TACLOBAN JUBILEE EXHIBIT AND SITES

General Douglas MacArthur's Return to the Philippines at Leyte Landing

National Historical Site

On February 3 we flew to Tacloban City on the island of Leyte. We arrived in a major down pour which lasted until Monday morning. On Saturday we did Public Affairs training. We so love meeting these people...they are truly our "favorite thing" in the Philippines. Sunday we attended church at the Tacloban 1st Ward and especially loved it because it was all in English! I just kept watching these 3 young boys sitting in front of us....ages around 9, 7, and 5 yrs.....they were so so cute. The oldest boy was so attentive to the speakers. The next boy was very attentive, but looked through the hymn book also, and the youngest boy listened, but folded a very nice paper airplane! I just felt that I was looking at the future of the church. Another thing that impressed me so much was the singing. Everyone sings!! From the young to the old, they sang with all their hearts....AND to top it off, we sang Hark All Ye Nations, which is my favorite hymn here. It's hard to sing without shedding a few tears.

After church our driver took us to the General McArthur Monument depicting his return to the Philippines toward the end of WWII. It was beautiful! Because of the week of rain, the ocean water was so brown from being stirred up and many waves were crashing on the beach. I imagined that it could have looked like this, as they came ashore many years ago, because they had just defeated the Japanese in the biggest naval battle of the war, right here in Leyte Gulf. Leyte is also where the first organization of the church in the Philippines was located, due to the American servicemen sharing the gospel. Inspite of the pouring rain, we loved visiting this area and just wandering around.

Monday morning was the Jubilee Exhibit in Tacloban. The rain had stopped. It was a beautiful day and they were well prepared for the exhibit. There was a large audience there with many of their government leaders attending. We had to catch an 11:00 flight back to Manila, so we were unable to hang around very long. We continue to be amazed at the service given by these saints and know that the church is in good hands here.

WAWA DAM AND VILLAGE

Scenes from Wawa Dam

Wash Day at Wawa Dam

The Children of Wawa Village

Interesting and Unique

Garbage City, Bikers having Lunch, Interesting Sign

Since our arrival in the Philippines, we had been told that we must go to the Wawa Village and Dam. January and February are the only two months that you can hope for a break from the scorching heat or the torrential rain, so on January 28 we headed out on the trek along with Elder and Sister Goss. It was a very nice day with only a brief sprinkle of rain. It was such a unique experience!
The road to the village took us first through one of the enormous garbage dumps of Manila....we drove North and East about 30 miles. Now this was eye opening! We passed truck after truck headed back to the city after unloading their load of garbage. All of the garbage was in large plastic bags and was unloaded into large walled areas or into large storage sheds. For blocks and blocks and as far as you could see on the right and left were places stacked to the hilt with bags of garbage. Then the people started dumping out bag after bag and going through it looking for anything valuable or that they could sell....like plastic or tin....yes, recycling!! I couldn't imagine going through someones garbage.....especially when much of it has been there for months in the heat and moisture before it gets gone through.
When we arrived at Wawa Village, we hired a guide named Eduardo to take us on the hike up to the dam. We had never seen such enormous boulders lining the river bed at the bottom of the damn. It was truly beautiful. This was the area where many Japanese soldiers held up that refused to surrender after WWII. Many were found hiding in the caves along this remote area. The villagers along the way had so little of any worldly possessions, but they were just so kind and happy....adorable little children were playing here and there along the trail, some were stripped naked and ready for their bath in the lake. It was wash day, and many were doing their laundry and hanging it to dry all along the way. A funny sight was the line of disposable diapers that were washed and hanging to dry!! Another fun sight was to see a group of guys playing pool. Eduardo told us that it is a money making investment....someone buys a pool table and then charges by the hour to play. We also saw a television set up with video games on an arcade screen...once again to make money.....looked to me like a pretty good investment!!
The Wawa Damn was so beautiful and serene. Many people go to this place for summer retrieves of picnicking and swimming. You could rent rafts made of bamboo poles to float around on...all had a little covered area so that you could stay out of the sun....NO ONE here wants to be in the sun...no wonder they all look so young!
Along the path we met many men of all ages, carrying huge bags of charcoal on their backs headed down to the village where they sell it in the markets....they use it for cooking. Also, we saw some carrying large buckets of coconut milk balanced over their shoulders. We passed a group of "bikers" that actually bike up these paths into the mountains. When we came walking back down, we saw the group ahead of us had stopped for some food (pictured). It was a mixture of rice, green beans, squash and rice milk cooked in banana leaves. They had no utensils, but just scooped it up in their hands and ate it. Right across from them was a large tub full of slugs for sale...yes, those black slimy things!! I do wanted to take a picture, but the vendor was standing right there watching me, and I would have felt like I needed to buy some....that was out of the question!!! Eduardo said people love them....some like them raw and others like them boiled! The bikers were so nice as they saw me stop and stare at the slugs, and they invited us to join them for lunch.....I said, " Thanks, but my stomach feels very full right now"......and it suddenly did!!!

