The Home Coming

Maayong Gabii Pamilya & Amigos!

Well when the missionaries sing Ako Anak Sa Dios at your homecoming talk you know it is over.

We have had wonderful two weeks connecting with family and friends and getting back into real life. Today we had our homecoming talks and it was great. Many wonderful people we know and love showed up and it was great to see and reconnect with all of them.

One of the highlights of the meeting today was many of our former missionaries attended and then sang Ako Anak Sa Dios.  That seems to always be a highlight of a meeting when a group of faithful hard working missionaries sing a song from the bottom of their heats in the language of their mission. We grew to love all of these missionaries from the bottom of our heats.

This is our Group of Cebu East Missionaries along with 

President & Sister Tanner and Elder & Sister McNett

We also attended a baptism this week of our grandson Nehemiah Hobbs.  It was great to see him become the newest member of the church in our family.  We are very proud of him. 

Nehemiah at his Baptism

This is also some photos after we removed our name tags.  Most people do not or will not understand what an impact it has on you to remove your name tag as missionary for our Savior, Jesus Christ.

While serving a mission you feel thousands of prayers offered in behalf of the missionaries each day in the Temples and homes of the Saints. You feel their strength and love. The Lord also gives you special protections and comforts that missionaries feel every day.

   

This has been a wonderful journey that we have grown stronger from.  We have also felt the Lords love and felt it manifest in our lives for the last 2 years. This then is another best 2 years.  We pray that we will be worthy and healthy enough to have more of these best years in the future.

I love the Lord and I love His work.  It was very special that we were called to serve amongst the humble people of the Philippines. 

Nahigugma Ko Kainyong Tanan (I Love All of You)

Elder and Sister Bell 

Farewell! Until we meet again!

Maayong Gabii!

Well this week has been full of a lots of goodbyes. On Monday night we attended our batch meeting going away farewell. All the departing missionaries along with President & Sister Maughan, the Assistants to the President and the Office Mission Couples meet at the Presidents home and have a last supper. It is a special time when all get to bear testimony and share many valuable memories about mission experiences and receive a going away message from President & Sister Maughan.

July Batch or Departing Cebu East Missionaries

The next day President & Sister Maughan took us to the airport and we said one last good bye to that wonderful couple.  President Maughan was called to be the mission president of the Cebu East Mission last July and we were privileged to serve a year with them. President Maughan was not retired when he was called. He retired early and put their life on hold (or a better way to describe it put their life in overdrive) for 3 years to direct hundreds of missionary and serve the Lord in his Priesthood calling. They are very special people and we have grown to love them very much.

President & Sister Maughan seeing us off at the Cebu Airport.

From Cebu we flew to Manila to visit my brother Tharon and his wife Holly who are serving a mission on the Island of Luzon as Welfare Service Missionaries. They live in Baguio and we stayed and traveled with them for 5 days. 

The first day we visited a art museum in Manila that was very interesting.

Art in Island Museum

Then it was off to visit the great rice terraces in Luzon.  It is amazing how many sights there are on the Island of Luzon.

Well I am going to turn this over to Sister Bell to wrap up.

We have really loved serving on the Philippines and have be greatly blessed for the service we have rendered. These are such humble and special people and getting to know them has been special.

Till we meet again.

Elder Bell (Tatay, LoLo & Amigo)

Ayo one last time family and friends!

We were able to visit with many of our former missionaries yesterday at the Manila Temple Annex.  It was wonderful to see them all and have a chance to hug them goodbye one last time.  We truly learned to love so many of them as if they are family.  They have forever touched our hearts and changed our lives.

We have really appreciated spending time with Tharon and Holly this week. Their mission is very unique, challenging and rewarding.  They are the perfect people for the job!  You can not imagine the roads they drive on hour after hour, high up in the mountains and they twist and turn and gain lots of height and then descend down in to the low valleys.  They travel many, many miles in a weeks time.  Luzon is very big.  But, they are doing a wonderful work with the welfare service branch of the church.  We will miss them and pray for them constantly!

And so here we are…..our very last night in this wonderful land!  It hardly seems possible and yet it seems like we have been gone forever.  Only those who have experienced this mixture of emotion will ever know how hard and wonderful all of this is!  

