Dear Family,
Well I am very pleased to hear that my box made it to you all. I hope
nothing was damaged or anything. I'm glad to hear that the boys and
Dad enjoyed their boats (we pronounce them awk). All of those boats
were made by Yulsin. When he doesn't come with us, he sits at his
house and carves boats. He had given me so many that I wasn't sure
what to do with them until I realized that Christmas was coming up.
The fans were made by his mother. See if you can find the "Sleeping
Laddy." Mom's necklace was given to me by a friend. I found the shell.
The girls' handkerchiefs were made by Ninac Sepe and Ninac Angie. I
hope you are all able to enjoy them. Merry Christmas.
We had a slow week. Elder Blackwell is sick, so we didn't get to go
out too much these last couple of days. But things are really looking
up for this week.
Something that is making me really happy is that we are finally seeing
an active branch presidency. President Sasaki has been trying to run
the branch on his own for the last year or so, and it has been pretty
rough on him. But now we have the first counselor, Aleksru,
consistently coming to church, attending meetings, and conducting
Sacrament meeting. Also, Likiaksa was also recently called to be
second counselor and is doing very well.
Speaking of Likiaksa, he is almost done with his mission papers. All
that's left is his hospital papers and a picture. He should be able to
send them in next month. He makes me a very happy missionary.
We're trying very hard right now to get members to do missionary work.
There is a Protestant belief that only missionaries or pastors and
such are allowed to preach the gospel, and it has crept into the
church here. We are breaking through that, and are helping people
understand what their responsibilities are. It has really helped me
understand what I can do for the rest of my life. Teaching our peers
about the church might not necessarily be easy, but it is extremely
doable. Being open about what we believe or standing up for our
standards is a very effective way of helping others come into the
church.
On a side note, Elder Blackwell and I have been trying to use that
cookbook that you sent a while back. It has been great, and we have
been eating like kings, but occasionally we just scratch our heads for
45 minutes and then give up (like the one time when we were trying to
figure out what it meant to "boil it over water"). Maybe I'm just not
a chef yet...
Well, I love you all very much. I am happy and healthy.
Love,
Elder Gerber
PS--I got an email from Elder Gamble about Benji's call, and just sent
Benj off an email of congratulations. What a boss.
Sam is serving in the Micronesia Guam Mission from October 17, 2012 to October 2014.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
January 26, 2014
Dear Family,
We had a good week. Mira got married, baptized, and confirmed. We were
not able to go to her wedding or baptism because we didn't have any
investigators there, and that was one of the hardest things I have
ever had to deal with. We had permission to be there (the Zone Leaders
said it was up to us), Mira wanted us to be there, I had worked super
hard with her for months and months, and we were already down at the
chapel dropping something off. But it just wasn't the right thing to
do. So, we went and taught a few lessons instead. The hardest part
really was just being enthusiastic while proselyting. As soon as I
changed my attitude, we had the best day we had had all week. (For
your talk, Dad, you may want to note that Decision and Action are not
the same. See the verse on giving a gift grudgingly. Such a gift has
no lasting power or consequence. Just doing righteous things isn't
enough.) Yesterday, I was privileged to stand in the circle as Mira
was confirmed a member of the Church. It was a really good meeting.
Tafunsak is actually part of the Lelu area right now. Elder Conejero
and I did some proselyting there, and the Zone Leaders are covering it
right now. The new area will just be carved out of existing areas. The
only area that doesn't have any missionaries right now is Waclucng,
mainly because it is only accessible by boat, and there are only about
80 people who live there. Also, sisters may have been put on hold for
a while. We are still hearing news. The senior couple will be here on
the 3rd, and we are cleaning their house for them today. They are
Elder and Sister Curtis from Orem. Apparently, they are big into
family history work. That's about all I know. I have had a little
correspondence with the Eldredges. They are back in North Carolina,
about 5 minutes from the temple.
We have been really hammering down our finding. We are having a good
time talking to everyone, and have been finding some good
investigators. We got John to read a chapter from the Book of Mormon,
after which he asked us a really good question about what it meant to
be "damned." So we had a good lesson on the Plan of Salvation. He is
enjoying reading the Book, and I am happy for him. He is working on
getting baptized next month.
