good experiences in Saipan!

Great companionship:  Elder Garcia and Elder Kearl

Hey Mom!

How are You?  I am just fine here in Micronesia!  

So we had a really good week.  We spent all of saturday finding people to teach and we had  some interesting experiences.  Mission wide, finding people was the only activity we were supposed to do that day.  We were finding in a government housing area and were prompted to skip this one house and go down the street.  So we kept walking and eventually this golfball comes flying down the street and we picked it up and went looking for the kid who had it.  We saw this little kid running away trying to hide and so we went up and talked to him and he was with his dad.  His dad asked my companion, Elder Garcia,  if he had ever served in Guam and my Companion served there for a year so he said yes!  Well it turns out they had met before and he was an inactive member.  While we were talking, all of the sudden his brother in law pulled up and he sat down with us and we were able to give them all a gospel lesson.  He asked us lots of questions and we committed him to read the Book of Mormon and to pray about it and we are seeing him again this coming saturday!  The Lord works miracles when we have faith and I can testify of that!  

I also have a funny story for you:  We were in that same area when these chuukese kids started speaking chuukese to us and finally they said in English "oh, so your name is Elder Kearl and your name rhymes with girl, so you are a girl" and so I replied "En nukumach" (you are naughty/bad/disobedient).  He started laughing so I asked "What does that mean?" and he says " I am going to spank you!"  In Micronesia there is no such thing as child abuse so the thinking is if you love your child you will beat him in the face.  So I have seen lots of kids and teenagers who still get spanked by there parents,  its kinda sad!

Well I gotta go

Love ya

c you later

Elder Kearl

P.s.  Go on mormon.org and create a profile it really helps with missionary work

Elder Garcia getting coconuts from a tree

AP's came for a visit from Guam

Rannineem Emily!

Sidenote:  I had told Dan that Derek and I would be in Mexico this week so apparently he took that to mean he didn't have to write me this week.  It was transfers that week and I wondered for a few days if he had been transferred to the island of Chuuk which has no internet.  Found out he did write to Emily and here's his report of the week!

Hey Emily,

Rannineem!

Ua Pwapwa! (I am happy).  I heard you moved into my old room.  That is good you don't have to share a bathroom with Scott!  

Also exciting that Tim asked you to go to grade 12 grad with him,  he is a great guy!  Have you decided if you are going to go to BYU?  I hope so!  

I don't get very many letters and the mail system is very slow here!  Welcome to micronesia!  We had transfers this week and I am still with Elder Garcia this transfer.   I am really happy about that because we get along really well and he is very funny!  

I am so happy to be serving here in Saipan.  My love for the members here has deepened so much!  

Can you forward this to Liana?  SO I was talking to Sister Welch from Kirabis and I was telling her that my aunt had a missionary companion from Kirabis named Sister Eneri.  Sister Welch said that she was on a mission at the same time and in the same mission (she was in the marshall Islands, her maiden name is Sister Banky).  Sister Welch trained Sister Eneri, and said she thinks she met Liana before!  I asked about Sister Eneri and I have so news for Liana.  Sister Eneri is currently married and lives on the Island of Narue and has many children who are all very big!  

I will send u some pictures now, I gotta go, I will c you later, I love u alot. 

Tell them that your great!  (Grandpa Rosenvall always tells that to me).

Love ya, Elder Kearl

So we had an appointment with the lady in the blue shirt and she cancelled last minute on us.  We went to another persons house during that time and she was there.  Elder Garcia asked if she ditched us so she could play Scrabble and she responded "Oo" (yes)!

Elder Garcia

update from saipan

Ranniem Mom

Ifa Osoum? Ua Feri Pechekun!(How are You? I am doing good).  

I just got the package you sent me,  marami Salamat Po Nannei (thank you so much Mother!)

  

Speaking of mothers, Nannei Delia got baptized on Saturday, it was so special and I really felt the spirit!  I am so happy that she got baptized and is wanting to go to the temple to be sealed to her late husband.  For her birthday we gave her a picture of the manilla temple.

I called my Tatai (my dad, aka Tranier, Elder De Ocampo).  It was so weird hearing his voice over the phone, I got to say Koma Sta Po Tatai.  I had to talk to him about getting me a scripture case.  He is in Guam right now so he can just go to the service center and buy one, he owes me money, so it all works out!  It was good talking to him and at the end he said mahalkita (I love u)!  He never said that to me while we were Comps!  I really learned alot from him and enjoyed serving together.   

So Zone Conference was cancelled again, something about flights, bummer.  So we will have to wait till march bcause it is zone conference coming up this month for all the other Islands!  

I also never got to chop a coconut this week,  we were so busy and so I had like no time!  We are trying to find new investigators but to no avail!  Transfers are coming up soon on wednesday and I am a little nervous.  My companion, Elder Garcia and I like it here and we know we can we do this.   We are both doing our best but we feel the Lord wants us to take it one step further!  We know that as we do are very best, we are more able to find those who are prepared to recieve the gospel of Jesus Christ! 

That is so cool there is a lady in your ward from the Philipines and you were able to hear her speak in sacrament today.  You will have to ask her where she is from exactly.  That is awesome she sang "I am a Child of God" in tagalog and other languages.  

well I gotta go! Ua Tong EN!  Kudra En

  

Love ya

Elder Kearl

P.S.  here some pictures from Nannei Delias Baptism

missionaries serving on Saipan

This is Gueya, he is really funny, he likes to talk to me so he can learn better english and he is so funny.



As a side note, today in our sacrament meeting, a philipino lady spoke.  She is a nanny here in Calgary and is supporting her husband and kids back home with the money she earns.  She is very petite but has a huge, warm spirit about her.  She gave a wonderful talk and then closed by singing all four verses of "I am a Child of God", each in a different language.  The first verse was in Tagalog, her native tongue, which is the language dan is learning.  Both of his companions have been philipino and he reports that half the island is philipino too.  He loves these people and says they are very warm, kind, generous and family is everything to them.  The old ladies tell him that they want to be his mother.   It brought tears to my eyes as she sang this beautiful hymn in their language.  I thought of how universal the gospel is and how happy I am that dan is serving amongst such wonderful people.  I gave her the biggest hug after church and look forward to having her over to get to know her better.  --julie

look what came in the mail...

A member of the Saipan Branch, Del Benson, took these pictures of Dan teaching a lesson to a non-member, made a card, and mailed it to me.  It looks like a page out of Preach My Gospel.  I love it!!!

mom...i bought a machete!

Hey mom!

How are you?  Rannineem!  Ifa Usoum?

Kinisou Chapur iei Ewe Nien!  Thank you so much for the package you said you sent, (I don't know what the word for package is so I just used the word for gift)......but I still have not gotten it yet, hopefully it will come soon!

Hey did anyone get any of my letters recently!  I sent a whole bunch today and two weeks ago!

We were supposed to have Zone Conference on friday but it has been rescheduled for next monday.  I don't know what happened but I am still excited for it.  As well, the baptism didn't happen on saturday either because she drank some coffee again, and so we moved it till this coming saturday!

Transfers are coming soon and I don't have any idea what is happening though I really hope I do get to stay on Saipan, I really love it here!

I bought a machete here for 8 bucks,  I will have some pictures of that sometime next week.   I know how to cut a coconut with a machete now.   A recent convert taught me how to do it.   I have a video of it on one of my memory cards and I will send that soon,  its pretty funny!

Oh yeah, I might be emailing you a couple of days late next week, I have no idea when but it will be because zone conference was put on our next p-day.

Well I gotta go! Upwap Chufengen!  Ua Tong En Meinisin!(I love you all)

c ya

Elder Kearl