dear family,
hahaha im glad the letters made it home;)
so i got bitten by a dog this week. i've been bitten before, but this one was the first one that hurt. as a member of the church, i believe in proxy work; therefore, i have been vindictively whacking any dog that dares come near us since:)
fun kosraean word of the week: "pihtuhtuh." this means either "potato," or "pregnant." elder jeppeson (from rexburg) told me that he once told somebody "Nga mwet acn pihtuhtuh," which, being interpreted, could mean "I'm from the land of potatoes," OR, "I'm from the land of the pregnant people." he said that the person he said that to looked sorry for him until he explained that he meant "land of the potatoes." yeah, that's fun.
mom, you will be pleased to know that a member here told me yesterday at church that i am getting fat (please know that in kosraean, "fat" means "big" while "fattoro" means the american meaning of "fat"). who knew that working out every morning made you stronger? i didnt until pres mecham emphasized the need to excercise.
about the fishing, from about 45 B.P.M. to 0 P.M. (before pres. mecham and pres. mecham time), missionaries were allowed to get in the ocean up to their knees as well. but pres. mecham has given the rule that we are not to touch the water at all. so, all of our fishing is from the docks. we do see a lot of people spear-fishing though. i think i might try it when i come home. maybe in a swimming pool with goldfish.
we are teaching a family here and they're getting ready for baptism this Sat. we have been working with them for a while and are really excited for them. there are 5 of them that can get baptized now, and then 4 other kids that will be baptized when they turn 8. We are really happy for them and have been trying to see them every day for the last week or so. we have really seen miracles with this family.
dad, i want to ask if there was any betlenut(?) in tahiti. it grows on an absolutely beautiful tree--perfectly straight, grows in perfect segments, and has a bright green trunk. it is used like chewing tobacco and i guess has a similar effect. it is against the word of wisdom and is one of the main problems investigators (and members) have to overcome. the nut itself looks a little like a tiny coconut.
in reference to all the new missionaries, toyota is to the last of the little guys as i am to the last of the old guys. i am really excited for everyone who received or is waiting for their mission call. we need them. actually, our mission is expecting an extra 18 of them this next transfer, and anywhere from 2 to 4 of them should be coming to Kosrae. we have been told to look for new areas to open and we have decided on splitting the lelu area into a lelu area and a tafunsak area (these names should be on any map of kosrae) also, we are looking at opening waclucng (also on a map). we are all pretty excited to see what's gonna happen.
we all try extremely hard here not to get sick for 2 reasons: 1) because there is nothing really worse than sitting at home all day knowing that satan isn't taking a rest on our investigators; and 2) because we really don't want to go to the hospital here. it's a scary place.
anyway, i'm doing well and am happy. thank you all for everything. you are all quite amazing and i realize that the more i interact with other people and other cultures.
i hope everyone is happy and safe and healing (andy).
love,
Elder Gerber
Monday, February 25, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
February 18, 2013
dear family:)
so let's see, the baptism last saturday went really well and now her little sister is getting ready to be baptized on march 2. we are seeing incredible progress in the people we are working with and are excited to see what else God has in store for these people.
hahahaha oh so funny story:
during district meeting on thursday, we found out that the reason we hadn't gotten mail for a couple of days was that we hadn't repaid the fee for the mail box. I have never seen 20 dollars thrown together so fast in my life. :)
we went fishing this morning and i think that im getting better at it. ;) we use the string-on the-bottle local fishing gear and im getting pretty durned good at throwing the hook out, but the whole catching-the-fish part is still pretty tough.
elder despain just told me that his sister is marissa despain and does, in fact, work at the libraries. if you ever talk to her, tell her that elder despain says hello. :)
so in response to your question concerning elder conejero, yes, he does. he lives in a completely different world, though. his mother owns a successful company and his dad got a lot of money for something else, so the packages they send to him are full of 150 dollar shoes, and other such unbelievable things. i didnt think that those people really existed... hahaha
so the boy that we blessed who had small-pox has completely recovered. we were able to teach a powerful lesson about the restoration of the priesthood and the family is preparing to be baptized this coming saturday. we are really trying hard with them and are really hopeful.
ah, owen, you are enjoying shakespear? grandpa will be so proud of your culture;)
that reminds dad, did you get a chance to read the book i got you yet?
