It's a Girl....

In the words of Missionary Madi "What is President thinking". She is now a trainer/mama and met her new anak (not sure if this word means baby or trainee) her name is Sister Adasme from Iowa. Missionary Madi and Sister Adasme have a lot in common they are both twins and were both born in October. Missionary Madi will be a great trainer and I think her baby as she calls her is lucky to have such a fun loving trainer. Missionary Madi is working hard to set a good example and teach her new companion how blessed they will be if they are obedient.

Missionary Madi Trainer Mama meets Sister Adasme baby

Missionary Madi would not be living up to her reputation if she did not include a little harmless fun. Apparently there is a river or stream that she was required to cross that in her mind was almost swimming. She was super excited as you can see. She is working to learn her new area so she does not get her and her baby lost.

Super Excited to start working in her new area and super nervous all at the same time!

Almost Swimming!

Anyone up for a little hoop!

GOODBYE MATALOM HELL-O ORMOC

Missionary Madi had a big week. Wednesday she was told she would be transferred she was sad to have to pack up and move and leave all of the members in Matalom. She has loved the area and will miss the jungle life. She was not excited about all the work it would take to pack up all of her belongings and move to a new area, where all is strange and new again. She states that Ormoc is a large city and she does not love that. I think she had become accustomed to her simple lifestyle living a stones throw from the ocean. I think she was more concerned about the travel to her new city as motion sickness seems to get the best of her each time she travels. On a positive note she is pretty sure we will be able to fine Ormoc on Google Earth which she feels should give us some comfort.

All Packed for Transfer

New Apartment

Biggest Church in the Philippines

Missionary Madi finds it strange to now have a bishop and not just a president. It will be fun to see how things function in the city compared to the country. She is adapting well. She spoke in church on Sunday which she said was not bad as she typically speaks in sacrament and then teaches the other meetings as well. They are putting all of that talkative energy to good use.

Flowers For Mama

Missionary Madi sent these just for her mama. Her mama loves flowers so she thought she would share some of the incredible flowers she sees everyday! No one else even needs to look at them because she knew they would make her mama smile and that is all that matters! She was RIGHT!

I CAN GO DAYS WITHOUT TALKING TO YOU, MONTHS WITHOUT SEEING YOU, BUT NOT A SECOND GOES BY THAT I DON'T THINK ABOUT YOU.

Buong - Insane Crazy

Missionary Madi never communicates with us without making us laugh. She is a little, OK a lot irreverent. But she stays true to who she is. There is always some silly antic that she is up too. She said she learned something this week:
Huya - means crazy Buong - means insane crazy - So don't call people the second one.

Eek! She Probably Did!

Missionary Graffiti

The Kids obviously love the Missionaries!

These Two Elders just completed their two year service. Apparently everyone teases Missionary Madi that she going to marry Elder Libre the Filipino Elder! Whew! Good thing it was time for him to go home.

The on going joke has been the many times that she has been called an Elder rather than the correct and appropriate title of Sister. So now she tells us the Elders have decided to start up a branch basketball team and of course decided that her and Sister Campbell need to be a part of it. Missionary Madi probably only agreed to play as long as she got jersey NUMBER 13 (TSwift Shout Out!).

Number 13 is a Baller!

Represent! That is what Missionary Madi Does!

Sister Kramer & Ryan Solante (I think) ^_^

Vampire Sister Diaries....

Mission Tour

Missionary Madi was able to attend Mission Tour with Elder Teh a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. She thought he was awesome and was super excited to meet him until he asked her to speak during the tour. You do not need to be around Missionary Madi long before you see the fire and energy that she exudes. You cannot blame the man for wanting her to share her spirit and enthusiasm with all.

Mission Tour with Elder & Sister Teh

Elder Michael John U. Teh 

First Quorum of the Seventy

Elder Michael John U. Teh was called to serve as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on March 31, 2007, at age 41. He served previously as a member of the Third and Eighth Quorums of the Seventy in the Philippines Area. As an Area Seventy, he also served as second counselor in the Philippines Area Presidency. Elder Teh is currently serving as president of the Philippines Area.

Prior to his call as a General Authority, Elder Teh served in numerous callings, including full-time missionary in the Philippines Davao Mission, bishop’s counselor, bishop, stake president’s counselor, high councilor, and mission president’s counselor.

Elder Teh received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and majored in management at De La Salle University. At the time of his call to full-time Church service, he was employed as the recorder of the Manila Philippines Temple.

Elder Michael John Uy Teh was born in Davao City, Davao Del Sur, Philippines in June 1965. He married Grace May Weedon in December 1989. They are the parents of three children and reside in Manila Philippines.

