It has been a while since we have updated our blog, but it seems appropriate to bring you up to date. Probably the most significant event occurred this last weekend when we had a District Conference on Marinduque. The way the Conference came is much the way your semi-annual conference comes to you where several stakes are provided with most of the messages via a broadcast. What was unique was how well everything was done on Marinduque. If you had been a visitor without prior knowledge of events on Marinduque you might have assumed all is well and has been for long time. There were some small glitches, but nothing that can't be fixed with some simple instructions. Gone are the days of wondering what else could go
wrong. Somehow it just doesn't seem the same, and we wonder why. We have been blessed to be a part of this remarkable change, but are more excited for the wonderful people on Marinduque we have learned to love so much because the Church is developing into the kind of organization that will bless their lives.

Following conference we stayed on the Island and spent our P-Day with the missionaries there near Torrijous on what is called the "white beach". This is about as far South in the Mission as you can go. Attached are some photos of our day there, with the missionaries, and one of a flower Diane found at the hotel were we stayed. If you are wondering about the green coconut we are drinking from it is called "buko juice. It is actually quite refreshing even though it isn't
cold. There isn't the flavor of coconut as you know it because these are young coconuts. The meat inside is only about a ¼ of inch thick and is used in making buko salad. We ate fried chicken and some fish that were caught locally, and lots of buko salad provide by the Sister Missionaries and President Juhlo of the Gasaan Branch. Juhlo is pronounced "hoo loa". He is a remarkable man and a very good Branch President. We have a great deal of love and respect for him as we do for all of the leaders on Marinduque.

We are also teaching some remarkable people right now. We are working with Sister Lisa in Candelaria. She is the wife of a "born again Christian" pastor. She would be baptized tomorrow if she could get permission from her husband. She also feels a responsibility toward their congregation, and worries what will become of them when she is baptized. She faces some difficult decisions in her life right now.
We are also working with a lady who recently moved here from Taiwan. Her husband is an inactive member, but supports her 100%. Our only problem with her is they moved about as far North in the Mission as you can get. They live on a small island called Pilillo. We hope to be able to baptize her soon too. There are some special circumstances here we will have to work through. We are also working with a man and his wife in Lipa who some hard choices to make. Though there are over 600,000 members of the Church in the Philippines (only behind Mexico and Brazil outside the U.S.) the Church here is very much like the Church of the 1800's. The problems may be slightly different, and the names are not the same, but the effects are remarkably similar.

Our mission here is rapidly coming to an end and though we are excited to see our family and friends again, we will always feel a terrible loss for the people we have come to love here. Earlier this week we sent a Sister Missionary we brought with us from Taiwan home, and said good by to young Filipino missionary we have always loved as our son.