December 3, 2012

Dear Family,

we had a baptism last saturday:):):) brother harry george told us he didn't want to wait any longer than he needed to, and so elder conejero baptized him, and i confirmed him yesterday. it was a really nice experience and he is happier than i have ever seen him before. he asked for a calling and he wants to come teach with us. he is a really good guy:) actually, he called us on friday and told us he didn't want to be baptized and didn't want us to come back. we were really shocked. apparently he had talked to an apostate member and had gotten confused. we talked to one of his member relatives about it, and she called him right then and there. i dont know what she told him, but he called us about an hour later and apologized and recommited to baptism the following day. God answers prayers.

3 Nephi is really fun to teach and im glad you two are enjoying it:) also, the last couple of chapters of Mormon are really good at explaining the gospel.

i sent home a memory card last week, so it should get there pretty soon:) (it doesn't have the baptism pictures, though)

 

we have been doing a lot of splits with members. this means that i have been leading lessons in Kosraean. right now, i can teach most of the lessons in mostly kosraean, but can't understand what the investigator says back to me. also, since the Book of Mormon hasn't been translated into kosraean yet, we read a verse, then translate it into kosraean. that is something that is pretty hard here. the people can sound out the words, but have no idea what they are reading. so when we ask them to read the BoM, they don't learn. they feel the Spirit which wonderful; but they don't learn what the doctrine is. so we have a larger responsibility to teach them the doctrines of Christ.

 

the biggest hindrance to the work here is probably the lazy life style here. walking to church is something a lot of members here feel is too much work. the introduction of the automobile to the island of kosrae was probably the last thing these people needed. (about 8 years ago, a road was built that goes around the island. in addition, there are some dirt roads that go closer to the mountain. about a quarter of the people here have cars) so, they figure they deserve a ride to church. and if a ride doesn't come, they don't come to church. we have now decided to show them the "only a stonecutter" movie. hopefully that will help them out;)

 

we have a lot of people who are interested in listening to us. we are teaching about 45 lessons a week. God blesses us with a lot of teaching opportunities:)

 

i found pineapples! they are grown here! but they are in extremely high demand, and not a lot of them are grown. one of our investigators gave us a slice and it was one of the best things i have tasted here on the island:) also, i found out limes are grown here as well.

 

it always makes me super happy to get a letter from home. thank you for all of the jokes, comics, and notes. we check mail every couple of days, so i get them about a week after you send them.

 

i think i understand dad's aversion to dogs. i never really understood growing up why he was so hesitant to get a dog. i think i know now.

 

christmas here is a big deal. there are decorations on a few houses and all of the stores. it is really fun. there is also a place here that sells ice cream. we go and have a treat there every once in a while to reward ourselves:)

 

i have lost 15 lbs since i got here. i don't know why.

i have been avoiding the spam

 

love,

Elder Gerber

November 26th, 2012

Dear family,
Thanksgiving here was fine. we celebrated over lunch after our district meeting (our district is our zone as well. there is a district leader and a zone leader) at the Eldregdes. we really just ate more than usual:)
We are living in an apartment. it has electricity and running water (that includes a washing machine). it is pretty much the nicest place on the entire island. except for the Eldredge's house.
yes i have received your letters and have thoroughly enjoyed them:) it takes about 8 days for your letters to get here. i'm not 100% sure because we don't check mail every day.
the voltage here is standard, so everything is working just fine.
yeah, i don't plan on subjecting anyone to eating taro root anytime soon. however, that was a wonderful idea for the hockey team. maybe i'll talk to the islanders about putting a team together.
um, as far as fruit goes, there are a lot of bananas. some mangos, a lot of coconuts, a few papayas, mwak, and i've heard there is breadfruit. no pineapples:(
the gospel does make people smile.
thanksgiving sounds like it was really fun. im glad it went well:)
christmas lights will always be there to tempt us. stay strong.

lets see, we have a baptism set up for dec. 15, 22, and about 10 set up for the 25. our zone has been one of the slowest in the mission so far, but in the last few weeks we are catching up. God is blessing the people here.

