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)