An Occasional Nap

This past month I have found it necessary to take an occasional nap more often than normal. October seems to have picked up in its pace of Laurie and I spending time in the temple. The weekly switch between early morning and mid-day starts, has taken more of a toll on us than I expected it would. Could it be because I am getting older? Hmmmmm.

In a rather alarming discovery, I have leaned towards mostly liking the mid-day start time. I feel so much more productive in my day when I can exercise in the earlier part of the morning and then spend time studying and taking care of "things" when I am more alert.  We also seem to work an hour or so longer each day if we do the morning shift. There is always something to do and it is hard to leave it during the middle of the day. Others are happy to have you there as long as you want to stay.

When we get home sometime between 1:00 and 2:00 in the afternoon, we had been planning on exercising most days. This past week, that was not the case.  There were a few things that needed to be done after we get home, a couple of those days. Then, darn it, you seem to fall out of the habit.

Well, enough of trying to establish the basis for the title of "October's blog post". I just got up from a nap.

October has been filled with a lot of different activities. I thought I would share with you a few pictures I took and comment a little about them.

Halloween

In the middle of the month, our Kapitolyo Ward celebrated three things: Halloween, Family History, and temple work. It was all done on the same Saturday night. Laurie and I worked early that week so we were able to go. We were asked to give a short devotional about family history work in front of the Ward with just about two minutes notice. We knew we were supposed to say a few words for a devotional, we just didn't know there was a specific subject to speak on. Laurie and I got up in the gym with our microphone and did just fine (from our point of view....)

The Ward also had their first "Trunk or Treat" activity. We had brought some candy purchased by the other couples to help in contributing to all the activities. Elder and Sister Olpin's big bag of chocolate bars was the big hit as we kept that one for our impromptu treat. Sister Jess felt bad we didn't have any Halloween paraphernalia, so she brought us over a couple of blowups to put in the back of our van. Yes, we didn't know we were going to be in the trunk or treat activity either. You might wonder how we even function sometimes.

Here is their awesome decorations up on the stage. I just had to get a picture of it. Remember the theme of the party :).

Here is our version of trunk or treat. I decided to include a couple of more pictures because Laurie was "in good form" that night. The first picture of the two boys is a bit funny. When they saw me getting ready to take a picture of Laurie sitting in the back of the trunk, they ran over so they could be in the picture. 

Laurie is having a great time of the Trunk or Treat concept in this next photo. She is holding her phone and playing "Thriller". 

Lots of fun was had by all. After the trunk or treat, they had a nice buffet feast. One of the best parts of the feast was how they announced who would get in line, and in what order. Primary children first, Senior Missionary Couple second, Youth third, and so on. You could have taken a picture of me after that announcement and I would have had just as big a smile as Laurie has sitting in the back of our temple van.

Christmas at the Mall

Laurie and I are doing our weekly grocery and other shopping with Elder and Sister Olpin one week in October, and another week we were with Elder and Sister Holt. We decided to go to the SM Mega Mall and to the Galleria Mall. Christmas is the theme they are all decorating for now. Here are a few pictures from those two events.

Sister Olpin and Laurie

I am not going to stop Elder Olpin from buying us a treat at the Dairy Queen in the Mall. 

L to R: Sister Olpin - holding all the bags, Elder Olpin, and Laurie - looking happy at DQ.

Laurie and Sister Holt at the Mega Mall

Laurie and Sister Holt in one of two little stages in the Mega Mall

Other things

I just want to include this picture of a large moth I took. I was headed over to the temple on an early shift and I had a hard time figuring out what this was as I walked up our stairs by our apartment. I didn't want to get too close to it and frighten it away, or maybe it was the other way around and I didn't want to get too close because I was frightened. Thank heavens for zoom options on your phone. I tried to get back enough so you could see how big it was with some measurement context, but close enough to feel the size. It was a little dark still so the picture isn't quite as good as I would have liked. I am guessing the wingspan of that moth is about 6 inches or so.

One of the temple workers shared this picture of Typhoon Kristine that heavily affected those to the south of us in the Bicol province. This photo was taken of a parking lot of one of the Church's there in Naga. I feel fortunate to live in the Pacific Northwest, where we have yet to experience ongoing natural disasters. Boy, this nation goes through so many natural disasters. These people are really quite resilient.

Church parking lot in Naga, Philippines during Typhoon Kristine - October 2024

Temple Focus

Laurie and I serve and work with some wonderful people here at the temple. I snapped a quick picture of Brother Rey Al Puerto. I will not say where I took this picture as I am now thinking that maybe I should not have taken it (but it didn't stop me from including in my post...) He is also a volunteer assistant temple recorder. He was called a week or two just before I was. Brother Al Puerto drives up once a week from the Batangas area (about 2.5 to 3 hours away) and serves two or three days in the temple. He and Sister Al Puerto stay in the Temple Patron Housing available across the street. They are very positive people. When I asked why he always possessed a positive and happy attitude, he said that "life is a gift", and that by remembering that, he remains happy, no matter what the circumstances. Way to go, Brother Al Puerto.

Brother Ray Al Puerto - a fellow volunteer assistant temple recorder

Here is a picture taken from the bottom of the stairs as we go up from our apartments to the temple. You can see the temple spire with angel Moroni in the upper-right area of the picture. I like taking pictures from different viewpoints of where we live so I can remember what it was like after I leave. By including this picture, I think you should have some context also :).

A companion picture is of the little Koi pond at the base of these stairs. This little pond is just to the left of the area shown in the picture above.

 

Laurie and I get asked all the time from the members (and workers) here at the temple, "how are you doing in these typhoons?" Our response has been, to date, "we live in a bubble up here on the temple grounds." We have been protected from the physical storms of life here in the Philippines by where we live, on temple grounds. Living here has been quite different than any other time in our lives. In some ways, we feel alone and isolated, even from other senior missionary couples who serve across the street in the MTC and in the Area Office. I am not able to put this in writing as I would like to. 

Our hearts continue to develop more charity as we see the members of the Church come to the temple before, during, and after these storms. Their actions and words help us better understand the covenants we have made in the temple. We seem to be the ones being served in the temple by them, not us serving them. 

We continue to feel so blessed to be on this specific temple mission. What we have learned (and continue to learn) is something I believe would be hard for either of us to learn anywhere else. I believe the Lord personally chooses where we go for everyone's benefit.

Honestly, it is hard sometimes. But, that doesn't mean it isn't the right thing for Laurie and I to do. We often say to each other with a smile, "we can do hard things". (We said these same words to our children.) We cannot increase our faith and trust in God when everything is a breeze. If we use Jesus Christ as our example, which we do, then we have to experience hard things. When I am drawn to these thoughts, I remember a quote from one of the Book of Mormon commentaries by Millet and McConkie.

"It is in the flames of difficulty that the tempered steel of faith is forged. Ease does not call forth greatness."

Millet and McConkie made this comment regarding the Prophet Isaiah's reference to the refiner's fire that the Prophet Nephi was sharing with his people. I wholeheartedly believe these two principles of the gospel. It also inspires me to improve myself in a way that is useful and of value for Heavenly Father and His children on both sides of the veil.

Through it all, I am finding joy as I step back and look at my life from a long-term perspective. I am also finding joy in the day to day busyness of service here. It is a blessing to feel at peace in Manila. We surely miss our family and our friends, but we know our service blesses them in ways we have yet to fully understand. The value is immeasurable.

Until the end of November!