ELDER RUSSELL M. NELSON AND BISHOP DEAN DAVIES VISIT PHILIPPINES

1. Elder Russell M. Nelson, Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles 2. Elder Russell M. Nelson Greets Sister Bird 3. Elder Nelson and Area Presidency (Pres. Teh, Elder Nielsen, and Elder Ardern) Greet People After Morning Devotional

E/S Bird with Bishop Dean and Darla Davies of the Presiding Bishopric...Visited the Philippines the Same Week as Elder Nelson

Sister Bird Greets Elder Russell M. Nelson

Elder Bird Greets Elder Russell M. Nelson and Pres. Michael John U. Teh 

Elders Muhlestein and Dariagan (Malaya Branch Missionaries) Greet Elder Nelson and Elder Nielsen of the Area Presidency

Elder Russell M. Nelson Greets Missionaries and Members on His Way to the Manila Temple

PHILIPPINE MISSIONARY TRAINING CENTER DEDICATION

President George Taylor Speaks at MTC Dedication as Area Presidency and Elder Russell M. Nelson Look On

Teachers at MTC Sing Intermediate Hymn

New Missionaries Sing Hymn at the Beginning of the Dedication

Elder Russell M. Nelson Addresses Attendees Prior to Dedicating the MTC

  

What a privilege to be here for the dedication of the new Philippines Missionary Training Center. It was held on May 20, 2012 in the Joseph Smith Conference Room, and was scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m., however, many were already in their seats at 4:30! Randy and I were in charge of seating the first three rows of guests, many of which were not members of the Church, and then directing the other guests (Stake Presidents, Mission Presidents, Manila Temple Presidency, and Area Seventy along with spouses) to just fill in wherever they wanted to sit.  We loved it! We had met many of the Stake and Mission Presidents while traveling to Jubilee Exhibits, and we had such a great time visiting with them again.  Also, some of the others remembered Randy, from back in the 1990's, when he came to the Philippines to do CES training...they had been the teachers! It was so fun for us.

But the very best was when Elder Russell M. Nelson, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, walked into the foyer with the Area Presidency...I had never met him...he was the kindest, friendliest, most gracious man ever!  He walked over to Randy and me and said (looking at our name tags), "How are my little Birdies"? We had a brief visit and then he moved into the chapel area for the dedication. As he sat on the stand, and the meeting began, the entire "batch" of new missionaries that had just arrived from many Asian countries (they all arrived the day before!) filed into the isles and filled the foyer and sang "Called to Serve" acapella. Oh, it was just so touching...all of the different faces and heights and degrees of skin color trying to pronounce those words in English. ALL hearts were touched.  The MTC President spoke and read many verses from Isaiah talking about the latter days and an ensign being raised to the nations and the restoration...it was excellent. He was followed by each of the Area Presidency....they spoke of their own missions and of learning to know their Savior and the power of the Atonement...each bore powerful testimonies of the reality of the Father and of Jesus Christ and how they know They live.  Then Elder Ardern gave a very brief introduction to Elder Nelson (for those guests not of our faith...among many other accomplishments,  he was a world renown heart surgeon prior to his call as an apostle) then Elder Nelson spoke to the group for only a short time...testifying of Jesus Christ...and then he smiled and said,"Well, I am not here to give a long speech, but I am here to give a long prayer, so we will start", and he asked all to bow their heads and he gave the most beautiful dedicatory prayer.  The blessings he pronounced upon this country and how he prayed for their leaders was just very touching, and he also prayed for every nation sending missionaries to this MTC. Then it ended with all of the congregation singing Battle Hymn of the Republic.  All were invited to come up one side of the conference room and meet Elder Nelson and the other leaders and then file down and out the other side.