We are also teaching Kennard (it was pretty confusing. Kosraeans have
a really hard time saying an "rd", so we kept looking for a Kennet for
the longest time until we finally got a break and contacted him). He
and his son are meeting with us and are interested. The son really
wants to come to church, and is friends with some members that he goes
to school with. They are both reading the pamphlets, and we were
finally able to get them a Book of Mormon. It is always refreshing to
see someone actually get excited to get a Book. We don't get to see
them too often, but we should see them this week.
Elder Land stayed with us from Monday to Friday last week.
We had a really good time with him, and I learned some Chuukese from him.
We meet with a Chuukese guy pretty regularly who doesn't speak
Kosraean or English well, so I'm hoping to use some on him.
As for the Ukulele tabs, please don't put out any money for a book.
Internet tabs work great. If you could send them in a letter, that
would be fantastic.
I love you all very much. I am happy and safe.
Love,
Elder Gerber
We had a good week. Mira got married, baptized, and confirmed. We were
not able to go to her wedding or baptism because we didn't have any
investigators there, and that was one of the hardest things I have
ever had to deal with. We had permission to be there (the Zone Leaders
said it was up to us), Mira wanted us to be there, I had worked super
hard with her for months and months, and we were already down at the
chapel dropping something off. But it just wasn't the right thing to
do. So, we went and taught a few lessons instead. The hardest part
really was just being enthusiastic while proselyting. As soon as I
changed my attitude, we had the best day we had had all week. (For
your talk, Dad, you may want to note that Decision and Action are not
the same. See the verse on giving a gift grudgingly. Such a gift has
no lasting power or consequence. Just doing righteous things isn't
enough.) Yesterday, I was privileged to stand in the circle as Mira
was confirmed a member of the Church. It was a really good meeting.
Tafunsak is actually part of the Lelu area right now. Elder Conejero
and I did some proselyting there, and the Zone Leaders are covering it
right now. The new area will just be carved out of existing areas. The
only area that doesn't have any missionaries right now is Waclucng,
mainly because it is only accessible by boat, and there are only about
80 people who live there. Also, sisters may have been put on hold for
a while. We are still hearing news. The senior couple will be here on
the 3rd, and we are cleaning their house for them today. They are
Elder and Sister Curtis from Orem. Apparently, they are big into
family history work. That's about all I know. I have had a little
correspondence with the Eldredges. They are back in North Carolina,
about 5 minutes from the temple.
We have been really hammering down our finding. We are having a good
time talking to everyone, and have been finding some good
investigators. We got John to read a chapter from the Book of Mormon,
after which he asked us a really good question about what it meant to
be "damned." So we had a good lesson on the Plan of Salvation. He is
enjoying reading the Book, and I am happy for him. He is working on
getting baptized next month.
We are also teaching Kennard (it was pretty confusing. Kosraeans have
a really hard time saying an "rd", so we kept looking for a Kennet for
the longest time until we finally got a break and contacted him). He
and his son are meeting with us and are interested. The son really
wants to come to church, and is friends with some members that he goes
to school with. They are both reading the pamphlets, and we were
finally able to get them a Book of Mormon. It is always refreshing to
see someone actually get excited to get a Book. We don't get to see
them too often, but we should see them this week.
Elder Land stayed with us from Monday to Friday last week.
We had a really good time with him, and I learned some Chuukese from him.
We meet with a Chuukese guy pretty regularly who doesn't speak
Kosraean or English well, so I'm hoping to use some on him.
As for the Ukulele tabs, please don't put out any money for a book.
Internet tabs work great. If you could send them in a letter, that
would be fantastic.
I love you all very much. I am happy and safe.
Love,
Elder Gerber
February 3, 2014
Dear Family,
Well, later on today, we are going to the airport to pick up the
Curtis couple and Elder Despain--Elder Vesikula is apparently staying
in Guam for the next couple of weeks due to some liver problems,
meaning Elder Despain is going to be staying with Elder Blackwell and
me.
We were able to teach Kennard with his family yesterday. I'll tell you
what, they made me really happy. We had a wonderful lesson. The wife
is devoutly Baptist, so we were kind of expecting some opposition from
her, but the Spirit was working pretty hard and they both felt it.
They were all very happy with our visit, and Kennard and his son,
Bonny, are reading the Book of Mormon. I have very high hopes for
them.
