First Christmas

We are experiencing our first Christmas in the Philippines.  During December we attended two ward Christmas parties and the temple worker Christmas party.  It was nice to get to know the members, proselyting missionaries and temple workers better.  One evening primary children even came to the patron housing and sang Christmas songs for the temple missionaries.  The weather is different than we are used to so it hasn't felt like Christmas that way but we have been blessed to feel the true meaning of Christmas through service.

The temple missionaries have been helping with some gifts for the My Bonita Home for Girls orphanage, run by the Catholic Church, and we were able to participate.  Each couple helped provide funds to purchase personal items for the girls, helped put bags together containing the items with each girl's name on it and then deliver the gifts to the orphanage.  What a wonderful experience.  The almost 100 girls range in ages from 4 to 18.  We were warmly welcomed when we arrived and were then entertained by the girls for about 30 minutes which consisted of the Bonita Girls Band and the girls playing instruments and singing .  The temple missionaries sang a few Christmas hymns to them and ended with "I am a child of God".  The presents were then given out and we noticed that several of the girls immediately began eating the orange and apple that was in each bag, a real treat for them.  There are several families helping at the orphanage who have little boys so they were very excited when given a basketball as a gift. We enjoyed visiting with some of them and our hearts went out to them as we were also thankful for those trying to help these precious children of our Father in Heaven. 

Christmas Eve we were able to have a set of young Sister Missionaries over to have dinner with us.  Sister Laub is from Nampa, Idaho and has a brother also serving a mission.  They were in the MTC together.  Sister Pulgado is from Manila, Philippines and had a brother just return home from serving.  Her father served as a young missionary in Cebu also and she has been able to meet some of the members that her father baptized.  It was fun to share our Christmas Eve Dinner with them.

 

At this time of year we miss all of you, our family and friends, but our time at the orphanage and dinner with Sister Laub and Sister Pulgado had LuAnn and I express to each other, "Now it feels like Christmas".  We hope all of you have experienced the same feelings of thankfulness as we have as you celebrated the gift our Father in Heaven gave to us of his son Jesus Christ. 

Primary Children performing at the Lahug Ward Christmas Party

Christmas dinner at the ward party.

Temple Christmas Party

The temple missionary men giving a heartfelt rendition of "Silent Night"

They even made a welcome banner for us at the My Bonita Girls Home.

One of the sisters welcoming their Latter-day Saint friends.  The band is behind her.

One of the many girls playing for us.

Sister Sorensen enjoying one of the younger girls.

Elder Sorensen and 12 year old Grace.  When it got hot in the room she starting fanning us to give service.

One of the girls teaching Sister Sorensen a game.  They all laughed together when she couldn't quite get it right.



Sister Sorensen learned a new skill, making a rice container using palm leaves.



Sister Laub, Sister Sorensen and Sister Pulgado at our apartment for Christmas Eve Dinner.

Returning to Serve

 

This week we once again had the opportunity to help serve the typhoon survivors.  We have been able to meet several people who served a mission in the Philippines and have returned to help after the earthquake and typhoon.  One is a doctor, he actually served the same time as Ammon in Tacloban, another served when they just opened the Tacloban Mission and another, Raymond Lynn Goodson, was one of the first missionaries to open the Philippines to the preaching of the gospel.

We met the Goodsons this week as they were here in Cebu to take spaghetti dinners to Tacloban for Christmas.  In the Philippines spaghetti is considered a special meal for birthdays, holidays, etc. so the Goodsons wanted to provide something special for those who have been through so much tragedy.  They sent out a letter to those they knew and within 10 days had enough money to provide over 5,500 meals. The missionaries had the opportunity with other church members to put together the meals on Friday and Saturday and after Sacrament Meeting on Sunday helped load all the boxes of dinners on a truck so it could be on a ship that night.

The Goodsons spoke in Sacrament meeting on Sunday for just a few minutes and the spirit was very strong with their love for the Filipino people.  We truly love those we serve.  Brother Goodson's service in the Philippines began in 1961 when he was serving as a young missionary in Hong Kong.  He received a call from President Hinckley, along with three other missionaries, to open the gospel to a nation.  President Hinckley had just dedicated the Philippines for the preaching of the gospel a few months earlier and these four missionaries would be the first missionaries in the Philippines.  They were the first missionaries to begin the harvest in this very productive field that was white and ready for the harvest.  In 1974 President Goodson with his wife Debra served as the mission president in the Manila Mission.  In 1979 he was given the assignment by President Kimball to find a spot for a temple in the Philippines.  He told the missionaries who were in the meeting that when they left they would be part Filipino because of their love for the people.  We already know this is true for us.




Elder Sorensen with President and Sister Goodson

Putting together ingredients for spaghetti dinners



This boy would help by pushing boxes to heavy for him to lift



Boxed and ready to go



This was the lesson during priesthood meeting this day




Loaded and ready to go on the ship to Tacloban.