i had an experience the other day. me and elder conejero were walking and i felt impressed to take a different road (trail) up toward the mountain. we walked for about 10 minutes without seeing anybody. then, we walked up this windy, grassy road and saw this guy randomly sitting at the end of the road (the road literally ended there). i was super excited. we went up and talked to him and he seemed really nice. then we started talking about religion. and he laughed at us. he wouldn't let us talk. he started spouting anti-mormon trash. then he left. i only know that i felt the Spirit when we tried to teach him. we did what we were supposed to and hopefully we will see the results later.

something i realized is that i really never understood what the gift of tongues was. i understand now.

i hope you are all well and happy. i want you to know that i feel your prayers. especially mom's. they are more appreciated than you know.

thank you so much for being the family you are. we have been blessed and i have come to recognize more and more it is because of our obedience and love. i love all of you and your righteousness. keep going:)

love,
elder gerber

Picture Post (from the MTC)

So I thought it would be good to post some of the pictures from Sam at the MTC.  Hopefully soon we will get some from the islands!

count down to Guam :)

November 19th, 2012

Dear family,

I am feeling fine. I kind of fluxuate during the day of how i feel.

i am eating rice, ramen, and chicken. a little fish. and i have now drank from a coconut and tried taro root. taro root is not good. we haven't eaten at a member's home, but they have sent us home with food a few times:)

for the most part, the people understand some english, but don't speak it very well, so i am learning kosraen as fast as the Lord permits.

Each of the main islands in the mission (Guam, Yap, Chuuk, Palau, Pohnpay, Kosrae, Saipan) are they're own zone, so the entire island of Kosrae. However, people really only live within a mile of the shore, and we don't have missionaries in Waluncng. The areas are Lelu, Malem, and Utwa. There are six missionaries and the senior couple. The seniors are the Eldredges who lived in Centerville, so that was a fun connection:)

wishlist? well, any candy is highly appreciated;) any taste of home is a special treat:) also, pictures. 

 

first off, me and elder conejero have been whitewashed. we didn't know anybody or the area. Also, elder conejero was made my trainer and the new zone leader at the same time, and since i'm new, i am not a zone leader with him;) so he is all alone in that calling. it seems really hard.

 

we are teaching a lot of lessons. in the past, our zone has been averaging 50 to 60 lessons a week. right now, me and elder conejero are averaging 9 to 10 lessons a day, and our zone totals are reaching above 100 a week.

 

we have 10 baptismal dates set up for the next couple of weeks, so hopefully we will be able to help them progress. The main problem here is really dealing with the word of wisdom.

 

we are helping a young man named patrick prepare to serve a mission. he is really excited and is going through the necessary steps to be worthy to go. it has been incredible helping him overcome his challenges.

 

there is a surprisng amount of difference between the people in lelu, malem, and utwa. malem has a lot more educated people and stores, utwa has the old people, and lelu has the more poor and humble people. it is really great working with them.

 

something i have discovered is that i smile more than anybody here, and wave to everybody. and they notice it.

 

i have grown to love the book of mormon, especially alma. that guy knew A LOT. i just finished reading the book of alma, and have learned soooo much. it is incredible how much there is to get out of the book when you are looking for inspiration for other people.

 

going to the bathroom here is kind of like finding an old bucket in your garage and turning it upside down. you never know what's gonna come out:)

i have realized how much i love you guys. when we teach about families, i realize just how great our family really is. i really love you. i have come to discover that is something that i really miss, is being with the family. not necessarily being in the same room all the time, but being in the same house, or close to each other. thank you.

 

i know that God exists. i know that he inspires us to do good. i know that this church is true. i have felt the same feelings as alma when he said o that i were an angel. the gospel and especially the book of mormon gives power to people to change. i have seen it. i know that this is the hardest thing that i have ever done, and that when i stretch as far as i can, miracles happen. i am already seeing them.

