I never would have thought it possible but yesterday while we were home preparing for all of our Sunday events, Elder Bell was able to connect in live to the BYU football game! Now, my husband has not once whined about missing BYU football, which is something he really loves, so when he was able to connect at half-time you can not believe how excited he was. He plopped himself right down on the bed hoping to listen to the rest of the game. He got in about 10 minutes before the phone started ringing and he was needed elsewhere. However, he was able to catch the last few minutes of double over-time for the WIN! Hopefully that was enough to get him through the season.
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| It was a few minutes of BYU football bliss for this old man! |
We were really excited to welcome a new missionary to Sagbayan this week. Elder Crowley was due to come out last week with the new transfer but got sick just as he was to be sent out of the Provo MTC and so they detained him for a few days. But here he is and he is so lucky to be assigned to serve in Sagbayan. We have great missionaries here, great members here who love to work with the missionaries, and a great new branch here so his training here will be great! We hope he loves it as much as we all do!
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| Elder Minoc who is training Elder Crowley |
Just after Elder Crowley arrived we had a zone training. We have these once a month just a couple of days after our Mission Leadership Counsel meets in Cebu. Our young leaders then go back to their respective zones and give us all of the news, announcements, and training that they have received in Cebu. It is a really beautiful process and you can definitely see many future leaders emerging from the group.
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| This is us gathering for our zone training. Our leaders are on that first row, Sisters Bertoldo and Varias on the left of the row and Elders Goulding and Santos on the far right of the same row. |
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| This is Sister Elsa from Calape Branch, she is the person who always serves us a great lunch following zone training. Thanks Elsa! |
We have a lot of 'brown outs' here on Bohol. But this week has been particularly riddled with periods of no power. So a few nights ago the power went off just as I was about to start preparing dinner. Well, my elaborate plans for citrus chicken and pasta got simplified really quickly and I cooked a pot of stew. It was just finishing up when two of our neighbor sisters stopped by on their way home. They had been out in the rain and dark and not realized the power was out. So we invited them in to share our meager dinner and we love for them to share with us their day and all the happenings.
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Sister Bertoldo on the right and Sister Varias on the left. These are our STL's (Sister Trainer Leaders)
I was telling you about earlier.
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Another thing we give quite a lot of time to is getting missionaries from Calape District ready to go on missions. So we spent a day this week at the dentist office with Marjonilo, who if you recall is Elder Bell's branch clerk. He will be able to serve a mission when he hits January 9, having been a member for finally a year. He is so excited to be able to go on a mission. He will be a great missionary and we will really miss his constant presence in our branch. He is Elder Bell's right hand man! He is determined to teach us Cebuano and sometimes just laughs and laughs at how badly we slaughter his language! But, we really do love to help these young people get ready to serve. We now know first hand how much this experience will change their lives forever!
Serving a mission is not easy. It is the one time in your life that you truly consecrate every minute of your day, of your week, of two years to serving Heavenly Father with all of you whole heart and soul. It is a remarkably refining experience. My own weaknesses and shortcomings have become very clearly defined. I feel some of the really rough edges being sanded off. I have to really stretch some days to do all that I am called upon to do, but with all of that said….I love being a missionary. I love serving here in the Cebu East Mission! And I love serving with my husband. I have learned to really honor and respect the fact that he is a man of such great integrity. He serves with out complaint, he serves with his whole heart, he honors his priesthood and worthily blesses the lives of many with that priesthood. As hard as it is…it is worth every minute! I can not close without thanking our kids and grandkids for their sacrifice. It makes it so possible to do knowing that our kids support us 100%. I know they will be blessed for their sacrifice.
Well, sorry for the long speech…sometimes a just get a little nostalgic. Please know that we are well, happy and working hard.
Love you forever,
Sister Bell (Mamala)
Maayong Buntag sa other side of heaven
Well I will start of a good shot of a motorcycle turned into delivery truck. This happens ever day. We have seen 4x8 sheets of plywood hauled on a motor (as they call it in the Peens). This was a new one and I do not even understand how they start out with some of the loads they carry. It is amazing to see people with very little resources just make what they have work.
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| A load of woven mates being delivered to be used for siding on a balay (house). |
So the YSA (single 18 to 30 year olds) are taking a trip next week to Bogo on the Island of Cebu for a Conference with the YSA of Bogo district. This is a great opportunity for many of them because they have not been able to travel to most places on the Island of Bohol let alone the Island of Cebu.
So as part of their conference they allow those who are willing to put on a presentation for the rest of those in attendance. This is a shot of the practices for the presentation.
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| Tis & Jane Racoma and Meljun and Marjonilo Viodor |
Well we had another barn burner attendance at seminary again this week. There were 18 students which included 3 investigators.
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| Seminary Students |
After seminary we had Young Men and Young Women's activities. The Young women had Sister Bell teach them how to play piano (I know you are smiling at this Sister Halladay) while the Young Men went with me to practice basketball for a game later on in the month with Tubigon Branch young men (I failed to get pictures of basketball practice). Fun was had by all.
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| Group piano lessons for the Young Women |
This is just a great shot of showing how soon we start preparing potential missionaries in the Sagbayan Branch.
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| Sister Louisa Umbang with her future missionary son. |
Well that about wraps it up for another week in Paradise. So just adding a few things to what Sister Bell mentioned about serving a mission.
Serving a mission is a great opportunity and privilege. As with most a lll opportunities and privileges ever thing is not easy. It is not easy to prepare to serve in many ways. Will I have enough finances to support me and my wife? Will I have the enthusiasm and will power to keep up with the young missionaries? And will I be able to adjust to a different culture and way of life?
Well I have learned that whom the Lord Calls the Lord Qualify''s. The Lord will put things into your life that will be obvious to you if you can not live up to certain calling you are hoping for and give you another that you can handle. He is truly in charge of this work.
We meet many good and righteous people here in the Philippines each day and many are not members of our church. But they are good honest people and the Lord will look upon them with open arms and open heart when He comes. We are doing all we can to reach and help these wonderful people and we are blessed to serve among them.
The refining process does take place in our lives as we serve. Priorities change as the Holy Spirit guides you through the process. I always wonder what was the meaning of the parable of the lost treasure found in the Gospel of Mathew chapter 13 verse 44.
"Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field."
I did not understand what that could mean until serving this mission. The Lord and his purposes become the main central focal point of your life. And like with most things we do not understand until we experience it ourselves.
I love the Lord and a Love his work.
May the Lord Bless you with the righteous desires of your heart.
Amping Mo (Good day to all of you)
Elder Bell (Tatay, LoLo, and Amigo)
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