Pay it Forward - What a concept!

Are you interested in paying forward a small part of the blessings and help you have received in your life?  We have developed a program you may want to consider supporting.

Over the past 4 months, we have had a life-changing experience. Our church has a pilot program where we have been helping young missionaries from the Lagos, Nigeria mission transition into the next steps of their lives.

 

With a one-time $350.00 (or smaller) donation, you will enable one returned missionary to achieve educational or occupational goals that will be life-changing.  

Please read below to see how easy it is for you to have a huge impact on someone who has just finished 18 or 24 months of dedicated voluntary service in sharing the gospel and now desperately wants to improve their own situation.

Our goal is to provide assistance to the 80 missionaries who will return from the Lagos, Nigeria mission during the 1-year duration of our assignment.  We want to do this in such a way so that these 80 will then be able to benefit 80 more missionaries who come home 2 to 3 years later. 

Some facts about the young people we work with:

1) The church is growing rapidly in Africa and all the missionaries we work with are native to Africa with home countries in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria.

2) Many of the missionaries are the only members of their families and consequently don't have the benefit of the help afforded to most missionaries making this transition.

3) Almost all of these missionaries face difficult economic situations when they return home.  Some aren't sure where they will live.  One of our missionaries had been living in a room that is now a chicken coup. 

4) The church has many online programs such as BYU Pathway that can provide educational opportunities, but these missionaries don't have access to a computer to take advantage of these educational resources.

5) Many of them would like to learn a trade but can't pay the fee for this training. One of the zone leaders we worked with couldn't find work for several weeks.  Finally, he found a job that paid $3 per day.  Another got a job as a cashier that paid $2 per day.

6) A few of them had to leave school after 6th grade to work to help support their families.

7) Without viable employment the possibility for marriage is limited due to cultural customs. 

This might sound pretty bleak but the upside is that a relatively small amount of money can have a huge impact on these returned missionaries' lives and their future families.   

$350 is enough for you to help purchase a laptop which is the major resource needed to pursue a college education.  

$350 is enough for you to pay for a 1-year program to get a certificate as a welder or to pay for training and a sewing machine to become a tailor/seamstress or other similar trade.

Your donation will absolutely be the enabling force to changing a young person's life for the better and we would like to invite you to join us in this effort.

We have started two programs:

Laptop Scholarship Program

We can pay for the first 10 laptops for this program but the need is 4 times greater than this as we want to provide an opportunity for at least 40 of these return missionaries to develop their educational potential.   With your help, we hope to be able to bless many more returned missionaries who have a dream of obtaining a college degree and pursue professional careers.  They want to become accountants, hospital managers, human resource officers, software engineers, IT  professionals, and business owners.    This will help them provide for their future families and also be in a position to provide service and leadership in the church going forward.  Recipients will pledge to donate back into the Laptop fund when they are financially able.

From left to right:  David Peter, Pamela Muntia, Precious Momoh, and Ubong John.  They want to take BYU Pathway classes to pursue professional careers but are not be able to without a laptop.   They (and several others) hope to be awarded a laptop via the Laptop Scholarship Program so they can start classes in January.

Pay it Forward Occupational Training Grant

About half of the missionaries we work with want to learning a trade but would need to save for two to three years before they would be able to pay the fees.  So far we have funded grants to 4 returned missionaries and plan to do 6 more ourselves.  With your help, we hope to provide 40 grants.  These grants are set up as a loan with the recipient paying for a future returned missionaries' training once they are making sufficient income who would then pay it forward in a similar manner.  Each Pay It Forward Occupational Training Grant has the potential to bless the lives of many returned missionaries via this Pay It Forward approach. 

From left to right: 

Williams Lavalie, from Sierra Leone, started his welding training in September and will finish in one year. 

Udeme Sunday, from Nigeria, and is training to be a seamstress.

Esther Livingston, from Liberia, is get training as a baker and pastry maker with plans to start her own business. 

