Getting to know the area

We had two separate trips into Cebu this week for various purposes. It's through these little excursions that we are learning our way around. The first was Tuesday evening when we rode with President and Sister Tanner to the Cebu Mission office. The office is right in the heart of Cebu City in the same complex as the temple and several other buildings and offices. We won't know until we try, but it is possible that we could find our way there again.  If we get turned around we wouldn't be the first missionaries to be lost temporarily directionally confused here.

Then on Wednesday Elder McNett rode with the Assistants and Sister Tanner into Cebu again. On the way we dropped off the President's car to have a tire repaired - at Goodyear no less - then stopped at a bank in Mandaue (between Lilo-an where the office is and Cebu City) to pick up checks to give to landlords for missionary housing. We then went to the office of one of the ferry lines here to buy tickets for President and Sister Tanner to travel with their vehicle to the island of Bohol on Friday.  These tickets must be purchased in person up to three days in advance and only one of the current assistants knew where the ticket office is. We arrived at the ticket office at 12:30 PM to find that it was closed until 1:00 for lunch, so we ran to a nearby store selling baking supplies to get some things for the mission home and then back to the ticket office.

The process of buying ferry tickets included getting the ticket for the vehicle and one passenger at one window and then waiting at another window to buy a ticket for the second passenger. We needed the first ticket to be able to buy the second. This took about an hour. We then traveled back to where we left the President's vehicle and then back to the office. Now there are four of us who know where the ferry ticket office is. The reason it was important that we go in person to the ticket office is because even knowing the approximate location it would be very easy to drive right by and not recognize it.

 

Onward to Christmas

Mission office during the Holidays

Now that Thanksgiving is over Christmas is right around the corner.  Our mission is gathering this week to watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional on Wednesday evening and then hold a Christmas Conference on Thursday. This will be the first time since we've been here that the whole mission has been together.
 

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Lilo-an zone.

Here is our zone. From left to right, front to back are Sisters Fernandez, Chand, Tubola, Orzal, Huxtable, and Cook and Elders Laga'aia, Cordova, Saluta, Sombilla, Jimenez, and Head. What an awesome group. If you look close you can see Sister McNett and I standing directly behind the camera.