There are so many stories I could tell about the guests experiences...really amazing, but I will share one about a guest invited by our Public Affairs Department.  He is in his early 50's, Catholic, and was hired by the Public Affairs Department to help develop relationships with the media in Metro-Manila. It is very difficult to get any media coverage here if you do not pay big bucks and have an "in" with certain people.  This man is a very successful media relations consultant who has been hired by many huge corporations to help them solve various problems...he is also a very good and honest person, and was highly recommended to Haidi. In his 20's he had decided to go into the "ministry" with the Catholic church, but after a year, he felt it just wasn't for him and changed to a different course of study, but decided he would never marry.  We have been meeting with him every week for a couple of months now.  Since we are now one of his "clients", he has done much study on his own to understand who the Church is (he had never even heard of the Church before this), what our stand is on many topics, and what things would be of particular interest to the media, etc.  He is a well respected man here in the Philippines. So, he wanted very much to be in this meeting for the MTC dedication....it would be one more help for him to understand the Church. Well, what happened was the most unexpected for him!  Right after the meeting ended, he came over to where Randy and I were standing and stood by us and just looked at the brethren on the stand.  We asked him how he liked the meeting.  He seriously could not find words to speak....I started to worry that something bad had happened...then he said, " I have been in many meetings in my life, but never in one like this....I have never, ever felt this way before...I don't know what it is...I can't even find words to explain it..." so then Randy said, "Perhaps it is the Holy Ghost"... He looked at Randy thoughtfully and said, "Perhaps it is."  Then Haidi came over and said they should go and meet Elder Nelson and he went with her. I watched him as his turn came and Elder Nelson was so kind and stood there visiting with him for a minute or two. I saw him visiting with President Teh for a while afterwards as they had refreshments.  

After the dedication, we also had the opportunity to take a group on a tour of the MTC...it was mostly those guests that had been seated in the first three rows and some Mission Presidents/wives that had not been here during the MTC Open House. All were such outstanding people among this group. Randy is such a good tour director, and made it so fun and relaxing for everyone.  One man asked how he might get a copy of the Book of Mormon....by then we had become such friends with him, that I was tempted to say "Hmm, we have no idea"...but I controlled my "silliness" and instead asked, "Would you like it in Tagalog or English?" What a great time to be in the Philippines!

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE FAMILY

Banner Commemorating International Day of Families

"Ensuring Work--Family Balance"

Pictures (l-r)  1. NCFF Delegates 2. Elder Benson Misalucha Delivers Keynote 3. Little Girl Plays with Family Enrichment Book 4. NCFF Leaders with Haidi Fajardo, Our Director

The National Committee on the Filipino Family (NCFF), led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), conducted it's yearly forum in celebration of the International Day of Families on Saturday, May 19, 2012, with the theme, “Ensuring Work-Family Balance”.  Our former PA Director, Leni, served on this committee...and to our great surprise...Haidi learned 2 weeks prior to this event that SHE was the host for it this year! It was the same weekend as the MTC Dedication, and we were already very busy with that, but we did some fast scrambling...looking for a large enough venue, getting a keynote speaker, lunch for 200, drinking water, flowers, a banner, and all of the technical equipment we would need! 

About 200 family advocates, representing the different sub-committees of the NCFF, participated in this forum which was held in the cultural hall of one of the stake centers...the Marikina City Stake.  The former director of the DSWD, Ms.Lina Laigo, presented the theme. She is a wonderful woman that shares many of our same values.  She mentioned that the word, family, stands for “father and mother, I love you”.and that home is spelled t i m e.  Then she encouraged everyone there to tell parents and children, often, that they love them.

A little history: The International Day of Families is observed annually on the 15th of May as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in a 1993 resolution. This year’s theme emphasizes that “work-family balance lies at the core of the ability of the family to provide economically and emotionally for its members.”

Elder Benson E. Misalucha, an Area Seventy for the church, gave the keynote  address. He gave a fantastic talk on balancing work and family life. He mentioned three ways to help achieve success in this balancing act: 

•      Commit to what matters most

•      Dedicate time and attention

•      Say “NO” as needed to things of lesser importance

As part of his explanations, Elder Misalucha encouraged those present to play with their families, have daily family prayer, regular scripture reading as a family, and hold weekly family home evenings. He referred to our church's Proclamation on the Family, and the special Philippine edition of the Family Enrichment Manual (a non-denominational Family Home Evening manual produced by BYU), both of which were offered to those in attendance. Every copy was taken.

We have had our attention brought to several parts of the Philippine Constitution, and it truly recognizes the family as the foundation of the nation, and this nation is known for giving importance to strong family ties....hopefully they will be vigilant in protecting the family!

2 Side Notes to this Event:

• In October 2009, one of the most devastating typhoons hit the Philippines...Typhoon Ondoy. The water level was up to the ceiling tiles in the cultural hall of the Marikina City Stake Center (see above photo)...and when you pull into the parking lot of this building you go up a steep incline from the street...so it gives you an idea of how deep the water was that covered this area of Manila.

