Sunday, April 7, 2013

Sunset at the Mayon Volcano with beautiful rice fields in the foreground.

 

Well, last blog we showed some pictures of our trip to the island of Catanduanes.  We have been so fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the other island in our mission - Masbate Island.  Here are a few pictures of our trip there on March 5, 6, 7. 

 

 

There is a lot that goes on before we can board the ferry, but here is Jerry backing our van onto the ferry, getting ready for our trip to Masbate.  Looks like there's a lot of room, right?  Well the following pictures show just how close they park the vehicles - no space is wasted whatsoever. 

 

 

 

 

Very close quarters - Almost gives us claustrophobia just to look at the picture - too close for comfort! 

 

 

Once we had boarded the ferry at 2:00 a.m. and began our 4 hour trip to the island, we watched as the sun rose.  It was spectacular to watch the sky as it changed from dark to vivid, breathtaking colors of morning.  If you look close, you can see a very small fishing boat.  They go out very early in the mornings to fish for their meals and also to sell in the street markets.

 

 

 

Enjoying the sun and beauty of the ocean.  We were traveling with another Senior Couple who are living in the Legaspi Mission area.  We're in the process of training them to be the Supply/Recorder Couple when the Naga Mission splits on July 1st and the new Legaspi Mission is formed.

 

 

As we docked in the harbor at Masbate and were waiting to disembark, we watched as a "RoRo Bus" drove off from another ferry that had docked just before us.  A "RoRo Bus" is one that "Rolls on and Rolls Off" the ferry.  The passengers stay on the bus for the entire 4 hour trip. 

 

 

 

This is how congested the harbor was when we landed.  This is very typical of all the harbors we've been to.

 

 

 

Once we arrived and checked into our hotel, we took a few minutes to walk around and see what amenities the hotel had to offer.  While the swimming pool is not large, it is nice.  There are also small open-sided huts that you can sit at for breakfast or anytime during the day.

 

 

This is Jerry and Elder Miskin entering the apartment that we came to set up for 4 new Sister missionaries who will be arriving in March and April.  There have never been Sister missionaries on either of the islands before, so this was a pretty exciting opportunity to be able to be part of the new expansion in the mission.  There have been Elders here for a long time, but never Sisters.

As you can see, the Filipino's LOVE bright colors.

 

 

 

Elders setting up two closets for the Sisters who will soon be living here.  Notice, again, the bright green color of the paint in the room.

 

 

These are four of the elders who met us at Jollibee's fast-food restaurant the morning we arrived on the island.  They are so awesome and absolutely love to be of service. 

 

 

Thought you might be interested in seeing some of the scaffolding used here in the Philippines.  Can't imagine climbing up there to work on the face of this building.  Seems pretty precarious, to say the least.

 

 

As we were leaving the island, and were waiting for the ferry to pull out of dock, there were a few young boys who were diving for coins.  We would throw pesos into the water and down they'd go and before long come back up with it.  They are a fun-loving people. 

 

 

We are enjoying our mission and love being part of this wonderful work.  We are very busy setting up new apartments to house the missionaries who are coming.  On April 23rd, we'll have 31 new missionaries arriving - 17 from the Provo MTC and 14 from the Manila MTC.  There will only be 9 missionaries leaving at that time, so we have to prepare apartments for twelve.  Several of the existing apartments currently house only 2 Sisters or 2 Elders, so we are upgrading those apartments to accommodate four.  We're also opening up several new areas, which means entirely new apartments to be furnished. 

 

July 1st will bring several changes for us.  First, our mission president and his wife will be returning to their home in the States and we'll be welcoming a new mission president and his wife.  That day, the Naga Mission will become half as large as it presently is, with the Legaspi Mission being formed from the lower half of the Naga Mission.  By doing this, we will no longer have the islands or the volcano Mayon in our Mission. 

 

Please include all of the missionaries throughout the world in your prayers, as they are heeding the call to serve.

 

Thank you, again for your love and support.

 

Elder and Sister Campbell