Ran Allim ami!
Wow! Two weeks of e-mails that is intense! Fun to read though... Thanks!!
The coaching job sounds great!! Count me in I'm all for it! Thanks for suggesting my name to them! I'm stoked I get to pound Zach into the ground! ha Packages take maybe a week to get here, sometimes faster. It's pretty easy here in Guam.
That's crazy that you're released from being in that Bishopric dad. It seems like you've been in that thing forever! What's your new calling going to be now!? Good work Syd on going undefeated and keep playing aggressive it feels good to knock someone over... ha Is Sydnee swimming this summer? Or is she just going to be a soccer girl? I think she made a good choice to play soccer over dance... I was getting a little worried there...
Ok, I'll share some thoughts from Elder Christopherson. The messages he shared were very different in both Chuuk and Guam so it was interesting to be there to listen to both and feel the difference. A question was asked in Guam about what we can do to keep our faith doubt free. I loved his response, it was interesting. "You can't!" He then went on to explain that from our peephole on the vision of eternity to keep our faith free of doubt was impossible. Not until we are exalted and inherit the Celestial Kingdom when every jot and every tittle... everything will be made manifest unto us will we be able to know everything and by knowing everything be free of doubt. I think that surprised plenty of the missionaries... but he continued. He held up the Book of Mormon and he said "But you can know enough that your doubts will not hold you back." He explained that a spiritual witness of the reality of the Book of Mormon will keep your faith more than strong enough to withstand the doubts and enabling us to continually progress spiritually. If we do not have a concrete witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon then our doubts will plague us and hinder us from progressing all our lives. On the other hand if our witness is solid and we know the Book of Mormon to be true our doubts will be resolved one by one as we progress to exaltation where we will know all things.
I enjoyed that. He's a stud. The meeting in Chuuk was just different all together. The spirit was stronger there and the spirit witnessed to my soul over and over as I sat and listened to him that he was an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was more personal in Chuuk. The Chuuk Zone has always been a band of brothers and you can feel it. It feels different than any zone I've been in or visited and it was felt by Elder Christopherson and has been felt and remarked on by General Authorities in the past. Because of that, I believe, Elder Christopherson spoke on a different level to us and the things he said to us there I take to be very sacred. I'll share them, maybe, sometime when I return.
I wanted to personally ask him what he thought of Chuuk, but we ran out of time. So I asked President Dowdle what he might have mentioned to him. President Dowdle said that Elder Christopherson was very humbled in going to Chuuk. (and everyone is) He said that Elder Christopherson was impressed by the wonderful spirit that he found in Chuuk in general and especially amongst the people. He'll give a good report on Thursday in his meeting with the 12 and First Presidency in the Temple. I just think that's so cool! They're going to talk about Chuuk in the highest councils of the Church! Hopefully they'll send more missionaries! There is just not enough Chuukese speaking missionaries to help the greatest people in the world!
Ok, I don't remember anything else. Oh, when we were in Kosrae we went to some ancient ruins of a city that was built out of these huge basalt rocks! It was intense! I have no idea how in the world they piled huge huge rocks on top of each other. It was pretty amazing... I'll just have to show you the pictures.
Ok, now I've run out of things to write, or at least forgotten most of the things I was going to wirte..... Oh yeah.... I love Chuuk and Chuukese people!!!!!!! I think that about covers everything. ha
Tong Ennet fit Jaiwak,
Elder Wells "Ito"
Monday, May 17, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
These Last Few Weeks are Packed
Ran Allim!!
Thanks so much for your letters, and I 'm sorry that today will have to be short. We are in Kosrae right now and don't have much time so I'm just e-mailing you to tell you that I'll be calling you all on my 17th which is your 16th at around 12:00 my time... So be there at sometime around then and I'll call. We'll be in Chuuk on Mothers day visiting the missionaries so we probably wont have time, but don't you worry... I'm going to call you all!
Elder Paton and Colemere say hi! Ok so it turns out I just got a lot more time because the other elders got on and now we're going to be here forever! I think we're going to go see some Kosraen ruins. It should be pretty cool. I just came from teaching a Chuukese member... He was a stud!
Ok, so we'll be on tour until next Thursday and then we fly back! I'm sad because that will be my last time in Chuuk as a missionary but I'm happy that I do get to go back! Elder Christopherson is flying in to Chuuk on Wednesday and having a member meeting/dedication followed by a missionary meeting! That missionary meeting will have 12 missionaries there plus the Duncans and the Dowdles coming out to a whopping total of 16 people meeting with Elder Christopherson! Yeah it's going to be intense! I'm pumped about it! Then on Thursday he's going to meet with some government officials before he flies back to Guam. We'll be flying back on the same flight as him! Then Friday he will have another missionary meeting in Guam! There will be a few more missionaries there... only like 24 though, so I'm pumped out of my mind to be to all these meetings with an Apostle! These last few weeks are getting packed with stuff going down!
We have Zone Leader council the very last week of the transfer and that's always madness with getting all the ZL's in from their islands and then having crazy long meetings and a bunch of other stuff that comes along with Zone Leader Council. The new assistant usually comes a week or so early so that I can show him some stuff that he has to do, so that will be the last week of the transfer, right along with Zone Leader Council! Guam District Conference is happening after Elder Christopherson takes off. The two weeks that are sandwiched between Tour/Elder Christopherson and Zone Leader Council are packed as well. We need to go on four exchanges with missionaries in Guam, prepare everything for Zone Leader Council (which is a lot), the FINAL interview with President, and go to a final testimony meeting for departing missionaries! It's non-stop action for the next month so hold my breath and hope it goes well! Plus I have to train Elder Colemere in assistant stuff... Which really isn't all that much but he seems pretty overwhelmed to have me leaving! ha What he doesn't know is that I don't know what I'm doing half the time... I'm just making it up!!ha
What else..... Erevin Benjamin, the chuukese guy we baptized, got the Aaronic Priesthood last week and he's so pumped about it! He comes teaching with us 3 to 4 times a week and would like to come with us everyday if we could! I love him!
Happy Mothers day mom!!! All you kids better take care of mom well or I'm going to pummel you when I get there!
Zach Miller is coming home! That is insane!! You all better give him big huge hugs for me!! Same with Jason Bodine if you see him hanging around.. Give him a hug for me too! As well as Brady Hafen!! Better yet hug everyone that I know for me! THanks
Ok, that threw me off my train of thought... I've lost it... I'm coming up blank........... Yeah ok, I give up.
Oh, so translation is looking pretty good! Brother Devalle has had me do some stuff already and he liked it, which is odd because he can't read Chuukese. He's really excited about me helping out with translation, he says there is so much stuff that needs to be translated and they have no one to do it! Translation is based in Guam, but Interpretation is in Salt Lake. Interpretation does the General Conference and any other broadcasts that are translated in Chuukese. Brother Devalle said that Interpretation is full of a bunch of RM's that have been off their missions for 10-15 years. Translation on the other hand just wants anyone and everyone that is knew and fresh. Getting hooked up with him and the translation department is the way to go and I'm stoked about it!
Oh, something else that's cool. President Dowdle is making a formal request to the missionary department that all missionaries assigned to the Micronesia Guam Mission be taught Chuukese in the MTC!!! He says because the Chuukese are everywhere and they are, right now, prepared for the gospel and they are accepting it full on! If they learned it in the MTC they will no doubt use it at some point on their mission and even if they go to Pohnpei or somewhere they will use it and it will help them learn Pohnpeian or Kosraen or whatever it is. Then he talked about how if it was approved they would have two RM living together in BYU that could get the class started............. Elder Sorenson and Me! How sweet would that be!!!! Gangsta!! We don't know yet, but all the missionaries have agreed that it would have helped tremendously to have learned Chuukese....................! What can I say Chuuk is the best!! But you all already knew that............................. right?
Ok, so what was going to be a short letter turned out to be a really long one!
Ai tong ngenikemi! Love you all! Akkaeuin ngeni inach nan! First to mom!
Tong Ennet fiti Jaiwak!
Elder Wells "ITO"
Thanks so much for your letters, and I 'm sorry that today will have to be short. We are in Kosrae right now and don't have much time so I'm just e-mailing you to tell you that I'll be calling you all on my 17th which is your 16th at around 12:00 my time... So be there at sometime around then and I'll call. We'll be in Chuuk on Mothers day visiting the missionaries so we probably wont have time, but don't you worry... I'm going to call you all!
Elder Paton and Colemere say hi! Ok so it turns out I just got a lot more time because the other elders got on and now we're going to be here forever! I think we're going to go see some Kosraen ruins. It should be pretty cool. I just came from teaching a Chuukese member... He was a stud!
Ok, so we'll be on tour until next Thursday and then we fly back! I'm sad because that will be my last time in Chuuk as a missionary but I'm happy that I do get to go back! Elder Christopherson is flying in to Chuuk on Wednesday and having a member meeting/dedication followed by a missionary meeting! That missionary meeting will have 12 missionaries there plus the Duncans and the Dowdles coming out to a whopping total of 16 people meeting with Elder Christopherson! Yeah it's going to be intense! I'm pumped about it! Then on Thursday he's going to meet with some government officials before he flies back to Guam. We'll be flying back on the same flight as him! Then Friday he will have another missionary meeting in Guam! There will be a few more missionaries there... only like 24 though, so I'm pumped out of my mind to be to all these meetings with an Apostle! These last few weeks are getting packed with stuff going down!
