Beach's, Baptism's, Primary and much More

Maayon Buntag (Good Morning) Pamilya and Amigos

We had another whirlwind week on the Island of Bohol!

I will start with the Beaches on Thanksgiving.  Pictures are worth 1,000 words!!!

Panglao Island, where one day we will dive and swim with the Dolphins

A Cave in Panglao Island where you can swim in the fresh water.

One day in the near future we will try out some of the best diving in the world.

Panglao Beach

Now on to Primary.  Sister Bell is becoming a legend when it comes to Primary.  She has been working    with the District Primary Presidency and visited many Primaries in the District.  Agin pictures are worth a 1,000 words.

 Sister Bell teaching and singing with the Children in Ubay. (Lift up your voice and sing! They love it!)

Primary in Sagbayan Group that is going to become a Branch. (We are singing 'I will go. I will do the things the Lord Commands', hence the arm motions)

We also had great teaching experience with the Calape Sister (Sister Stanley, Sister Reyes, Sister Mendoza).  That is a ongoing story we told you about earlier.  Brother Allen actually asked what he had to do so he could become a member of the Church.  Last I heard he is more then 3/4 of the way thru the Book of Mormon in 2 weeks.  We will keep you updated on the rest of the story as it unfolds.

We also had a great teaching experience with the Clarin Sister (Sister Ross and Sister Morales) I will let Sister Bell fill you in on this one.  She does a far superior job at explaining. 

Baptisms, Baptisms and more Baptisms.  Sister Bell will also take this one.

I Love the Mission we are engaged in, I Love the Lord and the Spirt he blesses us with Daily.

Love to all 

Elder Bell  (Tatay, Lolo and Amigo) 

Ayo All!

We did have a great week here on Bohol.  We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with our friends, The Halladays.  They gave us the grand tour of Panglao and then we stopped for a bite to eat at what we though would be the most Americanized restaurant we could find and to my great surprise and delight they had one lonely little pumpkin tart that tasted amazingly like pumpkin pie!  So I did get my pumpkin pie after all.  A tender little mercy.  Our landlord is so good to us and he had celebrated Thanksgiving once in American and so he knew it was a big deal for us Americans.  He so kindly brought over a kilo of fresh shrimp for our Thanksgiving feast!  What a great idea!  I love Shrimp!

In true Thanksgiving fashion, we ate until we were too full to move! Lami Kaayo! (Very delicious)

We also had some great teaching moment this week.  As Kevin mentioned we went out teaching with the Sisters Ross and Morales.  We visited with the Salutan Family who are members and wanting to become active again.  Elder Bell was able to share his great testimony of the power of the priesthood and how it has blessed the lives of his family.  Then Brother Salutan remembered an experience he had many years ago blessing and healing a very sick little boy.  He wants to be worthy for that priesthood again.  These two sisters are amazing and we really enjoy our work with them.

Everyone we visited that day asked if we were Sister Ross' parents.  We will claim her as our own until we have to send her home to her real parents!

All of our baptisms are usually scheduled for Saturday.  So these are the baptisms from yesterday.

These are Elders Familar and Vuetibau with Mel, his mother, Evangiline and his grandmother, Conchita!  How cool is that?  They are from our little Sagbayan Twig.

These are Sisters Bolo and Gil from Tubigon branch with their baptismal candidates Jade, Jenny and Gia. (The Elders just joined in because they like to photo bomb)

So, as we loaded up the truck to send all of the Sagbayan people away after the baptism, they all stood up and shouted "Hoorah for Israel, Hoorah!"  It brought tears to my eyes.  I love these people!!

And yes, this is a common mode of transportation here on Bohol!                           

Well, sorry to overload you on the pictures but we just narrowed it down to these few.  We had a very full week and enjoyed every minute of it.  We love you all.  We love what we are doing and just pray that in some small way we can accomplish what it is the Lord needs us to accomplish while we are here these short two years.  Thank you for all of your love and support through letters, phone calls and especially prayers.  Each one is felt.