We would love to see you all and tell you some of these stories all over again at our homecoming talks, August 13, 2017 at 11:00 in our Hooper home ward.  The address is 5601 S. 6100 W. in Hooper just behind the park.  We may not have phones for a little while so hopefully you can find your way there.  

It has been a wonderful journey and we thank you for sharing it with us!

Until next time….Ayo, Ayo and Amping!

Love you forever,

Sister Bell (Mamala to all)

Great Endings Bring New Beginnings

Maayong Hapon Kaninyong Tanan!

Well this week was filled with closing out of many projects and events and with that great new beginnings for us and many other people we love.

I will start off with the Welfare Project. We were able to see over the last 2 months the approval of the project and the beginning of building shelters, purchasing pigs and goats and seeing the members come together and take it over in their own way.

In a 2 week period they worked together and built 4 double pig shelter for raising sow's and and prepare 12 separate locations for raising goats.

Two new piglets

New pig shelter at the Viodor home

The goats were all purchased this week and distributed out among 12 different member families. I call this the 'great goat roundup' but it really is the goat distribution. 

Beginning of the goat roundup

Tampon family receiving their goats

The Viodor family gathering up their goats

This marks a end of putting a project together and now seeing all the member who have participated the  Self Reliance Course use the skills they learned to become more self sufficient and self reliant. This process will span over many years of hard work and dedication to become self reliant.  This is a starting point and new beginning for those who take seriously what they have learned and apply it in life of their families.

So the Island of Bohol has been out of power with intermittent on and off power on a rotating basis.  This was caused by an earthquake on another Island that provides power to Bohol.  The church sent us emergency lights with solar back up charging for all the missionaries.  We passed them out this week in District Meetings.

Tagb Zone

We also went to a birthday party this week for Jesabelle Gambe. It was her 18th birthday and I guess that is a large event where many family and friends from all over are invited over for a meal. This probably compares to a wedding party for us.  I was surprised at just how huge this party was!

Jesabelle Gambe & Sister Bell

Then we attended, on Thursday night, a going away party for the Bell's. This was great afternoon event and fun was had by all. Many members shared their feeling with us and there was no shortage of tears shed by us and many others. Many great things were shared but a few that stood out and will stick with us forever are:

(1) Although you are rich Americans to us, you never treated us poor Filipinos any different. We have always felt like we are part of your family and you made us feel that way. That is one of the greatest complements we could ever receive.

(2) (From John Mark) I have never felt the love of a family until you came. You treated me as though I was your son and I felt that love. This is also another great complement.

(3) Sister Bell you were the greatest teacher we have ever had. You taught us the gospel in way that it will change my life. This one surely is true.

(4) Elder Bell you showed us how a Priesthood Leader should care and help people. I think that is one of the greatest compliments I could ever receive.

Well I could go on forever but I won't. We knew we were loved by them and they were loved by us.

Sagbayan Youth Presentation

Sister Nueva, Sister Bell Sister Racoma, Nanay Claudia

Plenty of food for all

Well I am going to let Sister Bell finish this out. I guess I could sum this up by quoting words from Sister Bell, "After this glorious week with these people we love, if we died today we would feel like we had helped many people and done some good in this world."  That is great feeling to feel so loved by so many and feeling the same way yourself.

May the Lord Bless all of you.

Elder Bell (Tatay, LoLo & Amigo)

Ayo Family and Friends!

It has been a great send off.  Sad and happy and exciting and dreadful all at the same time!  Of course we are excited to be heading home to see all of you, our children, grandkids, friends and neighbors, but at the same time we leave behind pieces of our heart here in this land we have grown to love filled with people we shall never forget.

Sisters Abril, Labuga, & Nacalaban came to the port to tell us goodbye

Elders Calumpang and Papica our Calape Zone leaders gave us a ride to the port

Goodbye to the Nueva Family

And we had to stop and give the Nueva's one last goodbye before we left Bohol for the last time.

Sister Annebelle Nueva is one of my dearest friends.  We just clicked from the first moment we met. She has served me constantly while on this mission and I have been lifted and edified by her.  It was a very tearful goodbye to my sister/friend.  I guess if we had not given this mission our all it would not hurt so badly to leave.  But we can leave knowing that we really did give the Lord every part of us to fulfill this mission and so, like it or not, leaving hurts.