We have Zone Leader council the very last week of the transfer and that's always madness with getting all the ZL's in from their islands and then having crazy long meetings and a bunch of other stuff that comes along with Zone Leader Council. The new assistant usually comes a week or so early so that I can show him some stuff that he has to do, so that will be the last week of the transfer, right along with Zone Leader Council! Guam District Conference is happening after Elder Christopherson takes off. The two weeks that are sandwiched between Tour/Elder Christopherson and Zone Leader Council are packed as well. We need to go on four exchanges with missionaries in Guam, prepare everything for Zone Leader Council (which is a lot), the FINAL interview with President, and go to a final testimony meeting for departing missionaries! It's non-stop action for the next month so hold my breath and hope it goes well! Plus I have to train Elder Colemere in assistant stuff... Which really isn't all that much but he seems pretty overwhelmed to have me leaving! ha What he doesn't know is that I don't know what I'm doing half the time... I'm just making it up!!ha
What else..... Erevin Benjamin, the chuukese guy we baptized, got the Aaronic Priesthood last week and he's so pumped about it! He comes teaching with us 3 to 4 times a week and would like to come with us everyday if we could! I love him!
Happy Mothers day mom!!! All you kids better take care of mom well or I'm going to pummel you when I get there!
Zach Miller is coming home! That is insane!! You all better give him big huge hugs for me!! Same with Jason Bodine if you see him hanging around.. Give him a hug for me too! As well as Brady Hafen!! Better yet hug everyone that I know for me! THanks
Ok, that threw me off my train of thought... I've lost it... I'm coming up blank........... Yeah ok, I give up.
Oh, so translation is looking pretty good! Brother Devalle has had me do some stuff already and he liked it, which is odd because he can't read Chuukese. He's really excited about me helping out with translation, he says there is so much stuff that needs to be translated and they have no one to do it! Translation is based in Guam, but Interpretation is in Salt Lake. Interpretation does the General Conference and any other broadcasts that are translated in Chuukese. Brother Devalle said that Interpretation is full of a bunch of RM's that have been off their missions for 10-15 years. Translation on the other hand just wants anyone and everyone that is knew and fresh. Getting hooked up with him and the translation department is the way to go and I'm stoked about it!
Oh, something else that's cool. President Dowdle is making a formal request to the missionary department that all missionaries assigned to the Micronesia Guam Mission be taught Chuukese in the MTC!!! He says because the Chuukese are everywhere and they are, right now, prepared for the gospel and they are accepting it full on! If they learned it in the MTC they will no doubt use it at some point on their mission and even if they go to Pohnpei or somewhere they will use it and it will help them learn Pohnpeian or Kosraen or whatever it is. Then he talked about how if it was approved they would have two RM living together in BYU that could get the class started............. Elder Sorenson and Me! How sweet would that be!!!! Gangsta!! We don't know yet, but all the missionaries have agreed that it would have helped tremendously to have learned Chuukese....................! What can I say Chuuk is the best!! But you all already knew that............................. right?
Ok, so what was going to be a short letter turned out to be a really long one!
Ai tong ngenikemi! Love you all! Akkaeuin ngeni inach nan! First to mom!
Tong Ennet fiti Jaiwak!
Elder Wells "ITO"
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
I Love Working with Other Missionaries
Ran Allim!
Ok, I'm going to answer your questions right now.... The birthday was good, I made two pans of apple crisp for breakfast and everyone dominated it! The Chuukese class at church somehow found out that it was my birthday so they all sang to me.... I love that class! There were 34 people at the class this past Sunday once again meaning that if you count all the Chuukese kids running around we're pushing 80 Chuukese probably more at church.... That's half the branch!! Later that day Cheech, one of my good Chuuk pwipwi's here in Guam gave me some tuna sasimi (that's raw tuna which is the bomb and a half!!) So I dominated that and called it good!! I did get the box that you sent, thank you so much for sending that dictionary I really appreciate it. Thanks for celebrating my birthday back there in Utah... I bet it was hoppin!
I'm doing good on the answering questions phase right now.... A typical day is pretty much just like any other missionaries day. The only thing a little different is that we have meetings with President Dowdle every week (if we both are in town), we go to departing missionary dinners, we conduct Orientation for new missionaries, we plan and conduct Zone Leader Council, and any other random things that President wants us to do and.............. we travel the islands! ha Other than that stuff not much really. We proselyte pretty much the same hours as all missionaries. Being Zone Leader in Chuuk is much much much more hectic than being an AP. Zone Leaders in Chuuk solve crime! To be honest, I loved being ZL more than AP because it was like I was on the front lines with all the missionaries. I loved it! AP is less hands on with the missionaries, which I do miss. I love working with other missionaries........... and Chuukese (of course).
There is a group of 10 missionaries coming in today and tomorrow and so we will be orienting them on Thursday... I'm pumped about that! Brand new missionaries look so cute and innocent! ha I can't believe that I ever looked like them! ha I'm pretty stoked about it! Especially because I had this sweet idea, and we're going to bring in a projector and do a high tech Power Point Presentation. Orientation had always been known as super boring and I was not going to put up with that, so now we're going to blow everyone's mind with pictures and videos and all sorts of stuff! I'm so pumped about it!!!!
I am 3/4 handicapped right now and there are thousands of missionaries in the office talking to me right now and I can't concentrate or think of anything else to say. Oh yeah, transfers are this week. Sandvik is going back to Pohnpei and Elder Cohlmere is going to be the one who kills me off.ha
Ok I love your faces off! Ai tong ngenikemi esap much, ese tongeni kuch, iwe mei jok pwan ekis nennan uuch!
Tong Ennet fiti Jaiwak!
Elter Wells "ITO"
Ok, I'm going to answer your questions right now.... The birthday was good, I made two pans of apple crisp for breakfast and everyone dominated it! The Chuukese class at church somehow found out that it was my birthday so they all sang to me.... I love that class! There were 34 people at the class this past Sunday once again meaning that if you count all the Chuukese kids running around we're pushing 80 Chuukese probably more at church.... That's half the branch!! Later that day Cheech, one of my good Chuuk pwipwi's here in Guam gave me some tuna sasimi (that's raw tuna which is the bomb and a half!!) So I dominated that and called it good!! I did get the box that you sent, thank you so much for sending that dictionary I really appreciate it. Thanks for celebrating my birthday back there in Utah... I bet it was hoppin!
I'm doing good on the answering questions phase right now.... A typical day is pretty much just like any other missionaries day. The only thing a little different is that we have meetings with President Dowdle every week (if we both are in town), we go to departing missionary dinners, we conduct Orientation for new missionaries, we plan and conduct Zone Leader Council, and any other random things that President wants us to do and.............. we travel the islands! ha Other than that stuff not much really. We proselyte pretty much the same hours as all missionaries. Being Zone Leader in Chuuk is much much much more hectic than being an AP. Zone Leaders in Chuuk solve crime! To be honest, I loved being ZL more than AP because it was like I was on the front lines with all the missionaries. I loved it! AP is less hands on with the missionaries, which I do miss. I love working with other missionaries........... and Chuukese (of course).
There is a group of 10 missionaries coming in today and tomorrow and so we will be orienting them on Thursday... I'm pumped about that! Brand new missionaries look so cute and innocent! ha I can't believe that I ever looked like them! ha I'm pretty stoked about it! Especially because I had this sweet idea, and we're going to bring in a projector and do a high tech Power Point Presentation. Orientation had always been known as super boring and I was not going to put up with that, so now we're going to blow everyone's mind with pictures and videos and all sorts of stuff! I'm so pumped about it!!!!
I am 3/4 handicapped right now and there are thousands of missionaries in the office talking to me right now and I can't concentrate or think of anything else to say. Oh yeah, transfers are this week. Sandvik is going back to Pohnpei and Elder Cohlmere is going to be the one who kills me off.ha
Ok I love your faces off! Ai tong ngenikemi esap much, ese tongeni kuch, iwe mei jok pwan ekis nennan uuch!
Tong Ennet fiti Jaiwak!
Elter Wells "ITO"
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Another Baptism
Neolawas Allim!
Another week gone, man it's flying now! ha Thanks for getting a hold of Elder Sorenson's mom he is so pumped about it!
We had a baptism last week! Erevin Benjamin. Another Chuukese!!! He's 15 years old, although he looks 18, and he's the son of a mom and dad that we just recently helped come back to church! He's a stud! He wants to come teaching with us everyday and he already came with us last night! He's great! One of my favorite things to do is is visit a recent convert the Monday after the convert has been baptized and received the Holy Ghost. I love seeing them that Monday back at their house and see the visible difference in their appearance! It is clear that the Holy Ghost has taken up residence in them and it ,literally, lights them up. They are different people and that might be my favorite part of all! I love it!! And my whole desire when they reach that point is to help them keep it going!
