Meetings with the Missionaries

   The first meeting with a smaller group of missionaries that we attended was the Train the Trainers meeting. It was on Thursday, July 10. It was a training meeting for the newly called trainers (thus the title). These elders and sisters have been called to train the new missionaries that come in the following week. It was a great experience for me to learn what the trainers are expected to do and about The First 12 Weeks workbook. It's a great program to help the new missionaries start with a solid foundation. The assignment as a trainer is the most important assignment a missionary can receive. Their training and example really makes a difference in how the new missionary adjusts and what kind of missionary he or she will be. I neglected to take a photo of the group--oops!

A few of the missionaries after the Train the Trainers meeting 
as President Mangum visits with them.

   We held our first MLC (Mission Leadership Council) on July 11. It was our second Friday in the mission. We sat down and the Assistants handed me the Agenda which had my remarks entitled Words of Wisdom from Sister Mangum. As if I wasn't already nervous now I was supposed to have my comments be "words of wisdom". I'm still trying to get "President" to change it to "Ramblings from Sister Mangum". I'm sure Sister Peterson's remarks were full of wisdom but I haven't got to that point yet. I really did love the meeting though. The missionaries that attend are the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders and they are an impressive group! When they sang it was amazing as well. The focus of this meeting was a talk by President Eyring called, "Rise to the Call". There were talks by two missionaries, and a lot of training during this meeting and a lunch break midway. I really learned a lot and I was impressed with the training from the Assistants as well as others. It's also great to be able to listen and watch President Mangum teach--he loves to teach and he's great at it. He's also great a getting the group to participate and counsel together.

MLC -- July 11, 2014

   On August 8 we held our second MLC and the day had a crazy start. We were getting ready to leave when we found out that one of the Assistants was ill. Bart and I had just finished discussing what we would do because the Assistants do a significant part of the training,  when I received a call that this sweet elder had just passed out. The elders live above the mission office so we ran up to check on him and it took a few minutes (it seemed even longer) to get him to respond. It was scary! One of the office elders carried him down to the car where the other assistant and the two office elders gave him a blessing and said a prayer before we headed to the ER. It was my first experience in a hospital in the Philippines. I have been in many hospitals with our daughter and other family members and this hospital was not quite what I was used to. The sheets didn't look clean (maybe they were just old and stained), the nurse didn't have gloves on when he took some blood, President had to go to the pharmacy to buy the IV tubing and fluid, etc.; but I have to say everyone was nice to the elder and to us. The Elder with us kept telling me that it was a lot nicer than most of the hospitals in the mission he had been in--that really didn't make me feel better! When we left, I looked at Bart and said "we can't get sick while we're here". He agreed.

   The MLC meeting's schedule had to be adjusted because of the Assistants not being there as well as a few other changes but when the "well" Assistant made it from the hospital (our sick elder had to stay overnight) he did a good job at the training and workshop. We prepared for this meeting by studying a talk by Elder Bednar entitled, "The Spirit of Revelation". Once again there were great talks and training and I really enjoyed listening to all of the comments from the MLC. This  wonderful group of leaders had great insights and it was a great council.

At the hospital after the Elder was feeling better.
We found out you're supposed to bring your own utensils to use to eat, pillow, sheets, change of clothes, 
and even clean water to drink. Very interesting!

MLC -- August 8, 2014

   On August 13 we held our first New Missionary Check-up. This is a meeting where we bring in the missionaries that have been here for about a month and talk with them and the trainers separately and together to evaluate how things are going in their adjustment and training. I went over the Adjusting to Missionary Life resources, the Assistants taught a workshop on preparing lessons and President counseled and taught the group. It was another great meeting and it was especially fun to see the group of missionaries that came in with the typhoon! These missionaries are doing really well.

New Missionary Check Up -- August 14, 2014

   On August 14 we had a District Leaders training that is held quarterly. I have to say I love hearing a group of missionaries sing. This group of elders sounded like a men's choir. It was another training meeting where I once again got to share my wisdom before the Assistants and President did some leadership training.

District Leaders Training -- August 15, 2014

   I attended the Lucena District 1 meeting. The training was done well and I got to practice with a couple of the elders. I learned a lot and really enjoyed the spirit that I felt. I'm still trying to learn to be a missionary.

In case you're wondering why I don't put the names by the photos--at the MTC we were counseled not to use names because of privacy laws.

