The Wane of Rain

Yes, the volume, and the regularity of rainfall has started to wane over here in the Philippines. I know that because the number of times I take my umbrella over to the temple has decreased quite a bit. I did make a bad choice though earlier this week. Just as I am walking out from under the eaves of our apartment building toward the temple, it started raining. I chalked that experience up to "normal living" (and being from the Pacific Northwest).

I know the Philippine people here are starting to feel better about the reduced likelihood of any more typhoons this year. They think a typhoon could occur, but they are very hopeful that they are through the typhoon season.

Thanksgiving Time

Thanksgiving is not celebrated here in the Philippines, of course. We worked in the temple that day and we were grateful to be able to do so. We did have our morning fruit/protein powder shake though. We took this picture (shown below) and sent it to our family as 27 of them gathered around the Thanksgiving table(s) at our daughter Jenny's house.

Bruce and Laurie on Thanksgiving Day

Spending time that Thanksgiving day reflecting on the many wonderful blessings we have been given was a good experience for me. Being away from family during Thanksgiving is a bit difficult for me really. The good experience part was in the fact that not being there reminded me of how grateful I am for my family. Additionally, serving in the temple that day helped remind me, even for a small moment, of my ancestors and the sacrifices they made for me. I look forward to being with family next Thanksgiving.

Laurie felt strongly that we should have some sort of a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Her solution was to recommend on the following Monday (just a few days ago) that the four senior missionary couples go to the "Texas Roadhouse" so we could at least order something "American" on the menu. The "Onion Frizzles" (basically onion rings/strings) were the best part of my meal. I love that deep, fat-fried delicacy. That's American! The meal was "just OK". I should be more grateful that I was able to find a parking space, and one that was free, in downtown Metro Manila.

Friends for life

Just a quick shout-out to our friends out there that may get a chance to read this post. We are so very grateful for the friends we have made over the years. Laurie and I have a few life-long friends from our childhood that we really enjoy and love. Likewise, we have spent time with many of you over the years and your influences in our life have been wonderful.

We have found that the length of time that we are friends is not what is important. It is the depth of the friendship that makes our time together of great value to us. The reason I bring this up is to help us (me) remember to savor our friendships and reach out to our friends when prompted. Life gets so busy that we cannot "do it all". So, if Laurie or I have not spoken to you in years, I am sure that the next time we come in contact with each other, that spark of kinship will be bright and wonderful, just as it was the last time we talked or visited.

In harmony with that thought, I am including a picture of a couple, the Cauley's. We met as couple missionaries for the one week at the MTC in Provo when we started out our CES mission to Montreal, Canada back in October of 2018. We "loosely" kept in touch over the last 6 years and it just so happened they wanted to go on another mission. It just so happens that they were called to serve in the Manila Philippines Mission. They arrived in late October and were assigned to serve on Palawan Island in a town called Nara. They are loving life and their service there. They had to come up to Manila to get fingerprinted so they could get their Philippine Driver's License and long-term visa. We were both able to squeeze in a few hours together between our mission responsibilities.

Elder Cauley served in the Navy so we took them to the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial not too far from our apartment. We had a wonderful experience visiting the cemetery yet again.

Bruce and Laurie Randall, with Rich and Sue Cauley

While they were with us, we stopped at the Venice Grand Canal Mall that is very close by the cemetery to have some lunch and show them one of the hundreds of malls in Metro Manila. (Yes, the Randall's have lowered our lifestyle choices here into taking people to a mall to eat. In the Ridgefield, WA area, we "might" try a food truck. Senior missionary couples shouldn't try purchasing food from a street vendor here in Manila with stomach's like ours. The Filipino's we know have confirmed this same advice - at least the ones that like us.....)

I had a hard time finding the restaurant we thought would be a good one to go to. There are so many twists and turns at this mall. (or, maybe it is just old age). I even asked Pikachu for directions (as captured in the picture below). However, Pikachu was not able to talk, Pikachu just wanted me to put some pesos in the red and white container in front of us. On a couple of side notes, the girl in the background on the phone looks rather irritated that I am hogging Pikachu's time. Also, one of my grandson's asked his father, "why is Grandpa a vampire?" I guess the black point of Pikachu's ear behind my neck in the photo looks like a cape. That comment doesn't bode well for me any way I try to feel good about my appearance.

Annoyed young girl, Elder Randall, & Pikachu

This mall though had a couple of beautiful Christmas decorations. As you can see, they have a nice little canal in the middle of the mall. (That nice little canal is deceptive. It is a major obstacle in finding, and subsequently walking to, what you are looking for in this mall.)

Venice Grand Canal Mall Christmas Tree

Venice Grand Canal Mall

Temple Christmas Lights

The Manila Temple has a tradition of putting up Christmas lights on the grounds during the Christmas season. The "temple lighting" ceremony was just last week, November 29th. The Area Presidency does a short speech and they bring in some local dignitaries. Imme Marcos is a well-known Senator here in the Philippines. She was present at this Christmas lights lighting. (Yes, she is Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos daughter)

This first picture I am including reflects the extent of the great effort to get all the lights put up. We know the manager of the temple grounds (Richard) pretty well.  He has become a good friend too. Richard told us it takes 6-8 contracted people about 2 months to set up these lights.

Manila Temple Christmas Lights Preparation Shot

Temple Christmas Lights once they are on.

Temple Christmas Lights with Metro Manila Skyline

Elder Randall with our Kapitolyo Ward Bishop-Bishop Jose, and Brother Gonzales

Beautiful night to take this picture of the lights, spires, and walkway of the Manila Temple

We call this the Tree of Life

Just a couple more pictures of these lights

Laurie and I at the end of Preparation Day 12-2-2024

"Me and my new (used) office chair - in lights!"