• We ordered 200 boxed lunches...including drinks... from Kentucky Fried Chicken to feed this large group.  All of it had to be delivered on motorcycles by 3 employees.  It was very hot and they worked so hard!  A few people had left before eating, so when the last of the boxes was delivered, we offered a lunch to each of the deliverers.  I was really taken back by how excited and grateful they were that we would give them lunch..they were so happy....I didn't realize how hungry they were.  Haidi said these employees could never afford to eat the food where they work...it is too expensive!  I just love these humble happy Filipinos!  

NATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE

National Day of Service at Quezon City Circle

On Saturday, April 28, Randy and I attended the kick-off event for the National Day of Service here in the Philippines. This is a yearly event sponsored by the Church. It takes lots of planning in each district/stake.  About 3 months prior to the event date, a project was chosen by each group and then had to be registered with the city government.  All details had to be cleared.  Then, depending on the service project, businesses in the area were approached to see if they would like to donate supplies needed. The one we attended involved about 1500 of our youth and their leaders from 6 stakes....and required 50 gallons of paint.  Randy had been asked to address all of the youth at the first of the kick-off...it really did take us back to our EFY days, and so he started with the “Bird Cheer” that we used to teach at all of the EFY sessions we directed. Yes, now the cheer has reached the Philippines! It was a success!  He then made a few short remarks, followed by Kim Antenorcruz, the Multi-stake Public Affairs Director, and then the youth were sent off to their assigned areas to begin their service...to paint the fence that surrounds the Quezon City Circle (an enormous roundabout with an amusement park and other things in the center of it)...plus a general cleanup of the entire area...yes, quite an undertaking! It was so so hot, but they showed up and did a great job. While we waited to get started, we visited with Atty. Ed Bellen, the Deputy Secretary for Legislation in the Philippines, along with Orly Ramas, a professional media consultant hired to work with our office. The four of us decided to follow one of the groups and take photos for a newspaper article.  As we were walking and talking with them, Elder Bird had just taken a photo, and suddenly he fell right into a storm drain, from which the protective steel grate had been removed! The hole was about 3 feet deep and half full of flowing water! It was quite painful and embarrassing for him....I assured him that he went in quite gracefully with both legs, without hitting his head or knocking out any teeth, AND held the very expensive Public Affairs camera up where it remained unharmed!! The three of us pulled him out of the drain...it was really quite alarming, knowing that many serious injuries are not noticed immediately, but he kept saying he was okay and we proceeded to walk to where the youth were painting. As we walked, he could feel lots of pain in the toes and ankle of his left leg. Ed and Orly went right to the guard station to complain about the open drain....the worst part was that the guard said they had noticed the night before that one of the grates had been stolen but had done nothing to cover it for safety purposes!!  We kept thinking of how grateful we were that a little child had not fallen in....they could have been swept away before anyone missed them!  We took more pictures and then knew we had better get back to our apartment to take a look at his foot.  He got by with one broken toe (the rest were sprained, swollen, and turned black and blue),  and a gash in the front of his ankle.  The doctor said it should feel better in about 6 weeks!!!  Nice! The "Day of Service " was a great success, in spite of our accident...over 150,000 hours of service were given throughout the country.....doing such things as:  planting mangroves (helps stop beach erosion), planting mango trees, clean-up projects of all kinds, painting schools and big fences, and all kinds of beautification projects.

BACOLOD JUBILEE EXHIBIT AND TRAINING

Amie Vargas at Entrance to Jubilee Exhibit

Some of the Volunteers for Jubilee Exhibit in Bacolod

VIP's Attend Exhibit and View Local History

Youth Sings During Opening Ceremony

Bacolod Public Affairs Training Group

On Friday, May 4, we flew to Bacolod, for the final Jubilee Exhibit and Stake Public Affairs training. It was the very best experience yet of flying, while here in the Philippines.  Our director of Public Affairs, Haidi Fajardo, flew with us. The city of Bacolod is on the island of Negros....a one hour flight to the south. This was the first time we have had a flight leave on time!!!  Truly a miracle!  The Bacolod airport was quite nice and modern...the toilets in the CR (restroom) even had SEATS on the them....but still no toilet paper! While I was in there, a MAN was also in the CR cleaning.  I chatted with him while washing my hands....yup, lots of great new experiences. Another great thing about this trip was our hotel room...it had a soaker tub and lots of hot water....that was a first! On Saturday we did stake public affairs training with all seven stakes on this island. The training went so well, and we really loved meeting so many new members that seemed to be very on top of their callings in PA.  Many of them traveled a great distance to be at the training...they were such a fun group! 

