Local Yap Island Dance: July 2013

Letter from Elder Meyer: Typhoon passed, another baptism, many new people

Hello Everyone.

Note: Click this video to see Elder Meyer's view of the full island from the highest point.  In its entirety, it is 39 square miles; about 15 miles long by 3 miles wide.

Well there was supposed to be the biggest super typhoon to hit in a while on Saturday and Sunday. Well, it actually didn't hit at all, it was pretty nice. There were a lot of prayers that were answered when the typhoon broke apart and went down south of us. Today is actually a very nice day. The sun is out and it is only a little windy. We have not had too much rain at all. This might be the first and only time when you guys have a lot of rain, and it is nice and sunny here. ha ha. Now I can feel bad for you with all the rain.

View of the island from top point.

Dad

Wow that is a lot of travel. I can't believe you are going to India. That is pretty cool. I bet you will like traveling there.  Love you.

Mom

Hey mom. I heard that you are trying to get the generator to work. So you guys must be out of power. I am sorry that I am not there to help. I wish I could help. That stinks that dad had to leave this week. I bet you wish I was there to help out. Just kidding. You have Reed man to help you right?? That is a crazy story. The house is surrounded by water. That is nuts. Thanks for the quick email. So I was so anxious, I just really love your letters.

Question #1: Was there a typhoon in Yap this week?

Answer: No it went south

Sunset view from shoreline.

Question #2: How was your week?

Answer: My week was pretty good. Crazy Sunday though. I describe below

Question #3: Any baptisms?

Answer: No, but none were planned for this week, so no one dropped out.

Question #4: Who are you teaching?

Answer: We are teaching a lot of people. There are a lot of investigators and there are so many recent converts that we are teaching now. It is so awesome.

Congregation had a game night.

More games where everyone is invited.

Question #5: What is something you learned studying this week?

Answer: That there is so much missing from the Bible. Jesus the Christ lists so many books that are missing. Thank goodness we also have the Book of Mormon.

Question #6: Is there anything you wish you had taken but you didn't?

Answer: I think that I would have taken my map of the Book of Mormon that I drew in my Mission Prep class in college. I would love that. Besides that, I can't think of it.

Better than spam....

Question #7: Do you know Elder Cameron?  He is from Tahoe and knows Uncle Ralph.

Answer: I do not. The only elders I know are the past 4 Assistants to the President and 3 of them are home now, and the Elders who are in Yap and the Elders I came out with. Do you know what island he is on and when he started his mission?

Staheli

How are you doing? Is it super rainy in Reno or is it nice weather there? I love you.

Reed

Hey man, that is so cool that you passed all the permit test. Now you can drive with an adult 25 or older between 6am and 10pm. Ha ha. No man that is really awesome. I knew you would pass. That stinks about the ps3. What is the plan for fixing that? And by the way the Christmas trees were and are amazing. I am sorry that you didn't get any, but I will enjoy them all for you. ha ha. Now that there is a storm there and I am not there to help out. You got to take the lead in doing all that stuff. Okay? I know you probably are anyways. Love you

Grandma

Just thought that I would write and say that I love you so so much. I really love all the letter you send to me.

Grandma and Grandpa Meyer

I got a letter from you guys. I loved it. I will write back soon, but as for now, I say that I love you guys so much.

Carol

That is really awesome that your house didn't flood. I know that it has happened in the past. Our Heavenly Father is most definitely looking out for you.

To Everyone

Well, this was a pretty average week. Nothing to exciting because the typhoon went south of us. A lot of people were preparing for it though. There are boards up on the store windows. People were tying their houses down. But it went by us. So that was good.

Do you remember Sh*nt*. A girl that we were going to baptize in Nov. Her dad said that he was coming in Dec so we were going to baptize her then. Well he called and said that he is not coming until Jan. Sad right. I thought we were going to have to wait until then. Well, he said that she can be baptized and she can pick the date. Yeah. So we might have a baptism on Saturday. I am very excited for her. She wants me to baptize her and Elder Nelson to give her the Holy Ghost.

