When we went home a month ago for a few days, it meant that we needed to say goodbye all over again to grandchildren, which was not easy, but it wasn't as bad this time because we know we can do it! We have figured out how to keep in touch even though we are miles apart, and we know the Lord is strengthening and blessing our family while we serve.

 

Journal entry, June 2025:

I have never relied on the Atonement more than this week! We are facing the impossible and we are doing the best we can. God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost and angels on both side of the veil are helping us. I accomplish three things and five are added to my list. There are forms to fill out, boxes to pack, mountains of things to read, lessons for the MTC to prepare, and on and on. I am so tired! I haven't been sleeping well. Friends and family are being very supportive. I realize what an encouraging quote, prayer, text, or hug means. I pray for strength, a good attitude, faith and patience. It will be a miracle if we can pull this off! (We were blessed to make it to the MTC twelve days after being called).

Journal entry, June 2026:

This mission provides time for reflection and repentance. A cleansing and rebuilding can take place if I allow it. My flaws and weaknesses are more evident, and I have come to realize more fully my dependence on the Savior. This is a good time for me to step back and really think about who I am and where I am headed or turned. Where is my head and where is my heart? Do I tell the people in my life who mean the most to me that I love them? Do I reach out with love and concern? Am I selfish? Am I proud? Am I negligent of things I should be doing? Are the most important things and people getting the most time? What does God really mean to me? Am I able to sacrifice everything for Him and the gospel?

Happiness is three different zone conference choirs at three different days of multi-zone conferences. These pictures were taken while the choirs were rehearsing. First a piece has to be chosen, and then an instrumentalist is asked to accompany the choir (one instrumentalist for each day/location), and then a group of vocalists is chosen (out of the many volunteers) to sing one verse together before the choir joins in. The numbers amazingly come together in short rehearsals before each zone conference begins. these are not stellar, polished, four-part numbers, but they are beautiful nonetheless.

The missionaries love to perform and be a part of things and I love to hear them sing!

 

One of the happiest things we did this week was to find a Mexican restaurant and go to dinner with many other senior missionaries. Several of these missionaries work in the mission office and their help is needed and appreciated every day. We don't know what we would do without them. One couple came to the Philippines to serve at the education center and they are witnessing the growth of the Pathway program. Another couple flies from island to island organizing humanitarian service projects. The final couple serves as MLS missionaries and are living a couple of hours south of Cebu City, helping to build up a small branch. We have come together here in Cebu with a common purpose, to build the kingdom of God. We feel great love and admiration for the people in this picture!

Mexican food is rare here, so this restaurant was a great find! Even if I had just partaken the chips and guac, I would have left happy.

 

Matthew and I have to be careful about what we do for missionaries, because word gets around and they post pictures and look at each other's pictures. We love doing things for them, but we need to be fair and cautious, so we are sometimes secretive. 

But once in awhile a situation presents itself and I cave. On Sunday night, these two marvelous sisters were studying scriptures on the temple grounds. They can do that because they live close by. Matthew was traveling home from a meeting and I was taking a Sunday night stroll and saw them. We visited and I offered to make them a fruit smoothie which they were grateful for. I love these two because they have both overcome challenging situations at home, and yet they glow. They are valiant and determined. 

It is the talking with individuals that I enjoy the most. 

What I learned from Elder Jackson and his wife Ann:

Enthusiasm is contagious! They came to visit our mission and it was evident that they were excited about missionary work, and the excitement was catching.

They were ideal house guests in that they would help themselves to food, as I had invited them to do. I needed to leave early each morning to get things set up and they were on their own for breakfasts, but they got out what they needed.

They showed genuine interest in each missionary. They spent an hour each day greeting and visiting with every single missionary.

They showed support of Matthew and I and our ideas and inspiration.

What marvelous stories and life experiences they shared!

They taught gospel truths along with specific tools which would help the missionaries.

