Making Homemade Ice Cream

A couple of months ago the R S President, Bete ( the one washing dishes) ask me if I could teach them how to make homemade ice cream. I told her yes but did they have an ice cream freezer. She said yes someone in the branch had one. So I told her to find out how big it was so I would know how much to make. Finally a couple of weeks ago I pinned her down about the size and found out she is talking about the freezer in the top of a refridgerator!!  Well it does freeze ice cream so I can see why she would think that. Anyway I thought and thought and remembered the ice cream we made up camping in baggies or in tin cans so that is what we did.

The men stayed out while the message was given and then they burst on the scene and it was caous and confusion from then on but eventually everyone got a bag of ice cream.
 

Elder Tsunoda was in the thick of it! Helping and eating.

We ran out of ice before we got to the tin can method so it never did freeze to more than a slush so they drank it like a milk shake. They don't have good milk and cream like we do, just the boxed kind so I found recipes using sweetened condensed milk. I only got to taste the chocolate but it was very good..

When the ice was gone they tried putting baggies down in the icy water to freeze some more.

Two of the sisters enjoying a visit after ice cream.

Our daughter in law Lisa taught us to eat soda crackers with ice cream and we thought that was different but these people added a whole new meaning to ice cream sandwich. The RS Pres brought small dinner rolls and they would open those up and fill them with ice cream! The ice cream that melted before they could eat it was soaked up with the bread.

Bataan Death March

We went with Elder and Sister Lutz to put water filters on in all the missionaries houses. That took us to Capas which is where Camp O'Donnell was during world war 11. This is one of the stops of the Bataan Death March where thousands died.
We took the time to go see the memorial built there. There are actually two, this first one is at the side of McArther Highway

It had this sculptured scene all the way around the base and a pool below on the back side'

This second memorial was quite a ways off the main road but is the actual place where the camp was. This tall tower has walls around it and the names of all the Philippinos who died there. Thousands of names.

The men were marched fram Bataan to San Fernando and then loaded on these boxcars. The cars have tin roofs and this was the middle of the Philippine hot season so it is estimated the temperature was 110-120 degrees. They were packed in there so tight that those who died did not fall. The doors were shut and they were left there for about 3 hours before the train started to move. They were not given any water. That part of the march ended in Capas.

This memorial at the side had all the Americans names on it. There were far more Philippinos than there were Americans but the count is not definate because so maany of the natives were able to slip away and hide or mingle with their countryman and were not found. Those of you who are history buffs can probably correct some of my report but that is what I remember.

While we were there my camera was doing weird things and I did not know how to change the settings so I saw these boys sitting in the shade of the monument and I thought teenage boys will know what to do, so I went over and ask them and sure enough they did. The boy in the black and white shirt told us he is a member of the church and hopes to serve a mission in a couple of years. They were all such nice boys.

I liked this tribute to those men who endured all that they did

Relief Society Anniversary

The district Relief Society had it's anniversary party last Saturday. Each branch had a table and demonstrated cooking seafood.

After the demonstration they filled their table with rice and many other dishes and then it was a free for all filling plates and eating. I never saw food disappear so fast! There were as many men and children there as there were woman.

Then each branch did a cultural dance. Some went all out with their costumes and some were very simple.

I expected there cultural dances to be more like the other islands but it is very much like the Spanish. I guess since Spain controlled these islands for so many years their culture was adopted.

Then some of the ladies sang for us. This cute girl is 28 and has a son but her husband works abroad to support them. He has been gone for three years and will not be home for another year!

Of course a party would not be complete without some games. This one was a relay while balancing the book on your head. These ladies are very good at it.

We went to another FHE with the sisters and Sister Evangelista had offered to cook so here she is in the families kitchen.

While she cooked we entertained the kids by taking their pictures. They love to have their picture taken.

Once a month we have a couples meeting at the mission presidents home. We enjoy spending that time with these older missionaries. From left are Elder and Sister Forte from Virginia, Elder and Sister Lutz from Weston, President and Sister Martino, Elder and Sister McCord from Payson Ut.,.Elder and Sister Teischner also from Payson, and of course us.

You've all heard the conspiracy theory that Elvis is still alive somewhere, well it's true and here's the proof!!
Here he is in everyday clothes but at church he always wears white pants and a long sleeved lavendar dress shirt with matching tie and with the sleeves rolled up and white shoes. We all call him Elvis and everyone knows who we are talking about. He's a great guy, faithful as can be. No wife as far as I know.

Eventful Week

This ia Elder Carazzco from Los Angeles Ca. He has only been in our zone a month but he has accomplished a great deal. He went to an area that was split off from another area so this is the first time there have been elders that could work this village full time. Church attendance has only been 20-25 on a good day and they found the people quite hostile to them. So they decided to have a community family home evening and they went door to door inviting everyone. They told them they were going to show videos about Jesus Christ. There is no movies or TV out in these villages so the people look forward to something to do.  When we got there we were amazed to see almost 200 people there. And the sweet Relief Society Sisters managed to feed them all!