Let’s see R*nny, A*g*stine's friend… We are still teaching him, but I think that he is going to start making more progress here soon. We have taken his betelnut 2 times at his request. I am so excited for him. We had a great lesson with him and A*g*stine was there. He is a great example for him.

Baptism

Church started out really amazing. We had five investigators there. It was great. Then came… President G*b*ng announced the district Christmas party and one of the district counselors did not know about it. He got really bad and was yelling. Not good. He eventually just left and went home. This was in front of two recent converts and 1 investigator, I might add. We went over to his house after church and talked to him about it. He felt bad, but it was not how you go about things.

Some of the congregation members.

Oh yeah can't forget about J*r*m. He was asked to speak in Sacrament meeting. He is pretty nervous, but we are going to help him the best way that we can. He said that he is not sure exactly what to do, but we are helping him. I am excited that he was asked to do something. None of our recent converts have been given a calling yet. So at least a talk is a way for them to stay somewhat involved.

Man House surrounded by Stone Money

Man House and Stone Money Bank

Some of the Youth putting on a show

Elder Meyer on a WWII war plane crash.

Love you all so so much

Elder Meyer

Amazing video of Yap Island Diving

Yes, the missionaries don't go in the water, but people travel from around the world to visit this little island, to do just that. The diving looks incredible. Here's a video put together from the Manta Ray Bay Resort, Yap Island.  I've had a salt water aquarium for nearly 19 years... it has a ways to go before looking as good as the video below. Amazing!  -- posted by Dad.

Elder Meyer Note: Must carry a leaf and walk in single file line

Below is a little card we received from Elder Meyer in the mail (postal service).

Where is Yap Island? Google Earth view...

Letter from Elder Meyer: Q&A, Typical day, 15 youth, old man/woman

Hello everyone. I love your letters. It sounds like you are all doing great.

Answers in response to questions from Sister Jenny Smith:

Q: Are all of the houses built up like the one in the photo? 

A: Pretty much. The local houses are all like that. My apartment is like an apartment in the states, just not as nice. Really, not as nice.

Q: Is that because the Island floods?  If not, why? 

A: I am not sure why they are like that. The island doesn’t flood. It rains a lot. I guess it is just to be off the ground.

Q: What do most people do for work? 

A: Most people don't work. They mostly eat what they grow. There is not really one job here. Most people just do random stuff. Filling for gov, schools, etc. Taxi. Just little stuff like that.

Q: Does Elder Meyer say the sacrament prayer in Yapese or English? 

A: We say them in English. In my branch there are a lot of outer islanders that do not speak Yapese. So we don't say them in Yapese.

Q: I am assuming that the Island has a branch and that in order to have a district activity you would have to include other islands.  Is this correct?  If so, how do the people travel between the islands?  Boat?  Does it take a long time? 

A: Nope, there are 2 branches that make up a district. We just had a district activity for the youth. There was around 16ish people there. The other islands are really far away by boat… to the closest island, we take several days.

Q: Finally, where do people shop for clothing?  I'm assuming they don't have a local Walmart...  ha ha. 

A: There are markets with clothes in them. Also they make lava lavas.

Dad - I got the package on Thursday of last week. I believe that was the #2 or #3 package. That is so cool that grandma Meyer has shared all of this with other family.

Sounds like the temple trip you went on was cool. You are so lucky to be able to go to the temple whenever you want. You have no idea how much I miss going to the temple. I have not gone for only like 5 or 6 weeks, but it feels like forever.

I have only had one fish. It was great!! I have no idea what kind it was though. There are so many dogs here as well. Actually, there might be more here than where Ivan (Elder Bowles) is at?  I am completely serious. They are everywhere.

I am so excited for you to teach seminary. Elder and Sister Garret (Yap Senior Missionary Couple) are trying to start it up here. We are doing our best to help. I was reading in Mosiah 3:15 and it talks about types and shadows. I thought of you when I read that. Did you know it talked about them?

Mosiah 3:15 reads, “And many signs, and wonders, and types and shadows showed he unto them. Concerning his coming; and also holy prophets spake unto them concerning his (Jesus Christ) coming; and yet they hardened their hearts, and understood not the law of Moses availeth nothing except it were through the atonement of his blood.”

