Letter from Elder Meyer: Problem with pants thanks to poison tree (Q2/end). Eternal Families (Q4). Massive, yet delicious crab (Q12). What’s in a Yap garden (Q14). Gopher free (Q16).

Hello Everyone.

Man, time sure is moving fast. My transfer nine just ended and now I am started transfer ten. Time is sure going really fast.

Dad

That would be pretty crazy if we were related to the Garretts. That would really make me laugh. The only thing that makes me unsure of that would be his family is pioneer stock.

Question 1: Are you still teaching about 20 lessons a week?  What is the highest number you ever taught?

Answer: Yes. We normally get around 20. The most we have ever taught in a week was in the 30s. I want to say 39. The reason being, we were in a tri-panionship, and then the APs came. So there was about 2 companionships working in our area. Then, because we were all separated, we triple booked ourselves that entire week, so we each took a member with us and taught lessons. It was a really good week. 

Question 2: Do you need new pants?  Noticed that your pants were maybe cut?  Seemed ¾ length?  Was that intentional?

Answer: Oh yeah. I forgot about that. I will tell you at the end. 

Elder Meyer gets "Poison Tree"

Question 3: When you reflect over this past week, what puts the biggest smile on your face?

Answer: Um... probably M*rtina. She was really not very involved for a while, now she is coming every week. We have worked really close with her since we have been on the island, and now she is moving to the states. Just the stories that she tells us, and how happy she is now, makes me smile.

Question 4: Do you get to teach about eternal families?  If so, what do you normally teach?

Answer: Yes. We teach about the temple and that through the Priesthood, inside the temple, families can be sealed for ever and ever. That God designed for us to live with our families forever. Thru ordinances in the temple, we can do that. 

Question 5: Is there anyone on the island that you know of, that does family history research?

Answer: When the last group went to the temple, they all did a little bit to take with them. I think our District President is planning another trip for him and his family the end of this year. I think he is doing some family history. 

Question 6: When you left on your mission, you had $400 cash in hand… other than the monthly allotment; do you ever need additional money for anything?

Answer: Nope, not really. I am pretty conservative with my money. I don't spend a whole lot of it. 

Question 8: Do you have a favorite day of the week?  If so, what day and why?

Answer: Favorite day. umm... Mondays are good because we get to hear from my family. Sundays are great as well. Church is normally a pretty fun thing here. It is just so different than the states. It is just crazy. 

Mom

Love the picture. It is a really good one. I am really glad that grandma loves the necklace. I wasn't sure if she would like it or not. But I am really glad she did.

Question 9: How is the chief's family?

Answer: They are doing alright. As of right now, we can't baptize the children because he feels they are too young to make a decision.

Question 10:  What are you studying in your personal scripture study or companion scripture study right now?

Answer: Personal is for investigators most of the time, if not all the time. When I am just studying for me, I am studying from the Yapese Book of Mormon. Companion study is all about the investors and their needs. 

Question 11: What did President Mecham instruct you to do specific for Yap when he visited?

Answer: Find, Teach, Baptize and retain. Specific for Yap, I think would just have been to help those that are less active. What Yap also needs, in my opinion, is leadership training, and I am not sure how to do that. 

YAP Mission

Training and practicing teaching

Training and practicing teaching

Very yummy

Question 12: Describe the most unusual thing you've eaten in a while.

Answer: It would have to be a mangrove crab. They are the biggest crab I have ever seen. They are massive.


Staheli - Just wondering if you would like a necklace like the one I gave to grandma. Do you like that kind of jewelry? 

Reed - I am glad the motorcycle is working again. That sounds like a lot of fun. I know a great spot where you could ride them here, but you are half way across the world. So never mind. 

Carol - Hope you are doing great. You have some good questions. 

Question 13: What is Copra?

Answer:  Copra is and old coconut that is used for making coconut oil and coconut milk and to help start fires. It has a lot of meet inside of the shell. You cannot get a fresh coconut in the states; all you can get is copra. 

Question 14: What do they plant in their gardens?

Answer: Bananas, taro, tapioca, land taro, pineapple, some people grow cucumbers, tomatoes, and corn. 

Question 15: How fertile is their soil there?

Answer: Well, it depends where you are on the island. Most of it is pretty good stuff. 

Question 16: A big question is, do they have gophers there?

Answer: I have never seen gophers here. I am pretty sure that there are not any. I have never heard anyone complain about them, either. 

To Everyone

Well. Okay here is why my pants were rolled up. They were just rolled up, not cut off. I forgot to tell you last week, but I got something called poison tree. It is kind of like the poison oak/ivy in the states. But it is all gone now. It is just really really itchy. My pants were rolled up because the poison tree would make my leg leak yellow stuff, and so I just rolled my pants up. I went to see some locals about it and they have been preparing local medicine to put on it. It works really good. They have all different types of local medicine. I would have gone to the hospital for it, but I know what they do for poison tree, they just give you hydrocortisone cream, which mom sent me with. So, I used that and local medicine. It has cleared up quite well. I will send a picture of what it used to look like. Sorry I forgot to tell you. Don't need to freak out or anything because it is all gone now.

Let’s see what else is new. Ummm C*rding is still scheduled to be baptized the end of August. Oh, those four people that we got as referrals that we thought would be baptized soon, are not as interested as I was lead on to believe. We are going to keep working with them of course, but not as excited as I once was. We were able to do some more service this week. We went and helped someone make coconut oil. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun. They gave us some of the coconut oil once it was finished too. It was really great. 

Well that is about it.  I love you guys. You are the best family in the world. 

Could you please send some biggish pictures of the Manilla Philippines temple that we can give to people to help motivate them to go? That would be great.

I love you all so so much.
Love, Elder Meyer

Thool Branch