Ringing in the New Year 2026
Ok, so technically New Year’s Eve is 2025 but close enough to 2026. On New Year’s Eve we decided to do some sightseeing. The temple was closed New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day so we had some time to ourselves. We had heard there were some fun and interesting things to do on the island nearest to us called Mactan Island. We had been there for a tour once before but there were some other things we wanted to see. Also, the airport is on Mactan Island as well, we have been there a few times. We wanted to visit the statue of Lapulapu and tour a guitar factory.
We first headed to the Lapulapu statue. It was very interesting and there was more there than just the statue. We learned that Lapulapu is the “first Filipino hero widely recognized as the chieftain of Mactan Island who famously defeated Ferdinand Magellan and his Spanish forces in the Battle of Mactan in 1521, marking the first successful resistance against European colonization in the Philippines”.
We enjoyed learning about Lapulapu. Each year on April 7th, they have an event where they reenact the battle where Lapulapu defeated Magellan. We had fun browsing the gift shops and talking to some of the locals. One of the gift shop owners had a copy of the Book of Mormon that he proudly showed us and asked us if we knew Elder and Sister Stuart who served in 2016. Of course we didn’t know them since they served almost 10 years ago but it was cute that he thinks all of the missionaries know each other. His book looked well used but he is not a member yet.
Next we went to a guitar factory that had been recommended to us. Our tour guide told us that the factory had been in their family for 5 generations.
At the end of the tour our cute guide played a Filipino guitar and sang the John Denver song, Sunshine on My Shoulder along with another family member. The Filipino guitar was beautiful, has 12 strings in 6 pairs, and sounds so beautiful. We really enjoyed our tour.
On New Year’s Day we were supposed to serve at the Giving Machines again with Elder and Sister Stirland. Following our service they were going to head to the airport to pick up a new missionary couple who were supposed to arrive that afternoon. However, their original flight got cancelled and their new flight ended up arriving much earlier than planned so Dad and I went to the Giving Machines by ourselves.
We really enjoyed working at the Giving Machines again, and the opportunity it gave us to share a little information about our church. When we arrived back at our apartment, we were able to meet the new missionary couple - the Torries - from Canada.
Our New Year is off to a good start even though it started off pretty slow at the temple. We were short on workers, many of them heading home to their respective islands just before Christmas and not returning until the 2nd or 3rd week in January. We had quite a few patrons though and we kept really busy which makes the time fly by.
On January 4th it was my birthday. I always get a little homesick on special days that we would normally be spending with our kids. Michael and I share a birthday but because of the time difference we actually celebrated our birthdays on different days this year. Kinda crazy! It was like having two birthdays this year, one in the Philippines and one in the US, only that was mostly on social media. My sweet friend Sister Stirland baked me a birthday cake and Sister Harding and I had a nice chat on FaceTime.
Temple Preparation/Priesthood Preview
Sister Stirland and I were asked to speak at the Temple Preparation/Priesthood Preview program for two of our piano students. Actually they were the only Primary children moving on to Young Women this year. I spoke on the Blessing of the Temple and Sister Stirland spoke on the Blessings of the Priesthood.
Two of the cute girls we teach piano to each week
It was such a lovely program and my darling student sang Teach Me About the Temple. She has such a lovely voice and did such a great job.
She did a great job and didn’t even seem nervous
Sinulog Festival and the Alabong Temple Dedication
The Sinulog Festival is the 3rd week in January, and it was actually the same week we arrived in the Philippines last year! The Festival celebrates the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines. It is a huge deal here and there are parades, fireworks, and gatherings all week leading up to the culminating event on the 3rd Sunday in January here in Cebu. Literally millions of people flock to Cebu this week-long event.
This was a small procession through one of the stores at the Mall. The girl in the pink has a statue of the Santo Niño that she kept lifting and showing everyone.
The Santo Niño is a Catholic title of the Child Jesus, a religious relic originally a gift from Ferdinand Magellan, also associated with miraculous events. The little Santo Niño is everywhere in Cebu during this time, and at other times but not as many. We even saw one in the Dr. office. We saw the original while on a city tour at the Basilica in downtown Cebu.