We love you forever,
Sister Bell (Nanay, Lola, Amigo)

PS…first of the quiet bags arrived this week!! Nindot Kaayo!  (Very Awesome)

Mga Amiga and Christmas Island Style!

Maayong Gabii!

Well another week in Paradise has come and gone.  We came here just as the rainy season was supposed to be in full swing and honestly, we haven't thought it so bad.  We have rain every few days but usually only for a few minutes.  But don't get the wrong idea here…those few minutes can really lay down some water!  Well, this week has been really pretty rainy every single day and with the rain comes a little cool so we love the rain because it really makes the heat so much more bearable.  The native Filippinos are actually COLD!  Trust me it is not cold it is not even a little bit cool but it is at moments quite pleasant.

This week we have been busy as usual.  The thing I love about my mission is it is never boring.  Everyday is something different than the day before.  They really pound into a missionaries head the concept of 'planning'.  The young missionaries have to plan every minute of every day so that they are productive all the time.  It is very different for senior missionaries.  We can not plan because every day will unfold in the most unexpected ways imaginable.  This week we have been trying to find a way to get a large chunk of money transferred into the country so that we can buy a Jeepney.  Well it is just as complicated to get money as it is to get a license or a visa or buy groceries or any number of things in the Philippines.  Nothing goes smoothly and everything has mountains of read tape!!!

We were able to make it to the far side of the island this week and I did not actually get to stick my toe in the water but I was pretty close just the same.

This area is called Jagna.  It is directly across the island from Calape. There are no big waves on any side of the island, just gentle rolling waves.

The Gazebo

This adorable gazebo is owned by the only little dive shop we have found on Bohol.  The bridge to it was knocked down in the last typhoon and has not been rebuilt so the gazebo is falling in to disrepair.

Remember we told you that they celebrate Christmas her for all of the 'ber' months, so they were just starting the Christmas holiday when we arrived in Septem'ber' and now more and more Christmas decorations are going up.  I could not resist a photo of this 'Island Style' Christmas Tree!

Yes those are coconut shells and yes they are painted in festive blue, pink, and yellow!

And I could not resist this tree hanging inverted from the ceiling to keep the busy one-year old out of the decorations.  

Sisters Astilla and Contago with a family at Family Home Evening in Loon.

So, the last thing I want to tell you about today are AMIGA! Now in Spanish the word Amigo and Amiga are the words for 'friend'. One denoting male and the other female.  Well the word for friend in Cebuano is Amigo with no difference in male or female, because the word Amiga is for the most obnoxious creature in this place.  They are tiny little bugs (much smaller that an ant or mosquito) and they crawl all over everything!  EVERYTHING! They love the kitchen and are found on every surface.  They infiltrate containers that have food stored in them.  They are crawling on your clean dishes, your dirty dishes, your books, your bags, your skin.  They drive me  crazy!  I have not found any sprays that kill them. The only thing they don't like is water. So they are usually not found in the shower but that is the only safe place. I even found them inside the sealed mylar bag of dried Mangoes! So that is my little rant on Mga Amiga (Amigas).  One of the things I don't like about the Peens!

Well, I am going to sign off for now.  Elder Bell has lots to tell you about and this is getting lengthy.  Please have a fabulous Thanksgiving. Please know that when we list our blessings this Thanksgiving, you are listed among them.  We love you all and miss you terribly.  Enjoy every single bite of Pumpkin Pie you take (and think of me)!

Love you forever,

Sister Bell (Nanay, Lola, Amigo)

Maayong Gabii -  Pamilya, Anok, Apo and Amigos

Well  this was an interesting up and down week.

We introduced a Member Missionary program call Flood Bohol with the Book of Mormon. After ordering the supply of Book of Mormons needed for the project and getting the wheels turning in the Branch's on the Calape District we attended 2 open house work shops with Calape and Loon. One of the Lady's in this picture is an investigator and she is marking her own Book of Mormon.

