The 'ber' months and the Patron Saint!

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow! I can't believe another week has already gone by and yet it feels like we have done a month's worth of things in this one week.  They do not break new missionaries in slowly around here.  Let me start back at the beginning of this week.....

In the Philippines they celebrate Christmas through all of the 'ber' months...Septem'ber', Octo'ber', etc.
So really Christmas trees go up in September.  But the way each little village kicks off the Christmas season is with a celebration of the Patron Saint of the local Catholic Church (and there is a big Catholic Church in each town) (except Loon and Tubigon as their's collapsed two years ago when a big earth quake hit this island). Anyway, our little town of Calape celebrated with an ALL NIGHT festival last Sunday. We were unaware of this tradition but it involved amplified music with a very loud speaker blasting hard rock music just across the street from us.  It kept me awake all night as the windows rattled with each strum of a base instrument.  I was so relieved when it all fell silent at 4:00AM. But they were not finished yet. Moments later the whole group slowly paraded down the street in front of our apartment keeping the marching rhythm to the beat of a drum.  We finally abandoned the whole idea of sleep and got up to start our day.

Our days start early around here as Catholic Mass is broadcast via the loudspeaker each morning at 5:30 AM. We are finally getting used to the road noise in front of the house.  We live on the main street of the town and the Catholic church is just across the road and all community events emanate from the church.

We also had our first experience with rain this week.  Jason did not exaggerate when he told us about the rain!  It is like driving under a waterfall for the whole time you are out in it.  Wiper blades do little to help.  So wednesday night we drove in this rain for nearly an hour before we reached our home. I stepped out of the car to open the gate to our place and the usually dry gutter in front of the house had water up to my knees in it. There was no way around it...I waded right in and got the gate open. You have never seen rain until you see rain in this country!!!

The week did not slow down. Thursday morning we were up and working at a service project at 6:00 AM.  While there President Tanner called and asked us if we would fly to Manila that very day to escort a Sister Missionary that was having a mental breakdown. So we finished up our project and headed home to get ready to leave when our little Sister Lappay came over and asked us to come quickly to her apartment.  Her companion Sister Stanley had dislocated her knee, fallen and broken her arm!  So we rushed her to Tagbilaran, one hour away, where they have a hospital and handed her off to the other senior couple.  We picked up the sister who needed to go to Manila and off we went.

This missionary was in really bad shape.  She had voices in her head and was really struggling with some serious anxiety issues.  It was a long trip to the MRC.  The Philippines has a Missionary Recovery Center in Manila that takes missionaries in from any of the 21 missions in this country that are having any kind of mental or physical health problem.  There is a doctor and his wife called to serve there and now they have a Phycologist and his wife also called to serve there.  It is a pretty neat place and provides a great service to all the missionaries. We were able to stay over night there, get our fingerprinting done at the immigration office and finally are here on a legal VISA for the next two years.

Well, I am going to sign off now and let Kevin finish out the story telling.  We are adjusting well and enjoying our work here so far.  Love the missionaries and so appreciate how hard they work.  We miss you and love hearing from you. (remember this email thing works both ways)

Love you forever,  Sister Bell  (mom, lola (gramma), friend)

Hello to all from Paradise

We are have some great adventures temporally and also spiritually.  The last 2 days was district conference in Calape.  We were able to sit at the feet of one of the area 70's (Elder Augustine).  We heard from him and many other Philippine speakers that bore powerful testimony of some of the most basic principles of the Gospel.  It helps us realize how powerful humble people in humble circumstances can really be.  The basic power of the atonement in there lives is very strong and pure.

They called a new  District President today (President Nueva).  He supports his family by farming.  He has a section of rice he grows by his house and runs the old family farm miles away where he grows vegetables.  He tills the ground with a plow drawn behind a Caribou (Cara-bow).  He works from 6 am to 8 pm most days.  He seems to find time for his callings and for his family.  You can feel that he shows and bears his testimony by the way he lives his life.

The past District President was president 2 years ago when and great earthquake hit the Island of Bohol.  He watched his entire home fall to the ground but helped and corrdinated a Church Welfare effort to assist many people both from in and outside of the church to recover from the devastation.  At the same time he rebuilt his own home.

The spiritual blessings we feel from Bearing our Testimony's to member of one of the other Tribes of the  House Israel that live in islands of the sea's is humbling and priceless.  The tender mercy's of the Lord are great and the labors are few.

Love you always Elder Bell  (Grandpa (Lolo) - Dad - Friend)

                                           

 Sister Stanley with her broken arm.

                                                                                        

First District Meeting with Missionaries         

                                                                                 

 Pig Transportation System

                                 

Who needs a truck when you have trike?