Mom - I got the package, it was awesome. I am so excited about everything in there. There is a post office here. Elder Richardson (Zone Leader) gets the mail. Mail comes in on Mondays and Wednesdays. We are here in Colonia on Mon and Thursday, so that is when I get mail. You don't know when stuff gets here, you just go and check.

Laundry... Well surprisingly the Elders in Colonia have a washer and dryer. They are pretty older and nasty looking, but that is where we do laundry. There are laundry mats here, but it is free at the other elders spot.

No other foods yet. Jesse (member) got a bat and is going to let us try it sometime. I will let you know how that goes.

Typical day.... wake up get ready. Study til 12:00 lunch 12:30. After that, go teaching. Each day is different. Sometimes we go finding for new investigators. For that we just walk around a village and talk to people. Other days we have appointments. I guess that is as typical as it gets.

Most people will always talk to us. I have only been yelled at a couple of times.

Sounds like dinner and the pedicure was fun. I have not heard a thing from Kyle. Are his papers in? I will try to write him sometime. I don't have is address. Could you get it for me?

I am laughing at the fact that dad is going to get up for seminary and you get to sleep in. I am going to send home the memory card of voices recordings today. There are a couple of recordings that I am using for my language study. I am speaking Yapese in them. If you could not delete those and send it back that would be great.

Um, no I don't need money. There is a bank here and I can pull cash out of my account if I need some. I would not send cash ever! It is almost always stolen. I can't remember if Elder Tueller knows the Staheli line. I will ask again.

Staheli - How’s it going? I thought that I would just write and say that I love you so much. I hope all is well. If there is something I can do for you in Yap, let me know.

Reed - how was camp? I will get a machete sometime. I have one for the church in the car, but I will get one before I leave for sure.

This week was a pretty tough week. Most of our appointments the whole week fell through. Even the ones that always are there were gone. It was terrible. I did not like it at all.

It rained here so much this last week. (Might rain around 17 inches this month, average for Seattle all year is around 36 inches.) I was surprised. I felt like it never stopped. I also got a Yap license. The place where you get it is slow, just like the DMV in the states ha ha.

One thing that was pretty exciting was we got a list of 15 youth in the Thol branch. 15!!!!!!!! Elder Garret wants us to find them for seminary (religion classes for the youth). We are going to do that. We are also trying to start up mutual (weekday activity for youth) in Thol. We are going to invite the 15 less active youth to that. Hopefully it helps them stay more active in Church. I was so surprised to hear about 15 youth. I had no idea there was that many. There are normally only 2 on Sunday.

 

In the Yapese culture, calling a older gentleman or woman an old man or old woman, is not offensive. So you hear that sometimes. It is kind of funny, especially when and old man calls and old woman, “old woman”.

We were teaching Trevor, an investigator. I really had no idea what I was going to say. I know the topic, but it kind of changed course. I was just sitting there and I opened my scriptures, just flipped them open. It worked out perfectly. I read a verse from that page that went along perfectly and I really think it helped him. The Lord really does give you what you need to say the hour you need it. --There is a scripture that talks about that--  It was amazing. The lesson was great. I know it helped him. I want all of our lessons to go that well.

This week was fast Sunday (day set aside for fasting and prayer). Some people bore their testimony in Yapese. I understood a little bit of it. It was great! Part of my fast was for my language skills to increase. I was able to bear my testimony in Yapese. Sam one of the young men, gave me a huge thumbs up. I guess it went pretty well. I felt really good about it. Sam also turned 16. He was ordained a priest. Elder Tueller did that and I participated. It was great.

I love going to church. Even though it is a small branch, the spirit is just the same as back home. The church is true no matter where you are in the world. I know that!! As I have been reading the Book Of Mormon, I know it is true. I am running out of time so I got to go. Love you all much.

Elder Meyer

About the music...

The traditional music (sample played while viewing this blog) of Micronesia is distinctively different from other regions of the Pacific. This music employs very few instruments with the main instruments being conch shell horns, sticks, and the "box" which is beaten by a multitude of hands to provide a beat to accompany the singing which always predominates. Small children as young as two years of age will sing songs, many of which are both difficult and traditional. 