There was another Chuukese woman that was baptized with him! I translated her baptismal interview and she had the sweetest most sincere spirit about her. I know I may be bias, but Chuukese carry a sweet spirit with them, it's discernable sitting down and teaching a lesson with them how much they revere God. God and religion is woven so thickly into their culture that it shows in most everything they do. I think that's amazing! Even those not of our faith are "different" from the majority here in Guam because they honestly want to do God's will, and having that desire changes them and makes their whole life style different. I love it!! I think that for that fact alone is the reason so many Chuukese are baptized.
Last year there were 78 baptisms in Chuuk (the most in 8 years), about half of the baptisms in Guam last year were Chuukese, a portion of Pohnpei's baptisms were Chuukese, and in Yap all outer island Yapese have the same customs and culture as Chuukese (Yap just wanted to claim them) and the majority of Yap's baptisms were those people! I know there was at least a couple Chuukese baptized in Kosrae and Saipan last year. I've told you all before but Chuukese are the greatest! Just the other day Elder Sandvik and I had an experience that proved that point again.
We had a bunch of free time to go "finding" (tracting). 3 hours to be exact and I wasn't particularly looking forward to it. ha We had been in it for about 2 hours, just loving life, when we knocked on a door that opened to me hearing a bunch of Chuukese music! I got pumped!! I started talking in Chuukese and we were in the door in about 10 seconds. We sat down and they were offering us ice cold drinks. We had a wonderful lesson with lot's of good questions and they agreed to pray and have us come back. As soon as we were done they brought out plates and called to eat "Sa monga!" We sat down with huge plates of rice and turkey tail and we were talking and joking like we'd been friends for years! We talked all about Chuuk and their families (who I knew) all about anything Chuukese. After we were done eating they brought out packages of cookies, bottled water, bottled juice and anything else they could find to give us before we left. We left with smiles from ear to ear and me looking at Elder Sandvik and saying: "Chuukese are the best... or what?" He agreed (which is a big deal because he served in Pohnpei and pohnpeians don't like Chuukese). Yeah I love Chuukese so much it's almost ridiculous! ha
I love you all that much too, don't worry! Sorry after typing that story all I can think of is Chuuk thoughts so I'll end if off. Love you all take care!
Tong Ennet fiti Jaiwak!
Elder Wells "ITO"
Another week gone, man it's flying now! ha Thanks for getting a hold of Elder Sorenson's mom he is so pumped about it!
We had a baptism last week! Erevin Benjamin. Another Chuukese!!! He's 15 years old, although he looks 18, and he's the son of a mom and dad that we just recently helped come back to church! He's a stud! He wants to come teaching with us everyday and he already came with us last night! He's great! One of my favorite things to do is is visit a recent convert the Monday after the convert has been baptized and received the Holy Ghost. I love seeing them that Monday back at their house and see the visible difference in their appearance! It is clear that the Holy Ghost has taken up residence in them and it ,literally, lights them up. They are different people and that might be my favorite part of all! I love it!! And my whole desire when they reach that point is to help them keep it going!
There was another Chuukese woman that was baptized with him! I translated her baptismal interview and she had the sweetest most sincere spirit about her. I know I may be bias, but Chuukese carry a sweet spirit with them, it's discernable sitting down and teaching a lesson with them how much they revere God. God and religion is woven so thickly into their culture that it shows in most everything they do. I think that's amazing! Even those not of our faith are "different" from the majority here in Guam because they honestly want to do God's will, and having that desire changes them and makes their whole life style different. I love it!! I think that for that fact alone is the reason so many Chuukese are baptized.
Last year there were 78 baptisms in Chuuk (the most in 8 years), about half of the baptisms in Guam last year were Chuukese, a portion of Pohnpei's baptisms were Chuukese, and in Yap all outer island Yapese have the same customs and culture as Chuukese (Yap just wanted to claim them) and the majority of Yap's baptisms were those people! I know there was at least a couple Chuukese baptized in Kosrae and Saipan last year. I've told you all before but Chuukese are the greatest! Just the other day Elder Sandvik and I had an experience that proved that point again.
We had a bunch of free time to go "finding" (tracting). 3 hours to be exact and I wasn't particularly looking forward to it. ha We had been in it for about 2 hours, just loving life, when we knocked on a door that opened to me hearing a bunch of Chuukese music! I got pumped!! I started talking in Chuukese and we were in the door in about 10 seconds. We sat down and they were offering us ice cold drinks. We had a wonderful lesson with lot's of good questions and they agreed to pray and have us come back. As soon as we were done they brought out plates and called to eat "Sa monga!" We sat down with huge plates of rice and turkey tail and we were talking and joking like we'd been friends for years! We talked all about Chuuk and their families (who I knew) all about anything Chuukese. After we were done eating they brought out packages of cookies, bottled water, bottled juice and anything else they could find to give us before we left. We left with smiles from ear to ear and me looking at Elder Sandvik and saying: "Chuukese are the best... or what?" He agreed (which is a big deal because he served in Pohnpei and pohnpeians don't like Chuukese). Yeah I love Chuukese so much it's almost ridiculous! ha
I love you all that much too, don't worry! Sorry after typing that story all I can think of is Chuuk thoughts so I'll end if off. Love you all take care!
Tong Ennet fiti Jaiwak!
Elder Wells "ITO"
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Translation, Palau and an Apostle in Chuuk!
4/13/10
Ran Allim Ami!
I gotta tell Zach that you are the best sibling writer in the family. Yep, no question about it. Where are you at in the Book of Mormon Zach, you better not be behind man!
Thanks for getting everything and sending that stuff mom. I went to the Translation department today and filled out the rest of that paper. I think, but I'm not sure, they're going to give me some test in English now and then a test in Chuukese... something like that. Hopefully I'll be able to get it all set up while I'm here so it will be super smooth when I get home. It's interesting, the translation department for all the languages in this mission is located in Guam so there are a few translators that work in the actual building (none for Chuuk) but the great majority work from the United States in coordination with the translation department in Salt Lake. It is something that requires a computer and it works around your own time which, like you said dad, works great for a schedule with swimming. I'm pumped to do it mostly because there are more Chuukese than any of the other islands and they know the least English out of all the islands so it definitely can do a ton of good I'm down for anything to help out my Chuukese pwipwi's. If I get everything set up over here President DeValle(head of translation) could have me trained in the program that they use and after that anything he asks you to translate you work on it. He said it's mostly Church Manuals (there's like two translated ha) First Presidency and Relief Society Messages and a few other things on the side. But that seems to be the majority. I talked to President Dowdle about translation and he was pumped about me doing it because he says that he requests stuff to be translated all the time but the Chuukese translation can't do it because they only have three consistent people and so they do the bare minimum, but when he found out Elder Sorensen and I wanted to translate he got way pumped because then he could get a ton more Chuukese material translated and published. Apparently there's been one returned missionary for the past five years that has done the bulk of Chuukese translation and at times he's the only one. Everyone on Guam knows about translation stuff and when they hear me speaking Chuukese at church they always talk to me about doing translation. There was a fireside more than two months ago where I translated for a couple of speakers and I had at least five different people at General Conference come up to me and compliment me on my Chuukese and how I sounded like a Chuukese person way back at the fireside. I'm always like: "Thanks" but then I'm thinking: "you're Chamorro you don't know Chuukese" or "you're Pohnpeian you didn't have a clue what I was saying". There were a couple of non-Chuukese kids who looked at me, afraid, and then turn to their parents and say: "There's that Chuukese guy." ha ha.
Ok, sorry about that whole thing. The rest of the trip was great! Palau was a part of the FSM but separated and became it's only Republic and is doing really really well. It's really really nice and I guess it's a popular place for celebrities to go visit. Palauan is a crazy language and the missionaries try to learn it but they struggle. Most everyone knows English so the drive to learn the language isn't all there. They always teach in English except for Elder B who knows the most Paluan. I went with him and I told him I didn't want to hear one thing in English from him.... He did great and I was surprised at how well he did. I guess there has been only two or three missionaries who have learned Palaun enough to teach all the lessons. Elder B got through the first lesson three times and I think he took courage after he did that and got excited to really go after the language and tackle it. I think he'll be one that will teach all the lessons in Palaun. Palauns all know English but it's not good English, it's poor and so teaching them in a poor 2nd language it's hard to tap into the emotions of the people. Hopefully it works out. Palauns and Yapese are the most similar looking. They are both really really dark and really really short. I thought I was in Jamaica at times they were so dark. The missionaries were doing great and it was fun to work with them all. I would have to say my favorite island after Chuuk would be Yap or Kosrae. Yap because the outer islanders are really just Chuukese, and Kosrae is just nice. The next time we leave island I'll be going back to CHUUK!!! I'm going to be able to make it back for the dedication of the Mwan Chapel!!!!!! And guess who I'll be going with? You know how Elder Christopherson is coming to Guam, well.... he had a nephew back in the day that served a mission in Chuuk, and he wants to go check it out! So he'll be going to Chuuk and he'll actually dedicate the Mwan chapel as well! That is so cool!!! An Apostle going to Chuuk!!! That's insane! He's only coming to Guam and Chuuk, man Chuuk is so cool! Now I'm started on a Chuuk jimboree I better end soon or you'll get 30 more lines of Chuuk! ha
Since Elder Sorensen is in Chuuk and doesn't have e-mail............. I have his mom's phone number....... He said that she would be up for getting him all signed up if she knew about it. The other guys are here on Guam and I told them about it. They can hook it up with their parents. Her name is........ I can't remember..........Sister Sorensen? ha Sorry I would e-mail her but he can't remember her e-mail address.