i love you guys a whole lot. i think that one of my most powerful testimonies is of how much the gospel blesses families because of my personal experience. thank you all so much.
love,
Elder Gerber
ps, i tried using the cookbook that gma sent me and it was pretty good. i think i'll keep trying things out with it.
so let's see, the baptism last saturday went really well and now her little sister is getting ready to be baptized on march 2. we are seeing incredible progress in the people we are working with and are excited to see what else God has in store for these people.
hahahaha oh so funny story:
during district meeting on thursday, we found out that the reason we hadn't gotten mail for a couple of days was that we hadn't repaid the fee for the mail box. I have never seen 20 dollars thrown together so fast in my life. :)
we went fishing this morning and i think that im getting better at it. ;) we use the string-on the-bottle local fishing gear and im getting pretty durned good at throwing the hook out, but the whole catching-the-fish part is still pretty tough.
elder despain just told me that his sister is marissa despain and does, in fact, work at the libraries. if you ever talk to her, tell her that elder despain says hello. :)
so in response to your question concerning elder conejero, yes, he does. he lives in a completely different world, though. his mother owns a successful company and his dad got a lot of money for something else, so the packages they send to him are full of 150 dollar shoes, and other such unbelievable things. i didnt think that those people really existed... hahaha
so the boy that we blessed who had small-pox has completely recovered. we were able to teach a powerful lesson about the restoration of the priesthood and the family is preparing to be baptized this coming saturday. we are really trying hard with them and are really hopeful.
ah, owen, you are enjoying shakespear? grandpa will be so proud of your culture;)
that reminds dad, did you get a chance to read the book i got you yet?
i love you guys a whole lot. i think that one of my most powerful testimonies is of how much the gospel blesses families because of my personal experience. thank you all so much.
love,
Elder Gerber
ps, i tried using the cookbook that gma sent me and it was pretty good. i think i'll keep trying things out with it.
February 3, 2013
dear fam:)
things are good. i am still in lelu with elder conejero.
fun kosraean word for the week is: pihtuhtuh. it means "pregnant" as well as "potato."
we have been really struggling here on kosrae with getting investigators to church. but, elder conejero and i remembered that Pres. Mecham told us that this year would be a year of miracles and sacrifice. so, we have been trying to sacrifice. and after 4 straight weeks of not having a single investigator at church, we have had 3 investigators attend. sacrifice works.
andy, it sounds like you look a little funny right now. have fun and stay happy about it.
owen, be happy you don't look funny right now. ;);) thanks for your letters, i loved them:)
i know this will sound frustrating, but i dont really have a lot to say right now. im still a little exhausted from yesterday (sunday on a mission is not a day of rest as im sure you all know).
so i tried to send home a memory card last week, but they changed policy on me without telling me, so it made it to hawaii, then they sent it back because it didn't have enough postage...and so i tried again a few days ago, but im not sure if it will make it or not. we'll see in a few days.
i got grandma's cookbook and i hope they are ok in nicaragua(?)
even here in kosrae, the super bowl is being watched.
im going fishing today, and i'll try to get elder conejero to take pictures of the fish we catch, because they're pretty goofy looking:)
im sorry that i didnt write more, i promise i'll do better next week.
love,
Elder Gerber
things are good. i am still in lelu with elder conejero.
fun kosraean word for the week is: pihtuhtuh. it means "pregnant" as well as "potato."
we have been really struggling here on kosrae with getting investigators to church. but, elder conejero and i remembered that Pres. Mecham told us that this year would be a year of miracles and sacrifice. so, we have been trying to sacrifice. and after 4 straight weeks of not having a single investigator at church, we have had 3 investigators attend. sacrifice works.
andy, it sounds like you look a little funny right now. have fun and stay happy about it.
owen, be happy you don't look funny right now. ;);) thanks for your letters, i loved them:)
i know this will sound frustrating, but i dont really have a lot to say right now. im still a little exhausted from yesterday (sunday on a mission is not a day of rest as im sure you all know).
so i tried to send home a memory card last week, but they changed policy on me without telling me, so it made it to hawaii, then they sent it back because it didn't have enough postage...and so i tried again a few days ago, but im not sure if it will make it or not. we'll see in a few days.