  

Marking Books of Mormon

Just a brief explanation of the project. One Branch invited members out to a fellowship work shop.  Twenty People came and they split off in groups of 2 and took 2 names to visit and they invited them back to church.  The following Sunday some of the less active and part member families attended Church.  This week a fireside was held showing members the importance of members in missionary work and copies of the Book of Mormon were handed out to be marked with 15 questions of the soul (thank you Vicky Fowers) listed in the front and marked scripture answering those 15 questions.  They were challenged to give the Book of Mormon to a friend and discuss briefly one of the 15 questions.  Then involve the missionaries in the process while staying involved the with the friend.  We are starting to see some success and are praying for much more in the weeks to follow.

This is Elder Navarro giving a presentation on the importance of members in missionary work.

We just had a visit a few minutes ago from our Calape Sisters and the news they gave us brought tears to all of us.

We were asked last Tuesday to go with the sisters to teach a man that is seriously studying the gospel and had some very deep complicated questions he was asking (very often we are called in when the missionaries are confronted with that kind of situation).  We followed the spirit as the lesson progressed and thru the lesson I answered from the Bible and Book of Mormon a few of those questions.  This man, Brother Allen, had been given a Book of Mormon 3 days prior and he already had read to Jacob.

After the meeting he would not say the closing prayer so he asked me to give it. I gave the prayer 90% Bisayan and 10% English.  We prayed he would discover the truth.

Latter in the week he would not make an appointment for a return discussion.  The sisters were heart broken and to be very truthful so was I.

Then a miracle happened.  He showed up at church today (we were attending 2 other Branch's and were not there).  The talks in church were perfect for him and answered his questions.  He attended sunday school and participated and asked many questions and most all of them answered by the members.  After he asked how he could join this church.  He is now after one week of reading, on the book of Helaman.

This story is still in the making so we will update you as it progresses.

We love the land we are in and the work we are engaged in.  But most of all, we love these people.  They are deeply spiritual and very humble.  They love their families and still have a very good perspective of what is important in life.  We learn much from them each day.

Gugma (love) to all,

Elder Bell  (Lolo, Tatay, Amigo)

Caribou going to work.

Pool at the HayaHay Resort by the Ocean

Banana Splits! (Next best thing to pumpkin pie)

Maayong Buntag Pamilya ug mga Amigo,

Another great week in Paradise for sure!  We had a great week.  We had a zone training meeting on Thursday here in Calape and all 30 of our missionaries in the Calape District gathered for it.  We were taught and trained by our Zone Leaders, Elders Saenz and Bermoy and our Sister Trainer Leaders, Sisters Astilla and Contago.  These young leaders are wonderful.  They teach so well and are respected and loved by their fellow missionaries.

We decided since we were going to have all of our missionaries together for the day that we needed to surprise them with a treat.  I really, really wanted pumpkin pie but alas, there is no pumpkin anything on this island!!!.  I found some orange squash but there are not the seasoning I need to make a pumpkin pie.  So, we settled on Banana Splits for our surprise.  Now you would just run to the store in the US and pick up a few tubs of ice-cream, some toppings and bananas, right?  Not so easy here on Bohol.  We have no shortage of bananas but the topping and ice cream were a challenge.  We finally found a Hershey's chocolate, caramel and strawberry toppings and canned whipping cream!!!  But when we looked for ice cream it was pretty sad.  We finally found a bakery that carried some ice cream but they did not have any vanilla (they do not even make it here) or strawberry (no idea what we were talking about).  But they did have chocolate and mango and cookies and cream and get this Mango with cheese chunks!  So we snatched up 9 big cartons of all those flavors and we were set.

We only have a handful of American missionaries.  Most of missionaries are Filippino and so they have no idea what Thanksgiving is all about.  So I started off by explaining our Thanksgiving holiday and why we celebrate it.  Then Elder Bell told them that one of our family traditions is to go around the table and say what we are thankful for this past year.  So we all took a minute to share our feelings.  And then we had the great fun of introducing Banana Splits to a whole bunch of missionaries who had never heard of such a thing!  They caught on pretty quickly to the process of building a proper banana split as you can see by this great picture of Elder Quigao.  So our Thanksgiving celebration was a smashing success with banana splits as the main attraction.