Onyinyechi Monday, from Nigeria, was able to pay for her own training as a seamstress but now has the funds to purchase the required sewing machine.  

Our goal is to ensure each of the 80 missionaries returning during our term of service has an opportunity to pursue further education via Pathways or to get the occupational training that they need to be able to reach their potential, become self-sufficient, and be in a position to bless others.  Your help can make this possible.  These 80 will then provide means for the next 80 from their mission via the Pay it Forward principle. (the "next 80" will be those who come home 2 to 3 years after them)

We recently received this photo and note from Prosperity Peter of Nigeria, our first laptop recipient, after he attended his first BYU Pathway class: 

"Good evening Elder and Sister Phillips.  We just had our first Pathway Gathering today.  It was a unique experience.  I am also enrolled and am attending institute classes too. Thanks so much, I deeply appreciate all your earnest efforts for me."

If you are in a position to make a $350 or a smaller donation please contact us and we can provide you more information.  Contributions can be tax-deductible. 

For more details:

• Review our FAQ for donors google doc including how to make a contribution.
• Visit the Pay it Forward Lagos RM Facebook Group announcement page for terms and conditions.
• Visit the Pay It Forward Lagos RM Facebook Group for current postings.   
• Email payitforward.lagos.rm@gmail.com  
• Text Merritt @ +1 505 401 1499

Thank you for considering partnering with us, to give these returned missionaries the opportunity to reach their educational and occupational goals.  

* These programs are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

April 2021 to August 2021 - Utah, Fair Oaks, Utah and Ecuador (finally!)

We have been down in Ecuador for 4 weeks now and it has definitely been worth the wait.  We first started planning coming here in 2010 when Merritt started researching places for our planned early retirement.    We have been having a great time as you can see from this photo of Merritt doing some cannoning in Baños de Agua Santa. 

But before we get carried away with Ecuador we need to go back and do some updates from April when we returned to Salt Lake City from Mexico.

We got back to Salt Lake City just in time for two things.   The first and most important was the baptism of our second oldest granddaughter Mary.   Due to COVID her baptism was a bit different but actually it allowed her parents to organize the meeting just for her which was nice.  It was also nice to be the grandparents and be able to just sit back and enjoy the occasion.   Here she is, quite the jewel isn't she?

The second thing we were able to do was get vaccinated for COVID.  This sure made us feel better about spending extended time with Heather's father, Ted, in California.

We originally only planned to be in California for a few weeks and then head to Ecuador but when it became apparent that Ted was needing more help than usual we decided to postpone our trip for a few months so we could help organize (along with Heather's sisters) his move to an assisted living facility in Draper Utah.   

While we where there we enjoyed being able to attend church back in the same building that we both grew up attending.

Ted as been like  second father to Merritt and we enjoyed being able to help him out now that he is nearly 90.   He is an amazing man who lived through WW II as a young boy in the Netherlands then immigrated to the USA in time to serve in the Korean War.  He met Heather's mom when he was still planning to build a cabin in the mountains and spend all his time huntin' and fishin'.   All we can say, and he agrees, marrying Emma was the best decision of his life.  

Here is Ted in his younger days.  I am sure his Dutch relatives couldn't believe he had gone to the US and become a cowboy, just like in the movies. 

Nowadays he spends less time on a horse and more time playing dominos!  Speaking of which we enjoyed playing with him nearly every night. 

While we were there in Fair Oaks we heard about a super bloom of lupin flowers near Folsom Lake which was just a few miles away.  We went early in the morning to avoid the crowds and met even people who had driven up from as far away as the Bay Area to see it for themselves.  It certainly was beautiful.

Also Merritt got to get in a lot of tennis with his tennis buddy Vince and others.

He also did a lot of bike riding sometimes on his own, sometimes with his brother-in-law Brian and sometimes with his siblings.