Elder Carazzco is going home tomorrow so they had a farewell party for him in the branch and about 60 came, several who have been less active for years.

Elder Moser got to baptise these two children Friday. They are the children of Levi Gregasso, the man he baptised a couple of months ago. Levi is to Kents left and the mother is in pink at the front.

Another baptism this week in Birbira. These elders are Elder Nields from N Ogden and Elder Dela Cruz from the Philippines

Today we had the opportunity to present 6 keyboards to students who had taken lessons from the last two couple missionaries that were here. There is a lot they have to do to qualify for their own keyboard which is funded by a couple who served in the Philippines some time ago. ( I think)

Thanks to modern technology we were able to get the Roberts and Prisbrey's , who had been the teachers, on skype and they watched the presentation and then spoke to each one of the students. It was so fun.

The hard part of this week was saying goodbye to one of our all time favorite missionaries. ( Make room family, we have added another grandson!!) Elder Blackham was transfered and made a zone leader. He is awsome and will do a great job.He will work with Elder and Sister Lutz now.We sure do love him. His companion, Elder Stunoda will be a trainer after only 3 months.

Every week the missionaries have a service day, sometimes each companionship does there own thing and sometimes they do a big project all together. This day they all cut and stacked wood for a widow.

Whenever they work together Sister Evangelista cooks lunch for everyone. She is trained as a chef and hopes to have her own business someday. Anyway the elders LOVE her food! They are not allowed to go into the sisters house so she serves it on the back porch and they fill a plate and find a spot to sit.The tablecloth is banana leaves and the outside is rice with chicken feet inside it and a pork with gravy in the big pan. I couldn't bring myself to try the chicken feet but the rest was good.

Of course while they are waiting for lunch they have to find something to occupy themselves with so they all invaded our bed!!  Elder Moser kept warning them if they break our bed there will be war!

Houses in the Philippines

One of the first things I noticed in the Philippines is the huge span of wealth. These homes are typical of the poor people. Many of them live in the small outer villages(baranguys) but not all. There is not a seperation of wealthy neighborhoods and a poor neighborhoods, they just are all intermixed. You will see a big beautiful mansion with several tiny shacks on the sides.



Then there is the middle size homes that look comfortable and sufficient. We have been in a couple of these types and some of those  didn:t have doors seperating rooms. just curtains and some had tile floors and others just painted. Sometimes the walls are not painted. Paint must be expensive because most houses are the natural cement color and some paint just the front and leave the sides and back
 These are typical of the upper class homes. The workmanmnship is all done by hand and they are great craftsmen. Many times the trim looks like brick or stone but it is actually all done with plaster/ Even what looks like pillars and stair posts are made from cement. Our big luxery houses in the states have nothing over on some of these.The really big ones I can't get pictures of because they are surrounded with high fences.

  I have ask some questions about who the wealthy people are and some say they work for the goverment. Others say  doctors and other professionals. I am assuming some are big land owners because you see all these fields with a big mansion and then a bunch of shacks so I think it is the land owner and his workers live in the shacks. I also was told many families have someone who works abroad and sends their wages home so the family can build a nice house. But I also know many work abroad and send their wages home so their families can eat!

  Even Elder Nielsen from our area presidency talked about the inequality of wealth in this country.

This and that

Quite often as we drive to San Clemente we see these carts laden with

homemade crafts coming into town where they sell their things

My kids know how much I love the Booganvilla vines whenever we go to California

or anywhere else that they grow. Well they are every where here so I can see them to

my hearts content

 

These two guys and their companions were at our house one day and we were showing them

thru the house and when they saw our bed they go " Oh a real bed and they dove onto it"

 

Driving out to Bamban there is a place where they have a huge herd of weeder geese, can you see all of them in this picture? It is so funny to see them herding them down the road like a herd of sheep.

Of course I never have my camera when we see that. Kent says they clip their wings so they

 can't fly away.

 

When the rice is drying on the roads the goats and chicken take full advantage

funerals

We have been to two funerals the last few weeks and we find it very interesting how different funeral customs are in different countries. We are used to our own traditions and don't realize there are many different ways to honor someone who dies. On Christmas Island by necessity the funeral was all done within about 24 hours, but here it lasts a week or ten days or more

 

We live on the same street as the cemetary so funeral processions pass by our house about every Saturday.

 

They consist of a couple of cars with flowers on them and then either a marching band or a speaker system playing very loud music

 

Then comes the hearse followed by all the people mostly in tricycles or on foot. There sometimes are a few cars. They often walk a long ways.

Often the funerals are done in the homes and they have a service every night for five or more nights.

This one was at the church but still there was a service everynight. Our missionaries in that ward, Elders Blackham and Tsunoda, did a great deal to help each night, they spoke, they played the piano, and lead music ect.One night they had all our zone missionaries sing a song and Kent and I spoke

.

The caskets are about the same as ours at home, Some graves are below ground and some are above in cement vaults. This one was a young man about 24 who was a returned missionary and just an exceptional young man, from what we have been told. He suddenly had kidney failure about three months ago and even with dialysis he died quite fast.