Happy Easter:) We didn't really notice it was Easter until it came up
behind us and stole our wallets.
So a little girl in the Utwe area that I had worked with a ton finally
got baptized last Saturday. She asked me to baptize her, and it was a
wonderful experience. Esmina came and watched again (she had some
scary stuff happen to her that put her off baptism for last week) and
really felt the Spirit and has really resolved to be baptized this
Saturday--which happens to be Conference. It should be great. She is
doing really well now. It's hard to believe that she ever told us
never to come back. Thank you for your prayers in her behalf.
So Elder Gibb is doing really well. We've really been teaching at all
opportunities, and it has been lots of fun. We've started making bets
with less-actives: if we can beat them in arm-wrestles, they have to
go to church. If they beat us, then we have to go.
There have been lots of little miracles lately that have really been
adding up. Kosrae has already baptized more people this year than all
of last year. I guess we do everything on the Lord's time.
I have to put this in: the computers we use are pretty bad. It usually
takes about 20 minutes of sitting and tweaking buttons before I can
see any emails. Today was especially bad, and I was getting a little
frustrated. Then I decided to start trying to figure out what I was
grateful for as I tried the whole process, yet again. As soon as I
switched to this mentality, the computer worked and I got right on
through, no problem. Gratitude fixes attitudes and computers.
It is still odd to me to think that it is Sunday for you all.
I love you all very much and I'm doing very well.
Love, Elder Gerber
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
November 11, 2013
Dear Family,
Christmas is here. We have now sung Christmas hymns in sacrament
meeting for the last two weeks, and I have seen lights on people's
houses. It is super fun but kind of odd, since this is what was going
on when I first got here.
Barry didn't get baptized yesterday. However, he is looking forward to
this week. I am really happy for him. He and his family are doing so
much better. He has come so far, and his family is really noticing. I
am very happy for them all.
Also, we are finally making (what seems to be) some headway on the
group. We have had a name suggested for group leader that none of us
had even thought of, but seems to be the perfect fit. We will see what
happens, but I am still really optimistic. Edward also made it to
church yesterday and was finally officially welcomed into the branch.
We had Branch Conference yesterday. It was slow and at times a little
rough, but there were some really good things that happened. It was
very nice to sustain our leaders. All the talks were on unity, and
there was a nice spirit throughout the meetings.
So the big underground news on the island right now is that Islam is
coming to Kosrae. They are looking for a spot to build a mosque right
now, and the Kosraeans are abuzz. It is kind of enlightening, in a
way. I can see why it was so hard to get the church here at all. Who
knew that I would be sympathizing with the Muslims on my mission, let
alone defending them in a few instances. It is odd to see what I am
becoming more and less tolerant of.
Congratulations, Owen. I am impressed with you. It is not easy to
become a blackbelt. I am so happy for you and your accomplishments.
The more I hear about you and read you letters, the more proud I grow
of you. Thank you for being an example.
As for Elder Conejero, I don't know. He lives in Manila, Quezon City,
and all I have heard is that the Phillipines got hit pretty hard and
that thousands are in trouble. I hope that he is all right, but I
think he's a veteran. He told me quite a few stories about different
floods and stuff that happened. I'm sure he's ok.
Good luck on your cruise, Mom and Dad. The boys will be fine. They'll
probably love it. Of course I will continue to pray for you all. And
let's face it, Owen and Andy are more responsible then I ever was.
Mom, I want you to know that the only nights that I really do remember
were the ones that you or Dad came down and talked to me. I don't
remember a lack of them, but a general sense that they happened often.
Your sacrifices really did mean a lot to me then, and mean a heck of a
lot more now. I am overwhelmingly blessed with the family that I was
given. I really am looking forward to living with you all for forever.
Isn't it odd that we sometimes say that? I think I should say, I
really am enjoying living with you all for forever.
I believe I have brought this up before, but Kosrae has an abundance
of holidays. And most of them wind up on Mondays. And we also
celebrate most of the American holidays (which are mostly on Mondays
as well). And the post office is conveniently closed on each of those.
So, I have a few letters that I am trying to send to grandparents,
Aunt Betty, and a few friends that are just getting backed up as
Monday after Monday happens to be a holiday. Maybe I'll try and pass a
few off to the Zone Leaders to mail tomorrow.
