two baptisms this week

Hey mom and family!

So thats really cool about your church history trip! I really liked the pictures!

I just mailed you a picture of the zone conference with President Mecham, so maybe in 4 weeks you will get it. It is from the zone conference back in July!

Oh yeah, on the 15th of September we have zone conference in Guam with the Guam, Yap and Palau Zones. Elder Stevenson is coming from SLC and he wants to see the missionaries so that will be fun! I am so excited that I will be able to see Elder Mafi (from MTC district) again that will be fun, and also meet the other missionaries I haven't met yet or seen in a while!

This week on saturday I will have been out on my mission for 10 months, so crazy!

Today was awesome, Alfonso and Maria were baptized and confirmed. The Bishop called some Family History Consultants to help new converts with their family history. One of them will be meeting with Alfonso and Maria on wednesday, they are excited because thats one of the reasons that Alfonso met with us; he wants to know his Family History! They are going to do very well in the gospel.

The ward and stake are improving and I am so excited! I want to stay here forever but transfers are coming up on the 14th of September. We fly for Guam that night at 6:30 so we will find out in Guam.

Can you please send me kents address, I want to send him a letter!

Well I gotta go love ya see ya, bye

Ai tong ngenikemi ai famini, Seni

Elder Kearl

sidenote: Derek, Emily, Scott and I are currently on our summer vacation touring the various church sites. we have done palmyra, NY, kirtland, OH, and we are now in chicago for a few days to explore the sites here. we leave on wednesday to travel to nauvoo to see the sites. We brought dan to palmyra and kirtland two years ago with derek's parents for his grade 12 trip. it's very different without him and i grateful that we brought him here before or else i would be feeling a little guilty.

getting creative with posting an ad in the local newspapers

Hey Mom

We put in a add in a few of the local newspapers on Saipan. I thought this would be cool to show you.

How are you doing? I am doing great!

Our investigators, Alfonso and Maria are getting baptized this week. We moved it up a week because they are doing so good and are ready! Elder Early and I are very excited for that! Sadly, we might have to drop Niciana, our other investigator, she is not interested in coming to church!

I am getting your airmail letters you send each week with the printed updates from other boys serving missions from Tuscany ward. I really like them, will you keep sending them please?

To answer you question, I still like the food here on the island, but we don't eat that much at members houses. However, we are trying to spend more time with them to get some more refferals. Members are the way to go!

I have recieved quite a bit of mail. Eric and Tanner just wrote me. I got a letter from Bishop Fibke about Helamans encampment, reminds me of the scout jamboree I went to years ago. Man, the young men are so lucky to have had that experience, that looks like so much fun! Bishop included some pictures, there was this one on top of table mountain and I think it took me 15 minutes to figure out who was who, but I think I figured it out. Some of the young men have changed so much since I left.

Tell Dad that I gave out almost all the ties from the Tuscany young men service project and the young men in Saipan really like them! Great idea.

Thanks for sending pictures of you guys floating the bow yesterday. I remember doing that as a family and always having fun, I am excited for you all! I'll be thinking of you guys the next couple weeks while you are doing the church history tour. I'm so glad that you and dad took me there when I was in grade 12. Good memories for sure. If you go to the Nauvoo Temple, I have some Family History names in an envelope that I left in my room. Bishop Jones helped me collect those before I left at the Family History Center.

Thats so crazy that Kianna is getting married in a few weeks, have fun at her bridal shower tuesday night!

I have been praying for Holly, I hope she continues to get better.

My mission is going by so fast. I can't believe that Ethan Cichy is almost done and Tyson too thats crazy! I am sending you a picture form last zone conference with the new mission President and his wife, President and Sister Mecham!

We had a really crazy week. The Stake has called and sustained their first Patriarch, Brother Gittens. He lives in Guam and I don't really know him. Everyone in the Saipan Ward was so happy and so excited the church is getting stronger and stronger here. Missionary work is going to continue to move forward and grow, I know it.

We got two flat tires on Thursday night on our right side of the vehicle. We hit a ridiculous pothole and then we could literally hear our tire going flat, so we had to pull over and we thought it was only one tire, so we changed the front and started to drive but the car was shaking so we had to pull over again and we looked at the other tire and it got completely flat in like a minute. I was very happy and felt blessed that we were safe though! After we both thought it was pretty funny and were laughing about it! All in all it has been a very good week.