They have a broad knowledge of people and customs, having lived all over the world.

They are committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and desire to serve the Savior all of their days.

 

 

At 5:30 in the morning, these two elders woke up to water up to their ankles on their apartment fllor. Typhoon Tino had hit and their neighborhood and street were flooding. Within a half hour, they were standing on their desks and the water was up to their waists and rising. They had been told by a well-meaning individual to stay in their apartment because the flood waters would carry them away, but they knew they needed to get out of their apartment. They broke open a window and swam out. Somehow they climbed up an outer wall and got on their roof, and then walked across rooftops until they were invited into a woman's balcony. I have video footage of them on the balcony with the flood waters down below. The waters carried parked cars down the street and piled them on top of each other. We feel God's hand in their escape!

Though saddened that many of their belongings were carried down stream or are now completely covered in mud, they salvaged what they could from their apartment. We offered our power hose to them and they spent many hours in the front yard hosing off their items. It was our pleasure to offer them a few meals, laundry soap, and listening ears.

Imagine our surprise when they showed up at the house this week with flowers for us and a thank you card for helping them through their ordeal. How can they think outward when they have been dealt such a blow? They are amazing men! I admire their patience and faith. I admire the way they have handled this. They are trying to be optimistic. They are heroes to me.

 

We were handed a surprise today and the contents of the bag made us very happy. A sister missionary who had served her mission in Cebu finished last week, but she did not fly home because her parents were coming to get her, but for some reason they did not come until today. The sister missionary and her parents came to a church building where we were having a meeting, and we stepped out of the meeting to greet them and tell them what a wonderful daughter they had. The mother of the sister missionary handed me a bag and told me it was from our family!  What?! How could that be? Somehow this mother had tracked down one of our children and told him that they were traveling to Cebu and would he like to send something to us. He gathered cards and notes from the grandkids and filled the bag with things like Trader Joes chocolate almonds, powdered sugar, and coconut, all items that are hard, if not impossible to find here. What joy! We were blessed by the thoughtfulness of others.

 

I appreciated something specific that happened this week. This little miracle began several weeks ago when I was doing video apartment inspections. As I looked around at the apartment of four sisters and we discussed the supplies they already had, and supplies that needed to be added to the apartment, the sisters requested a bookcase to hold their study books and also copies of the Book of Mormon which they pass out. I searched different stores and found a bookcase which I purchased for them and put in my garage, along with other supplies they requested/needed. The sisters were able to take the other purchased supplies home with them when they came into the city on bus or taxi, but they could never fit the bookcase. This week we had interviews with the missionaries in their area and I thought, "If we are going to be near their apartment, let's take the bookcase in the back of our car and drop it off at their apartment on our way to interviews."

Getting to the missionary apartments is like finding your way through a maze. Most of the time Google Maps gets us there, but a couple of days ago when we were trying to find this sister's apartment, we wound around narrow streets and finally came to a small pedestrian bridge which we could not drive over. We had to back up, call the sisters for help, and approach the apartment a different way. We never would have found the apartment on our own. Thank goodness it was daylight and the sisters could help direct us.

Fast forward to today when an emergency transfer had to happen in the mission. There are 48 apartments in the mission and lo and behold, the emergency transfer involved sisters in that very apartment. As we drove to the apartment again today and the sun was setting, we knew the way and found the apartment without trouble, which was a blessing because this time it was important and time-sensitive.

I think you probably have to be here to imagine the maze of narrow streets and the difficulty of getting around in a vehicle on some of those streets. It is not fun and not safe to be lost or turned around in the mazes, especially in the dark. We are thankful for safety in each and every one of our trips, errands, transfers, deliveries, and rides. We are thankful for a God that looks out for his missionaries. Because we happened to deliver a bookcase to an apartment on Wednesday, we knew the way today:)

 

We are at a training seminar for all of the mission leaders in the Philippines. It is our pleasure and blessing to be staying at a nice hotel. Amidst the hours of formal training, we were given a "free" afternoon today. What a treat it was to sit on this beautiful deck, look out at the ocean, and take time for personal study. There was actually a bit of a breeze which made the heat bearable. I read these words written by John Greenleaf Whittier, and I loved them:

Yet, in the maddening maze of things,

And tossed by storm and flood,

To one fixed trust my spirit clings.