I am very happy and healthy. Things are going very well. I love you
all very much.
Love,
Elder Gerber
Christmas is here. We have now sung Christmas hymns in sacrament
meeting for the last two weeks, and I have seen lights on people's
houses. It is super fun but kind of odd, since this is what was going
on when I first got here.
Barry didn't get baptized yesterday. However, he is looking forward to
this week. I am really happy for him. He and his family are doing so
much better. He has come so far, and his family is really noticing. I
am very happy for them all.
Also, we are finally making (what seems to be) some headway on the
group. We have had a name suggested for group leader that none of us
had even thought of, but seems to be the perfect fit. We will see what
happens, but I am still really optimistic. Edward also made it to
church yesterday and was finally officially welcomed into the branch.
We had Branch Conference yesterday. It was slow and at times a little
rough, but there were some really good things that happened. It was
very nice to sustain our leaders. All the talks were on unity, and
there was a nice spirit throughout the meetings.
So the big underground news on the island right now is that Islam is
coming to Kosrae. They are looking for a spot to build a mosque right
now, and the Kosraeans are abuzz. It is kind of enlightening, in a
way. I can see why it was so hard to get the church here at all. Who
knew that I would be sympathizing with the Muslims on my mission, let
alone defending them in a few instances. It is odd to see what I am
becoming more and less tolerant of.
Congratulations, Owen. I am impressed with you. It is not easy to
become a blackbelt. I am so happy for you and your accomplishments.
The more I hear about you and read you letters, the more proud I grow
of you. Thank you for being an example.
As for Elder Conejero, I don't know. He lives in Manila, Quezon City,
and all I have heard is that the Phillipines got hit pretty hard and
that thousands are in trouble. I hope that he is all right, but I
think he's a veteran. He told me quite a few stories about different
floods and stuff that happened. I'm sure he's ok.
Good luck on your cruise, Mom and Dad. The boys will be fine. They'll
probably love it. Of course I will continue to pray for you all. And
let's face it, Owen and Andy are more responsible then I ever was.
Mom, I want you to know that the only nights that I really do remember
were the ones that you or Dad came down and talked to me. I don't
remember a lack of them, but a general sense that they happened often.
Your sacrifices really did mean a lot to me then, and mean a heck of a
lot more now. I am overwhelmingly blessed with the family that I was
given. I really am looking forward to living with you all for forever.
Isn't it odd that we sometimes say that? I think I should say, I
really am enjoying living with you all for forever.
I believe I have brought this up before, but Kosrae has an abundance
of holidays. And most of them wind up on Mondays. And we also
celebrate most of the American holidays (which are mostly on Mondays
as well). And the post office is conveniently closed on each of those.
So, I have a few letters that I am trying to send to grandparents,
Aunt Betty, and a few friends that are just getting backed up as
Monday after Monday happens to be a holiday. Maybe I'll try and pass a
few off to the Zone Leaders to mail tomorrow.
I am very happy and healthy. Things are going very well. I love you
all very much.
Love,
Elder Gerber
December 1, 2013
Dear Family,
First, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving here. We actually found a
turkey, and we all brought something--the pumpkin pie that Gma and Gpa
Schwendiman sent was the biggest hit since sliced bread. Celebrations
are fun, but it is nice when they are over, isn't it?
In answer to questions, Barry is having a little bit of a struggle
with getting to church, so we have put things on hold until he is able
to get that straightened out. There is quite a bit of opposition from
the AOG church in that specific village, but he should come around
pretty quick.
If I remember correctly, Pres. Mecham will be coming sometime this
month. But I could be mistaken. My memory is still a bit of a jumbley
mess, but I believe that he is coming this month.
There have been some very special moments for me this last week that
probably didn't mean that much to anyone else. One of which was
Burnis. He has been trying really hard to come to church for the last
month or so, but can't walk for the hour to get here. So he has been
trying to hitch-hike for the last several weeks. He was finally able
to come to church yesterday (he flagged down a scooter and got on the
back, quite precariously I must add). There have been a few little
things like this that have been making me pretty happy lately.
