missionaries like these two; it is amazing. WE are excited to provide “family” and spiritual support for them. I wish I could just email them, then I would send parts of the letters I write you, but I think I will have to handwrite all I send them. The mission office will deliver without postage which is nice because the postal rates here just jumped sky high.

Daddy just called me on his cell phone from the top of the mountain. He rode a jeepney up as far as it goes and then walked a lot farther. When he got back to his drop-off point he discovered that all the taxis and jeepnies that came up are staying overnight because their passengers and the drivers live up there and they come back in the morning. Sooooo, he is walking the 7 kilometers back down. He says the moon is full and beautiful. Can you see why I don’t go with him!!!!! I would certainly cramp his style. He sees more than any of the missionaries here.

Is there a way to add music to our computer? Emily did such a wonderful job and we have enjoyed the music tremendously, but would enjoy some “new” music if that is possible. There is probably a way we can add it but we don’t have a clue how to do it.

The Reeds are going home next week and are training a new office couple, the Baileys from Manti. For Family Home Evening on Monday we had an assigned pot luck dinner in their honor. It was a taste of home with grilled chicken, potato salad (I made one of them), fruit salad, green salad, corn on the cob, cake and ice cream and some fresh fruit as well as some Filipino specialities that the Filipino missionaries brought. There was oodles of food left. We donated the left over potato salad to the proselyting missionaries District Meeting on Tuesday. We are also getting two new temple missionary couples in the next few months. One is a Filipino couple who have been living in California and who worked at the Manila temple with the Richeys. The other is a couple from Idaho—hmmmmmm, this is “little Idaho”; the Ashers are the only couple besides us who did not know the Mortimers before. Elder Reed’s mom sent him a sprig of sagebrush for his birthday; everyone loved the smell of home! The Reeds will be sorely missed. She has taught piano and conducting lessons to so many people here, and Elder Reed has taught English classes. They were in charge of the meals for the General Authorities and everyone during the open house and dedication and did a fantastic job. We have been instructed as temple missionaries that we are not to accept callings in the wards but that we can speak in Sacrament Meetings about the temple. That was a little disappointing to me, I would have loved to help on Sundays. But I’m sure there is wisdom in the counsel given to us.

WE had an American family from South Jordan here last week, the Jones family. The father, a physician, was here on a mission in the early 1990’s and brought his wife and two oldest daughters back, leaving the three youngest at home. The oldest goes to the same high school as Sarah Jane. Her name is Melissa Jones; she is a junior. She and her 14 year old sister, Katie, performed 50 baptisms and 35 confirmations each. They were the only ones in the baptistry along with us, their Dad and 4 young Filipino returned missionaries Larry recruited to help baptize, witness and confirm them. They loved the individualized experience. I was able to talk to them afterwards about some of the faith-promoting things we have witnessed. They were darling girls. Their mom went on an endowment session while they were doing baptisms. When I talked to her afterwards, she said she had never been in a temple where she felt the spirit so strongly. I told her it was, at least in part, because of the ability these Filipino saints have to exhibit love.

Sunday, President and Sister Mortimer asked if we would like to ride with them to the Liloan Stake Conference in Consolacion about 40 minutes away. When we walked in people were delighted to see us. Several of the sisters who work with us in the temple came to give us hugs. Two of the other couples rode in a taxi but sat with us. Again I was amazed with the choir from two wards; they had a strong male section and equally balanced women’s sections. All eyes were riveted on their director. As they sang the opening phrases of “I Stand All Amazed” the Spirit filled the whole building and many of us wept openly as we felt Christ's love so beautifully expressed in the words and music of this hymn. Their dynamics were wonderful. They sang an inspiring fourth verse I have never heard before. President Hansen, the mission president, spoke directly after they sang and said that even though the sacrament is not passed in Stake Conference, he had felt their music was as powerful as if he had partaken of the sacrament. He told us that there is no other way to come unto Christ except through the ordinances and covenants. President Mortimer talked about how one of Satan’s powerful tools is disorder. He said we should make our homes places of order. The temple is a place of order. Until we receive the ordinances of the temple, our lives are not in order, and neither are the lives of our ancestors. The concluding speaker was Manuel Agustine, an area seventy, who spoke on some of the points President Hinckley talked about in his book “Standing for Something”: Honesty, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Faith. He told about visiting a branch that held their sacrament meeting at 6am. The branch president pointed out a mother with her three daughters who were in attendance. They did not have enough money for transportation to the Church and they lived a long ways away. Every Sunday they left their home at 4:30am walking until they were close enough that they could afford to ride a jeepney the rest of the way to the church. I thought, “My faith and obedience are so weak in comparison to so many of these people’s.”

Mortimers invited us to have dinner with them after conference; we very much enjoyed their company.

WE love you all so much and pray for you constantly.