Well I gotta go,
love ya,
see ya,
bye

Seni Elder Kearl

sidenote: Dan sent me a 'homemade' card in the mail this week. I loved it so much, so very Dan. Elder Kearl brings a huge smile to my face every time I receive his updates or a letter in the mail. He has such a kind, caring heart. I love my boy so much!

Guam and Saipan Zone Conference in June before President and Sister Dowdle went home. Elder Kearl is 5 from the left on the bottom row with a big grin on his face.

progress and happiness in saipan

Hey Mom and Dad and Emily and Scott,

How are you all doing? I am doing fine! This week was pretty good. Alfonzso and Maria, our investigators, are progressing along well. They came to church and Alfonso has been coming every week and this is Marias second time! They are doing good with accepting and keeping commitments. They are both excited to get baptized on the tenth of september we might try to move it up to the third! It really helps with Brother Salcedo because he always bears a really good testimony and they are sitting with them at church and making them feel welcome, he is awesome! Members are the way to go!

We are having fun. We have a finding day tomorrow where we just go out and find people to teach. Its going to be great because we have so many referrals to contact!

I am excited because we also are allowed an extra half hour for email so they will probably be getting longer!

Thats so good that Scott went to EFY!! I remember it man, it was so much fun!

I have been here on Saipan so long, one or two more transfers and I will have been here a year! So wierd, one area for one year. When Sam the Ward Mission Leader said that, His dad, a counselour in the bishopric, said that it means an anniversary and we will have a party to celebrate me being here for one full year. I am excited! Man Saipan is so good, I am so happy to be here!

Thats good you turned emilys old room into a sewing room, and painted it how you want it now, no more bright pink. Its going to be so different when I get back home!

Mom, tell me about how your talk in church went, I am excited to hear about it!

Tell Joel and Shane Lethaby that I said hi! That's nice you could watch them for the weekend.

Oh by the way dad, i received in the mail the ties the young men collected. We have started to give them to people and they really like it! Theres alot of men and young men who need ties so they really loved having some new ones!

Well I gotta go love ya c ya!

Elder Dan Kearl

still in saipan....it's been 9 months!

sidenote: i knew transfers were on wednesday and wondered all week where dan would be. on friday i cheated and facebooked a boy in saipan (james ocaya) to see if he was still there. he replied, "he's still our rockin elder". made me smile. it's nice to see dan happy, loved, and accepted where he is.

Hello Mom,

That is really excting about Grandma and Grandpas mission call! England London South Mission! Thats really good! I think what they will be doing is being an office couple in the mission office doing all sorts of stuff for missionaries. They will love being a missionary, tell them not to worry, a mission is tons of fun! We have an office couple here too, the Andersons, they are really nice. The other Senior couple was good but the Senior Sister was cranky! I don't think Grandma and Grandpa will be like that, they will be awesome!

Mom I cannot believe you are 41 years old. I really miss grandma Rosenvall too, she would probably have sent me lots of letters! I have been receiving my friends updates that you have sent in the mail. I really like reading them, so please keep sending them!

I hope Holly (laura's neice that fell out her second story window) likes the quilt you are making for her too, I really feel sad about that, I hope she is recovering well!

It is weird to think that Jesse is the next in line in our ward to go on a mission, I really hope he goes, that would be awesome! I can't wait to see him out here! I hope Emily is having fun at EFY!

I am still here in Saipan with Elder Early. This transfer is going to be fun. WE are going to have some baptisms this transfer! This week was pretty good. Niciana hasn't come to church still and she has some problems to work through! Alfonso and Maria are doing okay. Maria didn't come to church this week. We are going to bring Nanny Delia (lady he baptized a few months ago) with us for her and that should be good!

My card reader doesn't work so no pictures this week! Sorry!!!

Sister Tennant is training and Elders Garcia, Deocampo and Sister Wingate finished there missions this week! ELder Garcia sent me a letter a day before he left with his home address so I am going to send one to him today, I already wrote it! The new sister that came to Saipan is sister Ika. She is from Bountiful Utah and she is tongan! So weird, we haven't had a greenie here since me! Shes really excited and will bring alot of good things to Saipan! Having new missionaries arrive, brings alot of spirit to the island, so thats good!

Well I love you,  I gotta go

Ai Tong ngenikemi ai Famini, Seni
Elder Kearl