final post on blog spot
I have had such a hard time even getting on this blog to make a new post and it is almost impossible to add a image to my post, that I am changing to a new blob called word press  .To get on to my blog go in to
robertmcphie.wordpress .com  It is so much easier to use and I can put images on so easy that I am going to change. Ann wont  have to hear to hear me moan and grown every time I try to post something.

                                             so  so long blog spot

day trip to Intramuros in Manila

On June 17th we took a day trip to Intramuros it is oldest district and historic core of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, known as the walled city, the original fortified city of Manila was the seat of the Spanish government during the Spanish colonial period. The walled part of Manila was called intramuros which is Latin for "within the walls"; districts beyond the walls were referred as the extramuros of Manila meaning "outside the walls"
Construction of the defensive walls was started by the Spanish colonial government in the late 16th century to protect the city from foreign invasions The walled city was originally located along the shores of the Manila Bay,south of the entrance to Pasig River. Guarding the old city is Fort Santiago, its citadel located at the mouth of the river. Land reclamations  during the early 20th century subsequently obscured  the wall and fort from the bay.
Intramuros was heavily damaged during the battle to recapture the city from the Japanese Imperial Army during the second world war.
Reconstruction of the wall was started in 1951 when Interamuros was declared a national Historical Monument
We enjoyed touring around Intermuros riding around the streets in horse drawn carriages
We then went to the Manila hotel for lunch it was very nice it is a luxurious hotel with gorgeous furnishings and spacious areas The dinner was very good Ann had a burger and I had a club sandwich but some of the other missionaries had salmon steak dinners and others had some real nice dinner plates . this is the hotel where General Douglas McArthur stayed when he was in Manila. we took a lot of pictures in his apartment and around the hotel I hope that I can put them on this blog                

On May 27 we went to a fancy restaurant called the Shangalaw to celebrate Ann's and sister Nicholson's and sister Wong's birthday. It was also the Wong's thirty third wedding anniversary.Brother Wong is a councilor in the temple presidency and sister Wong is a assistant matron.We were all excited to have a night out on the town the Wongs were especially excited. The restaurant is part of the hotel the entrance to the hotel is furnished beautifully with flower arraignments on beautiful cherry wood tables and beautiful carpeted floors and gorges girls and handsome men waiting to help you. you can see through the large windows out into the garden area and the pool. It is hard to belive that you stepped out of the busy streets of manila into this quite beautiful area. We chose to go to the buffet their was all kinds of food fillipino and american and every thing in between and it was displayed beautifully. We all had more to eat than we should. all and all it was a real nice evening

me and Ann Nicholson's Wong's 

 

fruit display 

entrance to court yard

pool area

bell hop girl at hotel entrance

brother and sister Wong

entrance to buffet area 

pictures of things on our way to church

 WE go to the Marikina first ward every Sunday in the Provident village and we have been passing some things that I thought I would like a picture of so I took a picture of a fire tree and a little street store I will try to add some more pictures later. I also took a picture of a fire tree here at the temple and a banana tree that is just outside the temple fence.

fire tree in back of the gazebo at the temple

banana tree just out side the temple fence

fire tree on Saint Mary street

little street store on Saint Mary street

Don Henrico's resturant with president Wong and sis Wong and missionary couples

May 6 2013

We went to a place called Don Henrico's in the green hills mall with President Wong he is the first councilor in the Temple presidency it was fun to be there with all of the senior missionary couples and President and sister Wong. The dinner wasn't all that good it was a buffet with dishes of fried chicken and BBQ chicken and green salad and spaghetti and fettuccine, rice ,pizza , nachos with cheese and potato wedges it was a all you can eat buffet for 360 pesos each which is about $ 8.80 dollars After dinner we split up president Wong and sister Wong and the couples that are on the early  shift left all except brother and sister Bush and those of us who are on the midday shift. Ann and me  brother and sister Larsen and brother and sister Gozart  and brother and sister Pitts,  We stayed and shopped in the mall there is all kinds of things to look at clothing shoes, pearls, knock off Rolex watches, purses and jewelry just to name a few things. We shopped for about a hour and a half. Ann bought a red top but most of the things the sisters looked at was made very cheaply. Ann has wanted to go there for a long time but she was disappointed so we probably wont go there to shop again