This final Church History Jubilee Exhibit was done in grand fashion!  It started on Monday morning with a well prepared cultural program followed by remarks from Evelio Leonardia, Mayor of Bacolod City and Benjamin Candari, Bacolod Stake President. The exhibit ended on Friday night after having 1,066 visitors attend, including many civic and community leaders.

I will now share a few sweet moments we had: 

1. On the flight to Bacolod, I had an Ensign sitting on my lap, while I was sitting there with my eyes closed.  This lady, sitting to my left, tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the magazine and asked if she could look at it.  After going through it, we started talking. She was returning from a very large family reunion...cousins from Europe, the U.S., and Australia attended. I pulled out a copy of The Family Proclamation and she read it and loved it. I left that with her and gave her one of our business cards, which has web sites printed on the back to go to if you would like to learn more. It was nice.
2. A sister named Gerlie gave a spiritual thought at the beginning of our PA training.  She told of how very shy she had always been, never having many friends because she would avoid any kind of social interaction.  After joining the church in her early 20’s, she reluctantly accepted a calling and started to realize that she truly had talents and the Lord blessed her with confidence to develope them and use them to serve others.  Now she can approach political leaders with confidence and she loves it. She was really an amazing woman possessing great social skills!
3. A sister named Sarah, who teaches business courses at a university there, told us she was baptized last October.  She was Catholic (almost everyone is) and had been really studying other religions and trying them out for a very long time and none ever felt right.  One day someone told  her about the LDS church, she decided to try it out, and for the first time in her life she feels so happy.  She reminded me of Irene Javier (Malaya Branch), because she just wants to tell everyone about her journey. 
4. On Friday night, Randy, Haidi, and I walked to a convenience store to get bottles of water for the training.  As we left, this beggar boy followed us holding his hand out.  Haidi said not to give him money, but she gave him a brownie she had bought.  I felt so bad. So on Saturday night we went to a sandwich shop and bought some sandwiches, along with a couple of desserts.  I told Randy that I was giving this to the first little beggar children that approached us.  We walked up the same street we had been on the night before, and sure enough, two little skinny girls came walking toward us...holding out their hands...saying “Please, po”  I went over to them and asked if they were hungry...they said, “Yes, po”...I told them they needed to share the food in the bag.  They were all smiles and said thank you and ran down the street holding the bag. I sure hope they got to eat that food or perhaps shared it with a little brother or sister.  

The great thing about the gospel is that it helps people to become self-reliant, and the poor are cared for in the very best way...the Lord’s way. 

HAIDI F. FAJARDO--NEW AREA DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS FOR THE PHILIPPINES

Haidi F. Fajardo--New Area Director of Philippines Public Affairs

                                                       Gerome and Haidi Fajardo Family

Haidi F. Fajardo embarked on her journey as the new Area Director for Public Affairs on January 9, 2012. She saw this new chapter in her life more as a calling than an employment. Like all public affairs directors, she offers up her time, and talents to the building up of the Lord’s kingdom here in the Philippines. I knew the Lord had to have been preparing someone to fill this position left by the passing away of Leni...and it only took a few days of being around Haidi to know that she had amazing talents and experience. So one day I asked her if she would mind if I looked at her resume....she laughed and said, "no problem, I will send it to your computer." Wow! I will now share some of what I learned about her.

She is from Lapulapu City, Cebu ...yes, where Magellan landed... and her parents were converted to the Church in 1972 when she was two months old. Her childhood is dotted with memories of ballet and piano recitals as well as creative writing and academic achievements. Being taught the gospel early by her parents made her realize the importance of seminary, institute and in seeking the kingdom of God first. When she was 17 years old, her father passed away. This pushed her to be independent early on and she learned to rely most on the Savior for important decisions in her life. Her favorite music has always been the Young Women song “I Walk by Faith.”