BOHOL JUBILEE AND SITES

(L-R) 1. Pres. and Sis. Schmutz (Cebu Mission President) w/ his assistants and Sister Bird 2. E. Bird at Tagbilaran Airport 3. E Bird w/ Pres. Saballa (Calape Dist. Pres.) 4. Jubilee Tour 5. Tour Guides Ready to Greet Visitors

(l-r) 1. Tarsier Monkey 2. E/S Bird with Python 3. Bird Taken Down But Not Eaten by Python!! 4. E. Bird and Iguana 5. Flying Bat Asleep During Daytime

(l-r) 1. Chocolate Hills of Bohol 2. E Bird in Front of Choc. Hills Sign 3. Chocolate Hills 4. E/S Bird at Chocolate Hills

(l-r) 1. E/S Bird on Riverwatch Floating Restaurant 2. Food at Floating Restaurant 3. Entertainment on Floating Restaurant 4. Sis. Bird with Filipino Women 5. Filipino Family we met, on Vacation from L.A. (Eric Guiterez Family) 6. Upstream View of Loboc River

(l-r) 1. Bunka Boats of Bohol 2. View of Bohol Tropics Hotel 3. Bohol Tropics Restaurant Overlooks Ocean 4. View of Ocean from our Room..Beautiful!

On Saturday morning, January 7, we flew from Manila to Tagbilaran City, Bohol...located just above the large island of Mindinao. The flight took 1 hr. and 20 min.


The island of Bohol is a beautiful asian paradise...also a jungle! It has many resorts located on the Panglau Penisula with white sand beaches. We stayed at a hotel called the Bohol Tropics. The view from our room was fantastic....the room itself, not so fantastic! I tried to spend most of my time out looking at the view! The grounds, pools, and landscape were all very nice. We were there for the Jubilee Exhibit, but we had Saturday afternoon open, so we took advantage of that time and hired a driver to take us on a tour of the island....a very good decision!

We first went on a riverboat/lunch trip down the Loboc River...this was when we knew for sure we were in the jungle. Many beautiful rivers run through this island, all emptying into the Bohol Sea. The water was very brown because the rainy season is just coming to an end. In a couple of months the water will become crystal clear because the mud is not continually being stirred up. Part way down the river, we made a stop, and platter after platter of food was brought on...all Filipino dishes, and very good. We were assigned a table to eat at, and ended up with a Filipino family (Eric Guiterez family) from L.A....it was so fun getting to know them. Along the river, there were two more stops where native islanders came out to sing and dance for us...we even joined them! We loved this!! The weather was hot but at least it was not raining.

Next was the Tarsier Sanctuary. This smallest of all monkeys is threatened by extinction, so it is now protected. We were led on a hike through the jungle, along winding stone paths that sometimes turned into just mud. We saw about 10 of the little monkeys. They have very large eyes and are the size of a fist.

Now it was onto the Chocolate Hills....I was so excited! Okay, so there was no chocolate at all...not even in the little souvenir shop....but the sight was so amazing! Pointed hills (about 1200 of them) just sticking up everywhere. We learned that they are caused by coral formations that rain water has fallen on, gradually building up to these mounds...so I assume they are still growing! In the summer months the grasses on the top turn brown from the sun....thus looking like chocolate on top of them. For a scenic view of the entire area, we hiked to the top of one of the tallest hills...there was a nice paved path...and the view was spectacular.

