ACE 2015 Entrepreneur Awards Convention

Friday and Saturday May 8th & 9th ACE (Academy for Creative Enterprise) held their Annual Entrepreneur Award Convention.  Throughout the year some 200 contestants submitted their applications in 8 different business categories. Over the past six months the applicants have been reviewed and screened down to the top 4 in each category.  Friday evening was the final judging where the 4 candidates in each category made a 8 minute presentation of their business or product followed by a 5 minute answer and question from the judges.

Jenee and I were honored to have been asked to serve as judges for this final judging event. Jenee was assigned to the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year and I judged the Most Innovative Business
category. We started the interviews and presentations at about 6:30 PM and ended at about 9 PM.  The final winner was chosen from each category to be announced at the awards banquet Saturday evening.

Saturday there was a day long convention with displays and guest speakers.  All of us at the Self-Reliance Center were invited to attend but I have been fighting a terrible chest congestion and cough for about 4 days and still felt  under the weather so we did not go.

We did attend the Awards Banquet which was really an outstanding event recognizing those in ACE from all over the Philippines who have worked so hard starting and growing their businesses.

Stephen & Betty Gibson - Founders of ACE

 

Elder & Sister Naegle

Brother & Sister Corban Church

Corban Church is a young successful entrepreneur from Provo Utah. He quite BYU to start a Window Manufacturing and Sales Company. In fact he sold windows to my nephew Michael for many years.  He also was the owner of Mechie Handbags that was very popular in Utah.  He sold both of his businesses for millions and now teaches entrepreneurship at BYU and deals in real estate.  We met Corban previously some years ago when Kristy was one of 5 surviving cancer stories that was presented at their Annual Huntsman Cancer Drive held in the Grand America. He was the key note speaker for this convention as well as a new financial contributor to ACE. A very friendly and down to earth individual who we enjoyed being with.

Elder & Sister Naegle are Self-Reliance Missionaries from Manila.  We spent some time visiting with them and sharing ideas and perspectives as to how their SR work is moving along and what kind of duties and responsibilities they have in comparison to us here in Cebu.  The Naegles are from West Bountiful.  He is the owner of a Home & Corporate security and fire alarm installation company. At just 59 he and his wife decided to serve a mission and here they are. We are going to arrange a short trip to Manila in the near future to stay with them and have them show us around Manila, especially the Banta Rice Fields of Manila.

After a nice Filipino dinner the awards ceremony took place with each presenting couple going to the pulpit to announce the finalists and the winner in their assigned category.  It was really our honor to have been selected by the Gibson's to participate in this event and rub shoulders with these magnetic, philanthropic and impressive people.

After all the awards were given out the evening concluded by having all of the finalists and winners come up to the stage for pictures.
















The event really opened my eyes to the tremendous level of energy and dedication that these Philippine people have taken to become Self-Reliant.  ACE has a large number of graduates throughout the Philippines  in 120 chapters. We are hoping that a working relationship between ACE and the Self-Reliance graduates of the Starting and Growing My Business program can be developed.  ACE is a LDS based NGO so they understand the Self-Reliance program.  many of their alumni are Bishops/ Branch Presidents and District /Stake Presidents. We are sincerely hoping that the ACE alumni will reach out as mentors for those graduating from the SGMB program.  Steve Gibson and I have been discussing this possibility and will continue to work towards this end.  In fact there are works going on in Salt Lake to sign a workable collaborative  agreement between the two programs.

To see the great success that has transpired over the previous years holds out a tremendous hope for the members of the church who are now or will become involved in the Self-Reliance program.  The church is counting on SP to strengthen the membership of the church and to lift the people out of poverty.  From what we saw last night, the Philippine people are well on their way.

April 29th - May 3rd - Another busy week

One thing we are discovering is that our mission area demands a lot of traveling, something new to the mission since the Self-Reliance is still in its infancy. With only one car between two sets of missionaries I have been designated as the chauffer only because two sisters are reluctant to drive.  There are rumblings to get them their own car but as it stands, that is not going to happen.

Wednesday morning we traveled again to the island of Bohol for an SR training meeting with the Loon (Lo-oan) Branch.  Elder & Sister Halladay picked us up at the docks and chauffeured us about the area.  The Halladays are MLS Missionaries assigned to Bohol but have been instructed by President Tanner the Mission President to give us aid and support to our Self-Reliance efforts.

We had a most enlightening meeting with the Loon branch for about an hour.  Afterwards the Halladays took us around to see some of the sights on the island.  We had previously decided to stay overnight because we were invited to attend the Bohol Missionary Zone conference on Thursday in Tagbiliaran. 

The Halladays had arranged for us to stay in one of the vacant apartments in their complex.  We never thought we would ever say that our place in Cebu was heaven but after seeing what they are staying in and where we would be staying for the night I thanked the Lord for what we have.  This apartment as with all the missionaries' apartments on Bohol are without hot water;  showers and  dishwashing is done in cold water, or you can boil water and have a bucker shower.  In our apartment there was no hot plate or stove so we ate all our meals with the very hospitable Holladays.  After a delicious home-cooked dinner we sat around the table and played cards (2s and 10s) for about an hour. We concluded the evening with ice cream and cookies. The Halladays are wonderful people and we  censed their loneliness for some fellow missionary companionship. 