i got grandma's cookbook and i hope they are ok in nicaragua(?)
even here in kosrae, the super bowl is being watched.
im going fishing today, and i'll try to get elder conejero to take pictures of the fish we catch, because they're pretty goofy looking:)
im sorry that i didnt write more, i promise i'll do better next week.
love,
Elder Gerber
January 27, 2013 (sorry for the delay)
Dear family:)
sounds like it is cold back there. bundle up:)
it is extremely comforting to know that when God promises us something, he will follow through. thank you for sharing that experience, dad.
what a small world, you meeting a guy who has worked with kosrae
he is right, the people want to give you stuff all the time, and yet you know how expensive things are and see how little they have. they really are an incredible people with a lot of respect for God. Actually, they always insist that they put on a shirt of some sort before we start teaching. They are usually willing to pray, and understand a lot of good things. you know how monks were respected back in the day? yeah, that's kind of how most people treat us.
i got a little glimpse of what the 2nd coming is going to be like. when pres. mecham came, i will be completely honest and say that i was decently nervous. i wasn't doing anything wrong, but for some reason, i was apprehensive. and then the entire interview was along the lines of, "Oh you're doing great. Keep going. Be patient with yourself. There are big things happening in Kosrae this year." he is a wonderful human being.
there have been a lot of little miracles that probably only seem miraculous to me. we have been trying so hard to get people to come to church to help them progress, but for the longest time, nobody came. we fasted and prayed and worked as hard as we could, and we finally got a couple of investigators at church yesterday. also, we are trying really hard to teach only member-present lessons, especially to families and part-member families. we have seen miracles as members show up right before a lesson begins and joins us.
transfers are this week and im getting a little curious about whats gonna happen. we will all find out later:)
so in our mission we have language mastery packets that we are supposed to pass off. the recommended time is 4 transfers. however, due to the need to accelerate the pace of the work here on Kosrae, Heavenly Father has blessed me to get it passed off in two. actually, i pretty much had it passed off by the first transfer, i just needed local signatures; we were too busy to stop and ask, "hey, can you pass off my 'common phrases?'" so it has taken me a little longer than i think God wanted, but hopefully He will forgive me.
it is getting harder and harder to write to you guys, because my sentence structure is getting really confused and i have to go back and fix my grammatical errors. i keep writing things as yoda would. that it probably the hardest part of learning kosraean (and probably any other language): re-learning grammar.
we are teaching some really good investigators and have been able to be really bold with them. it is a really incredible experience to testify of something that, in any another context would probably sound crazy, and see the Holy Ghost touch the people's hearts. working with the Holy Ghost isn't really work. it is The Work. i dont know if the english language has the word that im looking for.
i love you all very much.
love,
elder gerber
ps, if you could send me one of the mem. cards back with the classical music on it, that would be great. through technical glitches, i accidentally erased it (except for the 4 seasons).
sounds like it is cold back there. bundle up:)
it is extremely comforting to know that when God promises us something, he will follow through. thank you for sharing that experience, dad.
what a small world, you meeting a guy who has worked with kosrae
i got a little glimpse of what the 2nd coming is going to be like. when pres. mecham came, i will be completely honest and say that i was decently nervous. i wasn't doing anything wrong, but for some reason, i was apprehensive. and then the entire interview was along the lines of, "Oh you're doing great. Keep going. Be patient with yourself. There are big things happening in Kosrae this year." he is a wonderful human being.
there have been a lot of little miracles that probably only seem miraculous to me. we have been trying so hard to get people to come to church to help them progress, but for the longest time, nobody came. we fasted and prayed and worked as hard as we could, and we finally got a couple of investigators at church yesterday. also, we are trying really hard to teach only member-present lessons, especially to families and part-member families. we have seen miracles as members show up right before a lesson begins and joins us.
transfers are this week and im getting a little curious about whats gonna happen. we will all find out later:)
so in our mission we have language mastery packets that we are supposed to pass off. the recommended time is 4 transfers. however, due to the need to accelerate the pace of the work here on Kosrae, Heavenly Father has blessed me to get it passed off in two. actually, i pretty much had it passed off by the first transfer, i just needed local signatures; we were too busy to stop and ask, "hey, can you pass off my 'common phrases?'" so it has taken me a little longer than i think God wanted, but hopefully He will forgive me.