We then stopped by a butterfly conservation center where we saw some very unusual butterflies and some enormous moths...I've always had this thing against moths so I was very happy to learn that these are all native to this island! We saw many in all stages of development. Then we drove a few more kilometers to a small wild animal reserve....we wanted to see a python! I must say, we were surprised by the enormous size of the pythons and that we were allowed to go inside the cage and touch one, if we wanted to. I was a little leary, but the snake looked asleep...so why not! AFTER we had been in the cage, we were told that they (there were 2 of them) eat 2 chickens a day...they are turned loose in the cage...and the rest is history!! Our driver grew up on Bohol, and told us there are many pythons and some cobra snakes...every year a few bites are reported...very deadly! He found a python eating one of their chickens one night and lassoed it and tied it to a tree and ran to get his neighbor to help him. He said sometimes a whole brood of baby chicks would disappear in one night and they would know a python was around. One night they were driving through a mountain pass and they had to stop while an enormous python crossed the road.....I think that growing up in Idaho with rattle snakes was just fine!! Our driver had so many interesting experiences he shared. Besides the pythons, this animal reserve had several large and unusual birds, an Iguana and other lizards, animals that resembled a Bobcat, wolves, and the creepiest of all.....3 huge bats, 18 to 24 inches long, just hanging there! Yikes! Bats and cockroaches and huge moths all belong in the same class! What a great afternoon we had. It was dark by the time we arrived back at our hotel.

On Sunday we tried to call a taxi to take us to church, but none were available. The desk clerk said a tricycle was available...we said, "We'll take it!" It was about 3 miles to the Tagbilaran City 2nd Branch....what a ride! This was the second time we had ridden in a tricycle. We finally arrived at the chapel, after wondering if we would make it up a couple of hills. The branch was wonderful. It was fast and testimony meeting and the spirit was very strong. These people truly amaze us...here on a remote island...and they are just so "with it"! They are intelligent, creative, valiant, knowledgeable, very warm and friendly, and the church runs exactly like a large ward in Utah. We loved being there.

Monday morning we traveled to Calape, about an hour north along the coast. The District had the Jubilee Exhibit set up perfectly. They were so organized. Many had sacrificed much to take time off of work to be at the Jubilee to help...about 30 were there for the opening events. Well, we waited for almost 2 hours and not a single VIP came. We suggested we go ahead and start. We held the opening program and it was so nice, but then Randy and I had to leave to catch our flight. How we prayed that these saints would be blessed to have people attend the exhibit! They were so prepared and so eager to share this exhibit with people from the surrounding communities. When we arrived back at Manila, we had a text from one of the senior missionaries there in Calape. They jokingly said we should have left sooner, because as soon as we left all of these people arrived....one of the mayors, teachers, and many others. The exhibit was for 3 days and they felt was very successful. We were so grateful for the opportunity to meet more of the wonderful members in the Philippines.

CORREGIDOR

(pics. l-r) 1. Sister Bird on Big Gun at Corregidor 2. W.W 2 Barracks 3. View of Corregidor Island from Top Side 4. Sister Bird at Welcome Sign 5. Large Lizard 6. Map of Corregidor 7. E/S Bird in Front of Pacific War Memorial 8. E/S Bird in Front of 14" Gun 9. Line of Guns 10. Malinta Tunnel

On Wednesday, December 28, 2011, Elder Bird and I organized a trip for the Senior Missionaries in our Zone to travel to the island of Corregidor. Corregidor is one of the most important historic and tourist sites in the country. It is a lofty island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the entrance of Manila Bay and the City of Manila, from attacks by enemy warships in the event of war. Located 48 kilometres (30 mi) inland, Manila has been the largest city and the most important seaport in the Philippines for centuries—from the colonial rule of Spain, the United States, and Japan and after the establishment of the Republic of the Philippines in 1946. During World War II, Corregidor played an important role during the invasion and liberation of the Philippines from Japanese forces. Heavily bombarded in the latter part of the war, the ruins left on the island serve as a military memorial to many American, Filipino and Japanese soldiers who served or lost their lives on the island.