Our Missionary Apartment

This week we thought we would show you where we live.  The Senior Missionaries definitely have better living conditions than the young missionaries.  All of the other temple missionaries stay on the third floor of the patron housing located on the temple complex.  The couple that we were replacing extended their mission so there was not an apartment available for us until March.  The temple recorder found an apartment for us close by and had it furnished.  We are about a seven minute walk from the temple and have shopping available right across the street.  The street we are on has quite a bit of traffic so there is the associated noise all of the time. 

The staff of the Prestigio, the name of the place where we stay, are so friendly and helpful.  They always greet you with a smile and say " Morning Mom" to LuAnn, (Mom is a term used to show respect for a mature woman) and "Morning Sir" to Kim".  They love helping us learn new words in Cebuano.  They always open the lobby door for us and if we have been shopping hurry out to the parking lot when they see us and help carry our items up to the apartment.  Yes, we really are roughing it in the Philippines.



Welcome to our humble abode.

Our living and dinning area with bottled water for drinking.

The CR (comfort room), the unit in the upper right is the water heater.

You can guess on this accessory.

Kitchen area.  Only one sink and no hot water.

Bedroom, (yes that is a king sized bed).



Looking out our window to the street.

Some of the friendly staff.

Our apartment is the top one by the sign.  The orange reflection on the glass is our dinning area.

Welcome to the Philippines

With the pictures this week we thought we would share the humble circumstances that many of the Filipinos live in.  Several of the pictures were taken just behind where we live.  Even though their circumstances are very humble they are a happy people and take joy in their family.  We visited one of the temple security guards, who lives in the circumstances shown, he also serves as a counselor in the bishopric. His wife had a baby on Tuesday and they blessed him on Sunday

We had a little tremor this week, which seems to happen at least weekly so far, nothing big but you knew the earth was shaking.  Welcome to the Philippines.

Food Bags

We have been in Cebu City for one week now and are loving the time in the temple and associating with the Filipino people, they are so kind and beautiful.

 

We are just starting to learn our way around and rely heavily on the other senior missionary couples for help, they have really taken care of us and we are enjoying the time together with them.  We had our first ride on a jeepney  (look on the internet for pictures) and a taxi.  We now feel that we know how to walk across the street (four lanes) which is an adventure every time with jeepneys, taxies, cars, and motorcycles all going by with apparently no rules.  We always tell our children to look both ways before crossing the road to make sure no cars are coming but here you would never get across the street if you waited for a clearing.  You make sure you can get across the first lane and hopefully the second and make it to the center line and then wait as traffic goes by on both sides of you until you have a brief opening in the next lane and then make your move towards the other side of the road.  A real accomplishment each time you make it.

 

We have been touched by the stories about  typhoon Haiyan from first hand accounts.  Some members here have gone to Tacloban to look for family and described the area as looking like an atomic bomb had been dropped on it.  The one speaker in church last Sunday went there looking for family and was quite graphic about what he saw and experienced.  He quoted Brigham Young and said "today's sermon it to go out and rescue those people."  The stake center (which is located next to the temple) has been a staging area for relief efforts.  We have been able to help put together food bags, which the members have already done several times and work late into the night until they are finished.  The disaster becomes more real as you associate with those who have been personally affected by it.  This week I was helping on a temple session, which was mostly young missionaries and President and Sister Schmutz the mission president, and recognized two of the young sister missionaries that were trapped in a building and had to swim to get out and were miraculously saved.  Even with the great loss of life there have been and continue to be miracles.

 

We love all of you and are so glad for the opportunity to serve.

Welcome to Cebu

Mom and Dad left Salt Lake City on Thursday around 4pm for the Salt Lake International Airport.  Their flight to LA was scheduled to leave at 6pm but was delayed an hour.  From LA they left for their 15 hour flight to Hong Kong.  They were glad to have that flight over with! They finally arrived in Cebu on Saturday (their time). The Cebu Temple Recorder picked them up at the airport and helped them get settled into their apartment.

Elder and Sister Sorensen in from of the Cebu City Temple

Temple President and Matron President and Sister Pagaduan

And They're Off!

On November 9th, 2013, mom and dad finally set out on the first leg of their mission.  They were to receive training in Salt Lake City before flying out to Cebu. Some of the family were able to get together that night to have dinner together.  We met at the Olive Garden in Provo.  It was nice to be able to spend this time together and say our good byes.

Dennis and I drove them to Salt Lake and dropped them off  at the Radison Hotel in Salt Lake City where they were staying during their missionary training.

Life for 18 months packed into 8 bags!

Dennis, Kim, LuAnn, and AnaLee in the Radison Lobby.

They had training in the Salt Lake Temple for 3 days staring on Monday the 11th of November 2013. They enjoyed meeting other couple missionaries while they were there.  They were the only couple going to the Philippines.

Elder and Sister Sorensen in front of the Salt Lake temple.