Training and Visit to Manila

We've been visiting different missionary Districts training the missionaries on a new approach for inviting less active members back to church.  It involves using pedigree charts and teaching the less active members how they can do temple work for their ancestors.

Here we are in the Fairview Zone teaching the Alma District.  We like team teaching and going to visit the different parts of the mission. 

 Afterwards we had the afternoon free and decided to go see some sights in Manila.  We went to the Ayala Museum located in the financial district of Manila.  It was 12 miles away, but took us over 2 hours to get there.  The museum had four floors.  No pictures were allowed except for the second floor.  The top floor had all the gold and porcelain artifacts.  The third floor had art work.

 The second floor had dioramas showing the history of the Philippines.  It was very interesting.  Here are some of the early ships they used for sailing between the islands.

 A primitive village from the early history of the Philippine Islands.

 A rally during the revolt against the Spanish colonizers.

 The Bataan Death March during World War II.  The Japanese forced their captured American and Filipino solders to march from the Bataan Peninsula to the concentration camp.  Thousands died on the death march.  They were given very little food or water and it was very hot.  If you stopped or fell you were bayonetted.

 The museum was in the financial district of Manila called Makata City.  It's a modern part of the Philippines that is quite a contrast from the parts of the Philippines where we are assigned.

 Hard Rock Cafe in the midst of skyscrappers.  We ate dinner at an Australian Outback restaurant.

 There were expensive high fashion stores like you might see in many large American cities.

Take a look at this long line of people waiting to catch a bus or jeepney home after work.  We had to stay in the city until after 7pm because our car was coded for that day and could not be on the road between 7am and 10am or between 3pm and 7pm. (the last number of your license plate determines which day you can not drive in the Manila Metro area.)  We have a "4", and "3"s and "4"s are coded for Tuesdays.  Of course our training days are on Tuesdays, so we go to the city very early.  We can leave by 2pm and probably get out of the city by three or we can find something to do and stay until after 7pm.  Traffic is pretty bad at that time and it took us 3 hours to drive home. It took a little less than 2 hours to get to the area of the city where we were teaching.