The island, when viewed from the air, looks like a tadpole, and has been divided into four sections: Topside, Middleside, Bottomside, and Tailside. It has also been nicknamed "the Rock" due to its many fortifications and rocky terrain. Each of the "sides" house a significant part of history. Topside housed barracks, communications center, golf course, etc. The Middleside housed the officers quarters, and included schools and a hospital. The Bottomside connects the middle to the tail by means of the Malinta tunnel. A tunnel that was ten years in the making (1922-1932). It literally became an underground city of its own housing a major hospital, and was used as a bomb shelter for the many air attacks on the island. The Tailside housed a small airfield and navy landing site. Our entire Zone loved this "getaway" to an island of fresh air, lizards, monkeys, and only 200 residents. I actually chose 3 sites for a perfect vacation home!! This place was the most beautiful, peaceful, perfectly clean place I have experienced here in the Philippines....rather ironic when you consider all of the pain and bloodshed that has taken place here. What a privilege for us to visit this piece of history.

CHRISTMAS IN THE PHILIPPINES

(pics. l-r) 1. Malaya Children on Christmas Day, 2. E/S Bird with Nel's Family 3. Elder Bird with Gifts for Malaya Branch Members 4. E/S Bird with Nel (We Did Christmas Service for His Family)

(pics. l-r) 1. Joel and Irene Javier in Manila Philippines Adm. Office 2. Sister Bird with Joel and Irene in Front of Manila Temple 3. Christmas Nativity on Temple Grounds 4. Christmas Lights on Temple Grounds 5. Christmas Tree in our Apt., we call it the "Infantry"!

The week before Christmas was a wonderful week! Christmas carols were being played everywhere and there were many beautiful decorations.....especially at the temple. Many of the saints and investigators from the Malaya Branch came to see the lights and have a temple tour put on by the full time missionaries. 33 of them rode in one jeepney....24 would be a full load....but so many wanted to come. Joel and Irene Javier came with them. We were so excited because they got to see where we work and meet our friends in the Public Affairs office. Then we walked around the temple with them and the rest of the group and had such a nice time. The evening was beautiful....I was so grateful because it had been raining a lot the past few days.
On Monday evening (Dec. 19th) we had our Senior Zone FHE at the new MTC (Missionary Training Center)....the big remodel and addition had just been completed...and the MTC President, Pres. Taylor invited us to a one man (him!) presentation of Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. Wow, it was so good and really filled us with the spirit of Christmas. Also, that day we finished getting out about 1000 Christmas cards and new 2012 Calendars, designed for our office....busy, busy!
On Tuesday we and the Goss' had put together a Christmas package for a former employee of the PAO, Nel, and we left work early to go to his home. Yes, even with all of the directions we were given, we had the hardest time finding his place. When we finally did, he was not home, but his mother was and also 3 of their 6 children. We loved meeting them and visiting with them and left our gift with strict instructions they were not to get into it until Nel arrived back home. Well, according to Nel, when he and his wife and their other 3 children arrived home, everything from the box was laid out on the floor of their small cement and cinderblock home just waiting! Then they divided up the minature candy bars and he said the children just ran around the room dancing and singing for joy. We had included some money, and he said his wife took off immediately to buy milk for the children.....they had not had any for weeks!! He had had to quit work because of health problems he was having. They had decided that his wife would go overseas (Taiwan) to work. A very difficult decision. She left the day after Christmas and cannot return for two years. Many of the Filipinos do this very thing to attempt to support their families financially. We went back to see them on Christmas day and took a picture of us with Nel. Also, some additional Christmas items were left for the family....now that we knew the ages of the children.
Wednesday was another favorite day. We have this group of maintenance workers that have helped us so much in public affairs. They move, lift, haul, clean, and just do lots of physical labor. So, we arranged with their boss to call each of them to the public affairs office for a job we needed done. Instead, when they arrived, we pointed them to the Director's office, and upon entry they found a reception of goodies and drinks set up for them. In addition, a gift certificate for one free lunch was presented to each of them. They were so surprised and we had so much fun doing this. Nel used to be one of this maintenance team. He calls us Mom and Dad.
Thursday we took a box of donuts to the Quezon City Post Office thanking them for how helpful they have been in getting our packages delivered to us. They truly love my husband and enjoy his visits there.
Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) was our Zone Christmas Social. It was a pot luck dinner with lots of "yummy" food brought. E/S Bell (Hermosa Beach, Ca.) helped so much with the decorations and games and a gift exchange. We had the conference room set up like a big living room/dining room with couches, Christmas tree, lamps, tables, etc. You would have thought it was a home. It was so fun. Randy got a small nativity and I received some candy which I quickly gave to the Malaya Branch on Christmas.
Christmas morning found us up early preparing to drive to Malaya for Church. No time for gifts. As we were sitting there ready for the meeting to begin, the Branch President got up and walked down to me and said,"Sister Bird, could you do me a favor"? Thinking he wanted me to lead the singing, I said "Sure, what can I do"? He said, "Would you be our speaker along with my wife....our other speaker didn't show up". I went into panic mode with my mind absolutely blank, and said "Sure, I would love to".....okay, a small lie! I did it...and I vow to be more prepared for things like this!! We made little gift bags for all the children (candy, pencils that said "I am a child of God" in Tagalog...thank you Julie, a little tablet to write in, and toothbrushes). The adults received toothbrushes and candy. Many of them were checked for what power of reading glasses they needed. We will then try to meet their needs with glasses sent from home (thanks to Petersons and Hemmings) or here. We had a horrendous drive home with traffic as bad as ever....I was determined to not let it affect the Christmas spirit! I kept pointing out to Randy that they were all FAMILIES that were in our way....what better thing....and then turned the TAB Choir Christmas CD up a little louder!!! We arrived home in time to leave again for Nel's home and then back here for a little time to open gifts. Then quickly off to Christmas dinner at the Bell's apartment. Who says it is more relaxing in the mission field? WHEW!! We loved opening our presents from home and each other. Things we needed were found in each box. It's almost as if our family planned it that way!! Hmmm!
To top our Christmas off, we skyped with each of our children and talked with my Mom. It was Monday here but Christmas there.
A couple of things we learned here: Christmas is celebrated at midnight on Christmas Eve with dinner, lots of time for prayer, and then gifts (for those that have them....they are not necessary). Santa does not play a significant role here. We are most grateful to be here and to experience Christmas in the Philippines.