General Conference was way good! The talk you liked dad was definitely a good one. The priesthood session in general was outstanding! It was cool to watch all of general conference!
Ok I think I forgot like 36 things I wanted to tell you all but I can't remember them any more!! I'll probably remember as soon as I leave the office! ha
Ua fakkun ennetin unusan tongeikemi!!!!! "I really truly wholey love you guys!!!!!"
Don't die
Tong Ennet fiti Jaiwak
Elder Wells "Ito"
Ran Allim Ami!
I gotta tell Zach that you are the best sibling writer in the family. Yep, no question about it. Where are you at in the Book of Mormon Zach, you better not be behind man!
Thanks for getting everything and sending that stuff mom. I went to the Translation department today and filled out the rest of that paper. I think, but I'm not sure, they're going to give me some test in English now and then a test in Chuukese... something like that. Hopefully I'll be able to get it all set up while I'm here so it will be super smooth when I get home. It's interesting, the translation department for all the languages in this mission is located in Guam so there are a few translators that work in the actual building (none for Chuuk) but the great majority work from the United States in coordination with the translation department in Salt Lake. It is something that requires a computer and it works around your own time which, like you said dad, works great for a schedule with swimming. I'm pumped to do it mostly because there are more Chuukese than any of the other islands and they know the least English out of all the islands so it definitely can do a ton of good I'm down for anything to help out my Chuukese pwipwi's. If I get everything set up over here President DeValle(head of translation) could have me trained in the program that they use and after that anything he asks you to translate you work on it. He said it's mostly Church Manuals (there's like two translated ha) First Presidency and Relief Society Messages and a few other things on the side. But that seems to be the majority. I talked to President Dowdle about translation and he was pumped about me doing it because he says that he requests stuff to be translated all the time but the Chuukese translation can't do it because they only have three consistent people and so they do the bare minimum, but when he found out Elder Sorensen and I wanted to translate he got way pumped because then he could get a ton more Chuukese material translated and published. Apparently there's been one returned missionary for the past five years that has done the bulk of Chuukese translation and at times he's the only one. Everyone on Guam knows about translation stuff and when they hear me speaking Chuukese at church they always talk to me about doing translation. There was a fireside more than two months ago where I translated for a couple of speakers and I had at least five different people at General Conference come up to me and compliment me on my Chuukese and how I sounded like a Chuukese person way back at the fireside. I'm always like: "Thanks" but then I'm thinking: "you're Chamorro you don't know Chuukese" or "you're Pohnpeian you didn't have a clue what I was saying". There were a couple of non-Chuukese kids who looked at me, afraid, and then turn to their parents and say: "There's that Chuukese guy." ha ha.
Ok, sorry about that whole thing. The rest of the trip was great! Palau was a part of the FSM but separated and became it's only Republic and is doing really really well. It's really really nice and I guess it's a popular place for celebrities to go visit. Palauan is a crazy language and the missionaries try to learn it but they struggle. Most everyone knows English so the drive to learn the language isn't all there. They always teach in English except for Elder B who knows the most Paluan. I went with him and I told him I didn't want to hear one thing in English from him.... He did great and I was surprised at how well he did. I guess there has been only two or three missionaries who have learned Palaun enough to teach all the lessons. Elder B got through the first lesson three times and I think he took courage after he did that and got excited to really go after the language and tackle it. I think he'll be one that will teach all the lessons in Palaun. Palauns all know English but it's not good English, it's poor and so teaching them in a poor 2nd language it's hard to tap into the emotions of the people. Hopefully it works out. Palauns and Yapese are the most similar looking. They are both really really dark and really really short. I thought I was in Jamaica at times they were so dark. The missionaries were doing great and it was fun to work with them all. I would have to say my favorite island after Chuuk would be Yap or Kosrae. Yap because the outer islanders are really just Chuukese, and Kosrae is just nice. The next time we leave island I'll be going back to CHUUK!!! I'm going to be able to make it back for the dedication of the Mwan Chapel!!!!!! And guess who I'll be going with? You know how Elder Christopherson is coming to Guam, well.... he had a nephew back in the day that served a mission in Chuuk, and he wants to go check it out! So he'll be going to Chuuk and he'll actually dedicate the Mwan chapel as well! That is so cool!!! An Apostle going to Chuuk!!! That's insane! He's only coming to Guam and Chuuk, man Chuuk is so cool! Now I'm started on a Chuuk jimboree I better end soon or you'll get 30 more lines of Chuuk! ha
Since Elder Sorensen is in Chuuk and doesn't have e-mail............. I have his mom's phone number....... He said that she would be up for getting him all signed up if she knew about it. The other guys are here on Guam and I told them about it. They can hook it up with their parents. Her name is........ I can't remember..........Sister Sorensen? ha Sorry I would e-mail her but he can't remember her e-mail address.
General Conference was way good! The talk you liked dad was definitely a good one. The priesthood session in general was outstanding! It was cool to watch all of general conference!
Ok I think I forgot like 36 things I wanted to tell you all but I can't remember them any more!! I'll probably remember as soon as I leave the office! ha
Ua fakkun ennetin unusan tongeikemi!!!!! "I really truly wholey love you guys!!!!!"
Don't die
Tong Ennet fiti Jaiwak
Elder Wells "Ito"
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Yap is Crazy
4/5/10
Ran Allim!!
Thanks mom you're stud! This is random, but you know my pillow with all of you on it? Yeah well everytime an elder sees it they always think that mom is like my older sister or something! When I tell them it's my mom they always comment on how young mom looks, but you all already knew that right? ha And I must say dad that you still look great which is a bonus for me because you know the whole what your mom looks like is how the daughter will turn out and how the dad looks like is how the son will turn out, well I'm in for sure with such great looking parents! Whatever girl sees how good looking my parents are will want to marry me before even seeing me! ha
Ok mom here is my driver license #. Anything else let me know. Thanks again for doing all that you're amazing! I have a question. Do I have a bank account #? If I do could you possibly e-mail that to me. President Devalle needs that information so he can get me hooked up to the translation department. Before I leave they're going to get me trained on the computer program they use so that I can go home and get started. Elder Sorensen first name is Colby. The other two talked to me about it and I was like for sure pwipwis and there names are Mitchell Hatch, and Chandler Walpole. I hope they'll get on it.
I'm in Yap right now and they have internet that works pretty darn good! We don't have a lot of time so I'll hit you all up with the news of the trip when I get back. Yap is crazy! The people are way different than Chuukese! But they have outer island Yapese that live on Yap and they live exactly like Chuukese! Their language is closer to Chuukese and I could understand them when they spoke to me! The outer Yap islands are way close to the outer islands of Chuuk and Chuuk in general. They're nothing like the main island Yapese and Yapese and the outer islanders don't really like each other so I think that they should just become part of Chuuk! Palau is the last place in the mission that I haven't been to but of the islands that I've been to they should just call this the Chuuk mission because Chuukese are everywhere! There was a Yapese guy that was talking to me yesterday and he said that Chuukese are like the Philipino's and the Mexicans... they're everywhere!! ha I think that is an exaggeration but it's pretty close! Chuukese are the bomb!
There are almost as many outer island Yapese as there are Yapese on this island and since their languages aren't close at all (they're hardly related) it's a struggle in church. We went to church here and it was all in English, it was good they have a very nice chapel here and all the missionary houses are all very nice! It's been super fun and we'll be flying out to Palau tonight at 10:00 pm. Short night. We'll be back in Guam this friday!
Peace I gotta go!
Tong Ennet fiti Jaiwak!!
Ran Allim!!
Thanks mom you're stud! This is random, but you know my pillow with all of you on it? Yeah well everytime an elder sees it they always think that mom is like my older sister or something! When I tell them it's my mom they always comment on how young mom looks, but you all already knew that right? ha And I must say dad that you still look great which is a bonus for me because you know the whole what your mom looks like is how the daughter will turn out and how the dad looks like is how the son will turn out, well I'm in for sure with such great looking parents! Whatever girl sees how good looking my parents are will want to marry me before even seeing me! ha
Ok mom here is my driver license #. Anything else let me know. Thanks again for doing all that you're amazing! I have a question. Do I have a bank account #? If I do could you possibly e-mail that to me. President Devalle needs that information so he can get me hooked up to the translation department. Before I leave they're going to get me trained on the computer program they use so that I can go home and get started. Elder Sorensen first name is Colby. The other two talked to me about it and I was like for sure pwipwis and there names are Mitchell Hatch, and Chandler Walpole. I hope they'll get on it.