Our First Typhoon and Our First New Batch!

Our first typhoon (and I hope the last to hit us directly) was quite an adventure!!! The wind and rain were so loud that you could hear and feel the force even though we were in a nice, solid home. l had a hard time sleeping and got up and wandered through the house, flashlight in hand, looking out the windows. As the morning light started peeking through I took photos and videos of the storm but since I didn't go out into it I really didn't capture it very well. Many of the members have told us that it was the worst they had seen or at least the worst for many years. It has caused a lot of damage and some deaths; but nothing like typhoon Yolanda last year in the Tacloban area. Some of our zones were really hit hard and the members lost their humble homes or least roofs and had significant damage. The beautiful jungle area has really taken a hit; trees were torn out by their roots, bent over or stripped of their foliage. It's been sad to see. A few of the missionaries are still camping out without any power. 

Photos taken during and after the storm around the mission home and office--really difficult to capture.

After being here for just over 2 weeks we were unprepared for a typhoon of that intensity. We had been told that last year when Yolanda hit they had extra rain and wind so that's what we thought it would be. Even some of the missionaries that had been here last year didn't think much about the warnings. Well, we all got a big surprise! Our yard and the surrounding area was torn apart with leaves and branches all over, potted plants tipped over, a bigger tree was damaged and limbs fell onto one of the mission cars. The rain was inches deep but after the rain finally stopped the ground soaked up the extra water quickly. We had rain come in through doors in the dining room area and leave a nice shallow pond. Many of our missionaries had rain in their apartments. One of the sisters told me she had read President Uchtdorf's talk on being "Grateful in Any Circumstance" that morning. He said we should not wait for the rainbow to be grateful but be grateful for the rain. She said that as she was bailing water out of their apartment into the rain she told herself, "I'm grateful for the rain." She's a darling sister and it was a lot of water because she went through 4 outfits in the process. There are many stories of what happened to the missionaries and members. Fortunately the missionaries were safe; but without cell phone access, power, and limited traveling it took us about 2 1/2 days to make contact with everyone. That was very difficult for me. Bart kept reassuring me that they were fine but I needed to hear from them. One of our islands wasn't really hit so they were trying to call the mission office and when no one answered they tried calling various missionaries in different areas and when no one was answering they wondered what had happened to the main island. Along with worrying about the missionaries I was concerned about their parents not knowing if and what coverage the typhoon had received in other areas of the world. On Saturday morning we were able to go to a nearby church where they had internet access and send an email to let the parents know the missionaries were safe. That helped me feel better. We had called one of our sons as soon as we had cell phone coverage so he could let our family know we were safe.

These were taken a few days after the typhoon so a lot of the clean up had been done.We got a flat tire when we were out delivering water to missionaries.

We have been amazed by the resiliency of the Filipino people. They immediately started cleaning up and putting their homes back together. There are still piles of wood and fallen trees and power lines in many areas but life just kept going. The Sunday after the typhoon we, along with the office couple and elders, took water out to areas where they didn't have any clean water. It was about a 13 hour day by the time we got home. We stopped at a couple of chapels and visited with people along the way. We were so touched by the members who when asked how they made it through the storm would answer, "Our roof fell in . . ." "Our mango tree fell through the house. . ." "We were holding the walls to keep the wind from blowing over our house while the kids cried and prayed. . ."  and then they would say "but we are okay, it is a new day." "One cute sister said, "My roof blew off so I just put up my umbrella." We have heard stories from the missionaries of some of the members who lost the top of their home or had severe damage and when they checked on them the families were singing in the dark. The active members here have great faith. This experience has taught me a lot about gratitude and not taking things for granted. Fortunately our chapels here are sturdy and although a few had damage it wasn't significant. The church buildings in some of the areas were able to house many of the members during the storm and for a couple of days after as they made repairs. The missionaries that were in areas that were hit the hardest have spent a lot of time doing service to help rebuild the homes and clear the limbs, etc.  The sisters' service has included washing clothes by hand--that's how the missionaries and most members wash their clothes.

