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