I finally got those Christmas lights up that you sent me. They are
pretty dang great.
Things are still moving along. We will see what happens.
I am doing well. I am happy and safe. I love you all very much.
Love,
Elder Gerber
PS--Andy, here is a list of instruments that I have been wanting to learn:
1. Violin (you have already started this one, but I want to learn how to fiddle)
2. Trumpet (Owen already has this one nailed down, but I always
thought it'd be fun)
3. Drums (you'd have to check with Mom and Dad on this one...)
4. Penny whistle
5. The Cordian (not the accordian. The instrument in the cartoons that
looks like an accordian but isn't)
6. Banjo
7. Chinese flute
8. Mandolin (honestly, I would choose the banjo over this one)
9. Ocarina (apparently, you know this one already)
10. Any bass instrument--washtub bass, cello, bass fiddle, bass guitar, etc.
First, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving here. We actually found a
turkey, and we all brought something--the pumpkin pie that Gma and Gpa
Schwendiman sent was the biggest hit since sliced bread. Celebrations
are fun, but it is nice when they are over, isn't it?
In answer to questions, Barry is having a little bit of a struggle
with getting to church, so we have put things on hold until he is able
to get that straightened out. There is quite a bit of opposition from
the AOG church in that specific village, but he should come around
pretty quick.
If I remember correctly, Pres. Mecham will be coming sometime this
month. But I could be mistaken. My memory is still a bit of a jumbley
mess, but I believe that he is coming this month.
There have been some very special moments for me this last week that
probably didn't mean that much to anyone else. One of which was
Burnis. He has been trying really hard to come to church for the last
month or so, but can't walk for the hour to get here. So he has been
trying to hitch-hike for the last several weeks. He was finally able
to come to church yesterday (he flagged down a scooter and got on the
back, quite precariously I must add). There have been a few little
things like this that have been making me pretty happy lately.
I finally got those Christmas lights up that you sent me. They are
pretty dang great.
Things are still moving along. We will see what happens.
I am doing well. I am happy and safe. I love you all very much.
Love,
Elder Gerber
PS--Andy, here is a list of instruments that I have been wanting to learn:
1. Violin (you have already started this one, but I want to learn how to fiddle)
2. Trumpet (Owen already has this one nailed down, but I always
thought it'd be fun)
3. Drums (you'd have to check with Mom and Dad on this one...)
4. Penny whistle
5. The Cordian (not the accordian. The instrument in the cartoons that
looks like an accordian but isn't)
6. Banjo
7. Chinese flute
8. Mandolin (honestly, I would choose the banjo over this one)
9. Ocarina (apparently, you know this one already)
10. Any bass instrument--washtub bass, cello, bass fiddle, bass guitar, etc.
December 8, 2013
Dear Family,
Elder Jeppesen did, in fact, go to Guam. It was sad to see him go, but
he'll do fine there. He left last Tuesday, and so Elder Ferguson came
and joined Elder Blackwell and I for a few days until his replacement,
Elder Land, came on Friday. It has been lots of fun catching up with
Elder Land, and as sad as it was to see Elder Jeppesen go, it was
great to see Elder Land again.
We have started working with Esmina. She is a slightly crotchety,
mostly blind, sarcastic old lady who really likes us. She is probably
one of my favorite investigators. She teaches a youth sunday school
class at the Protestant church, but is fed up with the priestcraft.
Her husband died a few years ago, and she has been living by herself
for a while. She loves the doctrine of eternal families, and is
excited about it. Her only problem is that she won't come to church
this month because she is teaching her class every week, and she told
us that she agreed to teach that class for this entire year. So she is
planning on finishing up these last few weeks, and then will get
baptized in January.
Barry is doing well, but his wife is presenting problems. She is
trying pretty hard to keep him and the kids from getting baptized.
But, he is still pretty determined. His biggest problem now is getting
to church every week. But as soon as he gets that worked out, he will
be all ready. Hopefully, we will be able to get the rest of the family
on board.
I do want to say pretty quick just how thankful I am for you all.
Occasionally, we see broken family life just a little closer than we
ever want to, and I can't describe just how much my love and
appreciation for you has grown. You are all quite remarkable people,
and I am overly blessed to be a part of your family.
