Temple Shutdown - Time to Explore
Here it is the first week in May and I still haven’t made a blog post for February or March, so I’ll just have to combine February and March to catch up. We had a busy month in February that included two weeks of the temple being shutdown for maintenance and then right back to work.
During the temple shutdown, we went to Manila for six days and enjoyed revisiting some of the places we had seen a year ago, while also adding a few new adventures. We were especially happy that Elder and Sister Harding were able to join us for two days.
Here we are at the Manila American Cemetery. We visited the cemetery last year but didn’t make it all the way through. Last year was much hotter and I wasn’t feeling well but his year we were able to make it through all the displays and memorials.
It’s heartbreaking to see so many graves, many of them are belonging to soldiers who have still not been identified. Some of the previously unidentified soldiers have since been identified which must be such a relief for their families. It quite a touching and humbling place.
Later that evening, we went to the Manila temple with the Hardings. I realized as we got to the temple that I left my temple recommend in my temple bag in Cebu. No problem though, they were able to look up my status and we enjoyed a session in the temple.
The Stirlands weren’t able to attend with us - they were meeting up for dinner with a family Elder Stirland had taught when he was here as a young missionary in the 70’s.
It turned out to be such a joyful reunion. This faithful brother now has nine children, all still active in the Church. Among them are stake presidents, bishops, temple workers, and more. What a beautiful blessing to witness the fruits of missionary service so many years later. We never truly know the blessings that may come when we open our mouths and share the gospel with others.
A Vist to San Pablo Mission
Another new adventure and a treat for Joe and me was to visit the Mission Home where Bethany served her mission. It was fun to be there and see in person a place I recognized from her pictures.
Philippines San Pablo Mission Home
At the back of the Stake Center where Bethany attended Church
Left with lake in the background - Right under the huge Mango tree
Alabong Temple
On the way back to Manila from San Pablo we stopped in Alabong to attend an Endowment session at the newly dedicated Alabong Temple. It was dedicated in January by Elder David A Bednar.
Such a beautiful temple, the inside is decorated with
pinkish corals, soft greens and cream and has a tropical feel
Tagaytay
We visited a town called Tagaytay last year, and while we were there we noticed a lake with a Volcano in the middle of it. We found out that there are actually several volcanos there and the most rescent eruption was in 2020. We also found out that we could take a boat ride around the lake. It sounded so fun, I pictured a nice calm ride. Well, I was so wrong. Once we got on the lake the water was so rough. It took almost two hours to make it completely around the lake and by the time we were done, we both had bruises on our back from the wooden bench.
Looks can certainly be deceiving…
It took almost two hours to get completely around the volcano island.
We noticed so many fish farms as we traveled around the lake
Two of the Volcanos, the one on the right erupted in 2020
Even crazier, people actually live on the island with the volcanos!
Here are some random pictures from our tour of Intramuros, Manila - The Walled City in the heart of Manila established in 1571 as the Spanish seat of power. We ate at a Barbara’s, good food and great entertainment.
At one of the many museums in Manila
We had a lovely lunch and show at this historic restaurant
Fort Santiago
Before we headed back to Cebu, we went with Sister Stirland to attend the Manila Temple one more time. We won’t be back in Manila until we head home and it won’t be for sightseeing, just a layover at the airport. Elder Stirland wasn’t feeling well so he stayed back at the hotel to rest. It was a great way to end a wonderful vacation.
Dad and I in front of the Manila Temple
The following week we returned to Bohol. We visited Bohol last September and had a great time but the Chocolate Hills were green instead of brown because it was the rainy season. We decided to return so we could see the hills in their brown color - thus the name Chocolate Hills - but unfortunately there was still a lot of rain and they were still green. We had a great time anyway, here are a few pictures to highlight our trip.
Fun times in Bohol - Floating restaurant and river cruise, Blood Compact & Tarsiers
Chocolate Hills - ATV rides and viewing. Hinagdanan Cave and the Bee Farm
Getting Back to Work
As we returned to serve in the temple we noticed a significant change in the number of patrons attending the temple and also the number of workers on our shifts.With two temples being dedicated in May both workers and patrons from the other islands stayed home and prepared for the open houses and dedication of a temple closer to home. It is such a blessing for them to have a temple closer and not have to travel by boat and bus. It will also greatly reduce the financial burden of temple attendance. I’m so happy for the people here who will have easier access to the temple.
Another temple is in the final stages of construction, one more is in the beginning stages of construction and the sight of one more temple was announced a week or so ago. At this point there is a total of 14 temples either operating, under construction, or announced here in the Philippines.
So with our faithful workers transferring to their own temples, the Temple Presidency in Cebu has been reaching out to stake and ward leaders with a call for more temple workers. This means we are busier than ever and sometimes training 3 or more new workers at a time. This is great but challenging since usually they are all at a different level in their training. It can be a real balancing act to keep up with.
The first two Mondays after we returned to the temple we had training, the first week for the coordinators and the second week for all the temple workers. It’s interesting, when I think of training, I think of procedures training, but here they seem to do training more on a spiritual focus. For instance they trained on ministering, spirituality, kindness and a couple other things. Sister Stirland and I were asked to train on good “customer service”. I guess a few patrons were not treated as kindly as they should have been when they came to the temple with expired recommends. We talked about that for bit but also took the opportunity to help the coordinators understand how to schedule our new workers while they are still in training. I’m not sure they understood what we said because not much changed.
With a few of the coordinators
The following week was the training for all the temple workers and we divided up and each missionary couple had an area that we trained on similar to what we did last August. It went well but there is still room for improvement. We just keep working and moving forward, with hopes that we are making a difference in the proficiency of the workers. I’ve had to remind myself that this is not my work but the Lord’s and he is in charge, not me! I am learning to change the things I can change and let go of the things I can’t change.
Following the training of course we had lunch. Our sweet Matron and a few other sisters prepared lunch for a huge crowd of hungry workers.
It is such a blessing to be within the sacred walls of the temple so often. The spirit is so strong here and we feel it on a daily basis. I am deeply touched by the dedication and faithfulness of the brothers and sisters who attend the temple. The majority of the ordinances are performed in English and I sometimes wonder how much they really understand. However, what they might lack in understanding they make up for in humility and faithfulness. So many times as I’m helping a sister who can hardly read the English words, I notice tears in their eyes and I know the spirit is speaking to her. These dear brothers and sisters have incredibly hard lives - I don’t think we can fully understand the trials they face and yet they are happy, loving and so full of faith. I am so inspired by their dedication and commitment to attend the temple. Perhaps the hope and peace found in the temple is what helps them manage the difficulties they face. I am thankful everyday for their example and hope I can be more like them.
We are thankful to those who reach out to us and miss everyone so much.
Love,
Elder & Sister Andreasen
Mom & Dad
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