Haidi had been working in public affairs in Cebu for well over a decade, and was currently the multi-stake director of Public Affairs. She made huge contributions of her time and expertise to the Cebu Temple Committee and the Cebu Jubilee Celebration, besides her work as a Cebuano hymn-translation reviewer, she was an all-around gospel teacher, and Primary and Young Women leader. None of this surprised me, but I really had no idea of her professional accomplishments.

She is not just a distinguished architect with a thriving architectural and construction business that she runs with her husband… She is also a prolific writer, a university instructor, a school founder and administrator, and an advocate championing worthwhile causes.

As a writer, she was regularly published in an architectural magazine. She taught Visual Techniques, Architectural Design, Theory of Architecture and Architecture History at the University of San Carlos College of Architecture and Fine Arts. She was among the founders and served as the administrator of two schools, one for autistic children and the other aiming to help children with special needs make the transition to mainstream education. Autism is a very personal matter with her, as her 16-year old daughter, Menfreya, has autistic spectrum disorder. She has also been involved in many civic organizations. Whew...and she is only 40 years old!!!

Last but not least, she is the mother to three beautiful children: Menfreya “Pia”, 16 years old; Vaughn Nephi, 11 years old; Dantzel Chloe, 1 year and three months old. The other love of her life is her husband, Gerome R. Fajardo, who previously served as a missionary in the Manila Mission and also served as bishop of the Pajo Ward for 5 years and a counse­lor in the Mandaue Philippines Stake Presidency for 9 years. They were married in the Manila Philippines Temple in January 1995. She goes home to Cebu every other weekend and looks forward to May, when her family will move to Quezon City to join her.

On top of all this, she has the happiest and warmest personality. She is extremely kind and thoughtful of others....and best of all....loves to laugh with all of us. We love her already and are so grateful to serve under her watch.

DEO DIVINAGRACIA

Back row: Elders Goss and Bird Front Row: Sister Goss, Haidi, Deo, Sister Bird

Deo, Elders Goss and Bird at Farewell Party

Deo Divinagracia at Farewell Party

                                           E/S Goss, Deo, E/S Bird at FVA Award Dinner

Our dashing and debonair bachelor, Deo Divinagracia, completed his contract work for the Area Public Affairs Depart­ment on March 31, 2012. His contract with public affairs has allowed him to work on projects like the “National Day of Ser­vice,” events associated with the Jubilee Celebration, the Family Values Awards for 2011, and even the launching of the PhilPAD Perspectives newsletter!

Deo was the driving force behind the creation of the Public Affairs 2012 Calendar “Mormon, Pinoy & Proud.” Besides the many hours spent in our office, he managed to sandwich in directing shows and other entertainment events for individu­als, groups, and businesses. We have enjoyed his grace and good humor, and the energetic spark and creative mind he has brought to our office. He has taught us that particular thought and effort must be given to “lunch” and all “eating occasions” in general! All events requiring food were overseen by Deo, but it was his music that gave our events that magic touch. He always knew what people would like the best.

Following the death of Leni Pilobello, he was our only Tagalog speaker in the office and frequently answered the cry for “help...Deo...quick!” from the non-Tagalog speaking senior missionaries, as he would be handed a phone and expected to pick up on a conversation about whatever we were trying to communicate!! He NEVER once acted irritated with our constant interruptions!

I must admit that I am quite the "matchmaker" and Deo had to put up with us finding a possible companion for him everyplace we traveled.....he even agreed that some were possibilities! I was more than happy to remind him of how much time was left if he wanted us to be able to go to the temple with him for his wedding!!! He was such a good sport with my "meddling" ways. Besides, he would be a very good catch for some worthy woman! Okay, another favorite memory about Deo: Few people here actually own their own car...he was no exception. Every once in awhile, he would walk into our work area with this sheepish look on his face, and look at Elder Bird (or Elder Goss) and say, "Dad....."...of course every dad knows exactly what their son wants.....either money or to borrow the car......it was always the car to run an errand!! He is truly like a son to us and we loved teasing him and giving him counsel that he usually didn't ask for! We have grown to love him and will miss him greatly. We are hoping that aside from going back to full-time production work directing shows, organizing events and managing talents, he will also devote some time to finding an eternal companion...after all, we leave in October!!