Olsem wanem? I oraet? Thanks for the letters and pictures. Sierra, you look so different! I wonder if I do? Glad to report I'm not ghostly anymore. Gained some solid weight here in Vila. I wonder if you guys will think I look the same or different when I get back? Sierra, looks like your having a blast. The good old high school days. Feels like so long ago. All my memories are fading. I'm no longer sports savvy, I don't remember anyone hardly. It'll be good to watch games again with you daddo. 
Go Tigers! PS i know they're in the ALCS from Elder Gittins (yankees fan). I figure you didn't want me to be jealous haha. I wonder what fun stuff we'll do when I get back? Sierra, you need to plan some cool stuff we could do together. PS - I forbid you to be too cool for me when I get back. If you do I'll be really awkward around your friends when they come over haha. I hope we get to spend some good time together. I hope I won't be weird when I get back. Some times I feel my personality is hidden somewhere. It comes out occasionally when I talk with Elder Bacon but thats about it. Mom, I realized i missed your B-day. I am the lamest. I barely know what day it is myself. So sorry. 
Todays P day. Spel nomo lo Vanuatu. (Relaxing in Vanuatu) Vanuatu is a great place. Very backwards in some ways but the people are awesome. They are humble. So I swapped out my old truck. I used to be in an older silver one that was destroyed on Tanna. I switched with one of the couples and took their brand new cherry red truck haha.
FLAS! Still here in Etas. Should be out pretty soon. Still trying my best. I feel pretty urgent. My time is ticking and I still want to accomplish a lot more. Unfortunately, not much can be done here. I would welcome a new place to work. That being said i'll accept whatever I get. Anna is still doing great. I love her. This week we had a lesson I really liked. We talked about scripture study. I sat next to her and we practiced how to read/apply scriptures. She would read and apply it to her own life. She'll be getting baptised pretty soon. This week we found a good mama. She's a less active member. She had her leg amputated. Her family has had lots of problems. We will be doing a FHE (Famle Haos Naet) with her family next week and watching a dvd about family relationships. I like trying to help families. Also, elections here are going on. You guys would love seeing their campaigning here, it's hilarious. One time Elder Bacon and I talked about it. Politicians and Police men are all fake. It's like kids when they're little saying "I wanna be an army man". They have no idea what it means. One running for office on his poster promised cement roads on every island as well as running water and power. Also that Vanuatu will become a world power and no one will be poor. VOTE FOR HIM! Ok funny story. There is a store close to our house called Koroman. We go in there a lot to grab a drink or at night on the way home. I always joke around with the people who work there. There's a woman named Mary from Ambae. One time we were joking and she went to the register. A minute later I walked past her obliviously without paying for my stuff. I lifted up my cookies waving to her "Bon Garea" (Goodnight in language Ambae) She knew I'd realize and come back so she laughed her head off. A few steps later I realized and came back to see everyone waiting to laugh. Good times haha. Now they call me "Stilman" all play of course. Another funny story about an old guy. His lifestyle was less than ideal. His grandson observed and one day mustered up the courage to speak up to him. He went into the room he was in and made sure the door was open for a quick escape. He started to sing: "Read your bible, pray every day, Jos wanwan taem, blakaot evri naet" (Implying he read the bible every day and prayed and went to church every once in a while and drunk on kava every night) The boy ran away before the old "Apu" could get him. Sometimes I feel like a babysitter. The other day we were driving back from Conference, us 7 missionaries. They had the windows calling out, "gunaet apu!, gudnaet anti, gunaet ankel" (goodnight grandpa, aunt, uncle) I put the child lock on the windows haha. Conference was great! More excited for the Ensign to come. I loved Jeffrey R. Holland's talk as well as Russel M. Nelson's. Also Eyring's and Uchtdorf's. What insights did you guys take from it? Mom, thanks for the scriptures. They were quite appropriate and I liked them a lot. I'm excited to get home and be a part of the family again. FHE and all that other stuff that I was too lazy to care about before. Elder Mortenson and I had a great conversation yesterday. He's one of the senior couples serving here. He and his wife are from Oregon and he served in Michigan. He told me to develop good habits to bring back for my life. The mission is a concentrated place where it's easy and quick learning. I'm so so grateful to be on a mission. It's been a life saver. It's such an important thing for others and yourself. I wouldn't want anyone who could to miss out on this opportunity. You work hard and sacrifice and the reward you get from Heavenly Father is a new heart. I'm committing myself to things I want to continue to do the rest of my life. I want to always be learning how to be a better person. I never want to "go through the motions" (something I've thought about and observed a lot where we're from). Like President Uchtdorf said, we shouldn't be like the kid who dipped his toe in the water and said he went swimming as far as the gospel goes. This church and it's teachings aren't just words or information or things we do. It's God's will for us. There is power behind it all. We should never be complacent in the church. Anyways love you guys. Thanks for the support, prayers, and encouragement.
Elder Sears
No comments:
Post a Comment