I was bequeathed an office chair from another Senior Missionary assigned in the Area Office. He purchased this office chair to use while he worked in their apartment. I was the lucky recipient of his chair as they are leaving this mission.  It has been hard for me to not have an office chair to use while in my apartment. I still spend a lot of time on my laptop when not in the temple. This will be so much nicer than a dining table chair with extra cushions.

More Temple Focus

There is an annual Temple Worker Devotional that just wrapped up this past Monday morning. It was a very nice Devotional. There were probably about 600-700 temple workers there at the Devotional. At the end of the Devotional, they had all 40 shifts go back and take a picture with the Temple Presidency, Temple Recorder (Lyte Gaviola), and the old Temple Recorder (Jed Dy) who is now the Area Manager for the Manila Philippines Temple. 

The Philippine people are avid picture-takers. Maybe I am becoming an avid picture-taker also. Here are a few pictures taken just after the Devotional and before the lunch. 

Bruce and Laurie Randall with our friend, Jed Dy

Laurie with some of the Thursday Night, Shift 3 Sister Temple Workers.

Thursday Night "Shift 4" Group Picture

Laurie and I stood in all of Thursday's Shift pictures (1-4) just so we could be in a few. You can see us in this picture standing up on the stage on the left of this picture. (I wanted to point that out just in case you couldn't find us :)). We are at the temple every day so it would have seemed a bit much to be standing in more than a few of them. President and Sister Cabrito are in the middle, President and Sister Bondoc are on the left of them (in the picture), and President and Sister Martinez or to the right of them. Jed Dy is next to Sister Martinez and the current Temple Recorder, Brother Lyte Gaviola is next to him (in the brown jacket). Brother Gaviola is my boss. He is so gentle and kind to work with. I count both Lyte and Jed as some newly formed friendships for life.

Temple Sealing Experience ( I call it a miracle)

I don't get the chance to share much about what I do in the temple from a sealing perspective. We are asked not to take photos or videos inside of the temple. (please try to forget the one picture of Brother Alpuerto sitting in the recording office I included in my last blog posting :).   However, I will share with you this one experience I believe to be appropriate. 

The office personnel have been researching to see if I could perform licensed marriages in the temple since I arrived in March. I have been performing proxy sealings and live family sealings, but I have not been able to perform a licensed marriage yet. It makes complete sense since I am an American in the Philippines. I am a bit of an anomaly in that most of the time they don't have sealers show up as temple missionaries - at least here in Manila.

The wonderful office personnel have had one hurdle after another as they have worked to get me this authorization. I did not ask for this honor as this is their country and I didn't think much about me being able to perform a licensed marriage in their country. There have been times where it would have been nice to do so since there are often a shortage of sealers to perform licensed marriages. This situation is escalated in what are termed the "ber" months. (September through December.) This period of time is a busy time in the temple for weddings.

This past Tuesday (Dec 3), just three days ago, the office staff surprised me with my authorization certificate to perform a licensed marriage. The authorization date to start was the next day, Wednesday, December 4th. I was so pleased and thankful to receive that privilege. 

Now that I daily serve as a Volunteer Assistant Temple Recorder, I am not scheduled to do sealings during the week. This reduced the normal opportunity I might have to perform a licensed marriage, but that was fine with me. I have also operated the last couple of months as the "emergency sealer". When someone is sick, or there are too many sealings for the group to do, they come and ask me. I am always happy to perform a sealing for a family to be together forever. It seems to work out that once or twice a week, they end up needing me.

The next morning, Wednesday, Dec. 4, I was walking past the clerical desks as they were working with some couples and families wanting to perform living ordinances for themselves. This is always a busy place in the temple annex. I smiled at the couple that Brother Yumul was working with. Two minutes later, I get asked by Brother Yumul if I would be willing to perform the licensed marriage for this couple within the next hour. Taken by surprise, I said, "ummm, Yes, I would be happy to do that!"

There is more to this experience, but suffice it to say that I performed a licensed marriage in the morning of the first day that I was authorized to do so. I was then able to seal their little 3 month old baby to them after they were married. I felt so privileged, and I felt the Lord watching over me. I had not realized the impact that this opportunity might provide for Heavenly Father's work to move forward.

Because I work as an assistant temple recorder, I need my phone with me in the temple for various reasons. I never even brought it with me to the temple the first 6 months. So, I had it with me after the marriage when I was asked to come outside because they wanted to take a picture with me. Everything aligned and I was able to hand over my phone so one more picture could be taken. Here we are. Don't they just look beautiful in white?

Bruce with the newly married and sealed, Reynoso family

So, summarizing this post and the month of November, I am grateful for the covenants I have made with Heavenly Father. Keeping my covenants has lead me to help others make and keep covenants with Heavenly Father. 

I am grateful for friends I have known from my earliest childhood, through work, through Church, and in so many other settings (including my haircuts!). You are all my friends for life.

I will leave you with a scripture I was studying earlier this morning, that I plan on improving on in my life.

1 Nephi, Chapter 4: vs. 6-7 "And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. Nevertheless I went forth,..."

I often don't know what to do next in life. I just strive to be good, keep the commandments of God, repent often when I don't keep them, and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost, wherever they take me. It doesn't always happen that easily, but I really do try. Laurie and I are happy to share with any of you both the ups and downs of life. Reach out to us as you feel so inspired to connect with us. We will strive to connect with you as best we can, and when you come to our minds :).