A Few Unexpected Days in Manila - Week 82. Serving in Laoag

The following is a series of emails received from Elder Dustan the first few days in the Missionary Recovery Center:

 I got to Manila around 12:30 and then got picked up and brought straight to the MRC (Missionary Recovery Center). They told me that they will take me to the hospital tomorrow.

So I am sitting here with a huge Tongan Elder and the brother of one of the missionaries currently assigned in Piddig right by Vintar. He is assigned to the Baguio mission.

A woman who works with the missionaries here just came in and introduced herself to me. She said, "Well Elder, it looks like you've got some feet problems."... man, my feet are fine but I will now be very self conscious about them! (we all wear tsinelas - flip flops - here).

Next day...

Hey kamaganaks. So I went to St. Luke's today and met with a doctor. He was way cool. So he hawakan'd my injury. Then he told me that what I need is rest (which I didn't get in Laoag because I honestly rested for a few hours and then went to work again which I think made it worse). So I am going to stay here until it is better - about 1-3 weeks. He gave me two kinds of pills.
 I love you. Get back to you soon.
Elder Dustan

I got to go to the temple yesterday which was way cool. It's sweet doing endowments for Filipinos. I also did TRC stuff. I got taught 4 times. The first two times I was a timid middle aged man who has a Word of Wisdom problem. The next two times I was a wealthy attorney. Both times I was a referral. It's so fun working in the TRC so I asked if I could do it again and they said I could go back on Saturday.

There are 5 of us here right now. Elder L, who is from San Diego and part Tongan (he is about to go home on medical release), then Elder V from New Zealand. He's Samoan. He has a nasty infection on the back of his neck. Then there is a return-missionary, Brother L who is here for a check up with something I don't know. Then there is Sister F who is from the Angeles mission.  The brother of one of our missionaries in Laoag was here till yesterday but he got picked up by his family. He was a nice guy.

There is a missionary couple here from Calgary that take care of us - the F's. They are very kind to us. We play cards with them every night after dinner. It's nice to be in a family environment. I got to play Monopoly, which no one ever plays with me! That was nice.

Anyways... that's pretty much it. I feel like Tatay P in his rest home. I love you guys.
Elder Dustan

Hey guys, I don't really have a whole lot to tell you. Not a whole lot has happened since I last emailed you.  We are to wake up at 6:30. Breakfast is at 7:30 which is prepared for us by sister D, a small Filipina lady.  She loves the missionaries and calls us her children. I wish you could meet her she is sooooo funny. The F's help too. We have a spiritual thought before we leave the breakfast table and then we are to study. Lunch is at 12. After that, there's not much to do until 6 when we have dinner. After dinner Elder and Sister F come and play cards with us until bed time. Sometimes I feel like I have been confined to an old folks home.

On Saturday, one of the missionaries had an appointment and we all went with him and then went to the American World War 2 cemetery. I got lots of photos. It was really great to see. In these huge rooms they have plaques on the walls that draw out exactly what happened in each battle in the Pacific. I got a photo of each.

Yesterday we went to the stake center here as it was stake conference. It was at the biggest chapel in the Philippines - three stories high!

I just read the transfer list this morning and I am still in the office. Elder T was
transferred to Narvacan and Elder I will replace him in the office with elder S, Elder K and I. I will have an appointment some time this week and then I can hopefully go back to Laoag.  

Love you
Elder Dustan