Our First Batch of New Missionaries

Part of our adventure was that we were scheduled to receive 13 new missionaries the day of the typhoon (it started late Tuesday night, July 15 and continued through about 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 16). We were up early and dressed and were talking about when they would send our missionaries; rather it would be later in the day or the following day. After the worst of the storm had ended Bart decided to walk around the yard and survey the damage. He heard voices saying "President Mangum" and looked over to see the 13 missionaries standing in the now drizzling rain. He called into the house, "Our missionaries are here." We couldn't believe that they had sent them in the typhoon (still can't)!!! They had ridden a bus through the torrential rains and winds. A few of them were pretty frightened. It had taken them about 4 hours (it's usually 1 1/2 to 2 hours) to get here because they had to stop many times due to the wind and things flying through the air and the rivers of rainfall, etc. 

Our first amazing batch!

They pressed forward through the bus ride in a typhoon, they will accomplish great things.

We felt badly because they were dropped off the bus at the end of a lane with no one to greet them so they started walking trying to find the mission home. We had originally planned a nice breakfast but they enjoyed their cold cereal and fruit before starting interviews and orientation. The office elders got the generator going to give us limited power during our orientation. (They had to use a car battery to get it going but it worked for a while.) We weren't able to fix the dinner we had planned but fortunately the stove top is gas and we were able to light the burners and make some spaghetti. We cooked by candlelight and I felt like I was back at girl's camp as the cook. (President Eyring told me I had experiences that had prepared me to serve this mission, I just hadn't thought about one of them being a camp cook.) Along with no power the water was limited because the water pump is electric so we were on water conservation as well including limited flushing of toilets, using lots of hand sanitizer and only quick sponge baths. The missionaries usually stay the first night in a nearby hotel but it had been damaged so badly that it wasn't open so we had 3 rooms of missionaries mostly sleeping on the floor on mattresses. We found out that in this big home there were only 3 flashlights so we gave each room a flashlight and Bart and I used our cell phones and candles for light. They went to their rooms early and it was sweet to hear them as each room began singing hymns together to pass the time. 

Along with receiving the new missionaries we also had transfers scheduled for the next day and we were unable to contact everyone so the transfers proceeded. It was pretty crazy to say the least but at least we were able to talk in person to many of the missionaries and see how things were in their areas. A couple of the trainers were on the islands so it took them extra time to get here to join their newly arrived companions. We also had a new senior couple arrive that afternoon. Through all the craziness we pressed forward and did the best we knew how with our limited knowledge and experience of typhoons and being a mission president and wife. We knew our first transfers would be memorable but we had no idea how memorable!

 Ironically a couple of days after the typhoon we received a great "Emergency Preparedness" booklet from the Area Presidency. It is a great resource because it was written especially for missionaries in the Philippines and made to fit in their white handbooks so they can have it with them at all times. It talks about typhoons and earthquakes. We have a senior couple here who are Filipino although they lived in the states for 17 years. He told me, "In the Philippines if it's not typhoons, it's earthquakes or possibly volcanos." I'm so excited! We are thankful for what we've learned and are in the process of evaluating what could have been done differently and better. I'm trying not to worry about what could have been but rather plan and implement what needs to be done now to prepare for the future. I have a new and stronger testimony of 72 hour emergency kits and water storage, as they really blessed the lives of some of our missionaries. They would have been very hungry and thirsty without them. I pray that I will always be grateful for the many blessings I have and not take for granted the daily blessings of food, water, and shelter. I need to remember the wise counsel given in Doctrine and Covenants 38:30 ". . . if ye are prepared ye shall not fear." I better get prepared so I can get rid of my fears!

The First Week

The first week was busy as we unpacked, had our first meeting with the office staff, got our Philippines driver's licenses, tried to adjust to having house help, began answering medical concerns of the missionaries, and tried not to have an anxiety attack as we drove in the crazy Philippines traffic! Actually it's only me that has anxiety; Bart finds it great fun to weave in and out of traffic and have few to no driving rules. Thank goodness for the wonderful office couple, Assistants to the President, and office Elders who drove us or or at least drove with us and answered every question that we had.

The last time we Skyped with the Petersons, they mentioned that a missionary couple would be leaving just as we arrived and that this couple thought they knew us. It turned out to be a couple that had lived in our neighborhood 30+ years ago. She was my visiting teacher and one of the greatest influences on me as a young mother. They were able to stay at the mission home with us for two nights before they left. It was fun to visit with them and catch up. They served here in the San Pablo mission for 2 years.

It was great reconnecting with Elder and Sister Douglas.