Really good things are happening. We are going out on Wednesday to
survey a property as the potential meeting spot for our Malem group.
It should be a for sure thing, but we want to make sure that it will
serve its purpose.
I am happy and healthy. I love you all very much.
Love,
Elder Gerber
Elder Jeppesen did, in fact, go to Guam. It was sad to see him go, but
he'll do fine there. He left last Tuesday, and so Elder Ferguson came
and joined Elder Blackwell and I for a few days until his replacement,
Elder Land, came on Friday. It has been lots of fun catching up with
Elder Land, and as sad as it was to see Elder Jeppesen go, it was
great to see Elder Land again.
We have started working with Esmina. She is a slightly crotchety,
mostly blind, sarcastic old lady who really likes us. She is probably
one of my favorite investigators. She teaches a youth sunday school
class at the Protestant church, but is fed up with the priestcraft.
Her husband died a few years ago, and she has been living by herself
for a while. She loves the doctrine of eternal families, and is
excited about it. Her only problem is that she won't come to church
this month because she is teaching her class every week, and she told
us that she agreed to teach that class for this entire year. So she is
planning on finishing up these last few weeks, and then will get
baptized in January.
Barry is doing well, but his wife is presenting problems. She is
trying pretty hard to keep him and the kids from getting baptized.
But, he is still pretty determined. His biggest problem now is getting
to church every week. But as soon as he gets that worked out, he will
be all ready. Hopefully, we will be able to get the rest of the family
on board.
I do want to say pretty quick just how thankful I am for you all.
Occasionally, we see broken family life just a little closer than we
ever want to, and I can't describe just how much my love and
appreciation for you has grown. You are all quite remarkable people,
and I am overly blessed to be a part of your family.
Really good things are happening. We are going out on Wednesday to
survey a property as the potential meeting spot for our Malem group.
It should be a for sure thing, but we want to make sure that it will
serve its purpose.
I am happy and healthy. I love you all very much.
Love,
Elder Gerber
December 15, 2014
Dear Family,
I am so proud of you for getting Brother Gimli's autograph. Ridiculously cool.
It's been an interesting week. One of the biggest piece of news is
that the last portion of the Book of Mormon has come for doctrinal
review. That should take about three weeks, and then it's back off to
Salt Lake for printing. We are expecting it to arrive around or a
little before June. Even if I'm not on Kosrae at that time, I will get
a copy and use it.
As for Ninac Esmina, she is doing very well. She just told her pastor
that she won't be teaching Sunday School next year, and that she won't
be going to the Protestant church any more because she is "joining the
Mormons." Durn it, I like her.
Also, we received a few boxes of eyeglasses last week to distribute.
They have literally opened doors for us that have been closed for a
long time. Also, there are few better ways to get into gospel
discussions than talking about sight. We had a very powerful lesson
with an older ninac. We had tried seeing her before, but she told us
to leave. We went to try somebody who lives in the same house, and she
started yelling from within the bowels of the building. We called back
and after a few questions, asked if she wanted some glasses. We ran
out to where we had parked and when we came back, she was sitting down
in the doorway. So we helped her for a few minutes try and find a pair
that was right for her. And then taught her about just how much God
loves her. It was a lesson where you saw immediate results, and she
now wants us to come back.
As for the group, it is still in the works. The land looks fine--with
a few hours of work it'll be perfect--but we are still scrounging for
a group leader. Actually, a potential group leader we had been talking
about just tried to get married. The wedding party was in full swing
(weddings are about as big of affairs here as they are in the States)
and they were about to have the ceremony when they realized the pastor
hadn't shown up. Turns out, he refused to marry them because our
member still happened to be married to somebody in the States. So we
kind of crossed him off the list of eligible candidates for right now.
We have received permission from Pres. Mecham to use a member's laptop
to skype for Christmas this year. The member is going to create a
skype account for us. So, all I need is to get the skype accounts that
you will be using, and I will add you when it is my turn to call. The
time slot that I have reserved is Christmas day (Christmas Eve for
you) at 7:00 am to 8:00 am (as far as we can figure, that comes out to
be 2:00 pm for you guys, but you might want to double check. Something
about daylight savings getting in the way of everything...). I am sure
excited to see you all. If you have any questions, we do have a Monday
left that I can answer in an email.
