Chuuk Chick Fights

Nakunion Annim Pwe Pwe! What's up guys?  It's been a productive week of Chuukese. I've learned lots and studied lotsss. I can now bare my testimony and pray and have basic conversations. I have like 200 words memorized now. I just gotta figure out how to put them into sentences haha. That's the hard part because they say everything so weird here. It's all messed up in  different order phrases than English, but I've come a long way than a few weeks ago when I got here to Chuuk.

Super cool: we have 11 people on a baptismal date right now in Sapuk! It's crazy because Sapuk never has any success really and we are leading right now in dates out of all the Chuukese Islands so thats what's up. God has been blessing us like crazy. We have  few investigators that are gonna be some super strong embers to the branch which is much needed. We had 17 people at church yesterday. We walked 45 minutes through the jungle to walk to church with a few of our investigators that wanted us to walk with them. They weren't even home so we had to walk 45 minutes back by ourselves and it was about a thousand degrees. I had to change my pants and shirt when we got back because they were soaked with sweat hah and I had to look nice for church. Other days that's just how it always is but everyone's used to it-- so it is was it is. 

Hmm crazy stories this week? Too many to pick from hah!  I see a fight pretty much every day. Once we walked out of this old hut after a lesson and we heard screaming. There was about 12 girls all just punching the heck out of each other. This one mom had a girl pinned on the ground and was decking her in the face so that was exciting. We can only just walk by because you do not want to get in the middle of those fights. These girls here are freaking huge, crazy islanders and we probably both would have got whooped so we didn't have much of a choice. There was a spider about the size of my hand that crawled out of this hole in my ceiling hah and I found another on my bed. They're nasty. 

Anyway, I'm alive and doing okay out here. Still trying to get the hang of things and trying to get along with my companion- it's hard spending 24/7 with someone, hah but we're trying our best to get along. Thanks for all the prayers and everything; it helps so much! Oh and I got my package in the mail and a letter from Sammy! Made me so happy to see that so thank you guys! Miss you so much everyone.

 Love y'all!

-- 

Elder Saylin

PS We have to be in at 6pm because it's too dangerous so we just study. We leave at 11:30 am but after the 12 week training is up then we can leave at 10:30am. Thanks for the sleeping pad! That's awesome. Thanks so much.

Chuuk Chick Figths

Nakunion Annim Pwe Pwe! What's up guys?  It's been a productive week of Chuukese. I've learned lots and studied lotsss. I can now bare my testimony and pray and have basic conversations. I have like 200 words memorized now. I just gotta figure out how to put them into sentences haha. That's the hard part because they say everything so weird here. It's all messed up in  different order phrases than English, but I've come a long way than a few weeks ago when I got here to Chuuk.

Super cool: we have 11 people on a baptismal date right now in Sapuk! It's crazy because Sapuk never has any success really and we are leading right now in dates out of all the Chuukese Islands so thats what's up. God has been blessing us like crazy. We have  few investigators that are gonna be some super strong embers to the branch which is much needed. We had 17 people at church yesterday. We walked 45 minutes through the jungle to walk to church with a few of our investigators that wanted us to walk with them. They weren't even home so we had to walk 45 minutes back by ourselves and it was about a thousand degrees. I had to change my pants and shirt when we got back because they were soaked with sweat hah and I had to look nice for church. Other days that's just how it always is but everyone's used to it-- so it is was it is. 

Hmm crazy stories this week? Too many to pick from hah!  I see a fight pretty much every day. Once we walked out of this old hut after a lesson and we heard screaming. There was about 12 girls all just punching the heck out of each other. This one mom had a girl pinned on the ground and was decking her in the face so that was exciting. We can only just walk by because you do not want to get in the middle of those fights. These girls here are freaking huge, crazy islanders and we probably both would have got whooped so we didn't have much of a choice. There was a spider about the size of my hand that crawled out of this hole in my ceiling hah and I found another on my bed. They're nasty. 

Anyway, I'm alive and doing okay out here. Still trying to get the hang of things and trying to get along with my companion- it's hard spending 24/7 with someone, hah but we're trying our best to get along. Thanks for all the prayers and everything; it helps so much! Oh and I got my package in the mail and a letter from Sammy! Made me so happy to see that so thank you guys! Miss you so much everyone.

 Love y'all!

-- 

Elder Saylin

PS We have to be in at 6pm because it's too dangerous so we just study. We leave at 11:30 am but after the 12 week training is up then we can leave at 10:30am. Thanks for the sleeping pad! That's awesome. Thanks so much.

OCEAN BAPTISMS!

This week was pretty good! Finally, I am getting used to my life here in Sapuk as crazy as it has been. Yesterday was amazing. We had 2 baptisms and Maipo. One of our investigators asked me to baptize him! I was so hyped. Got the sickest picture of it. It was the coolest experience and helped remind me why I am here. We also got 3 people on baptismal dates yesterday which is crazy because Sapuk never has success like that so we have been praying lots for these people. Super cool.

So my Chuukese is coming along- kinda. haha  I still have no idea what the heck anyone is saying to me. They talk sooo fast here in Sapuk. And mumble. It's a very soft language so its hard to make out words they say but I'll get it hopefully sometime in the next 2 years lolo. This last week I prayed in a bunch of lessons in Chuukese perfectly from memorization! And I tried to bare my testimony a bunch of times at the end of every lesson, but I still have to pull out my notes for that. The locals love it because a white guy is trying to learn their language. 

Taught some pretty cool lessons today. 3 on the beach! 2 were under a banana tree leave woven hut and the other was on the sand. We taught another way out on this pier made of cement by all the coral reef where the water is sooo pretty, so that was pretty coo,l too. Hand washing your clothes here is a pain haha and it takes forever to dry so I have worn the same shirt and pants almost all week haha. 

We did exchanges this week and they didn't tell us until we were on the other side of the island so I didn't bring a blanket or pillow. I slept on the hard floor (as always.. beds don't exist in Chuuk) with no blanket or pillow and used my scriptures as a pillow hah.

People here in Chuuk are nuts. Some kids tried to light our house on fire and then broke our water tank lol. We lost all our water in that tank but there's 2 and we fixed the other one so it's all good. There is a huge storm here now, too, so now we have lots of water! Drunk people everywhere. Nothing new... Same old food everyday. There is  nothing else on this island to eat but rice, fish, spam, and breadfruit so that's my whole diet.

I miss you all so much!  The church is true!

-- 

Elder Saylin

PS I got one package!!! I haven't got any letters from anyone though. Thanks for my glasses. You are the best. I love them. Thanks for all the prayers and help and fasts this past week.  It's made the biggest difference. It's been a pretty good week. That's so sad about Tony!! Holy cow. That's awful. I will pray for him lots. Congrats on the big 24! Thats awesome! What did you guys do? I also sent a letter to everyone today so hopefully that gets to you guys soon. I will email grandma for sure. I think they said they are getting us pads to sleep on so I am good with that, but we will see. FOOD IS ALWAYS WANTED.  We starve here haha so never hesitate to send anything. Anything is good. Can you also send roasted peanuts too maybe? I love you momma! I miss you so much.

Elder Saylin

He arrived in Guam and has been assigned to Chuuk!

There is only one flight out each week to Chuuk.  He therefore worked on Guam for the first week and arrived Sunday night in Chuuk.  This is Guam.  You can see it is much more developed.

 This is his bed.  A thin matt on a tile floor.

 Now that he knows he is learning Chuukese, he can begin studying!