Is it the Call - Jeffrey's Ordination - or This Country?

The jet lag factor played a huge part in rising in early morning hours wide awake the first week we were here. We were asleep by 6 pm at the latest and awake at 1 or 2 in the morning. I could force myself a few times to stay awake a bit later than 7 pm and then sleep in till 4 or 4:30 am.

The next week we didn’t feel tired. But an interesting thing has been happening. I have felt a gentle, open spirit flowing around me. It starts with masses of people hurrying to where they need to go without road rage, impatience, or scowls. If you smile at a Filipino they will smile back. In general most of the people are very respectful, patient and modest. They hurry and are aggressive without being over-bearing. They will let you in if you get in front and expect you not to hit them when they are in front. I’m not sure why I feel a good spirit so strongly here. Maybe it is so many people who smile. Or am I being surrounded by the missionary aura? It is palpable. Jeffrey says, “What a blessing to be here!”

Jeffrey still wakes up very early and studies. He has had some dreams and had quite a few relevant insights into the topics he studies. He seems to have revelations about lots and lots of little things piling up into big answers.

One morning while reading in Mosiah 14 and 15 I felt there were some scriptures that pertained to Jeffrey’s quest. He was engaged in his journal writing so I wrote down the scriptures to talk with him later, which I did. Tonight he was telling me about this morning’s insight and interpretations. Mosiah 15 was the feature story. I feel like I am a second witness to his insights.

 I have even had a few dreams with interpretations. We have been having prayers answered immediately. Jeffrey was wondering if we really know and understand how and what to pray. We are learning in a new way and with greater depth in our usual study.

So are the blessings coming because of the wonderful country we are in? Is it spill over effect because of Jeffrey's ordination? Are we being richly blessed because we are missionaries?

It probably doesn't matter why - I'm just going to enjoy it while it lasts.

Role Reversal

Last night I practically fell asleep on my feet when I got home. The office had their first appointment at 6 am, we worked through lunch because of an emergency appointment from a missionary in the field with a horrible toothache. They had to travel 2 hours by bus to get here. Then worked till the patient left at 5 and then cleaned up.  It was late when we got home but my feet and ankles thought it was close to midnight. I sat at the table and kinda stared off into space.
Meanwhile Jeffrey looks in the fridge (at the groceries he bought) and made a wonderful pesto salmon salad with tomatoes, peppers and other colorful things. It really hit the spot. Then before I even got up he started the wash. Now that was a real blessing. If you don't know about washing clothes here, see previous post.
I did the minimal dishes we had and got ready for bed. By then Jeffrey had hung up the wash and was ready to go to bed too. Nice day at the office.

The wonderful part of the day was the glorious sunrise and then when we got home the fantastic sunset. I'll have to post another day some pictures of paradise.

All Saints Day

The whole internet thing here is a little whacky. I’m not sure if we already have an internet connection in our apartment right now or not. We are staying in the apartment of a Dentist who helped get the Clinic up and running and then had to go home to take care of his family because his child got killed in a airplane accident. I don’t know if it was a son or daughter but their grandchildren are without a home and he will not be coming back until after the holidays maybe sometime in January. We will be staying in this apartment until ours will be ready sometime in the middle of November.

When I get to the Dental Clinic they have Wi-Fi connected to the LDS access and most of the time it is running very well. But we are so busy that I haven’t had time to really do more than check on a few things for the 5 or 10 minutes I snatch. I’m sorry I haven’t gotten back to those who wrote – I will in a day or two.

When the missionaries arrive at the MTC we have an intake day. The week after intake day is really a mad scramble for the clinic as we only have 2 ½ weeks until the missionaries are in the field. So the first week the most needy missionaries are seen first – usually those who have had no dental care in their entire lives and have holes all over their teeth. Dr. Stewart will numb one side of their mouth and do as many procedures as he can and then have them come in the next day or day after that and do the other half of their mouth. Sometimes they can have many fillings and pulp caps or root cannels and they are lucky if nothing is bad enough to be extracted. Dr. Stewart will do everything he can to save a tooth. The missionary president’s wives would live close to Manila, try to get their missionaries into the MTC clinic because when they send missionaries to the regular dentists they tend to extract the tooth whenever there is a toothache.

Sister Stewart told me about one missionary president’s wife telling the elder to tell the dentist to save his tooth. When he got back from the dentist he asked the president’s wife what she wanted to do with the tooth he brought back in a little bag. I had to laugh because understanding for me is difficult too.

Today the Stewarts started seeing missionaries at 6 am and didn’t take a lunch break because there was an emergency patient from the missionary field who had been in pain for 10 days. When I went home at 5:15 pm they were in taking care of the last patient. I’m hoping they get home at a reasonable time tonight and get some sleep. We have a very tight schedule tomorrow too.

I’m writing this at home and hoping I can post it in between breaks tomorrow – if there are any – I do think about you sometimes during my day though mostly I’m earning my “merit badges” as Sister Stewart and I call each of the different duties I learn and figure out. Mostly I just drop into bed each night. Tonight I’m determined to stay awake until 9 so I can get up at a reasonable time like 5 instead of 1 or 3 like Jeffrey is doing. That’s ok for him as he has been receiving some incredible insight and dreams. This whole mission is wonderful and fantastic!