Ward Women's Conference

Saturday we had Makati Fourth Ward Women's Conference, from 9-1 at the bishop's house. We spent the first thirty minutes putting together lap games for hospitalized children, to help with the Young Women's Camp service project.  They are going down to Bago, and area hurt badly by the typhoon, and will be giving the games to children in hospitals there. Then we had classes on Homemaking for Gypsies, Raising Stripling Warriors, Strengthening Marriage, and Staying in Contact with Far-Flung Families.

I may have mentioned before that our ward is largely expatriates. If you can speak Tagalog, you are not supposed to be in that ward.  English is spoken as the common language among visitors and immigrants from all over the world, but largely Asia and the South Pacific. The woman giving the Homemaking for Gypsies classes is getting ready to make her eighth international move! Her husband has been living in Malaysia for the last five years, and commuting on weekends, and now, she and the kids are moving back.  We have people from the Area Offices, lots of missionaries, and lots of international businessmen and their families. One family is native Filipino but have lived in the US so long that their children don't speak Tagalog, so they come to the International Ward so their kids will understand.

Carey says my blog is like a restaurant review--I guess it is! But we broke between lessons for fruit and veggie snacks, cheese and crackers. Then after those classes, the bishop, who had just come in on the red-eye from Jakarta, and his wife, who is in the RS Presidency, gave the final class on building a Christ-centered home, and as one method, writing a family mission statement. We then broke for a lovely assigned potluck lunch.  The bishop works sort-of with the foreign service, and must entertain often, so they live in a beautiful, large home that is perfect for events such as this. Camella could have her piano recitals in such a home! Sister Bohn leads a girls' choir there and had their performance in her large entertaining room.

David came to get me and we, after getting onto the wrong part of the road and taking a 30-minute detour, went to a beautiful Philippine Handcraft store called Balikbayan Handcrafts, and bought a few items.  I feel sure we'll stop there before coming home!