Blog Archive

Monday, January 23, 2017

Finally, snail mail from Keith!

Hi!  Nequnion allim! Amy kich meinisin me, pwan!

Happy new year.  How are you guys?  Long time no see!  I'm living on my island with zero stores or electricity, or really any sign of real life.  It's still going to take some time to get used to.  Only having sixty minutes to email y'all once a month is a little hard, but I will do my best to write once a week.  I want to apologize for not writing more this past transfer.  Now that we can only email once a month, I will write snail mail.  Outer island is crazy and everyone goes to bed at 8pm.  It's soooo hottt.  We are exhausted at the end of the day, but that shouldn't be an excuse.  I am trying my best.  I promise. We boat into zone conference tomorrow so I want to get this to you before we boat back Tol.  I guess this letter is my weekly update!

Here's an update on my new area.  My village is called Fara.  We also teach in the village next to us called Nechocho.  Our area is on fire right now. For reals, the people of Fara are amazing.  They are some of the most humble, kind, and loving people I have ever met, which even seems to be a little rare in Chuuk because lots of the people here are just crazy and fight.  Right now there are so many people to teach so we have just been focusing on Fara.  We have 28 inviestogars with a baptismal date right now!  This Saturday 14 of them are getting baptized.  We have been so busy with trying to teach everyone all the lessons in time so we only have 14 ready. We also have about 20 investigators that want us to teach them so they're on a waiting list.  We have zero time to teach more!

My island is pretty much a steep mountain and literally no one lives close to each other so we hike everywhere.  Everything is so steep!  Legit our legs are jelly at the end of the day.  We also sweat buckets because it's either a billion degrees or raining super hard or humid as can be.  It's fun.  It's a good work out at least.

We also are going to boat out to this super small sandy island off of Tol to have the baptisms or we might go near Wanu, the main island.  We can't have them off of Tol because the water is gross unlike the other islands in my district which are gorgeous, paradise islands.  My island is still the best.  I love it here.

We had a district P-day last Monday.  It was for reals the sickest thing ever.  We boated to this super tiny island off of Romoluan.  Our district went for the whole day with light




blue water and palm trees. I could run around the whole thing in like 30 seconds.  Elder I. bought a pig a few weeks ago and has just been feeding it so it got all plump.  We brought it with us, killed it, gutted it, and roasted it over a fire. It was so good.  We just hung out on the beach all day and found super cools shells and coral.  So much fun.  Y'all got to see the pictures.

Today we threw a party here in Fara.  Yesterday we boated into Wanu and the church gave us $200 to spend on the party.  We bought tons of chicken, turkey-tail, Kool_Aid, rice and bread.  We boated back with it all and cooked it today at our investigator's house where we hold church.  We cooked it all morning until lunch and they also supplied tons of Chuukese food.  Probably 70 people came which is pretty much the whole village.  It was super fun.  We got even more potential investigators.  All of our investigators came.  We taught ten lessons today and finished teaching everyone for their baptism Saturday.


So you asked about my investigators.  The males aren are Ngoni, Nonis, Iwo, James, Oug, Anto, Antion, Antonni, Anton, Siwando, Adk, Serfi, Anti, and Fenter.  The women and girls' names are Tawana, Umumuch, Fineina, Sophie, Fian, Fiem, maurin, Petnin, Akwai, Atari, Fenes, and Ataki!  Good luck praying for all of them individually.  They keep most of their commitments, especially prayer.  They all love God here.  They struggle with the Word of Wisdom.  (Kapasen Emirit).  Actually, most of them have already completely stopped drinking.  Like I said, people of Fara are the best.  Getting permission for baptism from family here is super hard because it's not just the parents that must say yes.  It has to be uncles, aunts, grandparents, brothers and sisters...legit everyone.  So you either have the whole family or nobody.

Some people can read, but lots can't so we always just read to them.  Church is different, but now that we are about to have members and give callings so  it will get lots better.  Church usually goes for about 20 minutes.  haha  My companion is branch president and I am first counselor.  He leads church, except I think we are going to start switching off every week.  It will be hard but it will get me to learn more.  We have church under a tarp we hang from a tree to our investigator's tin hut way up the mountain with a beautiful view.  We just cut down coconut tree leaves and everyone sits on them.  We sing, I bless the sacrament, and Elder M passes it.  We both give like three minute talks, we sing, and church is over.  It is super cool, though, because it focuses all so much on the sacrament and the people love it.  The spirit is super strong.  Church is the best part of my week.

We see President Zarbock once every three months when he comes to Chuuk. The 4 zone leaders from Chuuk fly to Guam once a month with all the other zone leaders from outer islands and they see him and have ZLC with them.

You asked what we do after 6pm when we are back to our hut.    We have little light. ha  It's not the most fun time of my life.  We have one light that runs on a car battery.  It's usually just so dark.  Then we plan and eat something small.  We eat everything out of a can.  It's an adventure of a lifetime here.  I eat the same three things every breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Then I write in my journal.  I still haven't missed a day and am still taking on Dad's challenge! Then I have some language study for an hour and then go to bed at about 8 or 9pm.  So at the beginning of the month when we go to Wano on our boat, we take out all of our money and buy so much food, spending it all for the month.  We put it on the boat and take it to our island and make it last for the month.  We just eat canned fruit, Ramen, spaghetti, beans, potatoes and spam.  Oh, and pancakes.  That's legit it.  Everyday.

We can get mail in if zone leaders give it to the boat drivers to give it to us when they pick us up for exchanges or district meetings every week.  Lots of time they don't, though.  Elder M  has been serving 1 1/2 years and finishes in June.  So, one package a month should be good. Can you send powdered yogurt and eggs? An Elder had that and you just add water.  The yogurt was pretty good.  Also powdered mashed potatoes?  Also, some sort of flavored water packets.  The water is gross.  Y'all are the best.  You spoil me way too much.  Other than that, I am good.  I have adjusted to living like a Chuukese person.  It's hard but I love it.  I just try not to think of everything I used to have and focus on the things I do have.  I'm so grateful for everything I have right now.  It's way more than anyyone on this island.  I am so blessed.  You really don't need very many things in this world to be happy:  food, a change of clothes, supportive family and friends, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is all you need.  I'm so lucky to have all of that.   I couldn't be grateful enough.

I love you.
Elder Saylin






OPENING THE ISLAND OF TON

It has been a while since I've updated Keith's blog.  He has been transferred to open a small outer island called Ton (pop. 1,700)  where people only speak Chuukese.  His companion is from Tonga. We now will only receive an email from him once a month!  The church hasn't been on this new island for more than a decade and there is not an organized branch.  It is 2.5 miles long and 1.5 miles wide.  They meet for church under a tarp they hang and sit on banana leaves.  They have a waiting list because so many people want to be taught; there isn't enough time! Many people are being baptized! It is extremely primitive--no running water nor electricity.  They cook on a fire outside, boil their drinking water, and live in a tin hut infested with rats.  At Christmas he said, "I live with absolutely none of the comforts of the world, but I am so happy!"  Well said.  The Savior said, "For whosever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."  (Matthew 16:25)  I believe Keith has found his life and the joys that come from sharing the truths of the gospel and from serving others.  ~Jen