We have been working a lot on getting more members to come with us
teaching. It has been a little tricky to work out island-schedules,
but we have been having some wonderful moments. President George is
doing a fantastic job with the branch, and has worked out a set
schedule with us. Likiaksa is still doing really well, and he is able
to come with us occasionally as well.
I am amused that you looked up the temperatures.
Church was really nice yesterday. President George is now having
musical numbers every week, and we have been singing a whole lot.
Actually, I have to admit, I kind of always assumed that fasting would
get a lot easier once I got on my mission. You know, being full of the
Spirit and stuff. But, it stays just as tough as ever. I still get
irritable when I'm hungry, but I have noticed a difference in the
amount and depth of revelations I receive when I fast. Isn't it
strange, the prophets actually meant exactly what they said when they
talked about fasting? Go figure.
There's a book called "Tahitian for Missionaries," is there? I assume
it was put together by your mission? It sounds kind of similar to our
language packets, and those are written by the missionaries that are
leaving. I have a lot of corrections to make with the Kosraean one,
though. I do hope that you and Mom get the chance to go.
I sure am impressed with all of you. Owen and Andy are all grown up,
Kyle's going off to college again, Jesse's a spy, Kennedy is a mom,
Christian is definitely not a newborn, Leslie is being a missionary in
D.C; that's all pretty neat.
I am healthy and happy.
Love,
Elder Gerber
Well, later on today, we are going to the airport to pick up the
Curtis couple and Elder Despain--Elder Vesikula is apparently staying
in Guam for the next couple of weeks due to some liver problems,
meaning Elder Despain is going to be staying with Elder Blackwell and
me.
We were able to teach Kennard with his family yesterday. I'll tell you
what, they made me really happy. We had a wonderful lesson. The wife
is devoutly Baptist, so we were kind of expecting some opposition from
her, but the Spirit was working pretty hard and they both felt it.
They were all very happy with our visit, and Kennard and his son,
Bonny, are reading the Book of Mormon. I have very high hopes for
them.
We have been working a lot on getting more members to come with us
teaching. It has been a little tricky to work out island-schedules,
but we have been having some wonderful moments. President George is
doing a fantastic job with the branch, and has worked out a set
schedule with us. Likiaksa is still doing really well, and he is able
to come with us occasionally as well.
I am amused that you looked up the temperatures.
Church was really nice yesterday. President George is now having
musical numbers every week, and we have been singing a whole lot.
Actually, I have to admit, I kind of always assumed that fasting would
get a lot easier once I got on my mission. You know, being full of the
Spirit and stuff. But, it stays just as tough as ever. I still get
irritable when I'm hungry, but I have noticed a difference in the
amount and depth of revelations I receive when I fast. Isn't it
strange, the prophets actually meant exactly what they said when they
talked about fasting? Go figure.
There's a book called "Tahitian for Missionaries," is there? I assume
it was put together by your mission? It sounds kind of similar to our
language packets, and those are written by the missionaries that are
leaving. I have a lot of corrections to make with the Kosraean one,
though. I do hope that you and Mom get the chance to go.
I sure am impressed with all of you. Owen and Andy are all grown up,
Kyle's going off to college again, Jesse's a spy, Kennedy is a mom,
Christian is definitely not a newborn, Leslie is being a missionary in
D.C; that's all pretty neat.
I am healthy and happy.
Love,
Elder Gerber
February 10, 2014
Dear Family,
Happy Valentines Day to you all. I don't know what day it's on, but I
assume that it's soon based off of what you wrote. I think it's an
accomplishment for me to know that it is February right now and that
yesterday was Sunday. ;)
So Elder Vesikula is back from Guam, safe and sound. Turns out all he
had were kidney stones. He got held in Guam because the flight left
early Monday morning, and the scanning machine wasn't up until Monday
afternoon. And then he passed them that night. Said they were like
rockets. But he did get to spend a lot of time with Elder Jeppesen in
Guam. He's getting pretty close to going home. He's only got one more
transfer left.
Kennard and his family are doing good. They are reading the Book of
Mormon as best as they can, and we are working on getting Kennard a
pair of glasses.