Stone Money: What's it all about?

Click here to listen to a short NPR broadcast.

Just the facts...

The main island of Yap is approximately 15 miles long. Yap also has 130 outer islands stretching nearly 600 miles east of Yap Island.  Four indigenous languages are spoken. These are Yapese, Ulithian, Woleaian and Satawalese.



The Church. The Church came to Yap in 1977, when Charles Keliikipi, under contract to organize a police department on the island, arrived with his wife Odetta and their six children. The first missionaries, David S. Ige and Douglas Andrews, arrived on 14 November 1977. The first native Yapese to be baptized was Antonia Siso Isao on 18 March 1978. Afterwards several families joined the Church. A scouting program was initiated in June 1978, attracting 60 Boy Scouts and 15 Cub Scouts. Seven of the Boy Scouts were later baptized. The Yap Branch (later renamed Colonia Branch) was created on 26 July 1979 and a meetinghouse was completed on 13 January 1981. The Thos Branch was created in 1986. Seminary and institute classes were inaugurated on 9 September 1981. There are only the two branches in Yap: Colonia and Thol.

Religious Belief. Animistic beliefs in spirits and magic persist in Yapese culture in spite of nearly a century of Christianity. Most Yapese fear ghosts and many use magic for health or protection from spirits who may threaten their enterprises. The Yapese divided their traditional world into domains of spirits and humans. Female spirits inhabited the sea and threatened the lives and work of fishermen. Male spirits inhabited the land, threatening the livelihood and produce of the women gardening. 

Work. Most Yapese today combine some wage work activities with subsistence farming. Many Yapese are employed by the government, and private trading companies and service industries provide additional jobs, so that more than half of the adult male population—and up to 20 percent of the adult female population—earn wages. In addition to wage employment, nearly all Yapese engage in some subsistence food production. Swamp taro is the primary staple crop of the Yapese, and most villages have large taro swamps that have been constructed as village projects in the past. Individual families own parcels of the Village taro patches and also have garden plots in the surrounding hills on which they produce yams, bananas, breadfruit, and other supplementary fruits and crops. A few farmers produce copra as a cash crop, and a handful of entrepreneurs raise chickens, pigs, and other cash items for the domestic market

Marriage. Yapese consider it improper to marry anyone who may be kin. Yapese young people generally select their own mates, and most have one or two trial marriages before they establish a permanent relationship that results in Children. Yapese parents prefer that their children marry in the same village or among similar ranking villages. However, today with the central high school on the island and young people commuting by bus, many Yapese are marrying people from other villages and other districts of the island. 

Social Organization. The estate group and the village are the primary units organizing the social life of Yap. Within each village, family estates place individuals in a hierarchy of relationships within the community. Particular estates own titles that confer authority and prestige upon the members of that estate group. Villages in Yap are also ranked to include two major divisions: "Pilung," or "autonomous villages"; and "Pimilngay," or "serf villages." The autonomous villages are further ranked in three divisions: chief villages, noble villages, and commoner villages.

Managing Social Relationships. In the traditional village setting, the Council of elders maintains social control through a system of punitive fines and mediation by the chiefs between families in conflict. Visitors are strongly encouraged not wear shorts in public, except at beaches or swimming areas - showing the thighs is considered vulgar and immodest.

Likely going to get wet today... about 120 inches per year

Yapese speakers... Just a few... 6,500

Around 6,500 people in the world speak Yapese. Here is a translation effort:

Chitamangmaed nu tharmiy
Our Father in heaven 

Kamagar romaed ko gubin e pitowath kom pii' ngomaed
Thanks that is ours for all blessings you (past tense) give to us
We thank thee for the many blessings we enjoy

Wenig ngom ni ngam towathnograed pistudent rog
Please to you that you will bless them, students that are mine.
We ask thee for thy blessings upon our Seminary Students.

Gomad ba yog e pit'ney
We presently say these things
We say these things

Udaken e fithingan Yesus Kristus, Amen
Through the name that is His, Jesus Christ, Amen
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen