Monday, March 28, 2011

March 28, 2010

My first baptism!
All 5 people were baptized and confirmed this Saturday and Sunday as planned. On Sunday we put another investigator on date. I got to baptize one of the 5, my companion baptized one, a previous elder who helped them baptized one, a brother baptized his sister and one baptized his cousin. I got to do a confirmation as well.
Elder Justin White, Raihana H., Elder Britton Winterrose, Bethany P., Lucy H., Sister Sarai T., Shelena H., Elder Tyler Williams, Barcelona P., Brother Jason S., Brother Ben P.

Elder Winterrose baptized Lucy, Elder White baptized Raihana, Elder Williams baptized Shelena, Jason baptized Lona, and Ben baptized Bethany.

This is the chapel we attend.
This is where we live.
This picture shows where our house is compared to our area. Our house is the red x our area is that whole red square. there are other wards in that but our Samoan ward covers that whole area. (Samoan) people only. I was just taking a second look at the area map I sent you the top right side up there is covered by us as well. With the areas like Russion Jack and Mountain View.
This picture the red square is where our chapel is the blue dot is where our house is. Our house is on the north side of the street.

We can go on hikes and visit places if we don't leave our zone on p-days. Sometimes we hang out with the other missionaries at the church.

Other than that nothing interesting has really happened. I heard Chris had to help you with my computer and that it is now the one upstairs. That is a good idea seeing how dad did not need a computer that nice at his office. Mine will do anything you really could possibly need at home. I'm worried about when Chris moves out because no one will be there to help with the computers.

Well I love you all, bye.


Monday, March 21, 2011

Monday, March 21, 2010

(I wrote and told Tyler we were having a birthday party
for Gma Janet and the menu was tacos or pizzas)
First off:
The menu is tacos or pizza and we will be thinking of you as we eat them
(Tyler added 3 crying faces to the end of this sentence)
My week has been pretty good. We have 5 people on date for baptism on this Saturday the 26th. We are doing our best to make sure they stay on track. We have to make sure we can find new investigators or we will be out of a job for awhile, as our area is non tracting based we have to rely on members recommending people. Hopefully we will get a lot of non members to the baptism as well. One of the people getting baptized is Lucy Hansen. She is the person who organizes the Polynesian flag day celebration (apparently in the community it is pretty big especially for Samoans who love to throw a party) and she knows a lot of Samoans we can teach.

The first Samoan party I've been to has happened this week. They had a DJ (one of the priest in the ward with huge speakers on the stage) and lots of food. Now let me remind you this was the Relief Society Birthday dinner no less. It was a lot of fun. It went from like 7:00 - 9:20 pm. They had lots of upbeat music for kids and older people to dance too.

I love you all and hope you enjoy your week as well.
bye mom

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Monday, March 14, 2011

The tsunami did not affect Alaska at all, it never made it up here. On my flight to Alaska there were 40 missionaries leaving the MTC with us going to Japan, 20 of which were going to Tokyo...it makes me worry a bit, but I am sure that they are safe.

I am not used to people like Sister Dance, she is really nice but has intense stare, like she stares into your eyes and looks right at your soul and always has something really nice to say about you. She liked the aura that surrounds me and loves how friendly I am. Its hard to respond to her when she says things like that cause I'm simply not used to it. I usually just say thank you. The first time she tried that staring into my soul thing she accidental focused on my left eye and seemed a little confused then looking into my right eye and started saying nice things. (note to self, contacts block people from staring into the soul).

President and Sister Dance are both very nice people, but I will not have them my whole mission, I believe we get a new President in 6 months or so.

We do not do tracting as it is ineffective to preach to Samoans as a bunch of palangi (gringos) unless their friends recommend us to them. We have put 5 people on date to be baptized this year, beating their average baptism per year by one. (average baptism per year in Samoan wards is about 3-4) the ward is very excited and I think they are starting to trust us a lot more considering 3 of them a mom and 2 daughters is friends of the Bishop's wife who she referred to us. My companion served in Anchorage in Samoan before the wards split, there are 3 Samoan wards in Anchorage. We are incharge of the Dimond Ward. There are 2 missionaries in each branch or ward in Alaska.

