You Can Never Go Home (Actually, You Can!)

We just returned from Bacolod, where we spent the weekend shopping, having the oil changed in the mission van, and joining in with the National Family Week activities hosted by the Bago Stake. (National Family Week is a yearly event in the Philippines that started thirty-two years ago through the efforts of then-President Fidel Ramos, and the Church sponsors stake-level events all over the country.) Bago is the city I lived in for nine months during 1976 and many of the families we baptized are still in the area.

Sister Cutler and I were asked to speak at the stake devotional (actually, I was, but she wound up on the program and you can see her accepting a certificate of appreciation in the photo on the left) and then we spent the afternoon driving around my old teaching areas, which were the three small towns south of Bago: Mabini, Pulupandan, and Valladolid.

I can't say that nothing's changed in the forty-nine years since I left, because it has changed, and dramatically so. However, everything felt like home, especially Mabini, which I've dreamed of returning to (literally dreamed of, as in I've had dreams where I just stepped off the Ceres bus along the highway that runs through Mabini, perhaps in front of the Elefante's house or near a pakwan (watermelon) stand).

Here is a picture of the Elefante's house. Three of the four children still live there because they've built separate houses on the property, which they call the Elefante compound. We were invited for dinner and had such a nice time reminiscing and looking at photos of members and missionaries from long ago. Irving Elefante, the only boy, is a High Councilor in the Bago Stake, while Ivie is married to a former counselor in the Philippines Bacolod Mission. Ione is also very active in the church and has five children and many grandchildren.

Here we are in their backyard courtyard after dinner on Saturday night. Left to right are President Guevarra, with his wife Ivie, Irving Elefante, Brother Siosan, with his wife Ione, me, and Sister Cutler. Their parents have passed away, as have most of the parents of the families we baptized during my first mission to the Philippines. At the time their family was baptized Ivie was 16, Irving was 11, and Ione was 14, if I have my numbers correct. Not pictured is Irma, who now lives in California.

To the right is a picture of the Gelvezon's house. The shiny aluminum shutter on the left is dropped down because we'd just come from the Family Week activities and their small, family-run convenience store (called a sari-sari store or tindahan) was closed for the day. Like many Filipinos, they sell snacks, soft drinks, canned goods, toiletries, and other essentials out of their home. From left to right are Dymphna, me, Sister Cutler, Gerlie, and Daisy. Dymphna was 22 when their family was baptized in 1976, while Gerlie was 16, and Daisy was 9. Not pictured is Mario, although he's been in other photos posted on this blog.

To the left is a picture of the De Los Santos home. In the middle is Judith De Los Santos Pampliega, who is married to the Bago Stake President, Rogelio Pampliega, so it should probably be called the Pampliega home, even though it's on the same site as the old De Los Santos home. To Judith's right is one of her brothers, although since there were eleven children in their family, I can't remember his name right now. It could be Samson or Roland. The De Los Santos boys were all tall and handsome, that much I do remember!

Another picture with the Gelvezon and De Los Santos families is to the right. It was taken across the street from the maternity clinic where Joy De Los Santos works (Joy is between Sister Cutler and Judith Pampliega) and it shows the open spaces of Mabini just like I remember them. Daisy and Gerlie Gelvezon are standing on the left side in the picture.

I better include a picture of a pakwan stand, although there weren't as many open during our visit because watermelons aren't in season right now. 

Here is a photo I took in 1976 along the same stretch of road running through Mabini.

We also visited Pulupandan. To the right is a picture of Sister Cutler, with Sister Yee on her right. I'm so sorry that I don't remember the name of the sister on the left, but she kindly bought us peanuts and snacks for our drive back to the hotel in Bacolod. They are gazing across the ocean at Crocodile Island, so named because it looks like a crocodile, with its snout to the left and its body trailing off to the right.

On Sunday we attended church in Valladolid and just prior to the meeting I was asked to be the final speaker on the program. Vickie decided to sit with me on the stand, next to the bishop and his counselors. When the bishop introduced the program, he said that Sister Cutler would also be speaking, and I wish I had recorded her talk. It was beautiful, heartfelt, and very touching. After church we drove back to Bacolod and stopped to take a picture of the Bacolod Temple, which is nearing completion. I don't know if it will be finished by the time we leave the Philippines in late 2025 (the interior of a temple takes a very long time to complete, so don't let the exterior progress tell you otherwise), but that would be a wonderful way to wind things up.

We plan to return to the Mabini, Pulupandan, and Valladolid a few more times during our mission. The people there (and I only mentioned a few) are dear to my heart and I will never forget them.