Our first week we introduced ourselves to all of our missionaries and met many of them individually. There were three "Meet the President" zone meetings. We were overwhelmed by the love we felt from the missionaries as we walked into each of the chapels. We had been praying that the missionaries would not only feel our love but our Heavenly Father's love through us. I was not prepared for the love I felt from them as well as the love I felt from our Heavenly Father for me through them. It was a very tender experience. I was so blessed to not feel nervous, anxious, or even insecure. I know that it was my own little miracle. We introduced ourselves and our family; Bart/President Mangum taught some principles about obedience and the Culture of Righteousness; I shared a thought and my testimony; and then Bart finished with some thoughts and his testimony. We then ate a nice catered meal and visited. It was great and we really enjoyed each day. President Mangum (I'm trying to get used to calling him this when we're in public) also had some baptismal interviews and gave a couple of blessings.

 Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Lopez Zone

Lucena Zone

Marinduque Zone

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Batangas Zone

Lipa Zone

Mindoro Zone

Friday, July 4, 2014

Cabuyao Zone

San Pablo Zone

Santa Cruz Zone 

Siniloan Zone

Our first Saturday we were invited to attend a baptism. It was a sweet couple whose son had been baptized just a couple of weeks earlier. It was a very special experience to be there. There was so much support from the Bishopric and ward and it was nice to support our missionaries.

We're living in the Philippines!

The long awaited day arrived. It was too hard to say good bye to our family so we decided to just say "see you later"; it was still hard!

On the morning of June 26 Collin, Cec, and Ari took us to the airport to begin the long journey to the Philippines. We flew from Salt Lake City to Portland. In Portland we watched as a mechanic worked on the plane for mechanical difficulties. It's never fun to think about getting on an airplane after there's been mechanical problems; especially when you're flying to Japan! For about an hour we weren't sure if we would even be flying out that day or if we did if we would make it to Tokyo in time to make our connecting flight to Manila.

After an hour plus delay we boarded the plane for a 10 hour flight. We landed just in time to get off and go directly to the next gate to board for Manila. We arrived in Manila around 10:00 p.m. their Friday night (we left Salt Lake about 11:00 a.m. Thursday morning). We were tired but were happy to be there. We were greeted by the Area Presidency and wives. They're wonderful! After going through customs and waiting for everyone's luggage we boarded a bus to be taken to a very nice hotel in Manila. We were exhausted and ready to go to bed!

In our hotel room they had fresh fruit and chocolates (one with the name of the Church on it) to greet us. We were tired and it was nice to be able to sleep. The breakfast buffet was amazing representing countries from all over the world. We ate too much but enjoyed it. Saturday morning we walked over to the nearby mall and was surprised to be greeted by an armed guard, have my purse looked in, and have a quick pat down! In the afternoon we had training with the Area Presidency and their wives. It was Philippines specific and great information. We had a nice dinner, tour of the Manila MTC, and then headed back to the hotel. It was a nice day. Sunday morning we had Sacrament Meeting at the area offices with the Area Presidency and other staff as well as our group of new mission presidents and wives. The spirit was strong and it was a spiritual lift. We took some group photos before going  back to the hotel. It was hard to say goodbye to our new friends. We were all excited and nervous as we headed different directions to our eight missions.

When we arrived at the hotel we were greeted by the Petersons. Sweet Sister Peterson hugged me and said, "My friend." I felt the same about her because I had grown to love her in our Skype visits. We got in the car and headed to our mission!

President Peterson drove with Bart in the front while Sister Peterson and I visited in the back. When we arrived at the home we were greeted by the office staff, ate a nice dinner, received some orientation (not enough) and then it was time for the Petersons to leave. That was hard! Not only did we enjoy being with them but we weren't ready to "be in charge". They left anyway!

A member in the ward hand painted this Welcome sign.

The beautiful home we will live in for 3 years.

MTC Experience--Incredible!

Our first day at the MTC.

Our few days in the MTC were truly incredible! We were taught by the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, members of the Seventy, and people from the missionary department. Every talk and class we attended were wonderful. We felt very spoiled to be surrounded by the Lord's chosen servants. During our time at the MTC we heard each of the First Presidency and members of the Quorum of the Twelve testify of the Savior. The Spirit was so strong. It was an experience we will always treasure.

The 8 mission presidents and wives going to the Philippines plus 2 of the Seventy and wives.