it is getting harder and harder to write to you guys, because my sentence structure is getting really confused and i have to go back and fix my grammatical errors. i keep writing things as yoda would. that it probably the hardest part of learning kosraean (and probably any other language): re-learning grammar.
we are teaching some really good investigators and have been able to be really bold with them. it is a really incredible experience to testify of something that, in any another context would probably sound crazy, and see the Holy Ghost touch the people's hearts. working with the Holy Ghost isn't really work. it is The Work. i dont know if the english language has the word that im looking for.
i love you all very much.
love,
elder gerber
ps, if you could send me one of the mem. cards back with the classical music on it, that would be great. through technical glitches, i accidentally erased it (except for the 4 seasons).
Saturday, January 26, 2013
January 21, 2013
dear family,
salamat po for you letters:) (also, masarap young bugain means the food is very good to a filipino)
before i forget (because i usually do), please dont send me anymore stamps. we can't use them here for some reason. we always just have to buy a 45c stamp at the post office. i will send all of the stamps back to you in a letter. sorry for not telling you this sooner, it just always slips my mind until after im done emailing:(
so im gonna write about something crazy (and kind of long and descriptive. maybe you will want to edit it if it ends up going to the ward newsletter). to preface it, i will say that i know God lives; and because God lives and there are angels of God, Satan lives and there are angels of the devil. now that i've scared the living daylights out of mom, here we go:
well that was fun:)
as for other church leaders, a couple of the island's investigators are lay ministers (i try really hard not to laugh when they refer to them as laymins). but for the most part, they don't really talk to us. the Jehovah witnesses are actually probably some of our closest non member friends. go figure.
andy! you broke your arm buddy! what happened?! sounds like you were really flying! i hope you are able to keep doing stuff with a cast on.
so it sounds like it is missionary season down there and they're all getting ripe. im really happy for all of them and hope that everything goes perfectly for them. if you get the chance, tell them hi from me, but don't sweat it; im gonna try to write them letters.
pops, you could be in berlin!!! i'll pray for it, but know that mom is probably praying for you not to go;);)
as for other package requests, hot chocolate is always a treat.
i love hearing about all the stuff that is going on with your class, mom. keep up the stellar work and they will all remember you forever.
oh, something i realized is that in a lot of letters people have sent to me, they ask about the mission and how it is set up, and i haven't really answered them. so i'll try to explain a little bit better: there are 3 companionships and a senior couple. normally, a missionary will stay on his island for about 18 months and then get transferred to another island (usually guam). pres. mecham flies out for a zone conference every 3 months and is actually coming today. usually there is a companion swap every transfer to another area, but we are all kind of waiting for elder conejero and elder vesikula to get transferred off the island since their kosrae time is just about up.
there is a place on the island called waclung that doesnt have missionaries yet. elder despain and i are hoping to open it.
district meetings and zone meetings are pretty much the same.
i hope i answered a couple of questions:)
love,
Elder Gerber
salamat po for you letters:) (also, masarap young bugain means the food is very good to a filipino)
before i forget (because i usually do), please dont send me anymore stamps. we can't use them here for some reason. we always just have to buy a 45c stamp at the post office. i will send all of the stamps back to you in a letter. sorry for not telling you this sooner, it just always slips my mind until after im done emailing:(
so im gonna write about something crazy (and kind of long and descriptive. maybe you will want to edit it if it ends up going to the ward newsletter). to preface it, i will say that i know God lives; and because God lives and there are angels of God, Satan lives and there are angels of the devil. now that i've scared the living daylights out of mom, here we go:
we went to teach a less-active family and have a FHE with them. to get to their house, we have to walk past another house where an old, slightly crippled woman lives. as we walked past, elder conejero told me to be careful, because she throws rocks at missionaries. anyway, she heard us walk past her house, but it took her a little while to come out, and by that time we were in the other house. (realize that most of the houses here dont really have doors) but while we were starting to talk with the family, she limped up to the doorway and started mumbling under her breath and staring at us (i say us, but she could really only see me because of where we were sitting). i dont think i have ever seen any creature on this planet look more...creepily unhappy. so, not really knowing what to do, i looked her straight in the eye and gave her my most cheerful "ke wo!" (good evening). she didn't really take that well and went and sat down to wait for us to leave.
