One day on our mission

Friday, January 17, started out like any other morning, with Tony up early for a run, followed by our walk together, and some study time.  It was a transfer day and four brand new elders had arrived in Urdaneta, so we drove there for a transfer meeting at 10:00.  When larger groups of new missionaries arrive, this meeting is held at the church, but this was a small enough group that it was held in the mission home.  At this meeting, each new missionary meets his trainer and learns what his first assigned area will be.  We always enjoy these meetings and the chance to get a little bit acquainted with the new elders.

After the meeting, we spent a little time in the mission office, taking care of paperwork, visiting a bit with President Monahan, and picked up the mail we'd decided to deliver to the Bayambang Zone.  Bayambang (BUY-um-bong) is not one of the zones we usually take care of and it's farther away than we typically go on errands, but no one else could do it anytime soon, and some missionaries still hadn't received their late Christmas packages!  But we did have some other errands to run first.

We drove back to our house in Manaoag and had some lunch, then met the Manaoag sister missionaries to look at two apartments they'd found, in hope of replacing their existing apartment, which has had problems with mice, termites, and plumbing issues.  That took some time, and we did find one of them to be a possibility.

This house has the best kitchen we've seen yet, by far!

Next, we headed for Dagupan (dah-GOO-pahn), a good 30-minute drive from Manaoag.  We needed to meet the zone leaders there to pick up a signed rental contract they had.  They'd helped us in locating and now securing a new apartment for the elders who work in the area called Carael (kah-RAH-el).  Carael is on a long strip of land nearly surrounded by water and, since we couldn't find housing for them there, we'd rented an apartment for them in Binmaley, which made for a relatively long and expensive commute every day, by jeepney and trike, to get to their assigned area.  Now we'd found an apartment just across the river, two blocks from the boat landing where they could catch a short boat ride to Carael for much less than the fare they'd been paying, in less time and lots more fun!

The new apartment for the Carael missionaries.

Carael in the background.

Having accomplished our Dagupan errand, we drove to Binmaley (bin-Molly), to deliver some paperwork to the sister missionaries there.  These sisters have had too many problems in their apartment, too, with leaking roof and electrical concerns, among others.  We've found, over the past months, two very nice places we attempted to rent for them instead, but both had fallen through at the last minute.  Now, with our Carael elders vacating their very nice apartment in Binmaley, we'll be able to move the sisters into that apartment.  So we delivered to them the last of the rent and a termination notice for their current landlord.

Current creepy apartment building of the Binmaley sister missionaries

By this time, it was late in the afternoon, and we debated whether to deliver the Bayambang mail that day, or whether to save it for the next day.  Normally, we try to avoid driving after dark (6:00) because so many small vehicles on the road run without headlights, making it dangerous.  As we approached the turnoff to take us toward Bayambang, Tony felt strongly that we should go ahead and do it.  We headed south and enjoyed the ride, being on a road we hadn't driven before.

After 30 minutes or so, we were driving through San Carlos when we received a phone call from President Mortensen, counselor to President Monahan.  He wanted to talk about a couple things he needed us to do soon, oddly enough, in San Carlos and Bayambang.  I told him we were in San Carlos right then, and he asked if we'd stop and pick up a key from the Bayambang zone leaders.  Tony and I had both forgotten until that moment that the Bayambang ZL's actually live in San Carlos!  We would've continued driving right through and on down to Bayambang -- much farther -- had it not been for this reminder!  We considered that phone call to be very providential, but it got even better.

We called the zone leaders to ask where we might meet them, to give them the mail we'd brought.  That's when we found out that they were at the hospital, in the ER!  Elder Adams, who had just been transferred there that day, had been hit by a trike (a motorcycle with a sidecar) and sustained several minor injuries.  We found the hospital and went into the ER and there lay poor Elder Adams.  He'd been hit dead-on by the sidecar of a trike, knocked down and dragged a bit, stopping just short of hitting a wall.  He had cuts requiring stitches in both hands, abrasions to his forehead and one leg, and the other ankle was badly sprained.  His white shirt was spattered with blood and one shoulder of his shirt was shredded.  He'd given his tie to his companion, who had used his own tie to bind one of Elder Adams' bleeding hands.  But he was in good spirits - - well, he was on pain meds - - and he was released soon after we got there.  So we were able to take them home to their apartment and get him settled in.

Also, the sister of the trike driver was there and she rode with us.  Since Elder Adams was incapacitated and couldn't go to the police station, his companion went to file the report, and she went with him.  The driver was being held there and would not be released until one of the elders went in and gave his report.  Elder Adams had thought for just a minute about filing a claim against this driver, but pretty quickly decided he wouldn't.  His sister said he had high blood pressure and was sometimes dizzy.  He probably shouldn't be driving, but it's undoubtedly how he supports his family.

A trike

What a humbling and gratifying experience it is, when you find that the Lord has arranged situations and influenced decisions to put you where He needs you to be at a given time and place.  It would've been difficult for the elders to get home on their own.  Few people own cars here, and he couldn't have walked.  Getting into a trike to ride home would've been hard.  We're just grateful that we were on hand to help out.

It also was a testimony to us to see how our missionaries are protected.  Even when something bad happens, the Lord provides for their needs.  There were police nearby, who got an ambulance there quickly, and church members who arranged for Elder Adams to be given a priesthood blessing.  And we were right there to provide a ride home and a little support in getting settled - - all little 'tender mercies' that made this tough experience a bit easier.  

Things had not gone according to our plan that day, but the Lord's plan was so much better!  And we did drive home in the dark.  And we made it, just fine.  : )