Thursday we got up early and took a cold bucket shower to refresh us.? The bedroom is up the flight of stairs and the bathroom (CR ) is down those same stairs, (not fun in the middle of the night at our age), had a light breakfast and then loaded 4 of the Sister Missionaries in the back of the pick-up camper and headed out for Tagbilaran for the Zone Missionary Conference.

Along the way we picked up a set of Elders and piled them into the back of the truck. We were about 5 miles out of Tagbilaran when we got a knock on the back window of the truck telling us that the Elders were car sick and needed to get out and take a Tricycle the remainder of the way.

The Missionary Conference was wonderful.  Elder Ardern, the Area President was in attendance and presiding.  He is from New Zealand and retired as a CES teacher President of the LDS Church in New Zealand.  When we introduced ourselves to him and extended our best wishes from Steve and Pat Iba and boy did their eyes light up.  They knew the Ibas from years ago when Steve was in New Zeland working on a CES assignment.  Elder Ardren spoke so highly of Steve that when he got up to speak he said, "I need to be careful what I say so that the Uzelacs will not report what I say back to my Mentor Steve Iba."  He then went on and spoke highly of Steve and all he did for him while in New Zealand.  We have spoken to others here in the Philippines who knew Steve and Pat and we are getting the same wonderful complimentary words about the Ibas.  Steve and Pat certainly have made a very strong impression everywhere they have gone.  We the Uzelacs just feel honored to be able to call them our friends.

After the Conference was concluded we joined with the Ardens, the Tanners and the AP's for a two hour boat ride back to Cebu.  We got home at about 9:30 PM pretty exhausted, knowing that tomorrow we start all over again.

Friday morning we packed our suitcases once again and with Sisters Darby and  Murry,  we again headed out for Negros.  Because of terrible traffic it took us 4 1/2 hours to get to the Liloan Port to take the ferry this time.  The Sisters had arranged for us to participate in the Tanjay District Youth conference.  Because of the long driving time we were late in getting to the ferry which put us behind about an hour before we arrived at the Youth Conference.  Our participation was well received even thought it was not in the most conducive place - outside on the grass, no electricity when we arrived which meant no power point presentation etc.  By five o'clock the power came on so we moved forward doing the best we could with what we had.

We stayed the night in a local hotel since we had training the following day with the Tanjay Branch.  After dinner it was straight to bed as we had a full day of training on Friday.

Friday we arose at 8 am and took a stroll around the city before going to breakfast. We then went and checked out of the hotel. On the corner was a little Filipino lady selling pork from her previously  BBQed pig.  She buys the pig for P5000, roasts it from the very early hours of the morning in her backyard.  She then sets up her corner stand and by the early afternoon she sells out, grossing P6000, netting P1000 profit.  She does this every Friday, Saturday  and Sunday so in a month she makes P12,000 profit which is equal to  $275.00. 

I spoke with her for about 30 minutes and suggested that she increase her price by P50/Kilo and add rice pockets to increase her income.  She said that she would do that and appreciated the suggestion.

We arrived at the District Chapel at 1 pm for our training. This area is the responsibility of the two sisters so Jenee and I sat in the back of the room as observers.  This was Sister Murry's first time conducting the training; unfortunately when the questions started coming that she could not respond to, her companion remained silent, so looking in my directions for some help, I obliged. The two sisters are having their personality/power issues.  I reminded Sister Darby that it is her responsibility to assist her companion to NOT fail, rather than me. Sister Darby finally stepped up and came to the aid. A learning session for all 4 of us.

After the training we headed for the Maayo Shipping Port to start the long road home.  Night driving in the Philippines is going to take 10 years out of my life for sure.  By the time I got home after 4+ hours of dodging and weaving in and out of tricycles, motor bikes, jeepnes and people standing in the road I was totally worn out.

Sunday was Stake Conference and our ward was asked to provide the music.  The choir (accompanied by Jenee) sang a powerful version of 'I Know That My Redeemer Lives', and as the closer 'Behold a Royal Army'. It was an honor and we had nearly 40 participate to make for a wonderful sound.

We also had scheduled a Self-Reliance Training in Bogo which is a 2+ hour drive north of Cebu  We left right after conference concluded after dropping the Sisters off home.  The drive was rather peaceful and the scenery was beautiful as we drove along the ocean shore and the mountainsides.  The closer we got to Bogo the more beautiful the countryside was. It so reminded Jenee and I of the area around Swazyville and Nelsprut in South Africa - a lot of green, rolling hills with very little population. We took in everything we could as we drove along the way.

Our training meeting went rather well and we accomplished much.  The District and Branches were doing rather well with their SR program and I think what we instructed them in furthering the SR work in that area.  It is so great to be meeting so many of the sweet, gentle people wherever we can! But now back to Cebu City. The drive up was GREAT, BUT the drive back was HORRENDOUS.  Again driving in the dark was a nerve-racking experience.  It took us 2 hours to get there but it took us nearly 4 hours to get home!  We found the strength for a little dinner and at 8:30PM we were nestled tightly in our beds fast asleep.