I AM GUAM SERVING THE LORD 2016-2018

Monday, April 10, 2017

WE GOT A SURPRISE BONUS EMAIL!!

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!

Elder Saylin

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

March 6, 2017 email " It's just been a long, hard, sad week. "

Mommaaa Dadddaaaa. What's up? Thanks for you emails y'all sent me!

So I pretty much have the worst news of my whole mission.. also this week has been one of the hardest weeks yet by far. Seriously. I don't even know how to type this or write or tell you but I'll just try my best.

So this last week we had lots of problems that happened in Tol. In Tol we have 2 villages we teach in. Nechocho and Fare (where we live). The chief of Nechocho has a super high calling in the Protestant faith and since he saw our success it made him angry and said we are no longer allowed in his village. That was a few weeks ago. It wasn't a huge deal just because we have only taught in pretty much Fare anyways, and that is where the church is, as well as all our members and recent converts. Well now, the chief of Nechocho got mad at the chief of Fare and was trying to tell him to kick us out and not let us in his village either. Well the thing is we actually have been teaching the chief's daughters (which is a big deal) and the chief actually really likes us (even tho he doesn't want to hear from us, or be part of the church, he knows we are good people and just here to make this island a better place.) So he told the other chief there is no way these people are good and they can't stay.

Some guys from Nechocho, men actually, got angry because Fare is pretty much disrespecting the chief of Nechocho which is stupid because it's his village and he can do whatever he wants with it! This group of men started to say that if we don't leave the island then they are going to hurt all of us-- and the members and anyone we talk to. Who knows what they mean by hurt. So of course we called President Zarbock about it because we don't want trouble or to get hurt. We definitely don't want these people, whom I have grown to love more than anything, to get hurt.

President then was obviously concerned and has now pulled us of the island. Elder Floyd and I are no longer in Tol and missionaries are not to return for who knows how long. We have now been living with zone leaders all week because this all happened last Tuesday. When Pres. told us we had to leave, we just cried. I was so upset. The boat was coming to pick us up in 2 hours so we had to go say goodbye to everyone and it was the hardest thing. All are members and people I love and have worked with and all these people who are wanting to get baptized.... we just to leave them in the dust. Saddest thing ever.

We went house to house and had to tell them. All the mommas and people were crying and we cried, and we just bore our testimonies to them telling them to never give up. It was so sad. We took pictures with everyone, packed the house, and just like that it was all over and we were gone. All week long we have just been walking around the ZL's area trying to teach with nothing to do. It's just been a long, hard, sad week.

Hopefully within the next few days president will be assigning us to a new area. No idea where. There's a very good chance Elder Floyd and I will be split up and be in a trio somewhere, which obviously doesn't make any of this better for how good of friends we are. We have been also trying to get some of the members out of Fare and moving to Romolum, an nearby island where the church is strong, so they can continue to stay strong. Some already have! Just please, please, please continue to keep the people of Fare in your prays that God will provide a way for them to stay happy with the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the biggest concerns for people when we were saying good bye to them was, "How can we still take the sacrament???"This week some men were supposed to get the priesthood, but nobody has gotten it yet. How amazing is that? It is just so heartbreaking. I love those people so much-- more than anything. Hopefully, I will like my new area I will be emergency transferred to, but honestly what can beat Tol? I know God has a plan for those people and also me tho, too, and will take care of us and it will all be okay.

So that's been my week, but I also did get a few boxes so thank you so much!!! That food you have sent has been super good:) and also the pre-workout!!

Y'all are the best. Love you all and miss y'all tons!

Elder Saylin

Friday, March 10, 2017

....AND A GREAT NUMBER BELIEVED.

"THEN PETER SAID UNTO THEM, REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED EVERY ONE OF YOU IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS, AND YE SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST." ACTS 2:38

" AND THE HAND OF THE LORD WAS WITH THEM; AND A GREAT NUMBER BELIEVED, AND TURNED UNTO THE LORD." ACTS 11:21

February 20, 2017 (Snail mail Letter #2) KISSED BY A CRAZY LADY!

IFOUSUMI!