so the lesson went well and everybody was happy--except of course for the crazy person outside--and then it was time to leave. as we were walking towards this being, i had an odd feeling. i felt the spirit's presence, but at the same time, the complete lack of it. i don't really know how to describe it. picture yourself in a blizzard, and not feeling cold or worried. she shambled up to us and started threatening us and mumbling weird stuff, but she didn't throw any rocks and we just walked away with a "fong wo" (good night).
so the lesson went well and everybody was happy--except of course for the crazy person outside--and then it was time to leave. as we were walking towards this being, i had an odd feeling. i felt the spirit's presence, but at the same time, the complete lack of it. i don't really know how to describe it. picture yourself in a blizzard, and not feeling cold or worried. she shambled up to us and started threatening us and mumbling weird stuff, but she didn't throw any rocks and we just walked away with a "fong wo" (good night).
well that was fun:)
as for other church leaders, a couple of the island's investigators are lay ministers (i try really hard not to laugh when they refer to them as laymins). but for the most part, they don't really talk to us. the Jehovah witnesses are actually probably some of our closest non member friends. go figure.
andy! you broke your arm buddy! what happened?! sounds like you were really flying! i hope you are able to keep doing stuff with a cast on.
so it sounds like it is missionary season down there and they're all getting ripe. im really happy for all of them and hope that everything goes perfectly for them. if you get the chance, tell them hi from me, but don't sweat it; im gonna try to write them letters.
pops, you could be in berlin!!! i'll pray for it, but know that mom is probably praying for you not to go;);)
as for other package requests, hot chocolate is always a treat.
i love hearing about all the stuff that is going on with your class, mom. keep up the stellar work and they will all remember you forever.
oh, something i realized is that in a lot of letters people have sent to me, they ask about the mission and how it is set up, and i haven't really answered them. so i'll try to explain a little bit better: there are 3 companionships and a senior couple. normally, a missionary will stay on his island for about 18 months and then get transferred to another island (usually guam). pres. mecham flies out for a zone conference every 3 months and is actually coming today. usually there is a companion swap every transfer to another area, but we are all kind of waiting for elder conejero and elder vesikula to get transferred off the island since their kosrae time is just about up.
there is a place on the island called waclung that doesnt have missionaries yet. elder despain and i are hoping to open it.
district meetings and zone meetings are pretty much the same.
i hope i answered a couple of questions:)
love,
Elder Gerber
Thursday, January 17, 2013
January 13, 2013
hello everybody:)
thanks for the pictures! it looks like snowloads of fun back there:) when i read that the storm was called gandalf, i had to show everybody in the internet booth here:)
thank you for having the missionaries over for dinner. getting fed by people here is a fantastic experience that sadly doesn't happen too often. we were fed last night, though, by one of our investigators. she is a filipino that only speaks tagolog, so elder conejero is able to teach her while i sit there and smile and pray:) she is super nice and funny and told us she wants to treat us like her kids since her own kids are still in the phillipines and have kids of their own. she is really receptive and wants to receive her answer from God. and she makes delicious food. she even made taro leaves palatable;)
i realized the other day that a good few of my friends were leaving around now; some are already in the EmptySea. good luck elders and sisters:)
the relief society translation huh? honestly, you don't have a translation yet because there really isn't one. they would just spell relief society like rilif sosaceti. "charity never faileth" could be "lungse pwaye orekma pacl nu kewa" but that really means charity works all the time. there isn't a word for never. i guess for relief society you could say "mwet suc kasruh mwet" but that means people who help people. really, they just say relief society. there are quite a few english words that kosraeans just adapted the spelling.
the bit about driving in the snow made me smile a little. let me explain: driving in slippery mud and driving in slippery snow are pretty similar. it takes practice. poor elder conejero grew up in downtown manilla, so has not had much experience in either. i have had to get out and push a couple of times. im really glad you were safe and protected:)
im really glad my letters made it home! im still writing and writing and writing and writing them. hopefully they will all be sent by today.
