finally some pictures (i had to steal them off his ward's facebook page)

sidenote: Dan has been out in the field exactly a year. Last year he arrived just in time for American thanksgiving dinner at the mission home. The year has gone by very fast. He is so happy and so I am happy too!!! julie

Hey Mom,

How are you? I am doing very good, We had a great week.

We had a chuukese fireside at the church and one of our families is progressing along very well. Elder Tadd and I are having alot of fun together too! Bishop Ramos said there are some pictures of me on the Yigo Ward facebook page. He is borrowing my memory card so he can use some of my pictures. He wants you guys to go on it and see it! Its called Yigo Ward or something like that, you should look it up!

The family who is progressing is actually a couple and their kids. Their sons name is K2 (as in kid #2...literally, that's what it means). He is young like 2 or 3 and really cute! They are from Chuuk and they came to church and the Chuukese fireside they really liked it!

For American Thanksgiving I went to our ward mission leaders house and ate dinner. It was really good, we were so stuffed afterwards!! We had lots of fun!!

To answer some of your questions. If you moved houses that would be really weird but it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. However, it would be nice if it was in Tuscany still, but whatever you and dad choose will be fine! That is exciting jenn and derek are going to argentina to get tyson soon. If you want to pick me up when i'm done that's fine or I could just come to the airport in Calgary. It really doesn't matter either way to me, I know its a lot of money to fly here though! For presents for Elder Tadd, he is about 5'"6 or 5'7" something like that! As far as what I want for christmas, I don't really need much but this is what I am thinking of to help you out: Black Crocs, a tie, a bigger scripture case one for my big scriptures(maybe the bigggest one you can find), Lipton Sidekicks, some dry Lux garments(tops and bottoms), a memory card because the one I have right now is full (i'll mail it to you), oh and some candy. I can't think of anything else, I hope it is not too much.

I gotta go,

I love you so much,

Love Elder Kearl

things are rolling along in guam

Dear Mom

Hey Mom! How are you? Sounds like you had a pretty good week! Glad to see you are having fun with the old people at the seniors lodge! If you are so excited to do labour and delivery, you should come here. There are always alot of babies being born! The one thing that Chuukese people make is babies, and alot of them too. We just have to get them all married!

It's good to hear that Emily is getting her applications in for university. That is crazy! I hope that she has fun and finds the school that is right for her! I am happy that Scotts doing fine too! I haven't been really thinking alot about university when I get home. I just want to focus on my priesthood duties right now in my life! I still want to go to BYU Idaho, but the only problem is visa. Could I get started on doing my US citizenship? Let me know what you think!

Thats really insane but exciting that Chantae is engaged! Thanks for letting me know about Mike. It's between him and the Lord and I trust that its the right decision for him. Thats so wierd Tyson is getting home soon and then Brett and then me!

Well things are going good here in Guam! We have been trying to get more members in lessons and we have improved in that area and are feeling some success! We took Bro Raymond with us. He's this chuukese man who was baptized in 1994, endowed in the Laie Hawaii Temple and really knows about the gospel! He has been less active but has been coming to church the last month. He was awesome, he sat down, talked all in chuukese. We had already given the lesson but he started talking about reading the scriptures, praying and going to church. We felt the spirit the whole time really strong. He said he would pick up the investigators for church. He was so excited and really wants to come back with us everytime. He was really strong, he baptised his whole family and alot of other chuukese people! He used to be second counselour in the barrigada branch presidency. Right now he is the 1st counselour in the elders quorum but he hasn't really been coming to church! So that's exciting for him and for our investigators. We also taught juniors dad for the first time this week. We heard he was really stubborn but he said he would consider getting baptized and will think about it a little bit!

Well thats our week. Things are going well with my companion, he's a great guy.

I gotta go,

I love you all,

Elder Kearl

update...

Dear Mom

How are you? Ifa osum? Nang mi fakkun Pechekun! I am doing really good!

We are having fun here in Yigo! We had alot of lessons this week and we found some really good people to help and teach! We received a referral for a family of twelve and we contacted them and they seem really interested! They are chuukese and their car is in the shop so we had to coordinate rides in PEC, so we are either thinking of a bus or having different members give them rides! Working together as a ward is so great!