 

i hope you are well and happy. why not be happy? there is always something to see in the world around us that uplifts our spirits and brings us closer to God.

 

love, elder gerber

November 12, 2012 Sam's first letter in Kosrae!

:):) first of all i love all of you. just for fun, kosrae is pronounced CO (as in co-worker) SHrEYE (sr is pronounced sh and the r is almost silent)
actually, lelu (pronounced layla) is just a city on kosrae. we have a truck. the area next to us, utwa, has bikes.
elder conejero is great. he was made zone leader when he was assigned to be my trainer, so we are very busy and a little unsure of what to do, since we are in a whitewashed area.
the flights were fine. before we left, our branch pres. told us we could watch disney movies on the plane, so i got to watch tarzan and megamind on the flight to tokyo:) the island hopper is actually a pretty big plane, so it wasn't bad. kosrae is the farthest from...well anywhere, so i got to see chuuk and pohnpey.
our address is po box 186 tofol, kosrae fsm 96944
i think there is a branch in almost every area on kosrae. i know we have one, and utwa has one. church yesterday was good. i got up and bore my testimony in kosraen. it pretty much went: good morning. my name is elder gerber. im from utah. i know God lives and loves us. i know Jesus Christ is our savior. i know the book of mormon is true. i know the church is true. i know there is a prophet today. in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. everyone was soooo impressed ;)
we have been able to give blessings to some people already. dengue fever is going around, and i'm glad i know what to do.
we just taught a brother named harry. we were talking to him and he told us he reads the book of mormon all the time and knows it's true; he has read the d&c and knows it's true; he knows joseph smith was a prophet; he knows the church is true. we just kinda sat there with our mouths open. then he told us he wants to get baptized, but wants to quit smoking first. so he is working for dec. 25.....
thanksgiving sounds like so much fun! you will have to tell me about it:)
oh, if you want to send pictures, please send them either on a mem. card and i'll just look at them on the camera, or print them and send them. we buy memory space on the comp. and pictures take up a lot of room. i love you all and i'm happy. im really sweaty. i am learning kosrean faster than i thought possible.
love elder gerber

oh also, the kids here are the coolest. they are all over the place and whenever they see us the kind of treat us like rockstars:) they are super happy and talkative. the people here are incredible.

And...Sam is in Micronesia!!!!

Sam left early Wednesday morning to Guam.  I will try and post pictures and some of the videos he took in the MTC as soon as I can.  It sounds like he learned a lot, but also had a great time.  He arrived in Guam safely and was able to spend a day on the island.
"Sam's mission president called us last night.  Sam arrived safely in Guam and is doing well.  He has been assigned to Kosrae.  He will learn Kosrean.  He will be living on a small island called Lelu that is right off of Kosrae.  It is 1400 miles away from Guam.  He is flying there today.  His companion is from the Phillipines and is the zone leader.  We will hopefully get Sam's address soon.  I will forward it.  As for now, we can send letters to the mission home in Guam.  Dearelder.com makes this very easy.  When we talked to Sam on the phone, he told us how grateful he was for all of your letters. " -from mom.
I'm sure Sam would love to receive letters and hear from all of you.  I imagine it will be quite the transition. :)