I'm in Yap right now and they have internet that works pretty darn good! We don't have a lot of time so I'll hit you all up with the news of the trip when I get back. Yap is crazy! The people are way different than Chuukese! But they have outer island Yapese that live on Yap and they live exactly like Chuukese! Their language is closer to Chuukese and I could understand them when they spoke to me! The outer Yap islands are way close to the outer islands of Chuuk and Chuuk in general. They're nothing like the main island Yapese and Yapese and the outer islanders don't really like each other so I think that they should just become part of Chuuk! Palau is the last place in the mission that I haven't been to but of the islands that I've been to they should just call this the Chuuk mission because Chuukese are everywhere! There was a Yapese guy that was talking to me yesterday and he said that Chuukese are like the Philipino's and the Mexicans... they're everywhere!! ha I think that is an exaggeration but it's pretty close! Chuukese are the bomb!
There are almost as many outer island Yapese as there are Yapese on this island and since their languages aren't close at all (they're hardly related) it's a struggle in church. We went to church here and it was all in English, it was good they have a very nice chapel here and all the missionary houses are all very nice! It's been super fun and we'll be flying out to Palau tonight at 10:00 pm. Short night. We'll be back in Guam this friday!
Peace I gotta go!
Tong Ennet fiti Jaiwak!!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Saipan is "islandy"
3/28/10
Ran Allim ngenikemi ika neran nge nepong annim ika nepwin!
Man, so we're having Zone Conference tomorrow, which means that P-Day is today.... Yeah bad idea whoever came up with that idea! So I don't know what to say to you guys because you didn't say anything to me, but we went to Saipan and that was really fun! Elder Mafile'o is a stud!! I love him! Saipan was nice, similar to Guam but not as big and it was a lot slower which I enjoyed a lot! It had a more "islandy" feel if you know what I mean. It was really fun to work with the four elders up there and I even taught three or four Chuukese lessons so that was the bomb! There were quite a bit of Filipino's and there is a Filipino elder up there so I sat in a bunch of Tagalog lessons! Which is kinda nuts. I go to Pohnpei and Kosrae and sit in lessons where I don't know anything that is going on... Then I go to Saipan and sit in a bunch of lessons where I don't what is going on because it's all in Tagalog! ha
Ok so now I got a big favor... ha Elder Sorensen got accepted to BYU!!!!! He went to Boise State before he came out but he didn't want to go back so he got on the ball and applied for BYU after I talked him into it... and he got accepted!! So this is the favor! Since he just barely got accepted he doesn't have anywhere to live or anything soooooooooo when he called in for numbers on Sunday from Chuuk and he told me all this I was like brother I know a woman who does work like no other human being can and she can get not only you hooked up but me as well and whoever else is in on the party! So if you haven't guessed yet I was talking about you mom. ha Because you see here is the plan. Elder Sorensen and I know Chuukese like we were born there (something close to that) so Bro. Devalle (head of translation) is trying to get us to do translation stuff when we get home. I could talk a lot about that but anyway the real fact of the matter is that there are only three people on the Chuukese translation team and they honestly don't know that good of Chuukese because Elder Sorensen and I read their stuff and it doesn't make sense, but anyway, doing translation means money! And that is something that I will definitely not have a lot of when I get back! ha So translation is the way to go for some kind of date money. ha ha But Elder Sorensen and I are going to work together to translate everything they can throw at us! Yeah so you see where this is leading? I told President Dowdle and he was more than fully supportive of him and I translating and even more so on us living together. So what I would like to do more than anything is to be able to live with Elder Sorensen somewhere. That would be my number one choice over anything and anyone (except if Zach Miller could room with us as well that would be number one!) So I know I've asked for a lot of stuff recently but this one and a Chuukese dictionary are the only ones that really matter, and a room with Sorensen is the number one. Soooo there it is, I feel bad because I just say something and then leave you all hanging. But I love you all so much!
Thank you Mckenzie for writing your letter early so I had some letter to read! You're a stud!!
Love you all!
Tong Ennet fit Jaiwak,
Elder Wells "Ito"
Ran Allim ngenikemi ika neran nge nepong annim ika nepwin!
Man, so we're having Zone Conference tomorrow, which means that P-Day is today.... Yeah bad idea whoever came up with that idea! So I don't know what to say to you guys because you didn't say anything to me, but we went to Saipan and that was really fun! Elder Mafile'o is a stud!! I love him! Saipan was nice, similar to Guam but not as big and it was a lot slower which I enjoyed a lot! It had a more "islandy" feel if you know what I mean. It was really fun to work with the four elders up there and I even taught three or four Chuukese lessons so that was the bomb! There were quite a bit of Filipino's and there is a Filipino elder up there so I sat in a bunch of Tagalog lessons! Which is kinda nuts. I go to Pohnpei and Kosrae and sit in lessons where I don't know anything that is going on... Then I go to Saipan and sit in a bunch of lessons where I don't what is going on because it's all in Tagalog! ha
Ok so now I got a big favor... ha Elder Sorensen got accepted to BYU!!!!! He went to Boise State before he came out but he didn't want to go back so he got on the ball and applied for BYU after I talked him into it... and he got accepted!! So this is the favor! Since he just barely got accepted he doesn't have anywhere to live or anything soooooooooo when he called in for numbers on Sunday from Chuuk and he told me all this I was like brother I know a woman who does work like no other human being can and she can get not only you hooked up but me as well and whoever else is in on the party! So if you haven't guessed yet I was talking about you mom. ha Because you see here is the plan. Elder Sorensen and I know Chuukese like we were born there (something close to that) so Bro. Devalle (head of translation) is trying to get us to do translation stuff when we get home. I could talk a lot about that but anyway the real fact of the matter is that there are only three people on the Chuukese translation team and they honestly don't know that good of Chuukese because Elder Sorensen and I read their stuff and it doesn't make sense, but anyway, doing translation means money! And that is something that I will definitely not have a lot of when I get back! ha So translation is the way to go for some kind of date money. ha ha But Elder Sorensen and I are going to work together to translate everything they can throw at us! Yeah so you see where this is leading? I told President Dowdle and he was more than fully supportive of him and I translating and even more so on us living together. So what I would like to do more than anything is to be able to live with Elder Sorensen somewhere. That would be my number one choice over anything and anyone (except if Zach Miller could room with us as well that would be number one!) So I know I've asked for a lot of stuff recently but this one and a Chuukese dictionary are the only ones that really matter, and a room with Sorensen is the number one. Soooo there it is, I feel bad because I just say something and then leave you all hanging. But I love you all so much!
Thank you Mckenzie for writing your letter early so I had some letter to read! You're a stud!!
Love you all!
Tong Ennet fit Jaiwak,
Elder Wells "Ito"
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
More baptisms!
Ran Allim ami!
I don't know if I'll be able to pull another letter out like last time. Man that thing was long!! But so much good stuff happened I just had to let you all know! Well last Saturday Sampo got baptized! It was a wonderful service, and a lot different than any baptismal service that happened in Chuuk! It seemed so organized and everyone was on time... I didn't know what to do with myself. His whole family is Chuukese so it was pretty much a Chuukese baptismal service and I was asked to give a talk on baptism again so I gave it mostly in Chuukese and threw in some English because I felt bad for the branch president and the other missionaries that were there! Enrik baptized him! Enrik is another studly Chuukese guy from Toloas that is preparing to go on a mission! He should be getting it this week! He's amazing and is already so ready and focused to go on a mission! I love him to death and being able to work with him definitely keeps me sane! We're promise brothers so he's always got my back and he'll feed me a lot and I got his back and help him out with whatever it is that he wants! Yesterday he spent the whole day teaching with us! Which was awesome because me and him just tore it up teaching all the Chuukese here Guam! He's a stud and is one of the best parts about being in Guam. Him and another Chuukese guy named Cheech. He's my brother too, and he comes and helps us teach a lot as well!
Just yesterday Me, Cheech, Enrik and Elder Tew (I was on an exchange) went and set up four chicken traps for a member. The member's name is Tavita and he's a blind Samoan that wants to eat chicken way bad! ha ha So I told him that I got some Chuukese friends that could help him out! We went to his house and set em' all up and he's going to be eating fresh chicken by tonight! He's a stud, and he wants to learn Chuukese so that he can come to the Chuukese class on Sunday because he loves Chuukese people too, especially Enrik and Cheech. He just calls me "the Chuukese guy" and I call him pwipwi (which is like sole or si'i in or brutha) in Chuukese and he loves it! I'm pumped to call him and see if he caught a rooster because if he did he's gonna give it to Cheech and Enrik. Yeah they're studs!
There are two more Chuukese boys that we are teaching that came to church last Sunday and should be getting baptized on the 17th of April! I'm pumped for that as well! I might say it too much for you all but Chuukese are definitely the greatest people ever! Oh yeah so transfers happened and Elder Sorenson is going back to Chuuk!!!!! He's so lucky! But Chuuk needs him! He needs to get the missionaries there whipped back into shape. I just wish I could be more apart of it. I wish I could be in the front lines with Elder Sorenson kicking trash and taking names. ha (figuratively) But he'll do a great job! Those definitely had to be the three greatest transfers ever! The three transfers Sorenson and I were together were amazing! I miss his guts. He's actually extending so he'll go home a transfer after me which means I'll be at his homecoming! Yeah!