This week I wore a long sleeve shirt for the first time in a year! I am not going to lie, it feels so wierd!

We also have Elder Richardson from Yap with us for yesterday and today! Hes so funny, and Yapese sounds really different from chuukese!

Remember I told you about the naughtiest and funniest kids last week? When we were teaching their family this week, the kids stole my shoes. I naturally like to take off my shoes when I go in to a home. We found the kids outside wearing them and then they tried to steal my socks (people don't wear socks here) but I stopped them from taking them off my feet. They went through all my bags and now call me Elder Girl (because thats what Kearl sounds like in their accent). They think it's hilarious. I thought it was really funny and so I just asked them to hold my bags and my scriptures and then carry them for me and put them in the car to give them something to do! They are really cute and just have lots of energy! We were teaching this chuukese family and I asked one of their kids (who was naked),"ifai om Uf? which means where are your clothes and he said "Ese Wor"(none/nothing). I just was like 'oh, ok'. He kept laughing and thought it was really funny!

Micronesians are very relaxed, they are not ashamed and they are really simple and I just feel so comfortable around them!

We had a good week even though no investigators came to church on Sunday. We were sad but the ward here does friday family hoome evening's where you get some less actives, some recent converts, investigators and active member families. It really helps here, we keep it really simple and usually all the kids are yelling and playing during the whole thing! But everyone liked it and they want to come again! You should do that in Tuscany Ward!

Well I love you! C ya

Sipwap Chu Fengen

Oune nom

Love

Elder Daniel Kearl

picture of my companion, Elder Tadd

boys will be boys.....

Hey Mom,

I am great! How are you?

I really miss Saipan, but I love Guam, the members here are great we got so many referrals!

We were referred to this Pohnpheian guy who is the pohnpheian equivalent of Jack Black. Seriously, he looks and acts alot like him. He is so funny, we are teaching him now! We asked him if we could share more of our message and he said" I think I got your message".

I really like my companion Elder Tadd, hes awesome and really funny. He just came from serving in Pohnphei! He was the branch president there too. I really love him! He is from Las Vegas.

Can you ask Liana what part of Pohnphei she served in and where? and also where she served in Guam?

Yigo north (my area) is awesome. We have found alot of new investigators and have made progress with our current ones. Two of them came to church for the first time yesterday!

As far as what I want or need from you...I would like if you could send me a cheap, big scripture case. My old scriptures are getting very worn down, so I bought the big hard cover triple and bible combined for like 6 dollars here. It doesn't need to be fancy just something to hold my scriptures in. I still have my old scriptures the nice quad I just don't use it for proselyting, only personal studies! I don't need anything else but thanks for asking.

I want to tell you about the ranches where we do alot of teaching. It is the most ghetto place I have been too. People live in ghetto tin houses and old shipping containers and concrete shacks, they are mostly chuukese people!

This one family we see quite often have been members for a while. They live in this concrete shack with no power and the dad talked about how grateful he was that God gave him his house. It is so humbling, we are teaching some of his family members.

When we stopped by there one day, one of his kids was totally naked. Its really common here though, micronesian kids especially Pohnpheian and Chuukese are always naked and run around barefoot. I tried to ask him where his pants/clothes were and instead I accidently asked him where his panties were. I thought that was pretty funny.

Then later when we prayed I totally farted and their little girl was laughing so hard (chuukese kids are so funny). Because she was laughing so hard, the mom kept hitting her(that also is quite common here). After the prayer I asked her why she was laughing and she said "Pun ka Pwir"(because you farted). Then we all started laughing. This same girl likes to say my name over and over its so wierd: Elder Kearl, Elder Kearl, Elder Kearl, Elder Kearl.

Well thats my story for the week.

we really felt the spirit while doing missionary work together. We have been roleplaying alot and been working real hard! We also went to ward council yesterday and that was very interesting.

Unfortunately, this computer isn't working very well so I will be unable to send you pictures this week.

Well I gotta go

Love ya, C ya, bye

Love Elder Kearl