Banana Splits

Another very momentous occasion happened this week.  We got our drivers licenses!! One would think this would not be all that difficult but let me tell you, it was no small effort.  It has taken us two months and five visits to Tagbilarin to accomplish the task.  Four hours in line on Tuesday and we finally are legally driving here on Bohol!!!!

We are legal drivers

We have had three really great days that we have been able to go our teaching with our young missionaries.  On Friday we were able to go out with Sisters Morales and Ross who are the missionaries  for our Clarin group.  They have been working so hard to get less active members heading back to church so that their struggling little group can become a branch.  For most people here on Bohol and I would have to say that transportation is probably one of the main factors in inactivity.  They just don't always have the money for bus or trike fare.  On Sunday's no matter which branch we attend, our car is the only one in the lot.  Anyway, we had a great afternoon with these two great missionaries.  They have only been together for a little over a week and they already have some great chemistry between them and tag team each other really well.  Sister Ross is from Utah and has been out about 6 months and she already has a very good command of the language.

Sisters Ross and Morales

Well, I am going to sign off and let my good Kauban (companion) finish off the weeks adventures. I send my deep felt love to all of you.  I miss home and family and friends but I also know that we are doing a great work here and I am willing to finish the job before I come home.  Have a wonderful week and enjoy that cool Autumn air for me.  I am needing some cool about now!

Love you forever,
Sister Bell, (Nanay, Lola, Amigo)

Maayong Gabii Family and Friends

We are have a great (busy) time on Bohol.  It is great to be busily engaged in the work of the Lord (and busy it is).

Just to pick up where Sister Bell left off. The Sisters and Elder we work with are Nindot (Great).  Just when we feel the Philippine Sisters and Elders have helped us in so many ways to learn language,  traditions and customs and the whole lay of the land in the Philippines, the few white Sisters and Elder come along and inspire us also to great heights.  They understand what we are going thru because they are also going thru the same thing.  When we walk with them thru the jungle and see how they handle all the changes in their lives they inspire us to new heights.  Sister Stanley and Sister Ross let us know that we can learn the language and feel the spirit of the great people we serve by showing their examples of selfless service.

Just a note about the Banana Splits.  If you can't go to Leatherby's in the Philippines you can bring a feeling of it with you. Maayo Kaayo (Very Good)

Return to Top of the Chocolate Hills

We returned to top of the Chocolate Hills with Elder Foote and Elder Surla.  The family their greeted us with open arm.  The first thing on the agenda after arriving was to show me their gun they hunt birds with for food.

This gun shoots marbles and is powered by a flammable spray in the bottle and a flint that sparks when you pull the trigger.

Next on the agenda was to climb a coconut tree, bring down some coconuts to send home with us. They then served us buko juice drink that was home made and amazingly good. Buko juice is the milk of the coconut with the coconut meat shredded in it and a new twist was that there was soggy cookie bits floating in it.  Not too sure it would be drinkable but it was amazingly good. (Even Sister Bell liked it).
Then we started the lesson.  This was the first opportunity I have had to pray in bisayan (cebuano).  The lesson was about Prophets and to lead off to the lesson was presented by a youth missionaries preparing to serve a mission in December.

Yummy Treats

The lesson went well and after the Elders, Sister Bell and I were able to bear testimony.  The father gave the closing prayer.  The spirit was felt by all and we rejoiced in the Gospel of Jesus Christ together.  My heart if full with these experiences.

The Elders teaching at the top of the Chocolate Hills

Well we could not tell you even a little part of the great and uplifting experiences we have every week. I feel a great love for are Family and Friends at home, and the Missionaries and People on Bohol. May the Lord Bless you with the Righteous Desires of your heart.

Gugma (love),
Elder Bell (Tatay, Lolo, Amigo)

This little hut in the middle of a field is one of our favorites.  We drove by it several weeks before we saw laundry hanging to dry one day and realized it was someones home.

