Twenty five years!

Yesterday, October 8th, was my 25th anniversary of going into the MTC as a "Lady Missionary with an Additional Assignment in Welfare Services." Wow, it hardly seems possible, but that was a great time, tremendously influential for me. 

MTC - with Dad, Grandma H & Michael, roommates, our district all going
to the Philippines, and my family at the airport (minus my missionary brother, Eric).

I began my mission in the Philippines Davao Mission, (I think there were six missions at the time, now there are around 15!) I ended my mission in a newly formed mission, the Philippines Cagayan de Oro Mission. I had the first three Filipino Mission Presidents, President Reynaldo Vergara, President Jovencio Illagan, President Rufino Villanueva. (The first went home after I'd been out six months, then they divided the mission just a few months before I left.)

MTC "batchmates" (a Filipino missionaries' term,)
near the end of our mission. I got to have five of them as companions,
and all as roommates. Thanks for your influence - I love you sisters!
Sunny Bilodeau, Melinda Fietkau, Beverly Knox, Becky Helsing, Angela Curtis, Kadeen Lewis, Susan Howlett

Fellow missionaries were some of the dearest treasures of the mission. I learned so very much from them, and loved them all so much. The members were wonderful too, and as a missionary with additional assignment in welfare services, we worked with the members a lot.  I did have three baptisms while out there, but they practically converted themselves; if you know anything about Filipinos, that's not surprising!

A small collage of a wonderful 1 1/2 years in the Philippines as a missionary.
(Sister Lewis and I were greenie-companions together when we arrived!)

I am truly grateful for the opportunity that I had to serve a mission for

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

It was an honor to serve Him who makes all my happiness possible, 

by serving with and for some of the dearest people on Earth.