MANILA FAMILY VALUES AWARD

(l-r) E/S Goss, Deo Divinagracia,E/S Bird,

E/S Bird with Catholic Archbishop and Bayani and Jo Imbong, Sister Bird at Shangri-La Staircase, Area Presidency and Wives

E/S Bird, Sister Bird and Sister Goss w/FVA Helpers, FVA recipients, Marides Fernando and Jo Imbong

The Manila Family Values Awards Dinner and Reception was held on November 29, 2011, at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong. The Area Public Affairs Office is completely responsible for this event....and it is a lot of work....and a very fun event.

The Family Values Awards are presented annually to community leaders in Asia, Europe and the United States. Notable recipients include Australian Prime Minister John Howard MP, anti-abortion and anti-euthanasia policy maker Jack Snelling MP, and Fr. Thomas Rosica, the National Director/CEO of World Youth Day (Canada). Okay, so it is a pretty big deal!

Atty. Jo Imbong, and Mr. and Mrs. Bayani Fernando were the recipients this year. Besides being the lawyer for the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Atty. Imbong is an author, educator and a family activist. She is married to Manuel B. Imbong, also a lawyer. They have eight children and three grandchildren.....all were present for the award presentation. She was so proud of each one as she introduced them to the audience....I could truly identify with her.....the heart of a mother! In her acceptance remarks, our hearts were touched as she quoted from The Proclamation on the Family.....and considers it a most amazing document. She also said that being mother to her 8 children is, without a doubt, her greatest accomplishment! The Fernando's are both former city mayors responsible for the establishment of a yearly festival which honors

the family.

We met a number of other important leaders in this country, including the Archbishop of San Fernando, the head of the Catholic Bishops Council, Senators, the former presidential candidate that ran against President Aquino (he invited us to his home for dinner....hmm....still waiting for him to call..., and professors from the University of the Philippines. Also present were many leaders from our church. It was a grand event and I must say, we were quite happy when it was successfully over!!!

