Templo Nga Mga Mata: Catching Up

Time to get caught up on what we have been doing the last few weeks.

The Temple Presidency has asked several of the temple missionary couples to go with them the past three Sundays to meet with the members and ordinances workers outside of the Cebu Stake where we normally attend Sunday Services. Three weeks ago we went with President and Sister Pagaduan, and two other couples, to attend the Cebu Central Stake Conference. President and Sister Pagaduan spoke as well as members of the stake and the stake president. We recognized a number of the members from seeing them at the temple. One of the employees that works at the temple patron housing spoke and was also sustained as a new High Councilman for the stake. It was nice to see some of the young missionaries and some of the senior missionaries that are serving there also.

The next week three couples went with President and Sister Pagaduan to attend the Bogo Branch. It was a two hour ride to get there because it is located almost on the North end of the island. It is in the Cebu East Mission. We were driving along the beautiful coast for part of the time and then went into the mountains. This area was less populated and we passed numerous farms. During typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) the eye of the storm passed over this area. We were told that half of the homes were destroyed. We saw trees that were blown over when the storm hit. There were two branches of the church meeting at the same time in the church which is a very nice L.D.S. building. It was testimony meeting that Sunday and President Pagaduan shared an experience they had with the birth of their first child just three days after he was baptized. What a testimony of turning to prayer by a new convert when faced with a challenge bringing their first child into the world. During the ride we learned more about the conversion story of the Pagaduans as well as how he was guided to work for the church in CES and serving as a stake president. He has also served as a mission president.

Last Sunday we and one other couple went with President and Sister Siady, 1st counselor in the temple presidency and assistant to the matron, to the first stake conference for the Consolacion Stake. This stake was created from a district only three months ago. It was a wonderful conference. President Siady spoke and they had four missionaries who will be leaving from their stake soon share their testimony. One of them came to the temple to receive his endowment this past week and I was able to visit with him and officiated on the session he was on. President and Sister Tanner spoke, the Cebu East Mission President and his wife, and the 1st counselor in the stake presidency, who is the engineer at the temple. President San Gabriel, the stake president, was the concluding speaker and was a very dynamic speaker. We would have enjoyed his talk even more if it hadn't been almost entirely in Cebuano. We were able to talk to him before conference started, he speaks very good English, and learned that he is a church employee and is involved with a new program that helps members in third world countries to obtain the necessities of life and generate extra income. We also were able to speak with President and Sister Tanner after the conference as well as many of the members there. It was nice to mingle with these great saints.