Owen and Andy: Good luck on your concerts. You guys are super duper
cool. I always tell the other elders here about just how great you two
are. I love you both and you might want to keep your eyes on the mail
next month.
I love you all very much. I am doing well and am happy and healthy.
Love,
Elder Gerber
I am so proud of you for getting Brother Gimli's autograph. Ridiculously cool.
It's been an interesting week. One of the biggest piece of news is
that the last portion of the Book of Mormon has come for doctrinal
review. That should take about three weeks, and then it's back off to
Salt Lake for printing. We are expecting it to arrive around or a
little before June. Even if I'm not on Kosrae at that time, I will get
a copy and use it.
As for Ninac Esmina, she is doing very well. She just told her pastor
that she won't be teaching Sunday School next year, and that she won't
be going to the Protestant church any more because she is "joining the
Mormons." Durn it, I like her.
Also, we received a few boxes of eyeglasses last week to distribute.
They have literally opened doors for us that have been closed for a
long time. Also, there are few better ways to get into gospel
discussions than talking about sight. We had a very powerful lesson
with an older ninac. We had tried seeing her before, but she told us
to leave. We went to try somebody who lives in the same house, and she
started yelling from within the bowels of the building. We called back
and after a few questions, asked if she wanted some glasses. We ran
out to where we had parked and when we came back, she was sitting down
in the doorway. So we helped her for a few minutes try and find a pair
that was right for her. And then taught her about just how much God
loves her. It was a lesson where you saw immediate results, and she
now wants us to come back.
As for the group, it is still in the works. The land looks fine--with
a few hours of work it'll be perfect--but we are still scrounging for
a group leader. Actually, a potential group leader we had been talking
about just tried to get married. The wedding party was in full swing
(weddings are about as big of affairs here as they are in the States)
and they were about to have the ceremony when they realized the pastor
hadn't shown up. Turns out, he refused to marry them because our
member still happened to be married to somebody in the States. So we
kind of crossed him off the list of eligible candidates for right now.
We have received permission from Pres. Mecham to use a member's laptop
to skype for Christmas this year. The member is going to create a
skype account for us. So, all I need is to get the skype accounts that
you will be using, and I will add you when it is my turn to call. The
time slot that I have reserved is Christmas day (Christmas Eve for
you) at 7:00 am to 8:00 am (as far as we can figure, that comes out to
be 2:00 pm for you guys, but you might want to double check. Something
about daylight savings getting in the way of everything...). I am sure
excited to see you all. If you have any questions, we do have a Monday
left that I can answer in an email.
Owen and Andy: Good luck on your concerts. You guys are super duper
cool. I always tell the other elders here about just how great you two
are. I love you both and you might want to keep your eyes on the mail
next month.
I love you all very much. I am doing well and am happy and healthy.
Love,
Elder Gerber
December 30, 2013
Dear Family,
It was wonderful to see you all last week. I'm so glad that everything
went well. It really is a special time of year, isn't it? I'm sending
some stuff home, either today or next week. I hope it all makes it
safe and dry.
I am always so happy to hear about your Sunday School classes. You've
got some good kids, and they have a pretty dang bright future. Thank
you for putting so much effort into your teaching.
Church yesterday was great. Ninac Esmina came, and loved it. We went
and saw her later on during the day; when she explained what she felt
at church, we were able to have a nice discussion on the Spirit. She
was super cute and said she hopes she's alive next week so she can go
again. She should be getting baptized in the next few weeks. She's one
of those people who, once she knows something, she'll act on that
knowledge. For example, we talked to her once about coffee because she
had mentioned how addicted to it she was. As soon as we told her about
the Word of Wisdom, she quit it. Hasn't even thought of drinking it
since.
Also, we have been working with some part-member families. Sepe
Charley is completely nuts. She got baptized way back when, and has
four kids--of which only two have joined the church. She is decently
active, but loves to fight with us. Everybody knows she's crazy, so
usually we just agree with her quickly (see Matt. 5:25) and let her
go. Her oldest son, Mikey (age 15), and her next son, Charley (13)
(yes, that does mean his name is Charley Charley), haven't been
baptized yet, and the next son, Michael, has gone less-active. So we
have been working with them all, and they have really grown to like us
and trust us. And, Charley and Michael walked to church yesterday.