I know that God is good!

Yes, He is good! The pace of life sometimes feels like a maddening maze, and I am tossed about by earthquakes, displaced missionaries, and a flood of responsibilities. Yet, I have a fixed trust in God, and my spirit clings to the testimony I have of His goodness, His strength, His mercy, and the power He bestows on each of us as we strive to keep our covenants.

For he [God] has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being. Blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land (Alma 26: 35, 36).

 

Sometimes mission miracles are large and sometimes they are small, but I appreciate them all. There are many elders in our mission who barely have enough clothing to get by. We have been working on quietly (and individually) supplying them with white shirts and ties, but they are left to find pants on their own. Pants are easier to come by. The missionaries can sometimes find pants at thrift stores, but fresh white shirts are hard to find. At a recent mission conference, a sister told me that an elder sitting across from her had a hole in his pants. This elder was only in the city that day, and would be going back to his assigned area later. I knew that someone (I don't remember who) had given me two new pairs of pants and told me to give them to an elder. I went to my mission supply cupboard and put the two pairs of pants in a bag. When an opportunity arose, I spoke with the elder and asked him if he would like to try on a couple pairs of pants. He was delighted to try them on. I told him that the size may not be right, and to our great surprise the size on the pants was exactly what he needed. How can that be? How can I not remember from what source I received the pants? Whoever gave them to me was directed! They were exactly the size that the elder needed, and he was happy to receive them! I am amazed at the goodness of God.

 

 

You can get to this pretty mall in less than ten minutes from our house.  I really like the outdoor terrace section of the mall. There is a large array of stores and restaurants in the mall. Two things happened this week at the mall that made me feel like I was losing my mind. One day Matthew and I parked in the underground parking garage. We took a different elevator to the parking garage than we had when we came up from the garage.  I did not think this would be a problem because we remembered we were parked in the J8 section, and we could just find the letters/numbers to find our section and spot. We were carrying heavy grocery bags because we did some grocery shopping while at the mall, and we had purchased a couple of reams of paper from the paper store. When we exited the elevator into the parking garage we noticed we were in the D section and it felt like it was 110 degrees. We walked from D to E, then F and G and then a parking garage exit appeared. But wait, where was section J? We knew we were on the correct parking garage floor, and that we had parked in J8. We went back to the elevator lugging our heavy sacks and asked a security attendant where section J was. He said simply, "J is by A." Oh, well! We didn't know! How would we know that J would be by A!?

Another day, a senior missionary and I went to the mall to purchase supplies for missionary apartments, and we ended up with a large cart of items. We entered an elevator and told the elevator attendant that we needed parking garage level B1. I noticed as the elevator stopped on each floor that the red-numbered signage in the elevator did not match the signage on the wall of the floor just outside of the elevator. Sure enough, when the elevator stopped, the red numbers in the elevator read B2, and we reminded the attendant that we needed floor B1, and she said, "B1 is B2." 

I am so confused and I feel like I am really dumb. I am learning to smile, nod, and just go with it.

 

Perhaps the most shocking revelation I have had since moving to a different country, is that having clean water throughout my life was a blessing I totally took for granted. For 61 years I drank water freely from the tap, I washed my clothes and bathed myself in it. I rinsed food, washed babies, washed my hands and poured cup after cup of it for satisfying consumption. I never realized what a blessing it was to have clean water! Now I am see the effects of water that is not clean. Missionaries have skin issues. They tell me they itch after showering. They have sores that won't heal and get infected, and I realize that I see only what is what is happening on the outside of their bodies. Yet, the missionaries are blessed and they are careful, and they continue to serve.

