Before I tell the story, here is a little language study:

Balik - Return

balikan - Return for something

babalikan - you are going to return for something/someone (often times referring to returning for someone in order to marry them.)

We have a new investigator who we have given the nickname Tatay Gro-ot. He is pure illokano and knows about as much Tagalog as I used to in Spanish, so not a whole lot. The first time we taught him (in iIlokano) a lightning storm hit our area 5 minutes before the end of the lesson. By the time we had said the closing prayer we were in the middle of high winds, heavy rain, and lightning every 10 seconds. Tatay told us “There’s kimat (lighting) and the sound that follows is Groot (thunder).”  When he said thunder he shook his body and raised his voice and it was really funny. So the second time we went back to him we have a running joke now where we ask him "Tay, pag nalipas ti Kimat, adda ti..." (tay, after there is lightning, there is...) then he says "GROOT" and we all laugh. He’s 74 by the way. 

His 14 year old granddaughter and her best friend also 14 came up to the house where we were visiting with him. The best friend Angel started asking me about America, at the same time that Tatay was talking to Elder Vilela. Angle asked 

"nageesnow ba sa inyo?" Does it snow where you’re from?

"Oo" Yes, I replied.

I didnt know that when she asked me the snow question, tatay also asked me:

"Agsubli ka para kanyana?" will you babalikan her? To which he heard my reply of:

"oo" Yes.

Elder Vilela turned to me and asked me if I was serious, "Are you going to balikan her?" I was shocked and confused and worried, I said "what? no, What?" looking back and forth from Angel my future spouse, Tatay my future grandpa in law, and finally resting on Elder Vilela in a desperate plea for help.

Elder Vilela kind of cleared things up with a joke. "You see tay, he can’t, he already as a wife, 2 actually" then we all laughed and moved on. 

Hope you got a laugh out of it. My house mates sure did when I told them. Have a great week.

Elder Hennessey