Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Letter from Elder Meyer: You can always have more copra (Q7). Heard an Earthquake coming (Q2, Q10).


Hello Everyone

Things are going pretty good here. We are not going to have a baptism this week, but it should happen next week.


Dad

Sounds like things are going well. Ward Conferences always kept you really busy, but they were a lot of fun.

Question 1:  Does it feel like time is going faster, slower, or the same on the island?

Answer: It feels like it is going really really fast. It has really sped up, knowing my time here is getting smaller and smaller each day.

Question 2:  Did you feel the earthquake on Yap Island?  I think it was 1am and registered 4.9?

Answer: Nope, I have felt them before, but I haven't felt one for a while.


Question 3: What has changed most in your life over the past 1 ½ years since you’ve been serving on Yap Island?

Answer: I would say, maybe enjoying the simple lives people have here. They are sweet and simple, outside stuff doesn't matter, and I like that.


Question 4: What made you smile super huge this week?

Answer: My companion and I were joking around one night, and one of them said something that was super super fun, I can't remember what it was. Elder Mott was eating sunflower seeds and he start chocking on one, he kept laughing and his face was super funny looking. We both just laughed forever.


Question 5: Is there a gospel principle that you have come to really enjoy lately, and if so, why?

Answer: Eternal marriage. Seeing A*gistine and his family come back from the temple, and the other families, and seeing how much it affected them. It was great. It is a principle of Christ that no one else can offer. And it is Awesome!


Question 6: How many lessons and how many with members’ present this week?   Answer: We only got 19 lessons this week. We did have 8 member presents though. It was an alright week. We got to do some service this week too.

Question 7: Any service opportunities this week, could you describe what was done?

Answer: Well, this week we helped someone collect Copra (old coconuts). They use copra for cooking and eating and feeding pigs. You can always have more copra. So we just walked through the jungle looking for copra. You pick it up and through it by the car. It is fun.



Mom

Okay. So we could get iPads in my mission soon too? That would be pretty cool. I am glad you enjoyed your break, but I know that you are excited to teach again. I think that you guys should go on a CES mission together. You are both great teachers and you both really understand the gospel.

Question 8: Do you play basketball on Yap?  Please send a picture of the basketball court.

Answer: I play sometimes. I will start taking pictures of the basketball courts. There are several. Some are really nice and cement and others are just a hoop tied to a tree. It is fun.



Question 10:   Did you feel the earthquake today?  What happens when you have an earthquake?

Answer: I didn't feel one today. It times past. when I felt the earthquake, it  happens so fast, that you don't have time to really do anything. One time, we heard one coming, but we didn't know what it was. Everything  shook, then it was over.


Question 11: How was church yesterday?  How many were there?  It seems like you teach the youth Sunday school class - did you do that today?

Answer: Church was pretty good. It was nothing super special, in fact, in the small Thol Branch, there was only like 15 people to begin, then 4 more came during Sunday school. It was a pretty typical Sunday. I have made a new “deal” with the branch presidency. The 1st counselor will teach the Sunday school youth class every week, because that is also his calling, than I will start working with the young men during priesthood. I will try and do some duty to god stuff with them and really get things going.


Question 12: What is the most challenging question that you have been asked by someone you are teaching?

Answer: I would say that a hard one to answer is about pain and suffering. I mean, I understand that, but when someone is in pain and suffering it is hard to answer. There are many scriptures on it, but it is difficult at the same time.
A while ago when I was teaching J*rom, he would always ask questions about the bible, very specific scriptures and ask us to help interpret them. That was very hard as well.


Question 13: Do people on Yap have smart phones?

Answer: Some, well very few have smart phones, most are just regular phones .



Question 14: Between you and your companion, who is doing the cooking now?  Answer: We are about 50 - 50 most of the time.


Question 15: What does a trip to the store look like?  What is there?  What do you buy?

Answer: Well, when you walk in you have a limited supply of choices. There are lots of canned goods and things like that. Canned soups and raviolis, spam, and always rice. There is normally a supply of ground beef and pork and chicken and hotdogs. It is not the best quality meat, but it is meat. So we buy some of that. We normally get spaghetti sauce and noodles. oh and lots of top-ramon.



Question 16:   What are you doing on P-day today?

Answer: I think we are going to a spot we call the cliffs. It is red dirt that kind of looks like Utah.
It is a fun spot to run around.




Staheli - Hope you are doing well. What do you like to do for fun now? Are you still making lots of wonderful cakes?

Reed - That is an awesome goal to play for the NBA. That would be pretty cool. If you really put your mind to it, you could do it. Make sure you go on a mission first, that is very important.

Grandma - Hey grandma. How are you doing? I love to get your letters. They are always fun to read. They make me so happy. How are things going around the house? It is January, so no more garden, but any trees doing anything?


To Everyone


Alright, what else do I have to share. The 1st counselor from the mission presidency is  on the island. He is working to get transportation for the members. He is going around and trying to find all the houses and get the GPS coordinates. Should be interesting.  I hope he has better luck with finding people then I have. He is taking members here with him, so it could work. People just move around so much and so fast, it is hard. Tomorrow night the APs are coming, so that should be fun. Someone from my group from the Mission Training Center is the AP. He is a really good missionary. I am excited to see him. They go back to Guam on Saturday, and President Mecham comes in the same Saturday. So it is going to be a crazy week here. We are going to have many visitors from Guam. It should be good. When people come it gives us a new drive for the work, so it will be good.

R*lo is doing really good. He did not go to church is what I was told. He goes to the other branch so it is closer. So if he didn't go, he won’t be baptized this Saturday. I am sad about that, but it should happen next week. I am going to go see him today at his office, then we will have a lesson with him tomorrow.

You now the two boys that I am looking out after?  Well, one of them is kind of lost, a little bit. No one has seen him for a while, if he goes to seminary he is not his normal self. I have tried to find him, but I have not been able to. He is making me a little bit worried, but I am sure that I will find him and talk to him soon.

Well that is about it.

I love you guys so so much. You are the best family ever.

Love you

Love Elder Meyer


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