Pretty good week here in Tol! It's been a long, exhausting week, but this last Saturday made up for it all! We had Josanna, Joseia, Omae, Rinenta, and Juty get baptized! It was super cool. Way happy for them! Josanna, Joseia, and Ogame are brothers and sisters. Er already baptized their 2 older sisters and their older brother! It was sad though, because their Mom, Momma Fineina, was supposed to be baptized last Saturday, too. She didn't pass the baptismal interview because she said she had smoked again. She said that's her last time now and will be baptized next week! Our bodies are gifts from God and am grateful He asks us to take care of them. I think she was pretty sad about not being baptized with her kids who were ready, so it will motivate her to keep the word of wisdom. Juty and Rinenta are just the cutest 2 little girls. We have also baptized their 2 older sisters, too. Ther mom, Aiwi and their dad, Taieto, will also be getting baptized soon, too. They need to get married first and Taieto needs to come to church more. Elder L, a missionary here from Samoa just went home. Before he left, he gave me his white lava-lava to perform baptisms in! So I wore it this last time! It was legit! We had to boat over to Romolum again, too, because there is not a good baptismal spot on Tol.

This upcoming week we could have anywhere from 3-14 baptisms. Three are for sure. The other ten people have all been to church a million times and are ready. We need to get permission from some of their families first. We are praying and fasting that their huge families will support them! I know they will and it'll be good!

So on Monday- Wednesday this last week, I went on an exchange back to Udot again. I forgot how gorgeous that island is! Somebody kissed me for the first time in seven months! HAHAHAHA So we walked into this tiny sand village right on the water that's perfectly clear called Kuum. This guy had a speaker and was blasting music. All these kids and teenagers were hanging out dancing and playing in the water as well as playing volleyball. Well, we were walking through so to fit in, I started to dance haha, so then the people started laughing and dancing more, too. Then, out of no where, this 45 year old skinny lade (who is legit crazy) starts going nuts and is dancing like crazy! So, I stopped and was just thinking, "Please don't come over here. Please don't. Please don't!" She then makes her way right over to me as I was trying to avoid her hahahah . Then she grabs my arm and tries to lift it up to get me to dance. Everyone is now watching. I don't do anything ...LOL. Then she grabs my hand, bows, and kisses my hand 1, 010, 010 times. I think my jaw hit the ground! haha I just stood there in shock! All the kids and guys and girls just went nuts. They were laughing so hard. hahahah . I just yelled, "What the!?!?!" haha So, yeah, that all happened. I was laughing so hard after that, too, though.

SO PUMPED FOR THIS WEEK! Elder Jeffrey R. Holland is coming to our mission! Because we are all on islands and we are spread out as wide as America, we can't all get together. He's going to Guam and then we will go into the main island Chuuk. We are going to facetime into him and he's going to talk to all of us. Going to be so awesome!

Miss y'all tons. Love you!
Elder Saylin

February 20, 2017 (Snail mail letter #1)

Mom! Dad!
You guys are the best! I got a box from you for Valentin's Day this last week! Thank you so much for all the food, and the card is "money!" Elder F and I really appreciate it. It helps us stay alive out here. Mom, thanks also for sending all of my friends' emails. They are way fun to read and see all those pictures, too. It's crazy to see how different all of our lives and missions are from each other now. Befroe , all of our lives were pretty much exactly the same.

Dad, I got your email you sent me in the mail from 1/29. I'm glad you guys are getting my letters. I've been sending one every week. Have you been getting them all? I'm dying to hear about Scott! Only thing I've heard is that he's going to England. Which mission?? Same?? When does he leave? I'm wondering if the next time I get to email if I could get one from him from the MTC. That'd be insane. I'm so pumped for him. So awesome. I'm super excited to get journal entries from you still! ha. Don't worry if they are "immature" or "ignorant" because I'm probably the same, if not worse. I am younger than you were when you were out at this time! I'll understand.

So things with Elder F have been awesome. We are for reals best friends. It has been a blast being companions with him. It's been a little bit stressful opening up this area and this island to be honest.Trying to build a new brand has been a blast, but it's also so hard. Lots of people have complaints/arguments sometimes about how church should be and what others should do. We just have to explain how Heavenly Father wants it. It's exhausting, but I love it. I love this area. I've been very blessed to served God here. I feel like it is teaching me lots. I will be forever grateful for everything I learn out here.

Miss you both tons! Thanks for being the best parents and more that I could ever ask for!

Love you!
Elder Saylin