SULADS STORIES

WHO RANG THE BELL?

By Lowell Limbagan

Langilan Mission School

The bell is a very important thing in the Mission School.  Each Mission School has one.  It is used for calling the children to school, adults to meetings, and everybody for worship. The bell is placed at the teacher’s cottage because they have the control of time. The bell rang when it was time for worship, time for school and time for meetings. Worship is the most awaited time of all. At early dawn and at sunset the bell rings to call everybody to the village hall for worship.  In worship, children and adults alike enjoy the stories from picture rolls and from Uncle Arthur‘s Bible Stories.  They too share experiences of God’s goodness and leadings and recite memory verses.

Langilan is just a year old school and the villagers are still very dependent on the teachers to lead out and tell stories during worships.  The whole village hungers for the WORD and come to the worship hall wrapped with blankets to fight the biting cold each early morning.  It has been the practice in the village that folks who go to their work in the farm or hunt in the forest come to the teacher’s cottage to ask for a special prayer from us teachers.  They are still babies that need to be nursed every now and then by the WORD and helpless whenever the teachers are not around.

One day my partner and I needed to come down to MVC for reporting.  In morning worship before we left, we announced our purpose to the village people. “Chief, parents, and children,” I said. “We are going down to MVC for an important purpose. We will not stay long there. We will come home right away.” 

“Maestro!” the chief said. “I am afraid there will be no worship again until you come.”

“But can‘t you worship without us? I know you can,” I encouraged them.

 

“I’m afraid we can’t!” Nobody will lead us. Please don’t stay too long there, Maestro.  We will be missing you and the worship.”  We prayed with the people and we left. “Don’t forget to come back right away, Maestro,” they reminded.

After the reporting we went back right away as promised. The children met us on the way and took our heavy loads.  Then they started telling us excitedly about the things that happened while we were gone.

“The bell sir!” One boy started.

“What about the bell?” I asked.

“WHO RANG THE BELL?” 

 What do you mean? I don’t understand,” I said.

“While you were away, Sir, we all ran to the village worship hall when the bell rang for the morning worship. We thought you had arrived during the night and you rang the bell in the morning for worship. The children ran to the worship hall and the adults hurried.”

“We will hear fresh stories from our teachers again,” one commented. Everybody gathered waiting for the teachers to join the worship, but no teachers came.

 

 “Whatever happened to our teachers?  Why don’t they come for worship?” The chief checked our cottage, but there was no teacher.

“This is strange! This is strange!” the chief announced.  Everybody was silent.

“Who Rang The Bell?” the chief asked again. Again nobody spoke.  “Did you ring the bell?” he asked one boy.

“No I didn’t,” he said. 

 

“Sincerely now,” the chief asked again. “Who Rang The Bell?”

“NOT ME,” one said.

“NOT ME EITHER,” the other one answered.

“NOT ME, NOT ME, NOT ME!” Everybody’s answer was “NOT ME!”

“Then who could have rung the bell?” the chief wanted to know.  “Anyway we are gathered here now for worship. Let’s have worship.” All of a sudden everybody was singing--singing, singing, and singing.  Then each of the children recited their memory verses.  They sang again and prayed, and the worship was over.

 

“Who Rang The Bell?” I asked the boy.

“I don‘t know sir!” he said.” Who Rang The Bell, Sir?” He threw the question back to me.

I don’t know either. Up to now we have not solved yet the mystery, “Who rang the bell?”