We went for walks together nearly every morning often finding ourselves down by the Old Fair Oaks bridge. 

Before he left for Utah we had to make one last trip down to the American River with Ted.

Moving Ted's things and some of our own things was a bit of a process and we were grateful that Sloane and Mike came out from Boston to help us.   On June 21st we got the old U-Haul loaded up and off we went to Utah. 

The next 3 weeks were kind of a blur but the first thing we did was to go and see our newest granddaughter Golda.  She is pretty perfect! 

After that we focused on getting Ted situated into his new apartment and even got in some domino games to make sure he felt at home.

We had a chance to meet up in Provo with some of our friends from the Balkans.

While we were in Utah we got to attend Golda's blessing.  Jon and Lochlan are awesome parents who are thoughtful enough to coordinate their dress to match their daughters name. (we must have been thinking they were going to name her Violet). 

Because we delayed our trip Merritt was able to attend the Durtschi Family Reunion in Teton Valley, Idaho for all the decedents of his maternal grandparents.   Heather stayed home to rest but two of our daughters families also made the trip.  Here is Madison and her oldest, Holland, at the sand dunes outside of St. Anthony, Idaho.

And here is the whole crew of four of Merritt's siblings and their kids/grandkids that made the trip.   The next day, at the official re-union  there were about 200 in attendance. 

Nothing like running down a sand dune to make you feel young again!   It helps if you can stay on your feet! 

Merritt got back from Idaho just in time to pack for Ecuador, a hop to Dallas, then a skip to Miami, and a jump to Quito and then a bus ride to Baños de Agua Santa over a two day period found us in a magical valley surrounded by water falls and great little restaurants where we could relax and play cards and eat magnificent hamburgers. 

After we got a bit recovered from our travel Merritt signed up to go ziplining and cannoning.  The ziplining took about 2 hours to complete 6 runs.  Photos don't do ziplining justice so click here for a video from the last run.   The next day he did cannoning which was even more fun.  Here Merritt is at the bottom of one of the waterfalls they descended on ropes.

 Click here for a video of how Merritt got to the bottom of these falls.

From Baños de Agua Santa we took a 4 hour bus ride to Tena and then a taxi to the Banana Lodge on the banks of the Misahualli River which is one of the headwaters for the Amazon.  We took a fascinating all day tour down the river where we got to see how the indigenous people who have lived here for centuries live.  They still mine gold from the banks of this river (especially after storms that bring more gold down from the mountains). 

The next day we went back into Tena and set up a rafting trip on the Jutan Yuca River.  It was a lot of fun even though we did get soaked going through the rapids. 

After 10 days in the mountains and the jungle we took a 7 hour bus ride to Cuenca where we plan to stay until we leave for the Galapagos and then Quito in early October.

One of the first things we did here was to get our hair cut.   Back in 1999 we were on a train in the south of Thailand and Heather saw some female Buddhist monks who had shaved their heads.  Ever since then she has been wanting to try that look.  We decided now would be a good time to do it.  If she doesn't like it, it will have a chance to grow out before we head back to the states.  It turns out Heather really likes it! 

Cuenca is a beautiful colonial city built by the Spanish upon ancient Incan ruins.  One of the most beautiful buildings is the New Cathedral that was started in 1885 and only completed in 1975.  The domes are covered with ceramic tiles that were manufactured in the Czech Republic.   

We always like to try new things when we travel.   Merritt was talking to a shop keeper when this man with his goats came through the market place.  The shop keeper said he was selling fresh (and we mean very fresh) goat milk and that we should give it a try.  Merritt was game and reported it was nice and warm and sweet.  

We are very grateful for the fact that our children as self sufficient enough to allow us to run off and be irresponsible grandparents during this time in our life.  We were also very fortunate that through proper financial planning that we were able to retire early so that we could be spending each making that day the BEST DAY POSSIBLE.  

About three months ago we got involved in a new program to assist missionaries in Lagos, Nigeria.  We will make a post about that in the near future. 

