Boat Trip…..to the temple!

Ayo Family and Friends!

There were so many events this week I don't know where to start!  I guess with Monday…..

Monday I got a call from the Loon Elders.  Apparently Elder Beltiar had been very sick for three days…and I am just now hearing about it?….anyway, it was decided about 10:00PM that he needed to be in a hospital as he had a temperature over 104 degrees and had not kept anything down for 3 days.  It was getting dangerous.  So we drove from Sagbayan for 90 minutes and our good friend Elder Saballa, who lives in Loon,  had taken Elder Beltiar to the local medical clinic and we met them there.  He was already on an IV and so we knew he would likely be okay.  The one thing that makes missionaries this sick is Denge Fever, a mosquito born disease.  This was the third case out of our four missionaries serving in Loon this month!  I waited with Elder Beltiar until they got him in his 'room', which was just a wide spot in the hall.

Elder Beltiar

This is Elder Beltiar in his room….He was laid on an army cot that had no blanket, sheet or pillow.  I sent Elder Bell to their apartment to get all of those luxuries.  Notice the rusty IV pole…yikes!  We try really hard to not put missionaries in the hospital as they are fairly substandard.  But Elder Beltiar really needed some fluid in his fevered body!

This is one of the many ferrel cats and dogs that freely wander in and out of the open air hospital!!  I returned the next day and took Elder Beltiar out of the hospital and his faithful kauban (companion) was able to nurse him back to health in the comfort of their own apartment.  He was feeling well enough to come to a zone meeting on friday..Hooray!

I forgot to mention the first event of the week…Sister Tatarata-Maheahea, our sweet Tahitian Sister, had completed her mission and her final wish was to be able, with her kauban and apartment mates, bike all the way from Sagbayan to Tubigon to catch the ferry for Cebu!  Now this is a distance of about 35 miles!  So we agreed they could if they would let us follow behind in the multi-cab.  They had a great time and made it in just about an hour! (It is down hill all of the way)

Sisters Tatarata-Maheahea, Cook, Ross, & Monteras after their bike ride to the ferry!  We love our Sagbayan Sisters!

Tuesday was district meeting and the nerve-wracking day that the transfer list comes out!!!  It is always with mixed emotions the missionaries get the news of who stays and who goes, who trains, who gets new callings, and who gets to stay here with us here in our beloved Sagbayan!

These are the sad faces of the missionaries that must leave us…at least for a season. 

These are the sad faces of the missionaries that must leave us…at least for a season.  We are so happy when they get assigned back with us but it is always hard to say goodbye!  Sister Tagi, on the back row, takes the prize for the saddest face!  We will miss them all but know they are needed elsewhere and the wonderful thing is that they go and do whatever, wherever they are assigned.  We love our missionaries!

One other event that really makes it to the top of the list this week is the birth of our new grandson, Zealand Luca Bell.  He is the first born of Jason and Aly and was born healthy.  We are over joyed at his safe arrival and are anxious to meet him in person one day…..it is hard to wait to do that.  But I will try and stay focused.  Every picture I see of him I can just stare at longingly.  He is sooooo cute!

Zealand Luca!  He is so cute. We are in love!

Well the rest of our week was really amazing but I am going to let Elder Bell tell those tales.  But I will end with this…..last night in our seminary class, we talked about the great atoning sacrifice of our Savior.  It was a remarkable experience to share with these teenagers that had studied and pondered these lessons during the week of home-study.  We watched a powerful movie depicting the final hours of the life of Jesus Christ.  It was hard to watch and I prayed fervently that I might express my feelings to the kids after the movie.  I had one of those rare moments where the spirit spoke to me so powerfully, guiding my every word and thought.  As I shared my thoughts and feelings with these people I love so dearly, I could see in their faces that they too felt the Spirit testifying to them that the things they had seen and heard were true.  Not a dry eye in the room and I know they are beginning to understand, as am I, that this one singular event is the most important thing to ever happen in this world and that Jesus Christ suffered and died for each of us as individuals.  He knows our pains, sorrows, loneliness, inadequacies and fears.  He and He alone can carry us and help us return to live with our Father one day.  What a glorious thing to know!  What glorious hope it bestows on us as we journey through mortal life.  