Decorations at Sagbyan Peek

GUARDIAN ANGLES WORKING OVERTIME

Maayong Buntog Pamilya (Family) and Amigos (Friends)

This has been a whirlwind week with not much stopping.  It was transfer week and that tells most of the story.  We had 2 elders and 1 sister transferred out are immediate District. These Missionaries in some ways have been our trainers since we arrived in the mission field.  They have helped us with language, community service projects, compassionate service and many other things.

Sister Lappay

She lived behind us in a sister apratment. She holds a special place in are hearts.

Elder Cabrera, Elder Ferrer

Served Calape and Loon. Both Elder are dear friends and will always be.

Well to on with the story of transfers. Things were going very well on Thursday morning. We started at 4:00 AM gathering missionaries to put on the ferry for Cebu. We received a set of missionaries mid morning and headed off to Ubay (100 miles away) dropping off Elders on the way.  We were anticipating the last group in the afternoon to complete the transfer.  

We were discussing how well transfers were progressing.  Then we received a call from the Zone Leader that informed us they were in a accident and had totaled the van.  They said they were in Pilar and we needed to come and get them.  We had left home without a map of the island and we did not know where Pilar even was.  We prayed for guidance and started to drive toward a town we were familiar with in the general area and were planning on asking people on the street how to get to Pilar.

About 1 and1/2 hour into are drive we were passing thru Pilar and realized the Lord had directed us way better than a map could have.

When we arrived we found 4 Missionaries that were very shook up and did not have a scratch on them.  Not one of them was injured.  They then took us down the road to look at the van. It was a miracle that they were not all killed.  Pictures tell much more than words.

Path made by the van after sheering off a light pole on the side of the road.

After sheering off the light pole, traveling approx. 100 yard thru bush and swamp.  The van came to rest on the dry piece of ground.

The Guardian Angels were definitely with them on this trip.  The Lord really protects his missionaries.

Well I am going to leave the rest to Sister Bell.

We feel the Lord's hand in the work each day and we are greatly blessed by it. May the Lord Bless you with the righteous desires of your heart.

Love Ya Always Elder Bell  (Tatay, Lolo, Amigo) 

Ayo!

It is amazing how fast a week flies by when you are serving a mission.  It seems like we just sent a blog off yesterday.  I have decided I really do not like transfer week!  It makes for two or three really long days for us.  We were in the car for 18 hours on Thursday.  I figured we drove the entire distance around the edge of the island one and almost a second time this transfer!  I need to make a note to next time remember to take a map!  It would have come in quite handy this week.  But as Kevin said, we were definitely directed by a higher power to find our accident Elders.  

He did not tell you the rest of the story though.  After we found them, we were directed by our mission President to take them to Tagbilarin to the hospital to make sure there were no injuries. (This direction came from the area authorities.)  So we loaded them all in the car and drove for two more hours to Tagbilarin to a hospital.  We were refused treatment at the first hospital and when we went to a second hospital we were told that we could wait for the one doctor on call and that it would be several hours before we could be seen.  By this time it was dark and we nor Elders had eaten all day.  We were very relieved  when President Tanner told us that we did not need to wait.  So we went on our way and finally got everyone home for the evening. (Just not us) After we got all the Elders home from the accident we still had one Elder to deliver to Carmen which was another 90 minute drive away.

I think you get my point…..Transfer day is long and exhausting!!!!

Today is Sunday and we spend all day most Sundays attending two different branches and driving a lot.  Today we attended Talibon and Sagbayan again.  The thing I am finding in all the branches in our district is that the Primary is very lacking.  So today we took the District Primary President and her counselor with us to visit both of these meetings.  I now just go prepared every week to do a sharing time in any primary we are attending.  The kids in Sagbayan have had me doing primary now for several weeks and you should hear those kids sing!  They love "Lift Up your Voice and Sing".  They sing it with great enthusiasm.  Even though they do not understand me when I speak to them, they sing in English and so we all get along very well.  The only problem is that we have no keyboard and so all they have is my memory to guide them through the tune and I have to tell you….I am not that good.  So most of our singing is way off key but we do it with such gusto, who cares? This week I received 4 little hand-made thank you cards from the children.  One little girl told me I am her "idol in missionaries".  Those are some pretty big pay-days folks…pretty big pay-days!

