LAOAG JUBILEE EXHIBIT

Pictures of Laoag Jubilee Exhibit

On July 16, we hopped on a plane and flew to Laoag for the very first of the Jubilee Church History Exhibits that will now travel to 32 locations throughout the Philippines. This is Phase 2 of the Jubilee Celebration. Phase 1 was the Jubilee Cultural Celebration held the end of April and middle of May. Our job was to see that the exhibit arrived intact, see that the designated stakes could assemble the panels by following the instructional DVD that was sent, and be there to observe the opening of the exhibit. We arrived safely in Laoag. We were immediately struck by its beauty. Laoag is located on the northern tip of the Philippines just across from China and Taiwan. This area is famous for its beautiful beaches. We checked into our Hotel, the Java Inn. It was a very unique place.....lots of extras in the planning to make this stand out and be a fun place to stay. The shower had hot water, but none in the bathroom sink. We got settled in and headed for the LDS Stake Center. Let me just say that the Jubilee Event in Laoag was done right. The stake public affairs director had everything organized and followed the instructions we sent perfectly and then some. She said they had met as a Stake Public Affairs Council along with the Stake Presidency member over them, and the Stake Relief Society President, a few months ago to plan this event (sounds like a council to me!) Each ward was assigned a day to staff the event and to also assemble one of the panels. The panels were assembled, set up, and then ward members praticed what they would say about the pictures located on each panel. I was touched by their devotion, dedication, and desire to make this a success for their stake and community. The Laoag Mission President, President Odgers from New Zealand, came and assigned two sets of missionaries to be there each day to help make this a success. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Monday where the wife of the mayor came and spoke to those gathered and then cut the ribbon opening the week long open house. She was 41 years of age and did a wonderful job. She spoke of how much she felt the love of those in attendance and was happy she could speak about spiritual things and not political things. We sat with her and after she was presented a picture of the Savior (red robe one) she held it close to her heart. She also graciously went through all 8 panels and was very complimentary. We attended church at two of the wards and felt a great love for these people. They are so kind. Following the Open House opening ceremonies, we went back to the Java Inn, packed up our things, and checked out. We now had six hours until we needed to be at the airport and no place to go and no car of our own.....soooo....we made a plan......we hired a driver/tour guide and said, "Show us the sights for the next 6 hours". And he did!!