Display at the Doctor’s Office
While all this was taking place, on the Island of Luzon, a celebration quite different was taking place on the 3rd Sunday - the Dedication of the Alabong Temple. Elder Bednar dedicated the 4th operating temple here in the Philippines. The dedication of the Alabang Temple, by contrast, is quiet, reverent, and deeply sacred, focusing on covenant-making, worship, and drawing closer to God in a peaceful setting. While one fills the streets with movement and sound and the other fills hearts with stillness and prayer, both reveal a shared Filipino spirit of faith, gratitude, and devotion to God, expressed through the traditions and beliefs people hold most dear.
The Filipino Are So Thoughtful and Giving
On almost a daily basis we are shown so much love from our fellow temple workers, they are thoughtful and always wanting to share what they have with us. Most of the shift coordinators bring some kind of food for the entire shift anything from sticky rice to rice porridge, or sweet or savory bread. They have given me gifts of earrings, necklaces and even dresses. One gift we will cherish is a pencil sketch of Dad.
One of the brothers Dad works with did this sketch from memory,
I think it is a great likeness of him.
Saying Goodbye Again
Even though we said goodbye to most of the people transferring to the Davao Temple, a few of them stayed so they could continue to serve in the temple since the Davao Temple won’t be dedicated until May 3rd. But with the Cebu Temple shutting down for cleaning and maintenance, the last of the Davao Temple workers are heading home and we most likely won’t see them again. Dad and Brother Hermosoura have become very close, he calls Dad Elder Candy Man - which is no surprise to those who know him. We, along with the Stirlands, took them to dinner the other night just to show them how much we love them. We went to one of our favorite places, The House of Lechon. We had such a great time. We told them to order whatever they wanted and to get all their favorites.
The Lechon (Roasted Pig) and a lady who makes these little pouches,
they put rice in them and then boil them to make a perfect serving of rice.
There was so much food and a lot of it was left so we had it boxed up and gave it to the Hermosouras to take home for another meal. But in the total Filipino way, when they got home they knocked on the doors of the other Filipinos on the third floor and shared all the food with them. They may not have a lot, but what they have they are always willing to share.
We will sure miss working with these good people!
We also said goodbye to Elder and Sister Wayman - humanitarian missionaries from the Cebu Mission. It has been fun to get to know them - the have worked hard and blessed many lives with their service. We got together with some of the other senior missionaries and the Mission Leaders to say goodbye and share some treats.
Elder and Sister Wayman are seated on the right.
The Sisters on either side of me will be heading home to Davao
Sister Gementiza and Sister Miranda
Here we are with President and Sister Lagaña
Newly called President and Matron of the Bacolod Temple
Temple Service
January has flown by as we have been serving in the temple Tuesday through Saturday. We train four out of our five shifts, and even though training can be rewarding and fun, it can also be exhausting and sometimes even frustrating. The language barrier here is real and can affect the quality of our training even when both trainer and trainee are doing our best to understand one another. The younger trainees seem to know English much better and that makes their training so much easier. A lot of the older sisters seem to struggle not only with the language but also with the process of some of the ordinances. But we manage to get it done and it is so wonderful to see their excitement when they “get it” and can move on by themselves. I do appreciate my Saturday afternoon shift when I am “just a worker”, I miss the spiritual experiences I receive when performing the ordinances and serving the patrons. This last Saturday I was the sister officiator on the last session of the day. As I was standing at the door greeting the patrons, a temple attendant brought four children up to be sealed to their parents. I greeted them as they walked by and welcomed them to the temple. They looked so beautiful all dressed in white with their dark hair, skin and eyes. As they passed the young boy reached out his hand and I thought he wanted to shake my hand but when he took my hand and he raised it to his forehead. This is a sign of respect, humility and reverence toward elders. I was really touched by his gesture. I was still standing at the door when they finished the sealing and the children were being escorted downstairs. As they walked by I could see the older sisters were weeping tears of joy knowing that their family was now a forever family. Maybe not having as many experiences like that due to training makes me appreciate them when they come all the more. Either way I am thankful to serve and bless the lives of the people here in the Cebu Temple whether it is training or serving I am thankful to be part of gathering Israel in this part of the Lord’s. Kingdom.
We hope you are all doing well. We miss you all so much, but time is moving quickly and it won’t be long until we are home with all of you we love so much.
Love,
Sister Andreasen
Mom, Grandma, Friend and Missionary
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