The District Christmas party sounds like it went well. We weren't able
to attend, since Pres. Mecham came and we had a Zone Conference all
day. But, it was a great meeting. We had a ton of people from our area
go to the party, and everyone said that it was great. We also had a
special meeting at church yesterday for a Branch Christmas, and that
was really nice. Also, I learned how to make some pretty sweet baskets
out of coconut leaves. Allow me to explain, Kosraeans are very rigid
on what gender is allowed to do what; for the most part, any weaving
is only done by women. The only exception to this rule is the basket.
Most women don't even know how to make one; apparently it is a very
manly thing to do. Anyway, we were able to make 15 as our contribution
to the Christmas party.
We have been having some really good things happen in Malem. There
haven't been that many people getting drunk, and there has been some
changing in public opinion about the church. The church has been here
for about 30 or so years, and people were still confused if we
celebrated Christmas or not. Apparently, the Seventh Days and the
Jehovah Witnesses don't celebrate it. So, I guess it was kind of
understandable that there could be some confusion, but this year's
party was publicized well enough that most of that seems to have been
finally cleared up.
I saw some Islam propaganda for the first time in my life. This guy
had all these books about Jesus Christ in relation to Islam that
somebody had given him, and he wanted to hear what we thought about
it. Something about Jesus didn't actually die on the cross and went
and died in India...we told him that Joseph Smith was a true prophet
of the resurrected Christ and that Thomas S. Monson was his prophet
today.
I am very happy here. My health is good and we are staying safe.
Love,
Elder Gerber
It was wonderful to see you all last week. I'm so glad that everything
went well. It really is a special time of year, isn't it? I'm sending
some stuff home, either today or next week. I hope it all makes it
safe and dry.
I am always so happy to hear about your Sunday School classes. You've
got some good kids, and they have a pretty dang bright future. Thank
you for putting so much effort into your teaching.
Church yesterday was great. Ninac Esmina came, and loved it. We went
and saw her later on during the day; when she explained what she felt
at church, we were able to have a nice discussion on the Spirit. She
was super cute and said she hopes she's alive next week so she can go
again. She should be getting baptized in the next few weeks. She's one
of those people who, once she knows something, she'll act on that
knowledge. For example, we talked to her once about coffee because she
had mentioned how addicted to it she was. As soon as we told her about
the Word of Wisdom, she quit it. Hasn't even thought of drinking it
since.
Also, we have been working with some part-member families. Sepe
Charley is completely nuts. She got baptized way back when, and has
four kids--of which only two have joined the church. She is decently
active, but loves to fight with us. Everybody knows she's crazy, so
usually we just agree with her quickly (see Matt. 5:25) and let her
go. Her oldest son, Mikey (age 15), and her next son, Charley (13)
(yes, that does mean his name is Charley Charley), haven't been
baptized yet, and the next son, Michael, has gone less-active. So we
have been working with them all, and they have really grown to like us
and trust us. And, Charley and Michael walked to church yesterday.
The District Christmas party sounds like it went well. We weren't able
to attend, since Pres. Mecham came and we had a Zone Conference all
day. But, it was a great meeting. We had a ton of people from our area
go to the party, and everyone said that it was great. We also had a
special meeting at church yesterday for a Branch Christmas, and that
was really nice. Also, I learned how to make some pretty sweet baskets
out of coconut leaves. Allow me to explain, Kosraeans are very rigid
on what gender is allowed to do what; for the most part, any weaving
is only done by women. The only exception to this rule is the basket.
Most women don't even know how to make one; apparently it is a very
manly thing to do. Anyway, we were able to make 15 as our contribution
to the Christmas party.
We have been having some really good things happen in Malem. There
haven't been that many people getting drunk, and there has been some
changing in public opinion about the church. The church has been here
for about 30 or so years, and people were still confused if we
celebrated Christmas or not. Apparently, the Seventh Days and the
Jehovah Witnesses don't celebrate it. So, I guess it was kind of
understandable that there could be some confusion, but this year's
party was publicized well enough that most of that seems to have been
finally cleared up.