so we are trying really hard to find new people to teach, and apparently, satan is trying really hard to stop people from listening to us. he has two main tools here: drugs and traditions. most people here were brought up in the protestant church, and have a really hard time letting go of doctrines. i am reminded of the early jewish christians who had a really hard time of letting go of the law of moses. that is kind of the situation here. it gets a little frustrating. but, things are getting better:)
it has been a really hard past week. we've been getting sick with things that are just serious enough to keep us in the house for a day; a couple of people are scared of their neighbors and so they ask us not to come back; members are going less active because the protestant church here taught that if you make a mistake, you aren't worthy to go to church; etc. But, spiritually and scientifically, the more force applied one way, the more force applied the other. we are seeing miracles and progress. we are sharpening our focus and becoming more effective. we have been able to be extremely bold with people and they accept it. for some reason, it is always easier to focus on the hard things than on the incredibly awesome things.
as for the package, peanut butter, hot chocolate, granola bars (really just snack food to eat when we're running out of time), and maybe a little more pero if possible. if not, it really is not a big deal.
thank you so much for the news and i hope things continue to go well (and if things aren't going well right now and you just aren't telling me about it, i hope they get better). i love you all so much and look forward to hearing from you.
love,
Elder Gerber
ps, i heard a lot of kosraean swear words yesterday and realized just how blessed i am that i don't remember them or recognize what they sound like. im sure people have sworn at us and we are still able to just smile and wave:)
thanks for the pictures! it looks like snowloads of fun back there:) when i read that the storm was called gandalf, i had to show everybody in the internet booth here:)
thank you for having the missionaries over for dinner. getting fed by people here is a fantastic experience that sadly doesn't happen too often. we were fed last night, though, by one of our investigators. she is a filipino that only speaks tagolog, so elder conejero is able to teach her while i sit there and smile and pray:) she is super nice and funny and told us she wants to treat us like her kids since her own kids are still in the phillipines and have kids of their own. she is really receptive and wants to receive her answer from God. and she makes delicious food. she even made taro leaves palatable;)
i realized the other day that a good few of my friends were leaving around now; some are already in the EmptySea. good luck elders and sisters:)
the relief society translation huh? honestly, you don't have a translation yet because there really isn't one. they would just spell relief society like rilif sosaceti. "charity never faileth" could be "lungse pwaye orekma pacl nu kewa" but that really means charity works all the time. there isn't a word for never. i guess for relief society you could say "mwet suc kasruh mwet" but that means people who help people. really, they just say relief society. there are quite a few english words that kosraeans just adapted the spelling.
the bit about driving in the snow made me smile a little. let me explain: driving in slippery mud and driving in slippery snow are pretty similar. it takes practice. poor elder conejero grew up in downtown manilla, so has not had much experience in either. i have had to get out and push a couple of times. im really glad you were safe and protected:)
im really glad my letters made it home! im still writing and writing and writing and writing them. hopefully they will all be sent by today.
so we are trying really hard to find new people to teach, and apparently, satan is trying really hard to stop people from listening to us. he has two main tools here: drugs and traditions. most people here were brought up in the protestant church, and have a really hard time letting go of doctrines. i am reminded of the early jewish christians who had a really hard time of letting go of the law of moses. that is kind of the situation here. it gets a little frustrating. but, things are getting better:)
it has been a really hard past week. we've been getting sick with things that are just serious enough to keep us in the house for a day; a couple of people are scared of their neighbors and so they ask us not to come back; members are going less active because the protestant church here taught that if you make a mistake, you aren't worthy to go to church; etc. But, spiritually and scientifically, the more force applied one way, the more force applied the other. we are seeing miracles and progress. we are sharpening our focus and becoming more effective. we have been able to be extremely bold with people and they accept it. for some reason, it is always easier to focus on the hard things than on the incredibly awesome things.
as for the package, peanut butter, hot chocolate, granola bars (really just snack food to eat when we're running out of time), and maybe a little more pero if possible. if not, it really is not a big deal.
thank you so much for the news and i hope things continue to go well (and if things aren't going well right now and you just aren't telling me about it, i hope they get better). i love you all so much and look forward to hearing from you.
love,
Elder Gerber
ps, i heard a lot of kosraean swear words yesterday and realized just how blessed i am that i don't remember them or recognize what they sound like. im sure people have sworn at us and we are still able to just smile and wave:)
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