I also wanted to tell you about the scouting program!  The kids here do not have scouting in the church as we do in Utah but Elder Bell showed them one day the video of the ferris wheel the boys made at scout camp  a couple of years ago and they wanted to learn how to do it.  So for two weeks now we have held 'scout meeting' in the Calape Branch.  Elder Bell and I taught them how to tie a few knots and how to lash.  This week we made stilts out of bamboo and the kids had a blast!  Next week it is going to be stilt racing.  Stay tuned for that!

The stilts were a smashing success!

                            

The kids successfully lash a cross bar tight enough to hold them all!

                     

This is a picture of the youth group from Loon. 

This is a picture of the youth group from Loon.  We took a pilgrimage one day to the top of the mountain where there sits a huge white cross.  It was a great hike and a great bunch of kids.

Well my loves, I really should be going.  I was having a bad day this week and so I poured my heart out to my husband one day and told him I wasn't sure this was what I expected from my mission experience and he gave me some great advice.  He told me that we are not the 'Karl Malone' of this mission, we are the 'John Stockton'!  Our job is to assist all of these young missionaries score.  He always helps me put everything in to the proper perspective.  I love him for that.

Have a wonderful week.  We love you all and we miss you.  We love what we are doing and know that this is where we should be right now.  Thank you for the support and love we feel it in every word of every letter or call.  It makes it all so much easier knowing we have you behind us!

Love you forever,  

Sister Bell (Nanay, Lola, Amigo)

Finally! Training!

Maayong Buntag! (Good Morning)

The most challenging part of our week is deciding which of all our adventures to share.  There are so many that we have to limit it to just a few or this blog would be much longer than any of you would care to read.

So this week we have decided to tell you about our amazing weekend full of baptisms!  You have heard us talk of the Sagbayan Group that is growing so fast we can not even keep up with it?  Well, yesterday we had five baptisms in this ever growing group!  There was Claudia and Cathleen who are a mother and daughter. Claudia lost her husband about a year ago and she just loved learning that her family could be together forever and so she was only an investigator for the four weeks required to attend church before baptism.  John Mark is a young man who is 15 years old and has no other members of his family who come to church but he is on fire! He wants to go on a mission today.  He goes out teaching with the missionaries every single day and could not wait to be baptized yesterday. Angel is a little girl who is about 10 years old and the first of her family to join but others are soon to follow.  And the last baptism yesterday was the 8 year old son of our group leader, Eljie Racoma.

It was an amazing experience and we were so happy to be able to participate.  Elder Bell was able to confirm John Mark, Angel and Claudia today in Sacrament meeting. I asked John Mark after the meeting how he felt and he just touched his hand to his heart and smiled.  He has taken a special liking to Elder Bell (why are we not surprised?) and so they have some great talks together and he always seeks Kevin out when we are around him.  I have a special connection with Cathleen because we share the same name.  She is the only person in the Philippines that knows my name is Kathleen.  But I call her 'My Cathleen' and she gives me a big smile and hug when she sees me.

Our new baptized members of Sagbayan! And our mighty

                                          missionaries who taught them!

                                       

My Cathleen!                                    

There are two more baptisms for Sagbayan on Monday and several more in the next couple of weeks.  It is so fun to part of this 'hastening of the work'. We have heard that the District President is putting in a proposal for Sagbayan to be made a branch this week.  Yeah!!!  And I have to say we have some pretty diligent, hard working missionaries in our district.

I think another note worthy piece of news is that they colored the pictures today! I had only to add the instructional phrase "Koloran kini ug paghuman" (Color this and after) and added to last weeks instructions of "Please return to Sister Bell after church", they finally got it!  It was so amazing.  Most of the children sat so quietly and worked on the coloring pages all through sacrament meeting.  I feel like we are making progess in understanding one another.