We have also started seeing Jimmy. He has been living in Pohnpei for
the last 15 years or so, and was taught by the Zone leaders there. He
is a super smart guy, and really likes the church. We have taught him
a few times now, and he believes the church is true and that he needs
to be baptized. The problems that is presented to him is that his dad
will kick him and his family out of the house if they get baptized,
and he's trying to get a job in the school systems and
government--which are corrupt to the point that if you are not
Protestant, you can't get in. So we read him the Book of Mormon
version of the Sermon on the Mount and Mosiah 2:45. The Spirit was
able to testify pretty strongly, and it was nice to use Christ's exact
words to explain what he needed to do. He knows what's right now, and
it will really come down to him making a hard choice. I expect him to
make the right choice.
The Curtis couple got here last week and we have been having fun
getting to know them. They are going to be great. They are working
pretty hard on learning the language and interacting with people.
Elder Curtis is the son of an opera instructor, so there is even more
singing going on than usual. He is having a blast. They are
experiencing a bit of a culture shock, but are adjusting beautifully.
We were able to take Sister Maria with us teaching yesterday, and it
was fantastic. It was so obvious to see just how much the gospel means
to her, and how much God has taken care of her and her family. It is
great to see the people that stay active through years of persecution,
because their faith has become unshaken and they are not ashamed of
Christ.
I can't tell you all how happy it makes me to hear about how well you
are all doing. The letters from Owen and Andy are great because they
tell me about what and how they're doing. I am constantly blown away
by them. Leslie and Jesse are off on adventures, singing with Koreans,
and Kennedy and Kyle are moving off to smart-people land. To quote the
father from the movie "Legacy", "The Lord has blessed us." (We make
fun of that line all the time).
President Mecham will be coming next week for a visit. He is scoping
out the area for the sisters. We will see what happens. It is always
great to get a visit from him.
I love you all very much. I am doing very well.
Love,
Elder Gerber
Happy Valentines Day to you all. I don't know what day it's on, but I
assume that it's soon based off of what you wrote. I think it's an
accomplishment for me to know that it is February right now and that
yesterday was Sunday. ;)
So Elder Vesikula is back from Guam, safe and sound. Turns out all he
had were kidney stones. He got held in Guam because the flight left
early Monday morning, and the scanning machine wasn't up until Monday
afternoon. And then he passed them that night. Said they were like
rockets. But he did get to spend a lot of time with Elder Jeppesen in
Guam. He's getting pretty close to going home. He's only got one more
transfer left.
Kennard and his family are doing good. They are reading the Book of
Mormon as best as they can, and we are working on getting Kennard a
pair of glasses.
We have also started seeing Jimmy. He has been living in Pohnpei for
the last 15 years or so, and was taught by the Zone leaders there. He
is a super smart guy, and really likes the church. We have taught him
a few times now, and he believes the church is true and that he needs
to be baptized. The problems that is presented to him is that his dad
will kick him and his family out of the house if they get baptized,
and he's trying to get a job in the school systems and
government--which are corrupt to the point that if you are not
Protestant, you can't get in. So we read him the Book of Mormon
version of the Sermon on the Mount and Mosiah 2:45. The Spirit was
able to testify pretty strongly, and it was nice to use Christ's exact
words to explain what he needed to do. He knows what's right now, and
it will really come down to him making a hard choice. I expect him to
make the right choice.
The Curtis couple got here last week and we have been having fun
getting to know them. They are going to be great. They are working
pretty hard on learning the language and interacting with people.
Elder Curtis is the son of an opera instructor, so there is even more
singing going on than usual. He is having a blast. They are
experiencing a bit of a culture shock, but are adjusting beautifully.
We were able to take Sister Maria with us teaching yesterday, and it
was fantastic. It was so obvious to see just how much the gospel means
to her, and how much God has taken care of her and her family. It is
great to see the people that stay active through years of persecution,
because their faith has become unshaken and they are not ashamed of
Christ.
I can't tell you all how happy it makes me to hear about how well you
are all doing. The letters from Owen and Andy are great because they
tell me about what and how they're doing. I am constantly blown away
by them. Leslie and Jesse are off on adventures, singing with Koreans,
and Kennedy and Kyle are moving off to smart-people land. To quote the
father from the movie "Legacy", "The Lord has blessed us." (We make
fun of that line all the time).
