So just for the record this week has rained buckets and more buckets of water on an already very soggy landscape. This year even the locals say Daghang (many) Kosog (strong) Uwan (rain). I feel like the weather is going to be changing now (even though Sister Bell does not agree with me) and the hot season will be ushered in. During the Months of Feb. - May are dry months. Even if it does dry up it is going to take a few days or weeks to drain and evaporate all this water. This is a picture of a new small lake in Sagbayan….. it was once the place of a beautiful corn field.
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| Traditionally a corn field. |
Along with the dawn of a new day. The Sagbayan Branch is beginning to change. These changes are good and necessary for this be a strong church unit for years to come in the Calape District.
We organized home teaching this week and next week we will organize visiting teaching. We accomplished this by organizing into neighborhood groups that can be visited easily by foot. Because of the closeness of the branch, this is just organizing in most cases what is already happening. We followed examples put forth in the last General Priesthood meeting in October General Conference and decided we needed to adapt to the needs and means of our people. We will see if it works here in Sagbayan.
Also, with us leaving for 4 weeks at the end of 2016, the members have stepped and are starting to administer programs of the church without constant attention by us.
Today as I visited the Young Women's, Priesthood and Relief Society I could see all these units working very well and being administered by local leaders. It made my heart glad to see more priesthood brethren in class than we had in the entire group with all members 1 1/2 years ago. Sister Bell said the Primary also went very well with Primary President becoming much more efficient in her calling.
It is great to see the hand of the Lord move in an area and have the opportunity to be part of that growth and movement. The Lord truly is in charge and we are His hands that help move His work along.
On Saturday night we had Family Home Evening at our house with the youth. It was great to see how they organized the lesson by asking each one of the youth to share their favorite scripture verse and tell a few word concerning what it meant to them. Each one of the youth from 12 up to 18 easily found and shared great insight into the meaning of the Holy Scriptures in their lives. They also have so much fun with such simple things and games. They surely are pure in heart.
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| Youth finding their scripture to share |
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| The fun of the games |
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| The Youth of Sagbayan |
Well I am going to turn this show over to Sister Bell. There are many more things to talk about and she does such a great job of doing that.
I Love the Lord and I Love His work.
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Nindot Kaayo ang Sunset sa Bohol
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May God Bless you with the righteous desires of your heart.
Elder Bell (Tatay, LoLo and Amigo)
Ayo Family and Friends!
Well, let me tell you all about the anniversary get away and the snorkeling that did not ever happen…. we were staying in our favorite little resort out on Pangangan Island, Isla Hayahay, on Sunday night and planning to go snorkeling the next morning when I last wrote you. We were awakened in the night with the most terrific thunder I have ever heard in my life. It went on and on throughout the entire night with rain that has to be experienced to be believed (I think Jason can relate to this). It rained torrential rain for 18 straight hours! It rained so much the edge of the infinity pool was a waterfall . Most buildings here are metal roofed without the sound dampening barrier of insulation and so the rain was deafening. We woke up to no power as lightening had hit a transformer near by. Needless to say, there was no snorkeling last Monday!!! However, we had a wonderful day. Sometimes when weather forces you to stay put, it allows you to relax in a way that we seldom choose to relax. We sat on our cozy porch and watched it rain all day. It was actually a very nice day and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We will take you there when you come to visit! You will love it!
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| These are the cozy little bungalows at the Isla Hayahay |
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I tried to capture in a picture the rain….does not do it justice without the thundering sound!
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It rained all week until Friday afternoon. Hence the title, Soggy Sheets. Let me explain a real third-world problem. I am one of the lucky few who actually has a washing machine to clean my clothes. None of our missionaries and few of the residents own one. But, no one owns a clothes dryer. So, if I get up and wash my sheets first thing in the morning and then hang them to dry with a fan blowing on them, I can have clean, dry sheets by bedtime. However, with all of the rain the ambient humidity in my house is really high and so this week after I had been gone all day, expecting to have dry sheets when I got home, I still had soggy sheets at bedtime!! I put them on the bed and crawled in……I just couldn't do it. I climbed back out and grabbed my little blow dryer I use for my hair. In about 20 minutes I had at least warm, damp sheets so I climbed in and went to sleep! Real third-world problems!
We also spent a day this week with our some of our favorite people….the Smalley's! We took the Shamrell's over to meet them and of course they fed us a fabulous dinner and topped it off with Bill's famous Apple Pie (with ice-cream on top)! Always worth the trip to visit the Smalley's!
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Bill, Elder & Sister Shamrell, Elder Bell, and Emma
I love these people…
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Today I took a few of the sisters from the branch down to Tubigon to visit one of our sisters who is in the Hospital. Sister Analie has been sick with a urinary tract infection that got very bad and so she was hospitalized. They would not let all 8 of us in to visit her so we snuck around to her window to visit….
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| Here we are sneaking a peek through the window of the hospital! |
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| Sister Analie came over to the window to say hi…..notice the arm of her sister holding the IV bag so she could get to us! Pray for Sister Analie, please! |
Well, that does it for this week. There are so many days that just seem ordinary to us now but when we stop to think about it….every thing we have the chance to do in a week is pretty darn cool. We are super busy realizing our weeks are numbered and feeling like we still have lots to do!
We are happy and healthy. Living the dream as my husband is so fond of chanting!
Hope you are also well and happy. We would love to hear from you.
Love you forever,
Sister Bell (mamala to one and all!)
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