Well another roller coaster week in paradise. So we spent the first of the week helping our prospective missionaries finish interviews and mission papers. I think we have all 3 papers and pictures finished so now it is just a waiting game to see when the calls shows up.
On Friday we had a Branch Party in Tubigon at a resort by the ocean, It was quite an event as we rented a bus and transported 88 people to the party. There was a lot of food and fun for all.
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| Tatay Viodor cooks pork and fish for at the party. |
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| The kids had a blast in the water. |
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| The water was the place for old and young alike. |
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| Sister Bell with her baby (only I couldn't snuggle her because I was wet!) |
Well on another front. The military had a second run in with the Abu Sayyaf (terrorist) on Saturday. There were 7 remaining members of the group hiding on Bohol from the encounter they had a week and half ago. They had been hiding in cave (hole in the ground that opened into a cave) and were spotted in Saturday. Four of the remaining 7 were killed and there are still 3 running and hiding in the jungle. Life is getting very hard for them as air force and army troops have the whole area surrounded. We are hoping this is brought to close in next day or two. It restricts our activities very much and we just stay out of all areas we could possibly encounter them. So we have spent a lot of time in the apartment.
Well I will turn the rest over to my better half.
I Love the Lord and I Love his work.
Elder Bell (Tatay, LoLo, Amigo)
Ayo Family and Friends!
It is an interesting set of circumstances to be in the middle of a terrorist situation. It has made me ponder about how to be better prepared in the future for the unlikely events that will most likely happen as the last days roll forth. I am taking mental notes and someday if you want my opinion on the matter please take the time to ask! But for now I will just say that it is hard to be a missionary when you can not really be a missionary and you have to stay in so much of the time.
We were able to accomplish a few things this week but as Elder Bell said it was a pretty slow week. We were able to start a new class for the youth on Saturday morning. They (and I) miss seminary so much in the summer break so I decided to have a six week missionary prep course. This is not an official seminary course…just one I am making up as I go. But, it was a fun kick off. I invited all of the missionaries to sit on a panel and we had a panel discussion. I had the full-time missionaries tell us all about how they prepared for their missions and what they wish they had done to prepare better.
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Our missionaries sharing what they know!
L to R: Elders Ramos, Gacad, Salazar, Birdiguil, Bell, Sisters Villaroya, Nacalaban
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Then I taught a little lesson on how to study more effectively. One of the points in this segment is to keep a study journal. So, I had blank journals for each of them and had them prepare them with an alphabetized method that works so amazing well.
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| Mission Prep study time |
My plan is each week to study out of their 'Duty to God' and "Personal Progress' books for the first half of the class and then do some of the more practical stuff like teaching them to cook and iron and do laundry and budget…..Should be a fun class to keep us busy for the rest of the Summer break. They are such great kids! They love to be together and they love to learn! I have enjoyed teaching seminary so very much these last two years. I am really going to miss them when we have to leave.
That is really about all that happened this week. I want to take a minute and tell you some of my favorite Filipino phrases that we often hear. Almost always when I am with the branch members and I am trying to carry something or do something that is requiring me to put forth any amount of effort…one of them will run to me and say, "Sister Bell, I will be the one". The impact of that simple phrase has sent me pondering many a quiet moments. "I will be the one", what if more of us approached life with that attitude. If I did not hesitate or procrastinate and just simply jumped up and said 'I will be the one', think how much more productive my life would be. And what if the Lord knew that He could always count on me to 'be the one' that would and could do anything that he needed done…think how this could change the work of the Lord on this earth. I am going to try harder to 'be the one', that the Lord can always count on to do His will. Perhaps in so doing a little more of that refining process can take place in me.
Another phrase that I just love is, "I am so much grateful for". We hear this often in prayers and testimonies. What a wonderful attitude to just be 'so much grateful' for their simple lives. These wonderfully humble people do not have much by the worldly standards we so often judge success by, but in their hearts and minds, when they accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ and became members of His true church….they had EVERYTHING! From this sweet phrase I have learned to be aware of all that the Lord blesses me with and to feel and show that gratitude each day by feeling 'so much grateful' for all. We are so abundantly blessed to live in a time when we have the fulness of the gospel, the blessings of the temple and hope of a grand reunion one day with the people we love.
I love the Lord and appreciate His love and grace in my life this week.
Love you forever,
Sister Bell (Mamala to all)
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