President Mecham will be coming next week for a visit. He is scoping
out the area for the sisters. We will see what happens. It is always
great to get a visit from him.
I love you all very much. I am doing very well.
Love,
Elder Gerber
February 16, 2014
Dear Family,
I just got Grandma's package. It was pretty dang fantastic. Thanks,
Grandma and Damion. Still awaiting ukulele tabs.
It sounds like just about everyone back there is sick. That's too bad. Well, I hope that
everyone gets feeling better.
We had a really great week. We were able to teach a lot of people, and
we really felt and saw God's hand leading us. If you cast your minds
back, you might remember me talking about Ninac Esmina. She had
dropped us a few weeks ago (rather rudely, I might add) and told us
not to come back. She lives with a less-active family, and last
Thursday, President Sasaki set up home teaching appointment with them.
We went with him, and Esmina sat in on the lesson. Afterward, she
apologized and invited us back. She has been getting a lot of
anti-mormon poop from the baptists (who seem to think they know more
about our church than we do) and so we have been answering a lot of
questions from her recently. We'll see how she responds to the Spirit
this time around.
I hope Owen got the chance to bless the sacrament today. I'm
flabbergasted (never thought I'd use that word in my life) that there
are that many people worthy and willing to fulfill their priesthood
duties. It makes me feel really good. Please tell the young men that
are in your sunday school classes that I am proud of them.
It's super weird to hear Dad talk about internet and stuff. I'll tell
you what, he'll probably be better at technology stuff than I am when
I get back.
I got the ward newsletter from Bishop Page and saw that Seth just got
back, and you two had written me about it. He makes me happy too.
Just found out from Alec that Bronson is an AP in Detroit. What a good
guy. I sure was blessed with good friends.
We are extremely excited about that stake in Pohnpei. Micronesia has
been doing very well, and it is a wonderful time to be a missionary.
Kosrae is doing pretty good too. There is a family of six getting
baptized this Saturday, and two people from Lelu will be getting
baptized in the next few weeks. We are working here in Malem to get
people ready, but we don't have anything solid worked out. Something
that we have been focusing on that has really helped is the Branch
leaders. We now have a strong Branch Presidency who attend every week
(the second counselor and his wife just walked three hours one way to
get to church and another four to get back). We are getting a Branch
Council together once a month. Branch attendance is consistently high
now. The young men are doing well and starting to get more involved in
their priesthood duties. We still don't have any young women coming,
but there have been some callings extended that should help with that.
President Sasaki is doing a wonderful job.
President Mecham is paying a visit today. That should be nice. He will
be finding out if he wants to send sisters or not today. We'll see.
I love you all very much. I am doing very well.
Love,
Elder Gerber
I just got Grandma's package. It was pretty dang fantastic. Thanks,
Grandma and Damion. Still awaiting ukulele tabs.
It sounds like just about everyone back there is sick. That's too bad. Well, I hope that
everyone gets feeling better.
We had a really great week. We were able to teach a lot of people, and
we really felt and saw God's hand leading us. If you cast your minds
back, you might remember me talking about Ninac Esmina. She had
dropped us a few weeks ago (rather rudely, I might add) and told us
not to come back. She lives with a less-active family, and last
Thursday, President Sasaki set up home teaching appointment with them.
We went with him, and Esmina sat in on the lesson. Afterward, she
apologized and invited us back. She has been getting a lot of
anti-mormon poop from the baptists (who seem to think they know more
about our church than we do) and so we have been answering a lot of
questions from her recently. We'll see how she responds to the Spirit
this time around.
I hope Owen got the chance to bless the sacrament today. I'm
flabbergasted (never thought I'd use that word in my life) that there
are that many people worthy and willing to fulfill their priesthood
duties. It makes me feel really good. Please tell the young men that
are in your sunday school classes that I am proud of them.
It's super weird to hear Dad talk about internet and stuff. I'll tell
you what, he'll probably be better at technology stuff than I am when
I get back.
I got the ward newsletter from Bishop Page and saw that Seth just got
back, and you two had written me about it. He makes me happy too.
Just found out from Alec that Bronson is an AP in Detroit. What a good
guy. I sure was blessed with good friends.
We are extremely excited about that stake in Pohnpei. Micronesia has
been doing very well, and it is a wonderful time to be a missionary.