Ok, before I forget could you send me the memory cards back please? I'm out of room on the one that I have right now and I need to take lot's more pictures! And one other huge favor. If you could find time could you look and see if they sell any Chuukese dictionaries online? I know there was one that was published because I saw it in Chuuk but if there's one online that would be sweet. The guy that did it was named Ward H. Goodenough. He lived for like 60 years on Romalum and then wrote a dictionary with the help of University of Hawaii. That would be so so so awesome but if you can't no worries.
We're flying to Saipan tomorrow morning and we'll be back in Guam on Friday. Elder Mafile'o is in Saipan so I'm pretty pumped to go see him and work with him again. He and Elder Mabey are companions now. They're studs! And I love them.
Anything else I need to do for school or for swimming? Tim knows I'm coming right? You can tell him that I'm going to blow him out of the water! ha Anymore news on BYU swimming? I'm working out extra hard in the morning now. ha Well as much as I can in 30 minutes and it's a lot easier to keep off weight here in Guam because I don't like this food that we get here that much, and they don't have parties where you eat until you fall over and go to sleep. ha So I'm looking good. Watch out!
Hey don't forget I love you all! So don't be going anywhere! Mckenzie guess what!? I had a dream that we raced.... I can't remember who won but it must have been me because my brain can't dream up something that is impossible! ha ha ha
Tong Ennet fiti Jaiwak!
Elter Wells "Ito"
I don't know if I'll be able to pull another letter out like last time. Man that thing was long!! But so much good stuff happened I just had to let you all know! Well last Saturday Sampo got baptized! It was a wonderful service, and a lot different than any baptismal service that happened in Chuuk! It seemed so organized and everyone was on time... I didn't know what to do with myself. His whole family is Chuukese so it was pretty much a Chuukese baptismal service and I was asked to give a talk on baptism again so I gave it mostly in Chuukese and threw in some English because I felt bad for the branch president and the other missionaries that were there! Enrik baptized him! Enrik is another studly Chuukese guy from Toloas that is preparing to go on a mission! He should be getting it this week! He's amazing and is already so ready and focused to go on a mission! I love him to death and being able to work with him definitely keeps me sane! We're promise brothers so he's always got my back and he'll feed me a lot and I got his back and help him out with whatever it is that he wants! Yesterday he spent the whole day teaching with us! Which was awesome because me and him just tore it up teaching all the Chuukese here Guam! He's a stud and is one of the best parts about being in Guam. Him and another Chuukese guy named Cheech. He's my brother too, and he comes and helps us teach a lot as well!
Just yesterday Me, Cheech, Enrik and Elder Tew (I was on an exchange) went and set up four chicken traps for a member. The member's name is Tavita and he's a blind Samoan that wants to eat chicken way bad! ha ha So I told him that I got some Chuukese friends that could help him out! We went to his house and set em' all up and he's going to be eating fresh chicken by tonight! He's a stud, and he wants to learn Chuukese so that he can come to the Chuukese class on Sunday because he loves Chuukese people too, especially Enrik and Cheech. He just calls me "the Chuukese guy" and I call him pwipwi (which is like sole or si'i in or brutha) in Chuukese and he loves it! I'm pumped to call him and see if he caught a rooster because if he did he's gonna give it to Cheech and Enrik. Yeah they're studs!
There are two more Chuukese boys that we are teaching that came to church last Sunday and should be getting baptized on the 17th of April! I'm pumped for that as well! I might say it too much for you all but Chuukese are definitely the greatest people ever! Oh yeah so transfers happened and Elder Sorenson is going back to Chuuk!!!!! He's so lucky! But Chuuk needs him! He needs to get the missionaries there whipped back into shape. I just wish I could be more apart of it. I wish I could be in the front lines with Elder Sorenson kicking trash and taking names. ha (figuratively) But he'll do a great job! Those definitely had to be the three greatest transfers ever! The three transfers Sorenson and I were together were amazing! I miss his guts. He's actually extending so he'll go home a transfer after me which means I'll be at his homecoming! Yeah!
Ok, before I forget could you send me the memory cards back please? I'm out of room on the one that I have right now and I need to take lot's more pictures! And one other huge favor. If you could find time could you look and see if they sell any Chuukese dictionaries online? I know there was one that was published because I saw it in Chuuk but if there's one online that would be sweet. The guy that did it was named Ward H. Goodenough. He lived for like 60 years on Romalum and then wrote a dictionary with the help of University of Hawaii. That would be so so so awesome but if you can't no worries.
We're flying to Saipan tomorrow morning and we'll be back in Guam on Friday. Elder Mafile'o is in Saipan so I'm pretty pumped to go see him and work with him again. He and Elder Mabey are companions now. They're studs! And I love them.
Anything else I need to do for school or for swimming? Tim knows I'm coming right? You can tell him that I'm going to blow him out of the water! ha Anymore news on BYU swimming? I'm working out extra hard in the morning now. ha Well as much as I can in 30 minutes and it's a lot easier to keep off weight here in Guam because I don't like this food that we get here that much, and they don't have parties where you eat until you fall over and go to sleep. ha So I'm looking good. Watch out!
Hey don't forget I love you all! So don't be going anywhere! Mckenzie guess what!? I had a dream that we raced.... I can't remember who won but it must have been me because my brain can't dream up something that is impossible! ha ha ha
Tong Ennet fiti Jaiwak!
Elter Wells "Ito"
Friday, March 19, 2010
I Still LOVE Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae are pretty cool too.
This one is kind of long but we didn't get one last week and he was updating us on the new islands he went to which is pretty interesting. ---K
Fakkun Ran Allim Chapur Ngenikemi!!
Ifa ussen ekkana inis? How are those bodies doing? ha Man! It was so good to go back to Chuuk! It was so good and all the members and Recent Converts were doing so well! They are all amazing and were so beautiful! Chuukese are the most beautiful of all the Micronesians by far and I was reminded of that again as I went and saw them! I love them so much, and now I'm homesick for Chuuk. ha We went to all the areas that are open in Chuuk which right now is only Romalum, Mwan, Mechitiw, and Sapuk. Not too many but it was so good to see everyone! It was so great because after being Zone Leader for a while I knew tons of people in every area so each area I went to there was always someone that I was just dieing to see and it was so good to see them and talk to them! It was really overwhelming and I am a girl so of course I cried a lot, but definitely the happiest part of the tour and one of the happiest moments in my life was to be able to be at Mensi's baptism! It was amazing! To have found him and his family, to teach them, and work with them to baptism only to get pulled out of Chuuk the Thursday before they were getting baptized was rough, but the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen and it was indeed a very tender mercy for me to be able to attend the baptism of the father (his wife and daughter had been baptized on that week that I left)! Samone and Marsine and their family were at the baptism along with Matasio and his family and Estino and Mensi's wife and daughter were there as well!! I was asked to give a talk on baptism and I was pumped to do so! When I got up in the front of that rickety old chapel and looked at all those people that I loved so much, that I had labored with so much, with Mensi all in white (along with Matasio who baptized him) was too much for this heart of mine to handle and I, physically, almost fainted. I cried a good amount and talked about baptism and how this choice Mensi and his family had made was going to change their lives forever, just look at Samone and Matasio's families. He got baptized and it was studly and everyone was pumped out of their minds and I was just running around like a chicken talking to everybody. ha Mormon's abridgment of Ammon's experience with King Lamoni and the queen (Alma19), to me, is descriptive of what I felt. Except for in Ammon's account he was overpowered with joy and did in fact faint. That is definitely not a play on words or any other weird concept but it literally meant his body and mind was full of so much joy that his physical frame couldn't take it. It is real, I have felt that way. I honestly was at the brink of being overpowered by joy and sinking to the ground. The only thing that kept me going is I had a talk to give:) ha. Ok I could talk about that forever but I'll move on.
Chuuk was the first place we visited. Pohnpei was next on our stop. It was crazy!! It was similar to Chuuk but at the same time not similar at all. It was huge!!! It was a sprawling metropolis compared to Chuuk!! The roads were nice, stores were nice, all the houses were very nice (especially missionary ones). It blew my mind! I had imagined it being similar to Chuuk seeing that they are both apart of the FSM but it was not. Much much much more developed! It was crazy!! Lot's of people knew English and even crazier is that there are about 4,000 outer island Chuukese that live in select areas on Pohnpei!! The first day I got there I taught four lessons in Chuukese on Pohnpei! It was nuts! In Chuuk only Chuukese are there and I thought that was how it was everywhere. Guess not. Pohnpei is really really green! Lots and lots of thick dense trees in Pohnpei it’s more jungly like than Chuuk is, but I suppose that that is due to the fact that all the islands in Chuuk are way too small to have a jungle! ha The whole island is surrounded by mangrove trees so you rarely see the ocean which was odd. They have a nice road that goes all the way around the island with a bunch of other roads that get me all confused. The mountains are really quite tall in Pohnpei and they have insanely steep roads going up them that are impossible to bike up and a pain and a half to walk up! ha Pohnpeians, I guess, like to live more in seclusion and while I was there we did some finding and we’d get on a trail and walk 45 minutes not seeing a single person until we got to the end of the trail and there was a house there. It was nuts! Similar to Wichap but multiplied by 5. We worked with all the elders and drove all the way around the island, we went to a district meeting and they have four sisters on that island as well which was cool to hear them speaking Pohnpeian. The elders were all very nice and seemed to be doing great! Oh yeah, it was kind of overcast the whole time I was there and I guess that is how it is all the time. Apparently it’s the 2nd most rainiest place on earth. I road on a bike for the first time in probably over 2 years and that was weird… I wasn’t too good at it, especially being with an elder that had been riding bikes for the past 8-9 months on his mission! ha We got there on Monday and stayed until Friday. Friday morning we took off to Kosrae!