We headed across the pond to Cebu and had one last meeting with the Zorn about one last welfare project we hope to get approved and then they left us…..

Bags packed and ready to go

And here we sit looking and feeling a little homeless at the side of the road while we wait for Sister Maughan to pick us up.  We are now parked comfortably here with the Maughans for a few days and then we will leave for Manila, but that is a story for next week.  So until then we bid you adieu.

Love you forever,

Sister Bell (Mamala to all)

The Wrapping up Scenes

Ayo Family and Friends!

Have you been worried about us missing in action?  Well, we have a story to tell…..

On July 6 we were sitting in the Cebu Temple when we noticed the lights flickered.  We did not feel it, but there had been a fairly large earthquake on the Island of Leyte.  Leyte is a neighboring island of Bohol and it just so happens Bohol gets all of their power from Leyte.  The power line to Bohol was so damaged in the earthquake that we lost all power to our island.  We have been functioning without power for more than a week now.  They also discovered all of the transformers on Bohol had been blown and they did not have enough of replacements to fix the problem so it will be weeks before we are fully restored to power.  To top all of that off….we had to move July 8 to Panglao which is a good 90 minute drive from Sagbayan and in the new apartment for the couple soon to replace us, we have no internet.  So even if we have power we have no connection to internet.  It is a rough way to wrap up a mission but we will survive!

We are sitting at the Sagbayan Church this afternoon, accessing their internet so we can publish this blog.  It was crazy that we had to miss a week after all of these many entries so we have many things to share about our wrapping up scenes of this mission.  Here goes…..

As we stated before, we were in the temple July 6-7 with about 18 members of our branch.  Five sweet sisters we were able to escort through the temple for their personal endowments.

Sisters Racoma, Enad, Umbang, Gonzaga, Gambe, Anober, Umbang, Racoma

Nino Laurel and Claudius 

We also were able to have these two newly called missionaries join us in the session.  Our friend, Claudius from Calape Branch and Nino Laurel from Loon Branch.  It was really a wonderful event.  It was the final temple trip for us with Sagbayan members…one more thing wrapped up!

We cut it pretty close with Louie May Umbang…..she actually opened her mission call at the Patron House just an hour before we took her through the temple.  (Sometimes mission calls take a long time to get to the Peens) 

Louie May reading her Mission cal

 Louie May reading her mission call to the San Pablo, Philippines Mission.  She will leave on August 18, 2017 and serve for 18 months.

We also sold the Multi-cab this past week for a very good deal to a local business owner in Tagbilaran.

Goodbye Multi-cab! You served us well!

 And with that money were able to buy two used vehicles to help some of our branch members.  This bought this sweet truck for the Viodor family so they can help with the branch welfare project when they need to sell pigs and goats and it will help with their fish selling business also.

Viodors Truck

 And this sweet multi-cab for the Jandayan Family so they can help with troop transport in the future and it will help them with their business as well.  Yet another 'wrapping up' scene for the Bells!

Brother Jandayan with his new multi-cab

Yesterday was a great day for us…..we witnessed the graduation of eight branch members from the Self-Reliance course, Start and Grow Your Own Business.  This is our second group to finish the 12 week course.  Congratulations!

Brother Gambe, MelJun Seliote, Sister Joenilyn, Sister Ocabat, Sister Racoma, Sister Analie, Sister Jovilyn, Sister Janet Racoma.

It was our great privilege to witness the baptism of Tatay Simeon Viodor yesterday.  In fact Elder Bell got to do the honors.  This was a wonderful 'wrapping up' moment for us as we have been praying for this occasion since we first met the Viodor family two years ago!  This means finally the entire Viodor family are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  His son, Elder Viodor, should be very proud and happy for this day!

Brother Simeon Viodor Baptism

The Viodors let me hug and smooch this baby as much as I want….they always tell her about her 'Americana Lola"!  Look at that hair!

Cake from the missionaries

 The missionaries surprised us with a farewell cake last night after the baptism….we are really going to miss our missionaries. They have been one of the highlights of our mission.  The joy and enthusiasm with which they serve.  Man, we love our missionaries!

