June 23, 2013

Dear Family,

So it sounds like you know that I am now training. Hahaha yes, we
found out last Monday night around 10:30, and then were on the plane
that next morning. I hadn't experienced homesickness until that first
night in Guam; I wanted to go back to my house in Kosrae so badly;)
Guam is decidedly NOT an island. It felt like we were in California,
and Elder Jeppeson, Elder Land, and I were all freaking out. There
were soooo many cars and people, and the cars were going super fast
(there were actually white lines on the road and stop lights and other
such outrageous traffic devices). Then they took us to the mall for
dinner and to get some stuff. I just about had a panic attack.
However, I was able to stock up on some good old American food to
bring back with us. I filled up an entire suitcase with just food.
We'll see how long that lasts. We just got back Friday afternoon.

Anyway, Elder Ferguson is a great missionary. He is from Orem, and is
a cross-country mountain biker. We have been having fun on our GTs. It
is odd teaching somebody the language. I was really surprised to see
really just how much I actually had learned. Actually, Elder Ferguson
took 5 years of French. So, his Kosraean sounds kind of like how I
imagined Grandma Gerber speaking it;)

This week actually has just been huge. Brother Burnis just got
baptized last Saturday. We were able to have a really nice service
with an ocean baptism. Elder Despain (now currently Zone Leader in
Lelu) was able to baptize him, and I was blessed to be able to stand
in the water and witness. It has been absolutely wonderful to see this
man go from being an addict to having a celestial glow about him. He
really understands what we teach him. I was asking him how he felt
after his baptism, and he told me his heart was about to explode. It
was a very sweet experience and I am looking forward to seeing him
continue to progress.

The sad news is that Elder Land is now serving on Guam. He is also
training and a District Leader, and has a promise from Pres. Mecham
that he will be able to finish his mission on Kosrae.

Also, Elder Conejero was transferred to Saipan. I'm really going to
miss him. He is a new Zone Leader over there, and they are really
lucky to have him.

I'm super happy to hear about the garden. That stinks though about the
squirrels. Maybe Owen and Andy can figure out a way to keep the peas
safe.

Owen! I heard that you went on a YM camp. I remember the last one that
I went to. It was pretty fun, but they kept on having activities that
were super high up in the air--some of which included jumping off of
high things in the air. I remember I didn't even try one of them. The
ropes course killed me and I got stuck probably a hundred times. I
hope you didn't have to endure that, but if you did, know that I am
very happy that you didn't fall and die. It sounds like you and Andy
are doing well in Karate. I'm super proud of you guys. You are both
learning super good stuff there, and I'm excited to see you guys when
I'm done:)

Fun story for the day: there is a really sweet old sister that was
recently baptized who makes crafts. She just brought me a woven fan
the other day (which is super cool looking) that has a picture of the
Sleeping Lady and the caption, "Sleeping Lady Kosrae." It was super
nice of her, and I love it. But, I was looking a little closer at it
today, and realized that it actually reads, "Sleeping Laddy." I love
that woman:)

I've been excited about this area ever since I got here, but now I'm
getting even more so. I think that we are going to see a lot of big
things happen, and I am trying to get ready for them.

Thanks for the picture, it was super nice:) And, I did get the
package. Perfect Mom:) Thanks a lot:) I hope that you know that you're
the best.

Love,

Elder Gerber