December 2020 to March 2021 - Mazatlán and we bought a Condo.

In early December we said good-bye to our daughters, son-in-laws and grandkids in Utah to make our third visit to Mazatlán, Mexico.   Because of COVID we wore masks anytime we were in close proximity to others.  

Our flight was delayed out of SLC so we missed our connecting flight in Phoenix.  The airline put us up overnight which gave us the opportunity to see Merritt's brother, Dean, at a restaurant near the airport.  It's always nice to be able to make lemonade out of lemons.  

The next day we made it to the condo we would rent for the next 3 months.  It was located about 5 blocks from the beach but also (almost as convenient) it was just across the street form a large grocery store and several good restaurants.   The five minute walk to the beach was nice but even nicer was being able to walk across the street and pick up bananas or other groceries we needed or just choose to have someone else cook dinner tonight. 

One of the things we like most about Mazatlán is the 3 mile long Malecon (boardwalk) that runs along the main beach.  It is very wide and also has a separate lane for cyclists, skateboarders and rollerblade and scooter folks.  We started nearly everyday with a 45 minute walk down to the Central Historic District for breakfast and sometimes went for another long walk in the evening. 

The day after arrival we found the local clinic (which happened to be right around the corner) and got tested for COVID, after we got our negative results we felt comfortable going out to outdoor restaurants etc.   

One of the first things we did afterwards was meet up with our friends Karla and Monica on the roof top of Totem (one of our favorite places) for lunch.  Monica was nice enough to keep some things for us from last year and also arranged for Merritt to borrow a bike during our stay.  They both speak English well and both had COVID previously so we could take our masks off while we ate lunch.  Later during our stay we had Christmas dinner with Monica and her family. 

Nearly everyday we found something new during our walk along the Malecon.  Sometimes it was a colorful fishing boat with Merritt's mom and our grand daughters name on it. 

Sometimes it was a beautiful sunset. 

Sometimes it was an open air aerobics class. (these ladies are there every morning doing there exercises).

Sometimes it was lifeguards gathering to get ready for their regular certification swim.  Right after this photo was taken someone said "Go!" (or at least the Spanish version of that) and they all ran into the ocean for a timed swim out to a buoy and back. 

Sometimes it was amazing artwork on a building.

And if you happen to spend enough time taking photos of the art,  the artist invites you in to see the rest of his home.  You can tell he's an artist by the color of his pants.  He was such a nice guy, we really wish our Spanish would have been good enough to have a real conversation.

Sometimes was some parasailers.  We spent many afternoons watching people having fun doing this but never got around to doing it ourselves, even though the owner, Cha Cha offered us a special price.  Maybe next year, Cha Cha!

And sometimes it was a Helium blimp, which happened to be in town due to the Caribbean World Series that was being played in Mazatlán during our stay.  They built a brand new baseball stadium 2 years ago and we understand it's quite a party to attend a game there.  Another thing to put on the list for next year.

The Malecon has commemorative statues about every 300 yards.  The dolphin statue is one of our favorites.  There are also lots of mermaid statues but since this is a rated "G" blog we won't be posting those photos.

We also like the statue of Pedro Infante (Mexico's version of John Wayne) on a Harley.

And the Fernado Valades Lejarza statue (famous singer, pianist and composer) who performed regularly in Mazatlán in the 60's.

Something about Mazatlán makes you carefree enough to not even feel silly posing for these fun photos.  Maybe it's the food.  My favorite hamburger place is El Punto, which was just a block from where we stayed.  You can see why in the photos below.  This thing tasted so good! 

Since we were there during Christmas we got to enjoy the decorations that the city put up around Plaza Machado (the main plaza in the Central Historic District). 

And take advantage of the decorative booth that was set up for selfie photos.

Another thing we always enjoy in Mazatlán is the children at the breach, sometimes they are there to play with their families, like this cute kid at the end of a long day of fun. 