Saying goodbye to sweet Sister Segovia

One of the most difficult 'wrapping up scenes' yesterday was the visit we made to sweet Sister Segovia.  She has had a stroke in the last few months and has regained her ability to walk and speak but has lost the use of her left hand.  It is very frustrating for her.  But as we spoke the prominent things on her mind were her temple recommend….. Somehow it was lost while she was in the hospital after the stroke and she is very concerned to get a new one (we made sure the proper authorities know about that), and she told us that she promised the Lord if he would help her walk again she would continue to attend church and help with the missionary work until the day she dies.  We have learned so much from this amazing, faithful woman.  She will never know the impact she has had on us.  As a parting gift she gave me her only remaining treasure.  I walked with her to her bedroom and she dug in the bottom drawer to pull out an amazing seashell that she got on her very last trip to the ocean.  She gently placed it in to my hands and I wept as she hugged me goodbye knowing that I will likely never see her again in this life!

Today we were able to speak in Sagbayan Branch for the last time….another wrapping up scene.  It was sweet to be able to share with our beloved brothers and sisters the feelings of our hearts.  To be able to thank them for the profound influence they have had in our lives.  From these dear people we have learned what it means to be Christlike.  We hope only to be able to pay forward the wonderful lessons we have learned from mga miyembros sa Sagbayan Branch.  Salamat Kaayo Sagbayan!

Nahigugama mi kaninyong tan an!! (We love you all!!)

Love you forever,

Elder and Sister Bell (soon to be returning missionaries)

5 Loaves and 2 Fishes

Maayong Buntag

Well this week was sure full or the story of 5 loaves and 2 fishes. This happened with the welfare project that is getting off the ground in Sagbayan this week.

So we are striving to make the welfare project fit within the budget we proposed at the beginning.  And as most things happen when starting new projects of any kind you find out where you estimated too low and also too high.  We are discovering those items as we go along. The first came with the shelters for the goats.  In the process of purchasing the items to build the shelters we realized our estimate was way short of hitting the real mark. So we found a place where we could cut cost and finally the lumber order needed to be made and we were short of the funds we believed we needed. So after  consulting with the leaders and members we decided to just order 1/2 the lumber we believed would be necessary and we all felt we would find a way to make it work.

So as we discussed the shelter with all the members 1/2 the member told us they already had shelters that they could use for the the goats.  So last friday I went and gathered what I thought was all the lumber.  I was very concerned we still would not have enough. So later that night Nanay Luisa called and said there was more lumber farther up the mountain road. So early Friday morning I picked up Arc, her son, and we drove up the road into the mountains. Well needless to say after 3 very large loads that had the multi cab straining to carry, we collected all the lumber. This was the answer to some prayers and truly showed me how good people that give you more than you bargained for are truly instruments in the Lords hand to turn 5 loaves and 2 fishes into enough for all. Our own little miracle!

This is just a small portion of the wood the Bonajos family provided for less than $300.

The other pile we have is 10 to 15 times this size.

Hollow Block for pig shelters

Well in the middle of the week we followed up on a referral we told you about last week from LDS Charities through my brother Tharon and his wife Holly (Elder & Sister Bell). We had a meeting with the Barangay officials and many other members of the Barangay.

 Elder Berdiguel & Elder Javelo sharing the gospel with Barangay Mantacida

The humble people of Mantacida listening to the Elders message

On monday night we attended a Family Home Evening at Pres. Lorzono's home.  We arrived  and the whole District Presidency with their families and it was great time with all of the the leaders of the Calape District.

Great time had by all!

On Tuesday night after Zone Conference in Tagb we attended a dinner with the Stake Presidency and Branch Presidents of Tagbilairian Stake. 

It was also uplifting to meet with so many strong leader in the Philippines.

To top it all off Sister Tis Racoma received her mission call this week. She will be serving in the Cagayan De Oro mission.  If that sounds familiar it is….that is the mission Marjonilo is serving in!  She will leave on July 28 and serve for 18 months.  This is great to see so many of these you people we love so much serve missions.

Tis Racoma with John Mark

Well that is just a few of the many things that happened this week. The Lord surely is turning everything in our lives into the miracle like the 5 loaves and 2 fishes.