I asked a missionary about his apartment this week and he showed me around via video. We went over the supplies he should have in his apartment and after talking with him, I know he and his companion need: a toilet seat for the toilet, a new can opener, a small frying pan, two dish towels, and a vegetable peeler.  At the end of our interview I asked, "Elder K., are there any issues in your apartment that we did not talk about?" 

He paused and thought, then replied, "There are little red worms in our water." 

"What?"

He and his companion laughed. "There are. We can see them."

"I had no idea! I am so sorry! We need to find you a new apartment!"

"It's okay Sister Clarke. We are kind of used to them now. Whatever you think is best for the work."

I can't get Elder K. and his companion out of my mind. I thought about driving to his area this week and searching for a new apartment, and then I wondered if the situation would be the same in the new apartment. I can't fix everything here, though I want to. I can't solve every problem and make things all better. There are basic things like clean water that I would really love to provide for every missionary! We provide blue jugs of drinking water, but what they wash their clothes in and bathe in is a different story.

I love Elder K.'s humility. He is willing to stay in that apartment if it is best for the work. Wow.

These two missionaries have taught me about love this week. They just met three weeks ago and became companions. One sister became ill and needed to be hospitalized, and the other has been there for her companion day after day. Today we asked each sister, independent of the other, if she needed a break from her companion and the answer was an adamant "No!" We offered to take the companion that is not ill to an area where she could be with other sister missionaries, but she declined saying she felt like she needed to stay with her companion to help and support her. 

I think they will remember this time forever because it has not been an easy time, yet they are doing personal and companionship study every day in the hospital room, and they are making the best of a tough situation. They are showing love for one another in an amazing way.

Charity suffereth long and is kind... (Moroni 7:45)

 

We drove from Cebu across the island for a double-zone conference in Toledo. After the conference, we had some interviews, then we dropped the assistants off at an apartment of missionaries where they were spending the night, and then we drove to our hotel. The security guard would not let us in. Even after we showed him our confirmation code, he would not let us in. We found out that the hotel had been booked for the wrong night, and we were out of luck. There was a large golf tournament happening the next day at the resort, so all of the rooms were booked. Oh my! What were we to do? This is not Utah where you drive down I-15 and see multiple options. It was dark and we were in an unfamiliar place. The security guard recommended a place to us and we drove there. It looked completely dead and dark with no lights on and the office locked.  Matthew walked around the hotel property and found some people in the pool who directed him as to where he could find the woman in charge. She took one look at Matthew and said that she most certainly did not have a room with a bed that would fit him. She recommended another place to us, so we set out again to find it. It was down an alley; we pulled in and parked. Matthew inquired about a room and he was shown a sample room. It was a small room with no frills, no hot water, a bucket and a ladle in the shower area, and a foam pad instead of a mattress, but we took it. We had been praying that we could find a clean room to spend the night somewhere and the Lord directed us. 

Maybe you have heard the story about the man who is in a flood. He is stranded on a rooftop and prays to God for help, asking God to save him directly. A small boat comes by and the occupant of the boat yells to the stranded man, offering him a ride. The man declines and explains that he is waiting for the answer to prayer that he had requested. This is kind of how we felt. We had been praying to find a place to stay once we knew our reservation was not valid. The hotel room which we found was not a fancy room, but it was adequate. We slept well and cleaned ourselves off in the morning and were able to arrive at the church a little early for interviews. This was a special miracle for us because we knew of no other options in the town we were in. God led us to the people who could direct us to the hotel that had a room for us.

There is a missionary in our mission who spends two days a week helping with housing. He is marvelous because he can talk to the landlords in Cebuano about apartments that need repairs. Some missions have a senior couple who helps with housing, but ours does not. Every week there is a list of supplies that need to be purchased for the apartments. I am not complaining because I know we are not alone in this endeavor. Missions all over the world deal with housing demands for missionaries. With fifty apartments spread out through the island, it is tough to keep up on all of the supplies needed and issues. Take for instance this picture.