Kosrae was very very pretty! I really liked Kosrae but I have no idea why a plane would fly into that place! No one lives there! ha Well I believe there’s like 8,000 people on the island but it’s the second biggest island in the FSM so it feels like no one is there. It is really nice though. They had a nice restaurant that we ate at that was on a plank path out into the mangroves! You can see the ocean a lot in Kosrae and I enjoyed that because in Pohnpei and Guam I didn’t or don’t see it that often. Chuuk you see it all the time like Kosrae so it reminded me of Chuuk. There are four missionaries on Kosrae along with a couple and all their houses are way nice!! I was blown away! If you were to take the worst living conditions/ apartment/ house, out of all the islands except Chuuk and then took the best living conditions of missionaries in Chuuk it wouldn’t even compare. The best conditions in Chuuk are light years behind the worst conditions on any other island. ha Here I thought all this time that all the missionaries were living like me on Chuuk (with the exception of Guam and Saipan) when in reality they have been living in luxury! It’s insane the difference! Chuuk is definitely not for the faint of heart. I honestly was dumbfounded. But then again I’m a Chuuk thug. ha Kosrae was great! The language didn’t sound anything like Chuukese or Pohnpeian (which do have some similarities) but the elders seemed to have it down pretty good. The road is really nice and flat and smooth there as well. We rode around on beach cruiser bikes the whole day which was sweet! I would have like to spend more time on Kosrae but we took a flight out of Kosrae Midday on Saturday. We just taught a bunch of lessons and had a good time talking about the mission. The ZL’s house was way cold, it reminded me of Guam. If someone were to ask me which island in the FSM they should go vacation at I would say Kosrae. It's a little tropical island with beautiful beaches, clear water and they had some really nice hotels. Don’t get me wrong Chuuk is definitely the best of all the islands by far. It puts everyone in the dust. But because tourists aren’t usually up for the craziness of Chuuk (not tough enough) Kosrae would be a nice place because nothing big ever happens there. It’s just peaceful. President says it reminds him a lot of Kauai(Hawaii).
After the tour my love for Chuukese people grew even more because they live, in general, in more humbling circumstances than the other islands. I love Chuuk so much! So this Saturday Sampo should be getting baptized! ha We just found some more Chuukese that are great and they’ll be getting baptized soon as well! If I can’t be in Chuuk and baptize I guess I'll just baptize Chuukese in Guam! Next week we’ll be flying to Saipan to go work with the missionaries there! And then two weeks after that we’ll fly out to Yap and then Palau.
Congrats Zach on winning your tournament bro. But I gotta tell you that Chuukese are known for being good at basketball and volleyball and I dominate in both of those now! ha Sorry this is a long one and I can’t remember what you all said but I really do love you guys a lot and I pray for you all to do well. Kelsey keep training hard! McKenzie you’re a stud! Zach keep trying to be like me! Syd you’re the cutest of us all! ha Mom and Dad I hope you have a super stellar time in Palm Springs!
Tong Ennet fiti Jaiwak!
Elder Wells “Ito”
P.S……………..Ummm I can’t remember anymore ha
Fakkun Ran Allim Chapur Ngenikemi!!
Ifa ussen ekkana inis? How are those bodies doing? ha Man! It was so good to go back to Chuuk! It was so good and all the members and Recent Converts were doing so well! They are all amazing and were so beautiful! Chuukese are the most beautiful of all the Micronesians by far and I was reminded of that again as I went and saw them! I love them so much, and now I'm homesick for Chuuk. ha We went to all the areas that are open in Chuuk which right now is only Romalum, Mwan, Mechitiw, and Sapuk. Not too many but it was so good to see everyone! It was so great because after being Zone Leader for a while I knew tons of people in every area so each area I went to there was always someone that I was just dieing to see and it was so good to see them and talk to them! It was really overwhelming and I am a girl so of course I cried a lot, but definitely the happiest part of the tour and one of the happiest moments in my life was to be able to be at Mensi's baptism! It was amazing! To have found him and his family, to teach them, and work with them to baptism only to get pulled out of Chuuk the Thursday before they were getting baptized was rough, but the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen and it was indeed a very tender mercy for me to be able to attend the baptism of the father (his wife and daughter had been baptized on that week that I left)! Samone and Marsine and their family were at the baptism along with Matasio and his family and Estino and Mensi's wife and daughter were there as well!! I was asked to give a talk on baptism and I was pumped to do so! When I got up in the front of that rickety old chapel and looked at all those people that I loved so much, that I had labored with so much, with Mensi all in white (along with Matasio who baptized him) was too much for this heart of mine to handle and I, physically, almost fainted. I cried a good amount and talked about baptism and how this choice Mensi and his family had made was going to change their lives forever, just look at Samone and Matasio's families. He got baptized and it was studly and everyone was pumped out of their minds and I was just running around like a chicken talking to everybody. ha Mormon's abridgment of Ammon's experience with King Lamoni and the queen (Alma19), to me, is descriptive of what I felt. Except for in Ammon's account he was overpowered with joy and did in fact faint. That is definitely not a play on words or any other weird concept but it literally meant his body and mind was full of so much joy that his physical frame couldn't take it. It is real, I have felt that way. I honestly was at the brink of being overpowered by joy and sinking to the ground. The only thing that kept me going is I had a talk to give:) ha. Ok I could talk about that forever but I'll move on.
Chuuk was the first place we visited. Pohnpei was next on our stop. It was crazy!! It was similar to Chuuk but at the same time not similar at all. It was huge!!! It was a sprawling metropolis compared to Chuuk!! The roads were nice, stores were nice, all the houses were very nice (especially missionary ones). It blew my mind! I had imagined it being similar to Chuuk seeing that they are both apart of the FSM but it was not. Much much much more developed! It was crazy!! Lot's of people knew English and even crazier is that there are about 4,000 outer island Chuukese that live in select areas on Pohnpei!! The first day I got there I taught four lessons in Chuukese on Pohnpei! It was nuts! In Chuuk only Chuukese are there and I thought that was how it was everywhere. Guess not. Pohnpei is really really green! Lots and lots of thick dense trees in Pohnpei it’s more jungly like than Chuuk is, but I suppose that that is due to the fact that all the islands in Chuuk are way too small to have a jungle! ha The whole island is surrounded by mangrove trees so you rarely see the ocean which was odd. They have a nice road that goes all the way around the island with a bunch of other roads that get me all confused. The mountains are really quite tall in Pohnpei and they have insanely steep roads going up them that are impossible to bike up and a pain and a half to walk up! ha Pohnpeians, I guess, like to live more in seclusion and while I was there we did some finding and we’d get on a trail and walk 45 minutes not seeing a single person until we got to the end of the trail and there was a house there. It was nuts! Similar to Wichap but multiplied by 5. We worked with all the elders and drove all the way around the island, we went to a district meeting and they have four sisters on that island as well which was cool to hear them speaking Pohnpeian. The elders were all very nice and seemed to be doing great! Oh yeah, it was kind of overcast the whole time I was there and I guess that is how it is all the time. Apparently it’s the 2nd most rainiest place on earth. I road on a bike for the first time in probably over 2 years and that was weird… I wasn’t too good at it, especially being with an elder that had been riding bikes for the past 8-9 months on his mission! ha We got there on Monday and stayed until Friday. Friday morning we took off to Kosrae!