Letter #2 October 30, 2012

I am doing fine. I was sick two nights ago and all yesterday but this morning i am doing a lot better.
I am learning how to love investigators and teach them relying on the spirit. I never realized how hard or how easy that is. If you really want to know what I've been learning, czech out pages 176 and 177 in Preach My Gospel, as well as all of chapter 3. I have grown here. My testimony is growing in places I didn't even realize it needed to. I am learning how to love people after one sentance.
I report to the travel office at 5 am on the 6th and drive to the airport where i want to say our flight leaves at 8:30? I don't have my plans with me right now, so I'll make sure to give you the official times later. We fly to LA and have a 2 hour layover, the fly to Tokyo with another 2 hour layover, then to guam, all on delta. we leave the morning of the 6th and arrive in guam 20 minutes before the 8th. wild.
I am amazed at how quickly God can make us who he needs us to be. We have been teaching the brand new missionaries as mock investigators for about a week now and i can see incredible progress. You know how good i am at planning...well i have learned to plan. and have learned to appreciate it. who knew? not me.
I don't think it is possible to describe how i felt when i received the halloween package:) we have been having so much fun with that stuff and you will probably receive a video we will make with it sometime before we leave:)
I appreciate all of the jokes:)
I am known by my district as Timon from Lion King. You can only imagine the type of singing that goes on here.
half of our zone just left for california so we are waiting to see who will be here tomorrow.
I met a senior missionary who is from rexburg and knows schwendimans. her name is sister snarr.
I think i am doing my laundry right.
i have taken more pictures than i thought i would my entire mission and am sending them today (yes, that was the right card, but try to send the one you get back to me as soon as possible because the one you sent me doesn't have much memory)
I love you all and miss you. it sounds like you are doing well and that the hobbit hole is coming along fine:)
I love you dad.

Letter #1 October 23, 2012

Hey fam,
I am just fine. I have two companions, Elders Pita and Vehikite (VEH-HEH-GEE-DAY). I fly out on Tues. Nov. 6. I think i know ;)
We have had some incredible lessons and devotionals. When i was preparing to come here, i felt the spirit quite a bit. now i feel it almost all the time, and when i don't i go repent haha. Some of it has been hard. My comps don't respect each other. they respect me, but not each other or many other missionaries for that matter. but they are sincere about their missions.
i've been making some video journal entries that i'll send home with my pictures (in fact, if you send the other memory card sometime next week, i can send home my card right before i leave cuz mail day is tuesday).
i have advice for especially favorite bros owen and andy:) first of all, I love you guys:) secondly, learn the doctrine now. read the scriptures and maybe for some family home evenings, read chapter 3 in preach my gospel. it has all the doctrine you really need to know. my comps don't know the doctrine well at all so it has been really hard trying to teach with them.
i have never realized the amount of planning that goes into missionary work. i was overwhelmed with it the first day or two. but with a little (ok a lot) of help from God, i've been able to gain confidence in planning out lessons.
oh and if you remember steven taylor, his fiance is one of my teachers.
i've loved the letters so far, we have mail call every day so i get your letters either the day of or the day after you send them, so keep em coming:)
one thing i've been a little disappointed in is the lack of missionary jokes. the only one i've heard is "what did joshua do to jericho? He faithed the keep." yeah, i didn't laugh either. so if you hear any good ones, PLEASE send them:)
I'm so excited to hear about the hobbit hole! please send pictures!
the food is good, but we all have gas.
i have been able to wake up on time every day, but my comps are having a hard time hearing our alarm. let me explain: some people snore, and some people don't. some people sleep lightly and some people you think are dead when they sleep. my comps sleep like they are dead, but i know they aren't because they snore:) actually, elder pita's snores are more like snores mixed with hiccups, so it is really irregular. i am worried i'm gonna wake up one day and find him dead cuz he tried to breathe in at the same time he was breathing out and he exploded.
i bought a backpack and a scripture bag, both of which are coming in super handy. it's nice because we get a 40 % discount at the store so everything is affordable. I also needed another t shirt, so i bought one for like 2 or 3 dollars. which reminds me: i forgot jeans.
i love you guys a whole lot. i haven't got home sick, but i have missed you. not enough to make me sad, but enough to make me realize how much i really do love all of you:) please send letters thru dearelder.com every day, it really means a lot.
i'll talk to you again next week:)

Drop Off

Welcome to Elder Sam's blog!  I (Kennedy, Sam's sister), will be posting Sam's letters to this blog per his request.  Sam was set apart on Tuesday-it was beautiful.  Wednesday morning we all drove down to Provo, and he was very excited to get going on his adventure.  Everyone did well saying goodbye, but we all will miss him.  Here are some pictures to document:

Tuesday night

The boys getting some lunch before the MTC 

We love you Sam and are excited to hear how your adventure is starting!!!