Moments of Insanity

Thug Life

Cheese!

Not really sure but I think it has something to do with her fancy umbrella!

So proud for her life time achievement of using up her first full tube of chap stick!

Happy

The one constant is the smile on this Sister Missionary's face. I love seeing her with the people of the Philippines and seeing the love in her eyes for them. 

 When you cannot love someone, look into that person's eyes long enough to find the hidden rudiments of the child of god in him.

 

 

Happy Independance Day JULY 4TH

Missionary Madi's favorite holiday is JULY 4TH! Even in the absence of parades, picnics and fireworks she honored the holiday in Missionary Madi Style!

Happy America Day!

Red, White & Filipino Blue!

Baptism in the Ocean

Missionary Madi was blessed and thankful to witness another baptism. She is always excited when they can perform the baptism in the ocean. The tide was low so they had to walk a ways out to reach deeper water but otherwise it was perfect!

Sister Nida Lina is baptized in the ocean

Obedience brings blessings, but obedience with exactness brings miracles.

There were many who came out to support and witness Sister Lina's baptism

Sisters

Tick, spider or crab looking thing. Yuck! Not edible by American standards

Both have spread their wings and shown their beauty!

Small World

We decided to host a family from Illinois John & Cari Alms who had a wedding at the Salt Lake Temple this month. We were surprised to fine out that the groom Aaron Alms served a mission in the Philippines and knew Sister Sevilla. Missionary Madi's first companion. The brides parents Florante G. & Maryville B. Mendez were from the Philippines and came over to our home to help prepare the flowers for their daughter Abegail's wedding the following day on Monday, July 1. The groom and bride met while Elder Alms served in the Philippines. They asked where Missionary Madi was serving when I told them that she was in Matalom. Sister Mendez then said to her husband "I wonder if she knows Sister Lourdes Sevilla?" I knew that name for sure and told them she was Missionary Madi's first companion. I then showed them pictures of Sister Sevilla to show them we were speaking of the same person. They are close family friends of Sister Sevilla's family. The bride Abegail Mendez served her mission at Salt Lake Temple Square. It is amazing what a small world. Missionary Madi says that Sister Sevilla had actually shown her pictures of Elder Alms and thought he was a handsome American guy.

Mendez/Alms/Kramer Families connect!

The Kramers' will always appreciate the wonderful bond that Sister Sevilla and Sister Kramer had. Sister Sevilla made the transition to the Filipino culture a fun and pleasant experience for Missionary Madi. There was lots of fun and laughter shared between the two of them.

Fun Loving, Silly, Sister Missionaries

Daily Life of a Filipino Missionary

Missionary Madi shows us with her pictures the beauty that surrounds her in the Philippines and then with a snap of a photo lens she shows us the simplistic life that she now lives and thrives within.

 Hardships often prepare ordinary people 

for extraordinary Destiny 

- C.S.Lewis

Puppy Love!

Missionary Madi was considered Twin B during gestation

Luxury Accommodations!

I find her Simply Amazing!

Time Flies

Big week for Missionary Madi! She has been serving her mission for five months. We cannot believe that it has been five months already, yet so long since we have seen our girl. She is incredible. We are amazed at her enthusiasm to teach the gospel and live in a place where her circumstances are so different from what she has always known. She constantly looks for the positive in her experiences and she delights us with her spin on her life in the Philippines. The fact that her only focus is sharing the saviors love with everyone she meets, seems to overshadow any of the trials and struggles that must come with living a very humble lifestyle.

Five Months  - Shout out from the Philippines!
 She has insects, huge spiders, lizards, snakes, cockroaches, mice and bats attempting to share her living quarters. She does her laundry by hand in two buckets. She cooks her own food and on Sundays her and her companion make Spaghetti so they feel like they have a little piece of home. Most importantly she does all of this with that smile on her face!

Kramer/Koelliker Love

Missionary Madi will  be able to share mission stories with her favorite guy who is also now an Elder. Elder Braden Clark Koelliker had his mission farewell on June 30 (her 5 month anniversary) and entered the Mission Training Center in Provo, Utah on July 3. He will serve in the Knoxville, Tennessee Mission. All of the Kramers' will miss him.

However like Missionary Madi we will Love, Miss and Support him for the next two years.

Missionary Madi seems to get to spend a lot of time at the Monkey Caves. It must be a fun destination for the missionaries on their Preparation Days. We love receiving pictures of Missionary Madi it helps us not be as lonesome for her. She truly is an inspiration to us all.

Missionary Madi Monkey Caves

She is truly Batty!

Jane of the Filipino Jungle!