This week they have been doing specialized training it felt like I was back in the MTC. It was new to the missionaries in the mission field but I had even newer curriculum than they were teaching because I was in the pilot program at the MTC. I pretty much knew what they were going to say before they said it. It was really good but it would be like watching the same episode of monk for 3 weeks straight like 10 times a day.

I love you but have to go see you later.

Monday, March 14, 2011

President & Sister Dance

This last week we received a letter from Tyler's Mission President and wife letting us know he has arrived. Included was picture of Tyler with them. Proof for parents that he is really there!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Monday, March 07, 2011

So then I was confused last time about my companions name, I had only been with him an hour before we went to the library to check email. it was p-day. (p-day is now Mondays) His real name is Winterrose his Samoan name is Rosamalulu they used to let you get your name tag in the language that you are speaking here but 2 weeks ago they made is so you can only get name tags in the language you are called to speak -Alaska Anchorage ENGLISH speaking, I'm pretty bummed. I really like Elder Winterrose, we are getting along pretty well. The first week was slow simply because it was transfer week he said that always screws up the schedule.

I really like the ward I am serving in they all seem like really nice people I had not had any problems yet. I bore my testimony this Sunday, next week I hope to try it in Samoan.

The language has been a spoken only language till like 30 years ago and then some English speaking people came to the island and tried to help them write it down. So it is all English letters that sound different. The way the vowels sound are how they sound in these words
A=ah e=h(ay) i=p (ee)o=t(oe) u-p (oo), t is mixed with k so the t sounds like a k when spoken...I don't know how to say it really yet p sounds like b, g sounds like the one like singer its a little confusing once I figure out how to pronounce them it will be a lot easier. Hello = (spelled how it sounds) Malo-soyfua. One hard thing about the language is the sound it makes when you combine things like ae ai eu eo iu io whatever vowels they combine gets a little confusing they combine them to make one sound.

Basically white people wrote down what it sounded like they where saying and that became the written language. So for now its confusing but once I know how to pronounce it should get a lot easier.

The Samoans do have very similar eating habits to Tongans and it all...almost all...taste really good. They are very generous and like to joke around a lot. btw they moved to Alaska because the government is going down hill and the only way to get jobs in american samoa now days is to know some one. So lots of Samoans moved to Alaska to get jobs. They move here get married so they can stay and they they get jobs, in that order.

Well that is all I really have time for this time. I love you all and hope to have time to write a letter later today.

SEND ALL PACKAGES AND LETTERS US MAIL TO THE MISSION HOME:
Mission Home Address:
12350 Industry Way, Ste. 218
Anchorage, Alaska 99515
United States

Love you all very much!

ps...If you could get some one in California to overnight us some FRESH strawberries I would be very happy. Apparently there is no fresh food up here for the most part and due to a tomato shortage they don't put tomatoes on your burger at Burger King for now.

For Tyler's service this week they were able to go to the Iditarod ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage. They worked as fence security along the starting area. Were able to mingle with the mushers and had great seats.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

03/01/11

Hey Mom, I don't have a lot of time to write today because my friend Elder Poole needs to catch a plane to Sitka. I was paired with Elder Rosamalulu (or Elder Winterrose in English) He and I will be serving in the Anchorage Samoan ward. I get to learn Samoan. I will talk more about it at another time but for now I would just like to let you know we are all doing well, we all got called to cool places, we are going to Fairbanks, one to Sitka Island, one some where really south of here I forgot where exactly but will let you know later. I am going to be learning Samoan and apparently I am going to eat a lot of food because it is rude to reject any food and they like to give you a lot of food and if they don't give you food they make you take money from them to use for food. President Dance said we should accept it as to not offend anyone. I don't have a problem with that, apparently its a culture thing.

I love you all, I will email again, thank you for the package.
SEND ALL FUTURE PACKAGES US MAIL....They forward that if they need to for no extra charge but UPS and Fedex charge a lot of money, so if you send any packages send them through the US Mail to mission home.

Thank you so much for your support. Well that is all for now we need to take Elder Poole to the airport. Later all I love you!