Our Mission President Cruz has asked us to focus on one of the 3 branches here,Buena Vista, which is 30 minutes from our home. The small branch has 40 people who meet in very basic building, but the spirit of the Lord is everywhere in the world His children meet. I’m glad we’ll be there mostly as they struggle with leadership and consistent activity. I felt teary sharing my testimony and love with them in sacrament meeting, using the little Hiligaynon/ Ilongo I know. The sacrament prayers, meetings, talks are in ilongo with a spattering of English, so Elder A and I try to pick up the occasional word!
I’m especially enjoying the youth who are full of fun and life,they love to talk to us and ask questions about our life.
We went to branch council today and have some assignments we can do in the area. The strength of the Branch Presidency is a young returned missionary who is also teaching Sunday school at the moment.
We live near Guimaras Mountain Resort if you want to google where we live. We are on opposite side of the road heading towards San Miguel. Ambakan Falls is directly behind our house, which is in an enclosed safe area.We live at Sala-gan Barangay, last word means community. Around us are people’s homes within the bush, sometimes folk pass by on their way to work. The greeting here is Good Morning, or whatever time of day it is.
A few nights ago we decided to walk to a local home to meet with the owner as he’d asked us to return. We’d asked the zone leaders to accompany us as they live near us but they’ve been too busy. We can only see this man at night due to work.
So we walked along the road in the semi darkness greeting the people who live in very simple homes, right by the road. They gather around fires, cooking food,playing cards,chatting to each other and to us. Many folk have simple shops out the front of their homes, selling chips, drinks,and snacks.A lot are involved in transport, driving jeepneys and trikes,picking up as many people as physically possible!
We saw a small flattop truck with sides, pull up at the chapel with at least 20 youth on the back for a youth fireside. Families cram onto bikes, including babies and tinies, no helmets.
The man we wanted wasn’t home so we talked to neighbors and started back for home, 5 minutes away. We stopped to watch some youth playing basketball with no lights.
By now it’s pretty dark and a few young boys about 9 years come up and talk to us. We are trying to communicate in their simple English and our simple Ilongo, so there’s a lot of laughs all around. I asked them about their parents and wouldn’t they be worried. One boy says” My father is dead! My mother is in Saudi.” He looks sad and lonely. He lives with the others boys and we watched them go into their home, not far from us.
Many people have to work outside the county especially the mothers, which leaves struggling children behind.
I attended my first Relief Society activity yesterday, it was great to be with the sisters.
The food consisted of small fried fish, chicken, stir fried veggies,rice, followed by glutinous rice with fruit. This house was spacious with artwork on the wall, nice furniture. This sister had worked in Hong Kong 🇭🇰 for years and knew the McKenzies,as Wayne had a stake calling. She was in peninsula 3 until it was changed. I felt teary when she said the Temple there is open on Sunday occasionally to allow the working members to attend.
One of the sisters has been widowed 4 years as her fisherman husband’s boat sank.
She has 6 gorgeous daughters age 6 to 20s so she is struggling to support them on her own through college and future missions. She heard one of them tell a friend she doesn’t eat when she is at school to help her mum. She is thinking of getting a job singing in Thailand but her heart is breaking at the thought of leaving her family.
A few others were widowed due to bike accidents. The roads are cement and have lots of unexpected pot holes and road works in progress. The poorer people live in shacks of bamboo, corrugated iron and tarpaulin, with no running water or electricity. There are many like this along the streets where we are. Roosters are frequently heard.
The more substantial houses here are made of cement mostly. They are often painted very bright colours which lifts the darkness of the area.
Answering some questions – Elder A and I live very simply on mangoes, bananas, coconut and occasionally rice and eggs. We drink water from the well in the backyard, which has a pump attached to service our house.
We buy our food from San Miguel not far, roadside stalls, and papaws from Buena Vista.
Our time is our own to organise and work as needed. We’ve been helping the missionaries lately; they have to find their own apartments for the leaders to fix to suitable standards,including mosquito screens.
Please send me questions and I’ll try to answer.
We feel love for the people of this island . Other than missionaries we are the only Caucasian people here. I know that God lives and Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
I also know Joseph Smith is a true prophet and so is Russell M Nelson.
My testimony is my greatest treasure, it fills my heart with joy, hope and excitement for the future every day. I love my husband and my amazing eternal family.
I’ll finish with the theme of yesterday’s Relief Society gathering.
“ Nevertheless the people of the church did have great joy ……….. and they did fellowship one with another and did rejoice one with another, and did have great joy”
Helaman 6 :3
Love Sister Arvidson
The Arvidsons in the Philippines 