bro &sis Nickolson bro & sis Larsen Ann  bro & sis Ciriako bro & sis Gozart 

buffet table

President Wong and sister Wong  

view of the upper floor of Green Hills mall

view looking down into the mall area

Green Hills shopping center parking area

a group picture taken in the parking lot just before entering the mall 

same picture but a little better photo of the  group

the Bush's the Barfuss's the Pitts  and the Wongs

Today is Sunday April 28   This past week has been a busy week just about all o the sessions have been full to capacity the endowment rooms only hold 25 people but most of the time they bring in some extra chairs so most of the sessions have been with 28 people a couple of the sessions had 30 which is a no no with this Temple president. We had a lot of own endowments and a lot of husband and wife temple sealings so the work here in the Philippines is progressing well .We had people that came from Cambodia and some people from Indonesia They stayed in the patron housing and kept us busy doing initiatory work and endowments and baptisms. They stayed for the full week doing all the temple work that they could because it is so expensive for them to get to a Temple. To day being Sunday we went to our ward it is in Marikina city in Provident village. As usual we couldn't understand much of what was said in sacrament meeting  but our Sunday school class was better and priesthood class was very good. After our class let out there was a young lady came up to a group of us I could tell that she was very upset but she was talking in tagalog so I had no idea what the problem was one brother told her to go see the Bishop she left for a while then returned still very upset so I asked one of the missionaries to translate for me she had a sick child that needed medicine or some thing and as I understand she went to her mother in law for help but she said that she didn't care about her child. and she broke down and cried. I found out that she needed 276 peso that is only about $7.00 in  Us money I had three one hundred peso bills in my wallet so I gave it to her.she took it and headed back up to the main part of the village in a big hurry. I hope that I did the right thing.The young missionaries that are assigned to our ward are so great they line up every Sunday to greet every body as they enter the chapel they are assigned to speak in Sacrament meeting every once in a while you can feel there spirit but they speak in tagalog so we don't understand them. I am going to see if this blog will letl me put some pictures on to night  

missionaries in front of marikina  ward chapel

two of our missionaries with little girl

Bob & Ann Roy & Amy Bush  Jerry & Loraine Hawkes 

sisters preparing plates for temple wprkers

On Monday April 22 2013 the temple couples missionaries did a service project the sisters baked cookies and made spaghetti and salad and some Filipino dishes that I can't spell. Our first councilor in the temple presidency brother Wong cooked chicken for all the workers we pitched  in to purchase the chicken. Then for desert our Temple president and his wife (brother and sister Cuyong ) bought and dished out ice cream. before they started to eat we had a prayer on the food by one of the workers. then Brother Ciriako welcomed them there (I didn't know that some of the grounds workers and a few of the others were not members of the church ) but he knew and among other things he said he told them that it wasn't by accident that they were working on the sacred facilities of the church and he encouraged them to find out more about the church he said other things that impressed me I hope that it also touched them. They ate to there hearts content. then sister Flor the temple secretary had them play a game. She is very funny and it was fun to watch them try to do the actions that she had them doing. The Filipinos love to participate in sing or acting or what ever. We were happy that every thing turned out so well.After we cleaned up every thing we went to S&R to do our shopping then on the way back to the temple we stopped at Shop Wise a store on C5 to get me some shoe inserts I tried them out to day in the Temple for about eight hours I thought my feet was going to fall off I hope I can get used to them. I will try to add some pictures later.

workers eating dinner

Faith Ciriako putting salad on plates

Nomar with temple engineers eating dinner

Ann getting cookies ready for the temple workers to take home 

eating dinner

cookies bags ready for workers to take home

sister Cuyong helping prepare dinner