short and sweet

Hey Mom!

I am doing really good. How are you doing?

Missionary work has been going fairly good. One of the less active members we have been working with has started coming to church and he just received a calling. He seems really happy about it! He has been a member for a while and has been to the temple but went less active! We found some new people to teach and picked up some old people. They are all progressing little by little!

I think there are a few missionaries in our mission who are thinking about attending BYU Idaho too. Some of the guys from Guam and Saipan are already there!

You asked what I need.....some white shirts, short sleeve, maybe 2, yeah 2! I would really appreciate it! We are having fun as missionaries. We have a big activity planned to bring people to the church and alot of people have committed to bring their friends!

Nothing else is new in Guam. We are really low on miles so we have been doing alot more walking; it's really fun, but my feet hurt badly.

Love Elder Kearl

Here is a picture of the chapel in Yigo!

the reason i'm here......for guam to get a temple one day

Dear Mom,

I finally received your christmas letter and it was awesome. I really liked the picture too.

I am doing very good. No transfers for me. I am still here in Yigo with Elder Tadd and I love it! The Bishop told me about you and Elder Tadd's sister having a conversation on the Yigo Ward Facebook page and he thought that was pretty funny!

Our week was good, we saw alot of miracles happen here in Guam. We met this American Italian family on the top of the hill in our area. They seem pretty interested (who would have thought in Guam of all places, an Italian?)! Also, we had many of our investigators come to church this week! It has been neat to see some miracles take place as we are trying to talk to everyone!

When I first got here I loved the Island culture but now I don't like it as much. I have seen alot of men treat their girlfriends and wives really bad, and it makes me sad and angry. The women just cook food and take care of kids and lot of them don't have high school diplomas or even read, its quite unfortunate! I met this girl named 'Wanu' which means 8 in chuukese like the number it was pretty weird, that is literally her name....8!

The work is good and I am still really happy to be here! The Youth Program here is good there are 100 or more youth in the stake; about 60 in Guam and 40 in Saipan thats really good for Saipan Ward). They are still working out kinks in their program, it is different than in the west stake. They don't even use For the Strength of Youth pamphlets. We have been giving some to all the youth we teach. The youth here are so strong, it's amazing! In Stake Conference the stake President said that they have 2 young men out on missions, 2 with mission calls and 3 with mission papers submitted! One boy in Saipan got his call to Korea (the Bishops son, Micheal Esplin) and so many youth want to go on missions! President Clark (Stake President) says his goal is to have 12 youth on missions at the same time! The Counselor in the Stake Presidency said they are pushing for a temple in Guam. Elder Aoyagi of the seventy was at Stake Conference and I was able to shake his hand. He said that now we have a stake here (it was formed last december) we need to work on a Temple. That would be awesome!!! We only need 3 stakes and there's one in Majuro, Marshall Islands and Elder Perry and President Mecham said Saipan could become a stake soon! And also Lianna might like this; Pohnphei has 1700 members and 8 branches and 6 chapels. Chuuk has 1300, Yap has 300-500, Kosrae has 300, Palau has 300 but only 50 are active. President Mecham said they are almost a stake in Pohnphei but they need more priesthood and reactivation. There are some strong branches and he wants all of the Federated States of Micronesia to become the FSM Stake and Saipan to become one. That is his dream, and Palau to become part of Guam so we could do it! Thats why we are here on our missions..... to get a temple in this part of the world! President Mecham said he has a temple site all picked out! I am so excited the Church is getting stronger here in Micronesia! We could get a Temple, maybe the Barrigada Guam Temple! We taught a family and they could not believe that if they are 12 or over they could go to the temple!!

That's exciting about Peter and Parker putting their mission papers in!

I gotta go but I love you,

Love Elder Kearl

Later I learned that they do have 12 youth out on missions from Guam and 48 form the whole mission, Alot of those 12 are from Saipan. - dan

Letter to Scott:
Hey Scott

Hey, how are you? Thanks for writing me. You saw Eric? Thats so cool, how is he? I miss him too! You bought an Xbox! I love you, gotta go, bye, Elder Kearl

Explanation of pictures: 1. Elder Welch, he is going to Sydney Australia for his mission, he is from Saipan and I know his family. 2. We participated in an activity with the Dededo Ward, where we went with the YSA to teach their friends it was fun!! 3. A caribou running loose (kinda like a cow)! 4. I bought a chuukese bible.

things are going great for elder kearl

sidenote: I received the following email message from a gal in our stake attending BYU right now. It made my day. I assume Dan is doing well but it is always nice for a mom to hear it from others.
Sister Kearl!
I just wanted to let you know that I got a letter from my friend Elder Allred who is serving in Micronesia right now. He asked me if I knew your son! (Small world right?) In his letter he said that Elder Kearl was one of the most dedicated missionaries he knows. i just thought you would appreciate to know that thank you for raising an wonderful son who is willing to serve the Lord diligently!

Hey mom

How are you? I am doing great! We had zone conference last week and I really liked it. Saipan elders were there and it was nice to see them and hear what is going on in Saipan.