Two elders complained of rats in their apartment, and it is no surprise when I see the size of the hole in the door. The landlord has not been responsive about fixing the hole so we must find a new apartment for the missionaries to live in. But when will I have time this week to look for a new apartment? We have zone conferences on two days, and then we will be out of town interviewing missionaries in the northern part of the island. I advised the missionaries to ask the members of the ward they attended today for apartment leads. I will pray that we receive direction as to how to solve this issue.

But then, when my head and heart are heavy with issues, I think of the happy times I have had this week. Here is a picture of the three tallest sisters in the mission, and they are currently in a companionship threesome! Aren't they amazing?

I fight an inner battle every day of going from feeling fearful and overwhelmed, to feeling faith and confidence that things will somehow work out. I don't want to suffer through this assignment. I don't want to grit my teeth and get by. I want to find joy in it. I want to enjoy the journey. It's a lot and I am being stretched. Perhaps it is good that there is more to be done than I can possibly do, because then I find myself reaching out to the Savior, grasping for help and He rescues me. I know we can't do this without Him!

There is so much to say about this amazing woman! Her name is Kimber and she is serving with her husband here in the Cebu, Philippines mission. I call her "extra-mile Kimber," because she finds things to do in many areas and many ways to brighten the lives of the missionaries. We had a Mission Leader Conference this past week and she made a french toast breakfast for the 26 missionaries, including a variety of homemade syrups. She and her husband help with purchasing supplies, running the English Connect program, and so much more. We get to enjoy them for a few more months before they finish their mission. Kimber is a cheerful contributor and a bright light!

 

 It is 3:59 a.m. and the phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Hello Sister Clarke. This is Sister V. I'm worried about my companion."

"What is happening with your companion?"

"She has a really bad stomachache and she is crying."

"Has she thrown up?"

"No, she hasn't, but she feels like it is coming soon."

"Her stomach will probably keep hurting for a while, and then she will throw up and feel a little better. You are nice to care about her and help her through this. I will call you in a few hours and check on her."

"Thank you Sister Clarke. Sorry to wake you."

This call happened five times last week, two calls coming in during the night. I told the missionaries at zone conference to call me before they went to the hospital, so I am happy they are calling, but it is difficult for me to get back to sleep after their calls.

The most blessed news in the whole world is that a sister has been called to serve in the Cebu, Philippines mission starting in September, 2025 as a MISSION NURSE. Wonderful! I am not a nurse or a doctor, but am only pretending to be.

Yesterday at church we met a sister who has lived here in the Philippines along with in Seattle, Washington. She is familiar with both countries and cultures. She gave us marvelous advice. She said,

"Embrace the humidity. Embrace the people. Embrace the country. Embrace everything about here."

We are learning to not point out what is different here than in the United States, or what is lacking, or what is not as good. We are not above or better than anyone else. It is frustrating and of no worth to dwell on the differences. We are learning to find the beauty and to find the good. We shouldn't come here and try to change the country or their way of living. We must meet the people where they are and live as they do. We are guests and we are blessed to be here. There is so much good here!

One of the favorite parts of my week was watching the missionaries compete in the "Mango Relay." They could not touch the mango with their hands, but had to use plastic spoons to transport the mango from one side of the gym to the other. They then passed the mango to their teammate who ran it back across the gym to the next teammate, and so on. They laughed as they raced. In their hurry, some missionaries collided with other missionaries, and mangos were dropped along the way (much to the delight of the crowd). Other missionaries cheered on the competitors, waiting for their turn to compete. The upper picture shows the winning team from the Friday Zone Conference (three zones), and the lower picture is the winning team from the Thursday Zone Conference (three zones). We felt the Spirit at zone conference, we felt united, and we had fun too.