We also loved being with the other mission presidents and wives. There were 130 couples going to missions all over the world. We were able to meet and visit with a large percentage of them which we really enjoyed. It was great to be able to visit with people who understood your concerns, fears, and feelings of being overwhelmed as well as the feeling of appreciation for the trust that had been given to us to serve in this calling. We pray that all of the things we were taught and the spirit we felt will continue to lift and strengthen us as we leave to the Philippines. It was a wonderful few days and it was hard to leave realizing that it had been a once in a life time experience (as well as knowing we were leaving for the Philippines in the morning).

Our Preach My Gospel Trainer

Our Tagalog Tutor

With Wesley's mission president and wife (he is from the missionary department).

Meeting our one missionary at the Provo MTC.

The traditional photo by the map!

An amazing experience!

Elder Lynn G. Robbins, Elder Neil L. Andersen, President & Sister Mangum   

     We began the day by attending the Mount Timpanogas temple with my sisters, Sheri and Shana. We had a sweet experience. Then at 4:00 p.m. we met with Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder Lynn G. Robbins, a member of the Presidency of the Seventy. They greeted us at the door of an impressive room in the Church Administration Building that we found out was the room where the Apostles meet each Tuesday morning. After greeting Bart and me they asked Bart to introduce them to each of our children and their sweethearts and Bart's parents. Elder Andersen and Elder Robbins then sat across from us and we had a fun visit with them for a few minutes before they each shared some counsel with us. Afterwards Elder Andersen set Bart apart as the Mission President for the Philippines, San Pablo mission and then Elder Robbins set me apart as a missionary and companion to Bart. Both blessings were powerful and it was an amazing experience. The experience was even sweeter being able to share it with our children and parents. I feel our daughter, Brittney and my parents were able to join us as well; although we couldn't see them we felt their presence for this special occasion.

The adventure is about to begin!

     I can't believe in less than a week we will be at the MTC! The last months have been very interesting and we have experienced a wide range of emotions as both of my parents passed away and we received our mission call and assignment to serve in the Philippines, San Pablo mission.

     On September 20, the day after my mom's funeral, I was relaxing and watching my granddaughter Ari when the phone rang. When I answered it was a woman from Elder D. Todd Christofferson's office asking for Bart! He was at work and I called him with the message to return the call and the appointment was set for 3 weeks later. We met with Elder Christofferson on October 11 for an initial interview. Elder Christofferson was kind and personable. It was an interesting and humbling experience to be asked questions by an apostle. At the end of the meeting he asked us both to bear our testimonies. That was an experience I will always remember. Although I was nervous it was a sweet experience to visit with this great man and feel the Spirit during the process.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

     On October 28 we met with President Henry B. Eyring where he extended a call to Bart to be a mission president in an English speaking mission. He then extended a call to me to be a missionary and companion to Bart in whatever mission he presided in. Wow, talk about a surreal experience! President Eyring was warm and friendly with a great sense of humor. We visited about an hour and had a wonderful experience as he counseled, encouraged, and taught us in his loving manner. What an overwhelming but amazing experience!

President Henry B. Eyring

    We shared the news with our children and grandchildren a couple of weeks later and then with our parents and siblings at the end of the month of November. There was excitement and tears shared. All of our family have been very supportive and encouraging about our mission call. On December 13 with our children and their spouses we opened the letter to read our assignment. Although we knew it was possible that we could go to a foreign, English speaking mission, we all felt it would be the United States or Canada. We were surprised to read that we had been assigned to the Philippines, San Pablo mission!

     Immediately our children were on their phones and iPads looking up facts about the mission area. It was immediately apparent that the area is beautiful. As we have met people during the past 6 months and shared where we will be serving we have heard nothing but wonderful things about the people of the Philippines. We have learned through different meetings that there are wonderful things happening with the growth and establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Philippines and we are looking forward to being part of the work.

      Although this calling and responsibility continues to be overwhelming and it will be very difficult to leave our children and grandchildren as well as Bart's parents and our siblings, we feel humbled to be asked to serve as Mission President and Companion in the Philippines, San Pablo Mission. President Eyring told us we needed to remember that we can not do it on our own--we have no doubt of this fact. We do believe that as we put forth our best efforts to serve faithfully we will be blessed with the enabling power of Christ's atonement and we will be able to accomplish all that our Heavenly Father asks of us. As one friend said, "This is a high adventure mission." We know we are about to have the adventure of a life time that will change our lives as well as the lives of our family.