I love you all so much.  Please try and find joy in your journey this week!  And don't forget to write…we love hearing from home!

Love you forever, 

Sister Bell (Mamala)

AYO, AYO Elder Bell calling!

Well this week has been so full of wonderful experiences and events I have hard time realizing this is just a week of events and not a month! 

First I will start with the Boy Scout Jamboree that was held in our back yard.  There were scouts that came form all over the Island of Bohol and camped at the school that is in our back yard.  It was amazing to see them with all their tents and activities that lasted for 3 days.  And those scouts are early risers!  The amplified music started sharply at 5:00 AM each morning!

Picture of their tents. We were so busy we did not get pictures of their opening ceremony.

Next is our temple trip to Cebu. We had the privilege of escorting 2 sister missionaries that received their calls to enter the MTC in September.  Our dear Sister Sefuentes is going to Quezon City and Sister  Cerbas is going to Berlin, Germany!  I wonder if she isn't the first Filipina missionary ever sent to Germany?!   They took out their endowments and Sister Bell and Sister Magsayo escorted both of them through the temple.

Sisters Magsayo, Cerbas, and Sefuentes

On the same trip we also escorted the Gambe Family from Sagbayan and the Pinero family from Ubay as they were married and sealed as families for time and all eternity. We have had the opportunity to work closely with both of these families.  The father of  the Gambe family was baptized in July 2015 one month before we started our mission in Bohol.  Brother Gambe is the second councilor in the Branch Presidency of the Sagbayan Branch.  The Gambe children are members of our seminary class.  This wonderful family has been part of the back bone of creating this Sagbayan Branch.

The Gambe Family in front of the Temple

Julius (15), Sister Gambe, Bro Gambe, Jesabelle (17), Joshua (13)

In the sealing everyone held it together pretty good until the children came in the room. When Sister Jesabelle put her hand on her parents hands to be sealed she was overcome with joy and everyone in the room did not have a dry eye.  It was amazing to witness the sealing of their family for time and all eternity.  The sisters leaving on their missions were present and they were able to get a large taste of what missionary work is all about.  It does not get better than that.

The Pinero family were also sealed.  They were taught the gospel by two of the Sisters that trained us when we came to Bohol (Sister Perez, and Sister Lappay). We worked with them in Ubay and had some great experiences with their family.

Jeryann, Paulo, Bro Pinero, Charles, Sister Pinero, Lesliann

The Pinero family was the first to be sealed and when the children came in the room they looked and felt like angles.  Paulo is handicapped and has a very special spirit about him always.  The missionaries told us about all of the bamboo banks the children have for saving for theirs future missions.

It was a fantastic experience to share these special moments with so many.  If the meeting we will have in heaven looks or feels like this…..I surely want to part of it. My cup runneth over with joy for these special people.

Well on top of all this we had our first 'Linger Longer' with the Sagbayan Branch after church today. We had to explain in detail what it means to Linger. That was a word they had never heard.  So I finally told them that it means, 'to hang out'!  Then they got the picture.  Everyone brought a dish and we had a fantastic time as the entire Sagbayan family enjoyed lunch together.  Sister Bell made some of her homemade bread and a great vegetable dish to go with rice.  Tatay Viodor sent some of his famous fish I love and many others brought many great Filipino dishes I have grown to love.  A great time was had by all as they all celebrate the success of each other.

The first Linger Longer of the Sagbayan Branch

Well it's time for me to wrap up for this week.  It is hard to express to you the great joy we feel with our newest grandson being born on top of such a marvelous week with so many people we love.  

I know this is the work of the Lord and we are honored to part of it.

Nahi Gugma Ko Kanimo!

Elder Bell (Papala) 

This is what it is all about folks!