Kosrae is doing pretty good too. There is a family of six getting
baptized this Saturday, and two people from Lelu will be getting
baptized in the next few weeks. We are working here in Malem to get
people ready, but we don't have anything solid worked out. Something
that we have been focusing on that has really helped is the Branch
leaders. We now have a strong Branch Presidency who attend every week
(the second counselor and his wife just walked three hours one way to
get to church and another four to get back). We are getting a Branch
Council together once a month. Branch attendance is consistently high
now. The young men are doing well and starting to get more involved in
their priesthood duties. We still don't have any young women coming,
but there have been some callings extended that should help with that.
President Sasaki is doing a wonderful job.
President Mecham is paying a visit today. That should be nice. He will
be finding out if he wants to send sisters or not today. We'll see.
I love you all very much. I am doing very well.
Love,
Elder Gerber
February 24, 2014
Dear Family,
That is so great that Grandma got that taken care of. I chalk it up to
prayer that it got cleaned up.
Now this usually happens: Monday comes around and we go email first
thing and you ask if I got the thing that you sent and I say, "Nope,"
and then we go and check the mail and find that it has been sitting
there for a few days. I got those tabs and they were better than I
thought they ever could be. Thank you so much.
Also, thank you for the wonderful Valentine's Day card. I had
completely forgotten that there was a holiday there, and it was a nice
reminder.
That's super fun that you got to meet the Blackwell crew. From what I
can gather from Elder here, they are pretty dang great.
We were really led by God this last week. Usually, we have to look
pretty hard for people to teach, but this week we almost couldn't keep
up. It's nice to be able to rely on an all-powerful being.
So Elder Blackwell and I are busting up here comparing notes from the
emails about the rendevous in Utah. Sounds like it was pretty fun.
President Mecham's visit was super nice. It's a nice boost, and about
the only time that we really hear any mission news.
This seems to be one of those weeks where I have already run out of
stuff to say. Transfer calls may be tonight (technically, they are on
Wed, but if anyone is leaving they call on Mon so we can pack and be
on the flight by Tues).
Those pictures were fun. I remember being in one of them, and remember
seeing the other. As for a memory card on the way home, I've just
about got it. Give me a little bit to get it ready, and it should be
on it's way soon.
I love you all very much.
Love,
Elder Gerber
That is so great that Grandma got that taken care of. I chalk it up to
prayer that it got cleaned up.
Now this usually happens: Monday comes around and we go email first
thing and you ask if I got the thing that you sent and I say, "Nope,"
and then we go and check the mail and find that it has been sitting
there for a few days. I got those tabs and they were better than I
thought they ever could be. Thank you so much.
Also, thank you for the wonderful Valentine's Day card. I had
completely forgotten that there was a holiday there, and it was a nice
reminder.
That's super fun that you got to meet the Blackwell crew. From what I
can gather from Elder here, they are pretty dang great.
We were really led by God this last week. Usually, we have to look
pretty hard for people to teach, but this week we almost couldn't keep
up. It's nice to be able to rely on an all-powerful being.
So Elder Blackwell and I are busting up here comparing notes from the
emails about the rendevous in Utah. Sounds like it was pretty fun.
President Mecham's visit was super nice. It's a nice boost, and about
the only time that we really hear any mission news.
This seems to be one of those weeks where I have already run out of
stuff to say. Transfer calls may be tonight (technically, they are on
Wed, but if anyone is leaving they call on Mon so we can pack and be
on the flight by Tues).
Those pictures were fun. I remember being in one of them, and remember
seeing the other. As for a memory card on the way home, I've just
about got it. Give me a little bit to get it ready, and it should be
on it's way soon.
I love you all very much.
Love,
Elder Gerber
March 2, 2014
Dear Family,
We had a really great week. There was a family of six in the Utwe area
that got baptized on Saturday. I had worked with the kids quite a bit
and so the youngest one, Jojo, asked me to baptize him. It was a
wonderful service, and the Spirit was working overtime making sure
that everyone present knew that what they were doing was of God. I was
also able to confirm one of the sisters at Sacrament Meeting. After
church, the oldest son, Jun, joined us with Likiaksa to go teaching.