TABACO CITY JUBILEE EXHIBIT

(l-r) 1. Tabaco Zone Missionaries 2. Sis. Ballan, Sis. Opeda, Sis. Brizuela 3. Sis. Mayores, Sis. Ejara, and Sis. Bird 4. E/S Bird with Tabaco Sisters

(l-r) 1. Filipino Boys Walking Home from School 2. Families Home in Tabaco 3. Elder Bird at Legazpi Airport 4. Carabao Hauling Lumber

Pili Nut Hills Located Near Legazpi

Mount Mayon Active Volcano Near Legazpi City

All That Remains of Church Buried by Mt. Mayon Eruption.

This is the Bell Tower that was 40 Feet High

Sunday afternoon we flew to Legazpi City, Albay province, in the Bicol area, so we could attend the Church History Jubilee Exhibit on Monday. As our plane descended we noticed these strange looking little hills below us. (see pic above, top) We asked and eventually discovered they were pili nut hills. These harvested nuts are a popular selling item in this province. We arrived safely and settled in for a good nights sleep at the Venezia Hotel. It was a very nice hotel that even had hot water in the showers. Monday morning we were up early and off to Tabaco (about 1 hour away) for an 8:00 am opening of the exhibit. We hired a driver who took us there. We arrived on time and saw everything set up beautifully. We marvel that these small branches are able to do so much with so few people. When we arrived at the exhibit, there was an entire zone of missionaries waiting. They were full of excitement and ready to teach all who came to learn about the history of the Church in the Philippines. This District Presidency had chosen to not hold an opening ceremony and had just announced to the branches the day before, that the week long exhibit would open the next morning at 8:00am....but hardly anyone came during the 2 hours that we were there. A few members of the Branch were there, but more in the capacity of responsibilities. The District President was out of town because he works in Manila during the week, but his wife was there finishing up the pictures on panel 8, which is the history of the church in their particular area. We met a Sister Salve Opeda, age 82, who looked almost 70, and was there looking at the panels. She had plenty of ideas on how she was going to invite more people to attend. She had been involved in public affairs earlier in her Church experience (joined the church in the '70's) and had many interesting experiences to share. I will share a couple. She grew up in a very Catholic environment....many in her family are Priests and Bishops. She had many questions and frustrations as a young adult, because she studied the scriptures faithfully, and felt that the teachings of her church didn't match up with the teaching of the scriptures. She voiced her questions to several in her church leadership and each one told her these were the "mysteries" and not for her to understand,... and to continue wanting answers showed you were a very rebellious spirit. So she left the church and started wondering if there really was a God. One night she had a vision in which she saw the Stick of Judah (Bible) join with the Stick of Joseph (she had no idea what that was) but the two books came together. She could never forget this vision and continued to wonder about it for years. Then one day the missionaries showed up....and she discovered what the "stick of Joseph" was....and it was history from there. Her life has been so blessed. She was the District Relief Society President for several years.....it was the Cebu District.....not even on the same island where she lived. It covered half of the islands in the Philippines! She said she went on frequent bus trips to visit sisters all over. She was just the happiest woman and is so willing to serve the Lord until she falls in the grave!! We enjoyed our visit with the members and missionaries who were there. We hope that they will have much success with the exhibit as the week progresses.

On our way back to the hotel, our driver asked if we would like to go to the Mt. Mayon Volcano Planetarium and Look Out. What was I thinking??? I should have known that anytime you hear "look out" it means a long winding road to the top of something!! Sure enough, it was a long trip way up the volcano! As we started the drive up, clouds rolled in and heavy rains came down. By the time we reached the Planetarium, heavy rain and winds wouldn't allow us to walk to the crater, nor could we see the spectacular view..... as clouds covered the valley below. We at least could go in the Planitarium, which was a room where we sat down and a man turned on a video showing the history of volcanic activity of Mt Mayon.....it was very interesting to watch, but was all in Tagalog...so we mostly watched!!! This volcano last erupted in 2009. Anyway, we had to laugh about this experience of driving all the way up there, trying very hard to not get car sick, only to see nothing but clouds, and watch a movie in Tagalog!

It rained the entire time we were there, so by Tuesday morning, we were ready to catch our flight back to Manila and then to the office. As we were waiting for our flight, it's cancellation was announced!! The miracle was that we got seats on the first flight out that afternoon, even though they told everyone there were no available seats on that flight! We are surely watched over.