I think it is also noteworthy to let you all know that I actually bore my testimony in Cebuano today and no one laughed out loud and I think they could even understand me.  This was a big step for me.  It is so scary to speak a foreign language publicly for the first time.  I am happy I did it and will keep working on the language.  The gift of tongues would be such a great blessing at this point in time.

We also this week had a Senior Couples training for two days.  Now mind you we have been out here for two months and when I arrived I asked President Tanner what he would like us to do and he smiled and said, "Sister Bell, do what ever the Spirit directs you to do", and off he sent us to decide what it was we were supposed to do.  So imagine my surprise when in training this week I find out Elder Bell and I had been breaking several mission rules on a regular and routine basis.  It was truly good to get some training on the mission rules.  Well, we were not fired and we will repent and work a little harder at helping all of our missionaries obey all the rules all of the time!

I am going to turn this over to my good Kauban (companion) and let him finish off the blog.  Please know that we love you all and we appreciate every thoughtful word you write.  It is so fun to hear from you and we love getting those letters so keep them coming.  I want you to know that we know we are in the right place at the right time.  We feel our Father in Heaven directing us and pray that our service will be acceptable to Him.  I love Him and know that He guides His work.

Love you forever,
Sister Bell (Nanay, Lola, Amigo)


Maayong Gabii  (Good Evening) to all my Family and Friends

I will start off by telling you about Senior Couple Training. I will name them from left to right and give brief exclamation of what they do.

Senior Couples

President and Sister Tanner:  They were called as mission president and their calling is to train and send back into the world hundreds of missionaries that will be future leaders of the church in the Philippines and all over the world.  While doing this many people will be baptized in the mission and Stakes, Districts and Branches will be created and strengthened.

Elder & Sister Bell:  They are working on Flood Bohol with Book of Mormon Program, helping a new Branch of the Church start, help organize primary, scouting, and priesthood leadership in the Calape District.  Assist in watching over 40 of the missionaries on Bohol.  Many other items will be put on the plate as the Lord directs.

Elder & Sister Halladay:  Elder Halladay oversaw a lot of construction of the replacement homes after the Earthquake on Bohol in 2013, also served in District Presidency for Calape District. Sister Halladay has and is still teaching piano lessons to many.  Assist in watching over 40 missionaries on Bohol.  Before we came they watched over all 80 missionaries on Bohol.

Elder & Sister McNett: Have been in the field for 2 weeks.  They work in the mission home keeping track of the entire mission.  Many other items will be put on the plate as the Lord directs.

Elder & Sister Bock: Work in Bogo on the island of Cebu.  Elder Bock has worked with the self reliance program organizing a piggery that has provided a way for many members and non members to become self reliant and support their families. They both work with Branch and District leaders in the area and have organized sports and youth programs for young people.  They also help oversee missionaries in their immediate area.

The reason for explaining these calling to you is to let you know how each mission couple that serves the mission finds by fasting and prayer from the Lord what calling they need to magnify while on their mission.  If you are thinking of serving a mission the Lord will use your talents you have in a unique  way.  Your mission will be what you and the Lord wills it to be.

We visited some of the homes Elder & Sister Halladay oversaw the building of.  None of these people in Mantacida are members of the church.  They just had a great need after the earthquake.

This mother lost her husband a year ago and had built this 2nd floor in the house for her 8 children to sleep.

Inside the house

More interior pictures

Suspended bamboo bridge over Loboc River

Dinner Cruise on the Loboc River.  This is a must see when you visit Bohol.

Loboc River

The couple training was a great time with some amazing people we experience great adventures with.
It is great to see our brothers and sisters in the Lord while doing his work.

We have several other stories unfolding all the time.  We will keep you informed of others as they develop.

We are very grateful for all our family and friends.  We love to hear from you even a few short lines.

The work of the Lord is amazing and we feel blessed to be part of it.

Ayo Ayo to all my Pamilya, and Amigos.

Love Ya Always
Elder Bell  (Tatay, LoLo, Amigo)

(I don't think this video uploaded sorry)