KIDS: ARE YOU ALIVE? DAD: YES WE STILL HAVE A PULSE!

January 20

We’re okay but have our heads down, still trying to get our feet on the ground.  My big challenge is to learn the four, two hours each, Career Workshops.  Teaching this week started on Tuesday morning as I taught Module I on “My Goals” (a two hour session), followed by sitting in on Module II in the afternoon as an observer to see how it is done.  Then yesterday I sat in on two, two hour sessions (Modules III-IV).   Noami Ortega (a non-member volunteer) taught Module II, LA Dionaldo (Human Resources person with Xlibris*, I believe she is a non-member) taught Module III, then Bishop Eurwin  Abanggan taught Module IV.  I continue to be impressed by the quality of persons at teaching stations, both at the Ward Level, but also at the ERC.

Maybe this is no big deal or overkill, but I’m pushing to use PowerPoint, and I have a pretty credible presentation so far for Module I and draft form Modules II-IV.  I plan to do the same thing for the Self-Employment workshop.  I have also been working on my 15 minute presentation (using PowerPoint) to the Rotary Club next week (Thursday) at noon time, title “The Colorful World of Business Appraisal.”  I will tell the story about Anna Nicole Smith v. Pierce Marshall court case where I worked with HSSK (Houston appraisal firm) on this.  Apparently the shakers and movers, business owners, of Cebu belong to this forum, so it is a unique opportunity.  I also may be speaking to the Toastmasters Club, referred by Bishop Abanggan sometime in the future if he will follow-up on a discussion I had with him yesterday. 

Later this morning we will be attending a Zone Conference with the Mission President (Parke Hansen and wife Barbara) and full-time missionaries.  From other senior couple missionaries, this is basically a chat session with the missionaries about keeping the mission rules. 

We have sort of settled down to dealing okay with driving and have not yet been tested to drive to some unfamiliar location…probably will soon.  I continue each day to do my 3 mile walk.  There is a “reasonably” nice gated community close by our apartment or I go the Fitness First and do 53 minutes on the tread mill.

This weekend, Cebu will be visited by Sister Silvia H. Allred, first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency from Salt Lake.  Bev has been asked to prepare “American” sandwiches for this traveling party.   That actually is not that easy to do as the prepared meats here are not exactly U.S. standard for taste and appearance.