I saw some Islam propaganda for the first time in my life. This guy
had all these books about Jesus Christ in relation to Islam that
somebody had given him, and he wanted to hear what we thought about
it. Something about Jesus didn't actually die on the cross and went
and died in India...we told him that Joseph Smith was a true prophet
of the resurrected Christ and that Thomas S. Monson was his prophet
today.
I am very happy here. My health is good and we are staying safe.
Love,
Elder Gerber
January 5, 2014
Dear Family,
Happy New Year to you all, too. New Years was a little uneventful for
us--probably because it rained Dec. 31st all day and all night,
keeping the drunks at bay--but we did have a nice little celebration
on the 1st with some members. I don't know if I talked about this last
year, but to celebrate the new year, Kosraeans do this thing called
fwifwi. This pretty much includes splashing as much water as you can
on each other. People are lined up all along the road with buckets of
water ready to splash anybody who comes by. We had a pretty good
time:) Midnight just had a lot of kids singing, which was pretty cool,
but I only heard about 10 minutes of it before I was gone again.
Ninac Esmina is doing really well. She has been sick for the last
couple of days, but is now doing well enough to meet with us again.
She has a member friend who has been talking to her about the church,
and she keeps learning more and more that she really likes about it.
Thank you so much for your prayers in her behalf. She has had miracles
happen to her.
I just got a big load of Christmas mail. A big Thank You to everybody.
I will try to reply to you all promptly, but that may take another 5
months...
The Book of Mormon translation is going on. One of the guys here is
driving the entire system crazy. The instructions were to just catch
any grammatical errors or any glaring doctrinal errors, as this is the
last edit. In fact, the paper said that it was to take no longer than
20 hours and was supposed to be done by Christmas. But this guy keeps
trying to slip in personal preferences under the title of "doctrinal
errors" that is driving the Salt Lake guy nuts. It is actually kind of
funny. They've got two other guys working on it, so they probably
won't take his review too seriously.
Snow time there sounds like it's pretty good. I'm glad you were able
to take some advantage over it. Those were some pretty dang great
pictures.
Things are going really well. I just got a note from Dustin in
Argentina. Sounds like he's doing great.
I love you all and am very happy.
Love,
Elder Gerber
PS--I sent a package home the other day and pulled out $10 to cover
the cost. It should get there within the month.
Happy New Year to you all, too. New Years was a little uneventful for
us--probably because it rained Dec. 31st all day and all night,
keeping the drunks at bay--but we did have a nice little celebration
on the 1st with some members. I don't know if I talked about this last
year, but to celebrate the new year, Kosraeans do this thing called
fwifwi. This pretty much includes splashing as much water as you can
on each other. People are lined up all along the road with buckets of
water ready to splash anybody who comes by. We had a pretty good
time:) Midnight just had a lot of kids singing, which was pretty cool,
but I only heard about 10 minutes of it before I was gone again.
Ninac Esmina is doing really well. She has been sick for the last
couple of days, but is now doing well enough to meet with us again.
She has a member friend who has been talking to her about the church,
and she keeps learning more and more that she really likes about it.
Thank you so much for your prayers in her behalf. She has had miracles
happen to her.
I just got a big load of Christmas mail. A big Thank You to everybody.
I will try to reply to you all promptly, but that may take another 5
months...
The Book of Mormon translation is going on. One of the guys here is
driving the entire system crazy. The instructions were to just catch
any grammatical errors or any glaring doctrinal errors, as this is the
last edit. In fact, the paper said that it was to take no longer than
20 hours and was supposed to be done by Christmas. But this guy keeps
trying to slip in personal preferences under the title of "doctrinal
errors" that is driving the Salt Lake guy nuts. It is actually kind of
funny. They've got two other guys working on it, so they probably
won't take his review too seriously.
Snow time there sounds like it's pretty good. I'm glad you were able
to take some advantage over it. Those were some pretty dang great
pictures.
Things are going really well. I just got a note from Dustin in
Argentina. Sounds like he's doing great.
I love you all and am very happy.
Love,
Elder Gerber
PS--I sent a package home the other day and pulled out $10 to cover
the cost. It should get there within the month.
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