We had some of the most powerful lessons yet with them. They both
mentioned how they were inspired by the Holy Ghost at points of the
lesson. They also asked if they could sing a song to one guy. It was
pretty dang cool. I'm getting them to right it down so I can learn it.
Likiaksa was able to baptize Jun, and they are doing super good
together in the church.
No transfers here. This will be mine and Elder Blackwell's fifth
transfer together, and Elder Blackwell's seventh in Malem area.
Nothing surprising, though. One of my Zone Leaders served in Malem for
just over a year, then got sent to Lelu. This is his last transfer, so
he will be finishing there as well. Pretty dang nuts.
Esmina is doing really well. She is really feeling the Spirit, and is
getting ready to be baptized. She loves the teachings about the temple
and really wanted to go see the baptism on Saturday, but the ride
didn't stop to pick her up. Rats. But, she was really gracious about
it and told us that after she is done teaching her class next week,
she will stop going to the Protestant church and join us down in Utwe.
We have her cane right now that we are fixing up.
She is close.
We're working with a guy who lives way up on the mountain. So far that
we drive for about 10 minutes straight up the mountain until the road
runs out. And then we get out and hike for another five. His name is
Milson, and he wants to be baptized. We just had a super good lesson
with him yesterday, and he is really committed to and happy about
living the Word of Wisdom.
I don't know if you remember Joseph, the guy that me and Elder
Ferguson baptized in Utwe? Anyway, he has always been ridiculously
shy, and had stopped coming to church for a couple of months.
Yesterday, a little before church started, I felt prompted to run over
to his house and invite him back. So we did and he came. It was super
good, and he seemed really happy to be back. The six confirmations
were super nice for him to see.
We're doing really good, and teaching a lot of people. The goal for
the mission this year is to baptize 1000 people. As of the end of Feb,
we were at around 175. In Kosrae, the goal is 25, and we are now at 7.
It is a really exciting time to be here.
I love you all very much.
Elder Gerber
We had a really great week. There was a family of six in the Utwe area
that got baptized on Saturday. I had worked with the kids quite a bit
and so the youngest one, Jojo, asked me to baptize him. It was a
wonderful service, and the Spirit was working overtime making sure
that everyone present knew that what they were doing was of God. I was
also able to confirm one of the sisters at Sacrament Meeting. After
church, the oldest son, Jun, joined us with Likiaksa to go teaching.
We had some of the most powerful lessons yet with them. They both
mentioned how they were inspired by the Holy Ghost at points of the
lesson. They also asked if they could sing a song to one guy. It was
pretty dang cool. I'm getting them to right it down so I can learn it.
Likiaksa was able to baptize Jun, and they are doing super good
together in the church.
No transfers here. This will be mine and Elder Blackwell's fifth
transfer together, and Elder Blackwell's seventh in Malem area.
Nothing surprising, though. One of my Zone Leaders served in Malem for
just over a year, then got sent to Lelu. This is his last transfer, so
he will be finishing there as well. Pretty dang nuts.
Esmina is doing really well. She is really feeling the Spirit, and is
getting ready to be baptized. She loves the teachings about the temple
and really wanted to go see the baptism on Saturday, but the ride
didn't stop to pick her up. Rats. But, she was really gracious about
it and told us that after she is done teaching her class next week,
she will stop going to the Protestant church and join us down in Utwe.
We have her cane right now that we are fixing up.
She is close.
We're working with a guy who lives way up on the mountain. So far that
we drive for about 10 minutes straight up the mountain until the road
runs out. And then we get out and hike for another five. His name is
Milson, and he wants to be baptized. We just had a super good lesson
with him yesterday, and he is really committed to and happy about
living the Word of Wisdom.
I don't know if you remember Joseph, the guy that me and Elder
Ferguson baptized in Utwe? Anyway, he has always been ridiculously
shy, and had stopped coming to church for a couple of months.
Yesterday, a little before church started, I felt prompted to run over
to his house and invite him back. So we did and he came. It was super
good, and he seemed really happy to be back. The six confirmations
were super nice for him to see.
We're doing really good, and teaching a lot of people. The goal for
the mission this year is to baptize 1000 people. As of the end of Feb,
we were at around 175. In Kosrae, the goal is 25, and we are now at 7.
It is a really exciting time to be here.
I love you all very much.
Elder Gerber
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