Visit to the Philippines MTC

I am visiting the Philippines MTC this week. In this artist rendition, the building at the front is the current building with one wing that is one floor and the second wing three floors. The three buildings behind are currently under construction.

This MTC provides training primarily for missionaries called to serve from the Philippines in the Philippines. However, it also provides training for missionaries from surrounding Asian countries (Cambodia, Thailand, Taiwan, Mongolia, Indonesia, India, Pakaistan, Srilanka, etc.). The missionaries here are from Mongolia) These missionareis would have no MTC experience otherwise.

Like at some other MTCs, missionaries at the Philippiles MTC respond to requests to "chat" from non members who while learning about the Church on Mormon.org ask to chat with a member to learn more. These missionareis are in the middle of chatting.

These missionaries just arrived. They are from Taiwan. The one furthest forward and on the left is 6'9"

The three elders at the bottom of the picture who are surrounding a computer monitor deeply engaged in a chat with "Patty" are from Pakistan, India and India (Left to right)

Most missionaries have not received all of the required immunozations before arriving and get them while they are here. Cookie Monster seems to help.

This a the water treatment plant on the site where we are expanding the MTC. If you look closely you can see a yellow hard hat down there. I was thinking, "what if these dirst wall collapse?"

In the foreground is part of the construction project for the MTC expansion. In the background is the skyline of metro Manila.

On the day I visited the construction site there were, are you ready, 236 people working on the site. Here are a few of them.

The unskilled laborers earn $6 per day.

This is one of the three new buildings going up as part of the expansion. We will take the MTC maximun capacity from a tight 80 to a comfortable 140 with room to grow to 280 when needed.

Just like at all MTCs, missionaries get time almost everyday to exercise. We find fewer emotional and physical problems if they get to exercise. The older man in the grey T shirt is the MTC president out mixing it up.

If you though the 6'9" elder from Taiwan was big, check this out. Elder Biscocho from the Philippines and assigned to serve in the Philippines is 7'9". Do you think he might stand out here?

I found this friend just out side the room I was staying in. He is about 2 1/2 inches long and really creepy!

This is Elder Bicosho's district. It included the first ever senior missionary couple to be trained at the Philippines MTC.

This is Elder Dass now serving in Malaysia. I wish I could share with you all of a letter he recently sent to the Philippines MTC president including his encounter with a 12 foot long King Cobra on a dirt path he and his companion were riding their bikes on and their visit to the hut of a "retired" head hunter who showed them his room of trophies (dozens of skulls and about 12 swords with human hair still stuck to the blades). He said that when the retired head hunter had one of the swords in his hands he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.