Appliance Delivery
Tuesday we headed for Munoz to meet the delivery of new appliances and bed for the new Senior couple house. Normally the drive takes 45 minutes but on this day, they were pouring concrete to widen the road through Talvera. Of course the Redi-Mix truck just stops in the lane, maneuvers and blocks both lanes while it unloads. In the meantime, traffic on both side gets antsy and soon the 2 lane road with shoulders is 4 lanes of stalled cars all heading in the same direction. When the truck finishes the pour, no one can continue in either direction because there is no open lanes. So a 45 minute drive became 2 1/2 hours. Since the appliance delivery was going up the same road, we knew that they would be delayed as well.
Soon 2 trikes arrived. One trike carried the queen size mattress, box spring, frame and headboard strapped on top. The other had the refrigerator, stove and washer...plus wife and a 9 month old baby along for the rider.
These hard working delivery guys spend 4 hours round trip for a P 300 delivery charge. That's about $3 each. Since it was lunch time by then, they each received a significant tip on top of their fee.
Kalikid Branch Family Celebration
Friday night Kalidid Branch hosted a family celebration to wrap up Family Week. Elder and Sister Dansie were the featured "lesson." But since it was really a party, we made the lesson fun.
First we talked about how every member of the family had a different responsibility and when we work together, the family makes beautiful music. Only a few had ever head "row, row, row you boat," but they caught onto the round first tray and made beautiful music.
Next we talked about how your family is always there for you even if you are not sitting next to them. So we played musical chairs to mix thing up quickly. The circle started with 50+ chairs and we but that to one in about 8 rounds of pulling 4 or 5 chairs each round. That American game was new to everyone.
They played more games for a while then the traditional dinner was ready. The Relief Society had been outside cooking all kind of good food on charcoal grills and propane stoves. The Relief Society knows how to put on a good feed everywhere you go.
This was a traditional "family dinner." First the tables were setup outside and covered with plastic. Then a layer of banana leaves. Down the middle was a huge stripe of rice piled high. Every couple fee was a char grilled munk fish (whole of course.) In between was piles of vegetables and a dish made with veggies and chicken. And salted hard boiled eggs sprinkled throughout.
Everyone lines up on each side of the table and eats with fingers. We didn't get in place fast enough so we grabbed a bowl with noodles and butted in here and there to grab some veggies and fish. They brough us both a plastic spoon as well. Just like home, the food was gone in 10 minutes and the table changed from a showpiece to a disaster. After a couple people gathered up the key scraps into plastic bags to take home to their dogs. A quick roll up of the banana leaves and the party was over.
In Between
The rest of the week was filled with the normal routine--shopping and making some apartment repairs. Sister Dansie has had a cold and so while she slept all afternoon, Elder Dansie went visiting with the Kalikid Missionaries. It's a wonderful experience to go out with them and meet so many nice people who are looking for the Gospel and the joy it brings.
One family we visited lives in Fort Magsaysay and about 8 Kilometers from the Church. They expressed their difficulty in getting to Church regularly because with their family of 7 and no vehicle, it costs them more than P 600 to ride a Jeepnee to church and back. That may not sound like much money but in Philippine buying power that would be about $50 a week to get to Church. These rural branches face tremendouse transportation challenges. On Sunday tha parking lot will have maybe 2-3 cars, 5-6 Trikes and everyone else walked a long ways or hired a ride.