And sometimes they are working to help support their families, like this girl who we bought several bracelets from.  I like to think she is going to be successful in her life because she definitely knows how to work.

Of course Merritt did bring his tennis gear and made some more tennis buddies at the local club where he bought a month to month membership.  He hopes to meet up with them again next year.

One unusual thing we did was see the doctor.  Merritt had his 10 year colonoscope checkup which came out all clear. 

 And Heather after suffering some strange intermittent stomach cramps, had her gallbladder removed.  It looks like Heather enjoyed her hospital visit more than Merritt did. 

Her surgery was done at the private Sharps Hospital which as been serving the people of Mazatlán for 20 years.  Since it is a private hospital, Heather got the VIP treatment at a fraction of the cost of this type of surgery in the States.  We hope our insurance company appreciates that. (They did reimburse us for the entire bill). 

Heather's doctors must have done an amazing job because just a couple weeks later she was out ready to do some exercises at the public gym.

During the last week of our stay Merritt's sister Holly came down for a visit.  It was fun to show her around town and take her to some of our favorite places.  Because of COVID we mainly took Uber's instead of the buses. 

She got here just in time for Mango Season, so of course we had to get them several times from my favorite mango seller near Zaragoza Plaza.   You can't beat the price, about 50 cents per pound and you definitely can't beat the taste of fresh tree ripened Mangos. 

And of course Merritt had to introduce her to the tennis club where they played a couple of hours nearly everyday. 

And we both got to introduce her to the beach.

And to our favorite Gelato shop.

Mazatlán has been growing quite a bit since we first came down in 2017.   Here is one of the new 20 story condo's that was recently finished just across the street from the Malecon and looks out on the Pacific.  Merritt counted 23 new projects either finished since 2017, currently under construction or announced to soon start construction.   We have thought and talked quite a bit about getting a condo in Mazatlán so we did spend quite a bit of time researching them and yes, Merritt did make a spreadsheet!

We talked to some local friends who recommended an excellent realtor, Fabian Taylor who speaks excellent English and is very familiar with the beach front condo properties.   During our first meeting he took us through every Condo from Valentino's on the North to Olas Altas on the South and because Merritt was already familiar with most of them from his spreadsheet we were able to narrow it down to 3 developments pretty quickly.   

Condo's that were finished or nearly finished had very few openings and none that were above the 10th floor (below the 10th floor you are prone to hear a lot of the road noise and have less of a view).   Condo's that were just announced wouldn't be finished for 2 to 3 years and we didn't want to wait that long.   Merritt also wanted to get a condo that had a pool, gym and garden space on the roof top (again to get away from road noise and have access to 360 degree views.   We talked to the construction companies of two of these and soon settled on Catania, a 20 story tower that had a 19th floor Condo available and will have a roof top pool, gym and garden space.  Our new home should be ready about January 2022.   

On Merritt's visit they actually let him and Fabian go up to the 19th floor to check out the view, after that we were sold. Definitely not OSHA safe, you can see the Malecon and blue bike lane between the main road and the beach.  At this height you can barely hear the traffic.

Here we are signing the purchase offer which was accepted after some back and forth on some special features we wanted to have added and after we had it reviewed by an attorney.  

We have been getting monthly video updates on the building progress.  Here is the link if you would like to view the most recent one.

Catania progress April 2021

Things look to be on track for us to be able to move in when we visit Mazatlán next winter so we can get more of this. (Chocolate Mint Milkshake at Totem)

More of this (Merritt definitely wants to learn to surf).

More of this (one of our favorite places to come for a lemonade and to play cards)

 More of this (Fantastic French Toast and Yogurt Drink)

More of this (one of our other favorite places to play cards)

More of this (walking on the Malecon).

And more of this (watching the sunset together).

Just trying to make each day, the best possible day!   

We hope you also are having your best possible day today.

.

.