Week Sixty-three

One of the new apartment we approved.  The inside is pretty nice, but the outside is awful.  Oh well, at this point we are desperate!  New missionaries coming next week!

                                        See what I mean about an awful outside????

Another apartment.  This is really dirty, but it will clean up and be okay for missonaries.

                   Part of our New Year's Eve Day group.  They loved potato soup and scones!

"Our girls".  The last of the missionaries who shared out holiday with us.  These Sisters live close, so we claim them as ours.  But then, I guess we claim all of them, near or far.

At the Botanical Gardens.  Iris, Chris, Jobert who is going on a mission to New Zealand in April, Karen, Dola, Michelle, Ira, Leihona, and Pope--our friends from Manaoag who came to visit us.

Elder Dinkel at the Botanical Gardens.  This poor .monkey was not a happy camper, and I was glad there were bars between us.  He gave everyone a start when he tried to attack, reaching and biting the bars.  Brought lots of screams!

                                          Some of the Girls!

This was one of the few flowers in bloom this time.  I guess this is their winter, so not many flowering plants at this time of year.

                                                   Chris, Pope, Dola, Elder and myself.

                                         Playing on the playground equipment.  Hooray for fun!

View from our favorite restaurant in the middle of the day with the tide out.  We and the Fullmers enjoyed lunch here Tuesday.  They leave the end of January, so we won't have them to be our buddies.  We'll really miss them!
That about does it for this week.  Hope you have a great week ahead.  We love you and miss you, but it won't be long now.  Take care and God bless!

Week Sixty-two

             Beautiful scenery in Baguio across from the hotel on Camp John Hay where we stayed.

                        Urdaneta mission senior couples and Pres. and Sister Monahan at table one.

 Baguio Mission Senior Couple--the Fullmers and us, and President and Sister Balledos and part of their family.  Their two oldest children are serving missions in Utah.  Their daughter is serving on Temple Square, and their son is in Tooele.  Quite different from the Philippines!

 There were several Christmas displays outside the hotel in Baguio.  These are some of the hotel sights.

 Sister Fullmer enjoying the market in Baguio.  It's always quite an experience to go to the market.  Notice the chicken section in the next picture.  So fun!

 There were four of us in the back seat of this taxi.  Sister Fullmer is behind me.  We were very crowded, but happy!

                   Brad and I getting our picture in one of the Christmas displays outside the hotel.

 When we got home, we had a "heart attack" and had messages of love from someone.  I suspect it was Sister Missionaries, but we'll probably never know.  It was fun to come home to this, though.

 The beginning of the Couples Party in Agoo District.  They had a wonderful dance and meal for the adults.  The Filipinos love to party!!!  I must be part Filipino!!!

 This couple were married last week in the Manila Temple.  She is a RM (returned missionary), and he a member.  She had given up on marriage, but then they were introduced to each other, and 9 months later they were married.  It's hard for Sisters here to find men who can take them to the temple.  We are so glad for this couple to have found love.

This is President and Sister Ramos and the Branch President from Demortis.  Pres. Ramos is a counselor in the Mission Presidency. He served his mission as a young man in Oakland, CA. Sister Ramos saw him in a dream before she actually met him, and knew he was the man she should marry.  He also knew she was the one from the first time he met her.  Cool!!!  Anyway, we enjoyed visiting with them.
This was our week in pictures.  Sorry, Moms.  I'll do better next week with pictures of your missionaries.  Have a safe and Happy New Year!!!

Week Sixty-One-- Merry Christmas!

                      Part of the Quad Zone Christmas party was roast pig.  It was delicious!

                                Elder and Sister Dinkel with some of the Sisters.

                                                                    More Sisters

                                                                 Great Missionaries

                                                         Handsome Missionaries. . .

President and Sister Balledos (center), Elder and Sister Jackson on right--area doctor, then Elder and Sister Ferrin, then the Dinkels.  The other couple on the left are Elder and Sister Fullmer.  This is one of the zones at the Christmas party.

Christmas skits

                                       Our home teaching sister with her Christmas tree.

She makes fish sauce from fermented fish that sit in the sun in these jars.  Then she sells the sauce.

A fish for dinner anyone?

                            Fishing boats.  Our branch includes this fishing village.

                                                          Men working on their nets.

A teenage girl is receiving the missionary lessons, and the neighborhood came to hear also.

Elder on the path to the Branch President's home where his mother's memorial service was held.

This is the casket for the mother outside the President's home.  This is our week in pictures.
We wish you a wonderful Christmas and hope you enjoy each other for us.  Remember Christ is the Reason for the Season!  We love you.  Merry Christmas!

Week Sixty

Here are some pictures from this week.

We liked this festive Christmas tree next to an old church that saw on one of our trips to check out apartments.  The tree is decorated with hundreds of boxes tied with bright ribbons.  Creative!

These are the transfer team--Elders who can move mountains (well, refrigerators at least) effortlessly!

                    Here are some Zone Leaders who found an apartment near us for Sisters.

                      Possible new apartment for Sisters.  It's better inside than it looks!  But it looks pretty good.  It has bars on the windows, a gate, and screens.  Doesn't get much better than that!

Cupcakes for the Christmas party.

Not ice cream, but cupcakes, for one Sister's birthday.  She is a new missionary and had been pretty homesick, so we thought a birthday treat would brighten things up for her.

                           Some Primary girls performing at the Branch Christmas Party.

                           Elder Dinkel getting in the holiday spirit by playing a relay game.  Hooray!

                                                                            Fun!

                                                       One of the Primary girls. . .

                        playing with a little girl who wants to do all the things the adults do.
We didn't have a lot of pictures this week, but we hope you enjoyed what we had.  We hope you're all ready for Christmas!  Be safe, and drive carefully.  We love you!!!!

I forgot to put this picture in, but notice what the woman is carrying on her head.  It's two big fish!  They stuck out both front and back.  The women here carry all kinds of things in baskets on their heads.  Amazing!