Hey everyone! Surprise surprise. I got to boat in and email today!
So last night was transfers. I'm a little bummed because Elder Burkart and I are no longer companions. Already moved away after just two weeks! So not fair! We really were twins haha. I will forever love him. It was a super good two weeks with him! So the other news is that also I am not being moved off my island of Tonoas! Tonaos has now been split from just 2 elders to 4! Elder Burkart is now training! He flew to Guam last night to pick up his Trainee so we're not sure who it is. We'll find out Friday when they fly back together.
My companion is now Elder Harmon! I'm way excited to be comps with him. He's a super funny guy. The sarcasm just never ends with him hahah so I guess you could say we get along because of that, but I know when it's time to work, we are ready to work hard together. We are opening up a new area in Tonoas called Enin. We still live in the same house with the other two elders with Elder Burkart and his trainee, but we just walk somewhat far to the other side of the island everyday to teach. We are opening up a group out there and there is so much potential in those people and a lot of work to be done. Our group leader is a man named Attin and he walks super far to church every week to Kuchua where we live. He is the only one from Enin that ever comes to church. But now we will be having a group at his house under a tent so hopefully lots of people will come now that its closer to them. The group probably won't start up for about a month or two just because it's still not approved, but we're working on that and hopefully it starts up soon!
So yeah Tonoas should be good. The house is super small and ghetto so we're gonna be hecka smashed, but it'll be a party. There's these HUGE centipedes with legit armor bodies that are everywhere so we all just sleep in our hammocks in the house hoping they don't pinch! They have huge pinchers and they're poisonous! haha If it gets you then you just have a dead leg for 5 days- or your arm or back maybe. It's painful, but then it goes away. hahaha Lucky me because the Tonoas centipedes haven't got me yet! I'm sure my time will come. I'll have to send some pictures of them. They're like 10 inches long and so fast and impossible to kill. Only way to kill them is to pour boiling hot water on them and then hit it with your machete a bunch. Then you have to try to stomp the heck out of it. They're nuts. Mom, you'd die out here. hahaha I know how much you hate them. I'll have to send some pictures home of them.
We shower in this little thing called a "nenien tutu" which is a place everyone showers in the whole village. It has this pipe that comes from the river that's freezing cold and barely comes out into a bucket. Then you just take bucket showers with it. It has tin walls around it that just go up to about your waist! hahah We just shower in skirts here. It's actually super nice with super cold water which feels amazing after a hot day and no air conditioning or running water. lol. Sometimes I regret putting on my mission papers that i like camping hahaha, but i love it tho. Although, the food is getting a little old after just eating spaghetti and spam and canned food every single day, every single meal. Not the healthiest diet hahah. The things I would do for a salad or fresh apples:)
So I've only taught in Enin a few times so I don't know a lot of people. We are just going to be doing a lot of friending. That'll be fun! Hopefully we will find some new people to teach. I don't have much to report on our investigators and cant say much about them. Next time I get to email I will have some updates, I promise!
Cant believe I am hitting my 9 month mark this week! Seems like Chuuk has been my whole life, but at the same time it is crazy it's gone this fast already. Crazy that next month is Mother's Day and we already get to facetime again! Seems like we just did for Christmas! Can't wait to talk to all of y'all again!
So i just copied my Sd card and am sending one home to y'all today so you will get about 1300 pictures and videos! Hopefully that updates y'all a little on my life. Sorry it's taken so long! If the wifi actually loaded stuff here I'd send them every week!
Hope everyone is well at home. Still so happy for Scott and glad he's doing well!!! He a stud and I look up to him like crazy. I know he's so happy because he's serving God and that the best way we can be happy! Even with all our trials, we can still find happiness through Him. The church is true! Only way to truly be happy and feel his love.
Siapwap pwan chufengen chienei kewe!
I really am loving it out here and will forever be grateful to you for helping me be who I am today and to be out here serving the Lord. I really do love my mission and everything I am learning. You and Dad have so much to do with that! So thank you for your example. Did you get my last letter yet?
Running out of time and gotta go. Talk to yall in 3 weeks! Love you!
PS. Any way you could send more boxes of food like snacks and other food too again? It's much loved. The canned food life is killing me hahah. Sorry to ask-- you just wanted me to let ya know, but maybe a box every 2 or 3 weeks again would be AMAZING!
Love you!
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Elder Saylin
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Elder Saylin