May the Lord Bless you with the desires your heart.

Elder Bell (Taty, LoLo & Amigo)

Ayo Family and Friends!

I can't believe how full this week was…..we are really moving at warp capacity now and still don't feel like we can get everything finished we want to finish before we come home.  Our week ended with an amazing senior couples retreat.  Sister Maughan wanted to have one last get together before we leave for home and I suggested to her that our island sure had many more fun things to do than hers (she had to agree) and so it was planned to have all the senior couples from Cebu gather here on Bohol with us and the Shamrells.  They all arrived Friday morning and we took them on a few adventures that day.  I use the term 'adventure' loosely here as President Maughan did not approve of all his senior couples taking a dip on the Plunge or a trip on the Suislide at the Danao Adventure Park.  But, we still found some great things to do.

No trip to Bohol is complete until you see the Tarsiers.  They are very small but there is a wonderful sanctuary here on the island in which to see them.

Next stop was at the Loboc river where we took a lunch cruise up the murky river (lots of rain and run-off makes the water pretty murky).  The cruise includes a nice lunch of Filipino food and then a stop at the edge of the river for some native song and dance.

River boat side entertainment

We finally made it to the Hill Top for a view of the Chocolate Hills.  The weather was very cooperative all day and we just really enjoyed each others company!

This is Elder and Sister Wilding sporting their new hats.  Elder Wilding and I share the same great-great-great grandfather!  Nice to know that our family bush has such wonderful people on it!

Little Fishing Village gather for the gifts

We stayed at our favorite place, Isla Hayahay and on Saturday went Island Hopping!   The first place we stopped was the little fishing village island.  We had brought with us some balls and school supplies to donate to the school.  Word must have gotten out before our arrival because the whole island showed up for the grand event.  It turned in to mass mob rule as the children mobbed us for the balls and pretty soon we were forced to just throw them in to the crowd so we could escape with our lives!  It did not go anything like I had imagined in my mind….but I hope they are enjoying the balls!  I am happy to report that Sister Maughan snorkeled for the very first time in her life and she loved it!  It was so nice to get President Maughan away from his phone for just a few hours.  He really needed the break.

Senior couples on the Island Hopping cruise

Later that night at dinner the staff of the Isla Hayahay, who know us very well, presented us with a chocolate cake that said 'Thank You' on it!  I am telling you, they are the most wonderful people at that resort.  They have treated us like family!

Isla Hayahay staff gave us a cake!

The staff are standing behind us.  This morning when we said goodbye to them….we all cried!  We are really going to miss that place.  It is a little piece of heaven on earth.

To finish off our weekend we invited the seniors to attend church with us here in our beloved, Sagbayan Branch.  The Shamrells had other obligations but all the rest of them made the journey up here to attend church with us.  I think they all really understand the enormity of the hearts of these beloved people.  The feeling of family love amongst us is pretty palpable when you enter the doors of the church.  They understand now why it is we brag constantly about these people.  And by the way….we had 126 people at church today!!!  Now, eight of those were our senior couples but the rest were just us….the ever growing Sagbayan Branch!!

Here are just four of the reasons our branch grows so rapidly…..

Elders in the back of the multi cab

 Elders Acedilla, Javelo, Ramos, and Berdiguel are four of the reasons but, we would have to add to the list many more missionaries who have served here in Sagbayan.  The collective work of so many are paying off in big ways at this point.  These people have been prepared for this moment in time. and We are so happy to have been able to stand here and watch all of this unfold.  It has been a remarkable experience.

I will close on a little happy note….

Loboc River Cruise …..sign in the comfort room

I saw this sign on the door of a restroom at Loboc River.  It pretty much describes all of us, huh?  That is the beauty of this world.  We are all different.  We all have different abilities and talents.  But, together we are able to move mountains!

Love you forever,
Sister Bell (Mamala to all)

PS….we were pleasantly interrupted tonight as we were working on the blog by this wonderful group of teenagers…

Angel, Alexia, Jamaica, Apple, Mariel, Jacob, John Mark, & Jesebelle stopped by with an impromptu Family Home Evening for us!  We sure love these kids!!