Kosrae was very very pretty! I really liked Kosrae but I have no idea why a plane would fly into that place! No one lives there! ha Well I believe there’s like 8,000 people on the island but it’s the second biggest island in the FSM so it feels like no one is there. It is really nice though. They had a nice restaurant that we ate at that was on a plank path out into the mangroves! You can see the ocean a lot in Kosrae and I enjoyed that because in Pohnpei and Guam I didn’t or don’t see it that often. Chuuk you see it all the time like Kosrae so it reminded me of Chuuk. There are four missionaries on Kosrae along with a couple and all their houses are way nice!! I was blown away! If you were to take the worst living conditions/ apartment/ house, out of all the islands except Chuuk and then took the best living conditions of missionaries in Chuuk it wouldn’t even compare. The best conditions in Chuuk are light years behind the worst conditions on any other island. ha Here I thought all this time that all the missionaries were living like me on Chuuk (with the exception of Guam and Saipan) when in reality they have been living in luxury! It’s insane the difference! Chuuk is definitely not for the faint of heart. I honestly was dumbfounded. But then again I’m a Chuuk thug. ha Kosrae was great! The language didn’t sound anything like Chuukese or Pohnpeian (which do have some similarities) but the elders seemed to have it down pretty good. The road is really nice and flat and smooth there as well. We rode around on beach cruiser bikes the whole day which was sweet! I would have like to spend more time on Kosrae but we took a flight out of Kosrae Midday on Saturday. We just taught a bunch of lessons and had a good time talking about the mission. The ZL’s house was way cold, it reminded me of Guam. If someone were to ask me which island in the FSM they should go vacation at I would say Kosrae. It's a little tropical island with beautiful beaches, clear water and they had some really nice hotels. Don’t get me wrong Chuuk is definitely the best of all the islands by far. It puts everyone in the dust. But because tourists aren’t usually up for the craziness of Chuuk (not tough enough) Kosrae would be a nice place because nothing big ever happens there. It’s just peaceful. President says it reminds him a lot of Kauai(Hawaii).
After the tour my love for Chuukese people grew even more because they live, in general, in more humbling circumstances than the other islands. I love Chuuk so much! So this Saturday Sampo should be getting baptized! ha We just found some more Chuukese that are great and they’ll be getting baptized soon as well! If I can’t be in Chuuk and baptize I guess I'll just baptize Chuukese in Guam! Next week we’ll be flying to Saipan to go work with the missionaries there! And then two weeks after that we’ll fly out to Yap and then Palau.
Congrats Zach on winning your tournament bro. But I gotta tell you that Chuukese are known for being good at basketball and volleyball and I dominate in both of those now! ha Sorry this is a long one and I can’t remember what you all said but I really do love you guys a lot and I pray for you all to do well. Kelsey keep training hard! McKenzie you’re a stud! Zach keep trying to be like me! Syd you’re the cutest of us all! ha Mom and Dad I hope you have a super stellar time in Palm Springs!
Tong Ennet fiti Jaiwak!
Elder Wells “Ito”
P.S……………..Ummm I can’t remember anymore ha
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Never a missionary in February again
Ran Allim!!
I'll never be a missionary in the month of February again. Weird that I can say that every time we leave a month.ha You can e-mail to either e-mail address, the church has changed the e-mail service and my lds mail is now powered by google and is exactly like Gmail and runs a lot better apparently. I wouldn't know the difference seeing as I just started but hey it's cool. I actually think that anyone can use it but I don't know. ha The old account will just forward everything to the new one so either or.ha
We had a good week of teaching lot's of Chuukese people which only enhances a good week into a marvelous week! I love them so so so much! It seems that anytime I ever write anybody I tell them how much I love Chuukese people but it's pretty much the number one thing on my mind all the time so I think that's why it comes out so frequently. Anyways they're all studs and I love their faces off and I'm so pumped out of my mind because this Friday we are going to CHUUK! We are going to go to all the islands on the west half of the mission so we'll visit Pohnpei and Kosrae as well but we could skip those and just spend the whole time in Chuuk and I would be happy as a clam! We'll be gone for a week and half or so, and mother I don't know if we'll e-mail but if it's possible I will. The only place it's not possible is in Chuuk because Chuuk is for thugs!ha I'm excited to see all the members and Recent Converts in Mwan and Romalum and I'm going to stuff myself full with all the Chuukese food in the world because I'm going through withdrawals without it here in Guam, man! It is so good! Oh and guess what the best thing is!? Elder Kuss and I found a family before I left Chuuk and they were going to get baptized on the Saturday of the week that I left for Guam (lame right) Well the wife and the daughter got baptized but it turned out the husband needed to be interviewed by President Dowdle and he is supposed to be getting baptized this Saturday!!!! So I should be able to see it because we are spending Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and part of Monday in Chuuk!!!! I'm so crazily pumped out of my world I'm so excited!!!................Yeah so life is good here no complaints! ha
Kelsey, Elder Mabey, my MTC comp is living with me and he is way into Triathlons!! He's pumped that you're doing them. He said a great way to train is 3,3,3. 3 swimming workouts, 3 biking workouts, and 3 running workouts a week. He said spread it out nicely to give your knees time to recover from those workouts. He said it's just an idea but he's pretty hard core so I would do it. ha
Thanks for all the sweet updates about the Olympics, I hope you have recorded all that.... And dad I tell all the missionaries about how you just get to listen to General Authorities all the time and they're all way jealous. ha That's so gangsta that you got to listen to Elder Bednar and don't go forgetting those stories because you bettcha I'll be asking you about them! Which reminds me Elder Christofferson is coming to Guam in May!!! Crazy! President Dowdle is way excited about it but he says they haven't said for what reason he's coming out. Everyone is hoping that he will create a stake but it's all up in the air. Either way he will be having a missionary meeting and a member meeting so it's going to be awesome!! Missionaries here from Guam say that when General Authorities come to Guam they usually interview the Assistants. I don't know about that but they said it happened to a couple of Assistants the last time one came...... Yeah so that would be intense, but that's far away. Hopefully Guam will be able to become a stake because that would be super neat to be here for!
My dearest little pwipwi (Zach) I am afraid that you will never be able to beat me at anything, including basketball. It reminds me of a Chuukese saying "Ese wor namwotan kapas, ika ese fiti foffor." Which says " There is no need for words if your actions can't back it up!
Mckenzie I love you and I love dancing! You should too!
Sydnee you're so pretty!
Love you all like nothing else!
Tong Ennet fiti Jaiwak!
Elder Wells "Ito"
I'll never be a missionary in the month of February again. Weird that I can say that every time we leave a month.ha You can e-mail to either e-mail address, the church has changed the e-mail service and my lds mail is now powered by google and is exactly like Gmail and runs a lot better apparently. I wouldn't know the difference seeing as I just started but hey it's cool. I actually think that anyone can use it but I don't know. ha The old account will just forward everything to the new one so either or.ha
We had a good week of teaching lot's of Chuukese people which only enhances a good week into a marvelous week! I love them so so so much! It seems that anytime I ever write anybody I tell them how much I love Chuukese people but it's pretty much the number one thing on my mind all the time so I think that's why it comes out so frequently. Anyways they're all studs and I love their faces off and I'm so pumped out of my mind because this Friday we are going to CHUUK! We are going to go to all the islands on the west half of the mission so we'll visit Pohnpei and Kosrae as well but we could skip those and just spend the whole time in Chuuk and I would be happy as a clam! We'll be gone for a week and half or so, and mother I don't know if we'll e-mail but if it's possible I will. The only place it's not possible is in Chuuk because Chuuk is for thugs!ha I'm excited to see all the members and Recent Converts in Mwan and Romalum and I'm going to stuff myself full with all the Chuukese food in the world because I'm going through withdrawals without it here in Guam, man! It is so good! Oh and guess what the best thing is!? Elder Kuss and I found a family before I left Chuuk and they were going to get baptized on the Saturday of the week that I left for Guam (lame right) Well the wife and the daughter got baptized but it turned out the husband needed to be interviewed by President Dowdle and he is supposed to be getting baptized this Saturday!!!! So I should be able to see it because we are spending Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and part of Monday in Chuuk!!!! I'm so crazily pumped out of my world I'm so excited!!!................Yeah so life is good here no complaints! ha
Kelsey, Elder Mabey, my MTC comp is living with me and he is way into Triathlons!! He's pumped that you're doing them. He said a great way to train is 3,3,3. 3 swimming workouts, 3 biking workouts, and 3 running workouts a week. He said spread it out nicely to give your knees time to recover from those workouts. He said it's just an idea but he's pretty hard core so I would do it. ha
Thanks for all the sweet updates about the Olympics, I hope you have recorded all that.... And dad I tell all the missionaries about how you just get to listen to General Authorities all the time and they're all way jealous. ha That's so gangsta that you got to listen to Elder Bednar and don't go forgetting those stories because you bettcha I'll be asking you about them! Which reminds me Elder Christofferson is coming to Guam in May!!! Crazy! President Dowdle is way excited about it but he says they haven't said for what reason he's coming out. Everyone is hoping that he will create a stake but it's all up in the air. Either way he will be having a missionary meeting and a member meeting so it's going to be awesome!! Missionaries here from Guam say that when General Authorities come to Guam they usually interview the Assistants. I don't know about that but they said it happened to a couple of Assistants the last time one came...... Yeah so that would be intense, but that's far away. Hopefully Guam will be able to become a stake because that would be super neat to be here for!
My dearest little pwipwi (Zach) I am afraid that you will never be able to beat me at anything, including basketball. It reminds me of a Chuukese saying "Ese wor namwotan kapas, ika ese fiti foffor." Which says " There is no need for words if your actions can't back it up!
Mckenzie I love you and I love dancing! You should too!
Sydnee you're so pretty!
Love you all like nothing else!
Tong Ennet fiti Jaiwak!
Elder Wells "Ito"
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