Kids -- Always Happy No Matter What

Yes, 10 in this family (only 7 pictured). The Dad is the custodian at the Bacong Chapel. He and his kids walk to the chapel 4-5 times a week, including Sundays for church.

John Edward, just ordained to be a Deacon last week.

Each new Deacon needs a white shirt and a tie. It costs 60 Pesos, about $1.25, but it is Priceless!

Maribel, who we are teaching the lessons to. She is thinking of an August 10th baptism date. She lives with John Edward's family and helps around the house with chores and the children.

A little pick up game waiting for the baptism to start.

We arranged for our new Mission President's wife to go on an appointment with us and the Sister Missionaries and found this crew.

Mom wasn't home for the FHE, but the kids were.

When we finally get our apartment pictures up, out our back window we see a street with a Church and Seminary, where pastors are trained for the Church. We drove back there one day and found some real cuties pictured in the next 3 photos.

The kids at the Siaton dedication.

Geraldine, on the left is getting baptized, also on the 10th of August, being taught by the Elders. She was raised in Siaton, but now is the house help of the Anasario family of which the daughter, Rue is pictured here. Rue is the Branch and District pianist.

The art of making sand balls. Who would of thunk it?

...and more art in the sand.

Two of our personal favorite future apostles. They were baptised in the last month and such a joy to be around!

Jerico and Vincent.

Buddies on the way to a baptism at the beach.

The Bread of Life deserves the Bread of Sister Parsons as well, following Vincent's baptism.

Jerico bearing his testimony on his baptism day.

Just too cute to pass up!!

These four nephews (everyone is a nephew, whether male or female, these happen to be all female) showed up at a FHE we held. One of them even came to church the next day.

My friend Levy was just too tired to walk back to the car after this FHE. It was only a 1 Km walk in the dark.

This is outside a local school at lunch time. The uniform is pink which means it is a private school we have determined. All public schools, it seems, have a navy blue uniform.

The big kids are also happy!





These boys with their parents were baptised this last Saturday. As the one on the right went into the font, we verified his name to be Jules and he was baptised. The other went into the font and we verified his name to be Jasper, and he was baptised. The Sister Missionaries then noticed that they were reversed, and both had then to be baptised using their correct name. I guess they were so happy to be baptised they didn't care which name we used.


The Primay youth choir singing at Jules and Jasper's Family Baptism. Pretty Special!!

On The Road to Siaton

On Sunday, July 13, 2008, we were invited to attend the dedication of the Siaton Chapel, in Siaton, Negros Oriental, Philippines. Siaton is about 60 Km from Sibulon where we live. The building is of the new international design which is being built in the Philippines and is beautiful. See for yourselves!!


The windows have bars, but also have glass. During meetings the windows are opened to allow outside air to circulate, but all rooms including the chapel are equip with ceiling fans. The chapel has at least 12 fans for circulation.



... and no LDS church in the Philippines is complete unless there is also a basketball court. The green van is the van of President Velasco. He fills it to the brim with District Choir members where ever he goes. He is also in the District Choir.

The Chapel is stunning!

The hallways are spacious

The man in the background is Brother Garcia one of the pioneers here in Siaton. He is such a hard worker at home and in the church. He was the Branch President but had to be released due to a brain tumor.

Elder Parsons communicating with the kids.

and Sister Parsons with the District Primary President.

The current Branch President, on the left, with President Helmut Wolf who is the 1st
Councilor in the Mission Presidency. President Wolf lives in the Sibulon Branch area where we live. We have weekly meetings with he and his wife.


This next picture is of Elder Teh of the 1st Quorum of the Seventy who came to give the dedicatory prayer as the final part of Sacrament Meeting.


This is Sister Teh along with Sister Wolf.

Some very excited members. This is Sister Barada with her children.

Sister Parsons will now be invited everywhere, because she brought along the food!!


The District Choir sang as part of the dedication. These are some of the members of that choir. This happens to be Brother and Sister Lantaka, also, the 1st councilor in the District Presidency along with his wife's sister who is Sister Velasco, wife of the District President.

Some other choir members

After such a wonderful day in Siaton, we felt like we needed to go back, which we did on Thursday. We felt a need to visit Sister Barada who was pictured earlier. She lives 20 Km further up the sea from Siaton. What a beautiful drive. On this trip we did not get any pictures of the beach. Those will need to be exhibited on a later post, but for now enjoy the sites of the Philippines.

The favorite place on a hot summer afternoon for a caribou. The caribou's skin is similar to a pig in that they constantly are looking for water, or preferably mud, to immerce themselves in.

Photos taken from the road into Siaton of rice fields.

We stopped by at the church and found this lady and her son trimming and cleaning the church grounds.

A couple of empty modes of transportation.
The Put-put, as opposed to a tricycle which would be a motorcycle with the sidecar.

The Jeepney

Two additional modes of transportation, this time for baboy, pigs.

A load for the market.

Chaffing rice on the side of the road. Does exhaust make it taste better?

Work day is done, but not yet for the caribou! Notice the boy filling water cans for the needs of his family. He will then put the full cans in a homemade, wooden wagon to transport to his home.

This man, we thought, wanted us to come closer for a better picture, when in fact he wanted us to come closer so he could ask us for money. "Hey, Joe." All Americans are called Joe, after GI Joe.


'til next time.
Elder and Sister Parsons