I bought a new camera to replace my broken one, thanks for transferring some money into my account. Elder Tadd helped me pick one that's good for the weather, very durable, and not too expensive!

Yes I know that Elder from the email you received from the gal at BYU. We have been together quite a few times and we get along really well. He stayed with us for zone conference, and I spent a whole day with him when he was transferred to Saipan. Very small world indeed.

We had some investigators at church yesterday which was good, this part member family and another one too! We taught some good lessons and I got a haircut today by Jason! He is really awesome, we found him a week after he came to Guam. He is 22, got into some trouble and has been a member for about 8 years and he has a daughter. When we first met him he had alot of problems, eventually to the point where he got drunk, arrested but released and he felt the spirit telling him he's going to be OK. Since we first met with him, he has been reading the Book of Mormon every day, praying, coming to church, talking to bishop and now hes getting a calling as a young mens advisor and is cleared to pass the sacrament this week. He says he will tell the youth not to do bad things and help out with activities! He is very excited about his new life. While he was giving us haircuts he asked about the sacrament prayers. We have reviewed many gospel principles with him because he had very little understanding about the gospel!

Our other investigators are not progressing very quickly, but something is going to happen, I can feel it and I am so excited!

Transfers are on wednesday and Elder Tadd and I are fairly confident we will be staying together! Who knows though!

I received the package you sent from Hawaii, I loved everything in it but especially enjoyed reading the updates you sent from my friends who are also serving missions. I also got letters from Daynia and Mark and Rachelle! If you see her (Daynia) could you tell her I sent her a few but one came back as wrong address. woops! I don't think there is anything else I need! I am doing great.

These are some pictures of Elder Tadd and I. He is wearing the shirt you sent him for christmas, he really likes it. I also included some pictures from a Friday Family Home Evening in the Yigo Ward.

Love Elder Kearl

new investigator this week and a trunky mom

Hey Mom and Family,

How are you? Glad to hear you made it back safely from Hawaii. I do remember that overnight flight we have taken from Hawaii as a family, it's not very fun. Glad you survived it. Guam is a 7 hour flight from Honolulu.

I am doing really good. It's been an interesting week with so many miracles! We had fun this week with both miracles and some funny moments. We had a speak your language day where we had to go through a whole day speaking nothing but chuukese. It was kind of funny. I feel like I have grown so much in this area; its easier to understand and speak. I need to do 2 more of these days if I want to get my masters (something we have in our mission)!

We just switched to 1:00 church. It was nice, the time change helps us to be more organized but it doesn't mattter what hour church is at, just as long as you go!

I have met so many depressed people here. There is this one girl,I think she was and is still abused and as a result, she has very low self esteem! We were teaching her sister yesterday, and she joined in which was good. She is 19 and has only been in Guam 2 years. She never looked us in the eye and she looked really sad. Sometimes she talked to us directly but most of the time she just talked to her sister who talked to us. Luckily, I can understand what she is saying and speak back to her. She also does not know how to read which makes me really sad! She looked so sad and I was reading my scriptures today in Moses and John and it talked about Jesus Christ and how if we receive Him, He gives us power to become the sons of men, so through Him we can be like Him! I thought of that girl and how the gospel can really help her be happy. Alot of the girls on the island of Chuuk just stay home and the husbands use them to work and make babies. They feel very little individual worth which is really sad. I have seen alot of Guys hit their kids, girlfriends or wives and it makes me angry because they deserve so much better!

I know this Gospel is true and it can make all of our lives better! I am excited for zone conference it is this friday!

I think you are the trunky one mom. ha ha! I can't believe you know how many more sleeps till I get home.

We received good training in district meeting on how to talk to people better about the gospel. We had an appointment fall through this week and we ended up talking to this guy on the street for a long time. He said he wanted to come to church and he did. We are planning on teaching him tomorrow and we gave him a book of mormon!

I love you all but I gotta go, love ya, c ya, bye

Love Elder Kearl

first post of 2012 (the year my boy comes home..yipee!)

Hey Mom

Happy New Year! How are you?

I am doing good, we had a way better week this week, we found tons of people to teach! no one came to church again but i know they will come... eventually! We are having fun though even when things are discouraging!

You said I am lucky to be serving in paradise but I would not say this is paradise. I have seen some things I did not want to see! Men beating girls, parents beating children and lots of drunk people, stuff like that!

Thats crazy that Jeremy Stanford is going to the MTC this Wednesday, and Danielle is already there!

How is Haiwaii? How was the temple visitors center? Did you do a session? There are a lot of Filipinos in Hawaii. Thats interesting you met a sister from there!

Transfers are in 2 weeks and zone conference is next week!  My Camera broke and I have just been using Elder Tadds! Can u send me a new one please and some rechargeable batteries, so I don't have to buy new ones?

I was in the mission office and I looked through some pictures and I found a picture of Lianna and an article about her too. I am attaching the pictures of it.

We are doing good and seeing alot of miracles here.

Love Elder Kearl

Ua Tongekemi!!(I love you)