Family,
It's been another week in the Ebon atoll. This week has been bittersweet, I was able to get packages and letters flowin in and have the members birthday me but work continues to get harder.
Tuesday night around 7pm the members came and serenaded me and gifted me. It was really fun, I'm really grateful for the kindness of the members. Also, I got seven bottles of Jekame which is basically Marshallese syrup-it comes from coconut sap, and a necklace made out of shells. Also Tuesday night we did a dinner with everyone and people all brought something. We ate rice, gravy, jabwater, banana jabwater, dried fish, and bobo (bwiro covered in coconut). Also, Thursday the office sent my packages in a plane so I got your guys package and another from the Taotafas. The Taotafas sent me a whole box full of candy and other goodies and I'm much for grateful I got it out here. Ayala and I have been on a sugar high for the past week. Also way cool to get letters from all Dad's side of the family. It sounds like there's also quite a few new stuff back home. I had no idea Hailey and Josh live in DC. Also, its weired how you guys talk about the house because I haven't even lived in it and I don't really know what it looks like. I am excited to be able to Facetime and be in more contact when I'm back in Majuro.
Marshallese people are frustrating. The families that live right next to our house are less active and make up stupid excuses why they can't come to church and then ask us for things all the time. It's difficult to try and reach out to people for so long, help them come to church and they won't do anything. All of the investigators are happy to study but don't come to church. I feel like Anije and Bahn have gone absolutly nowhere in studying the past 6 months. It absolutely sucks. I have been with these people too long. It's been hard to stay motivated. This week was good because I got a nice boost but now I'm back in a slump.
On a better note I finished The Book of Mormon. The amount of appreciation of the Book of Mormon before reading the Bible and after is significant. The end of Moroni is my favorite because of how much it stresses charity. In Marshallese, charity is "iakwa emool" translated directly it means true love. How Charity is by far the most important that we must strive to follow Jesus Christ to becom elike him. Love should be for the foundation in all we do. However Charity can be difficult to attain because we constantly have to work for it, to be nice, to not judge, to do things the Savior did. Charity should truly guide our lives and how we live the gospel.
Love,
S. Weenig
PS I'll probably send you guys a couple of bottles of Jakame, eat them like syrup and put on pancakes
PSS Thank you for the package. I love the ties and I knew you would send me dried mangoes
PSSS Happy Birthday Dad
Monday, July 27, 2015
Monday, July 20, 2015
Ebon Week 23: July 20
Lakwe
Quite a bit of people came to our English class, I had a rash all over my body for a week and a half, I at maggoty pancakes and I had a mental breakdown-fun week.
Honestly nothing is happening we have good lessons with people but nothing new is happening with investigators. What really needs to happen is for investigators to come to church.
The rash that I had was insanely weird. At the worst part it covered all of my chest, stomach, back, underarms, and a little on my forearms. It's mostly concentrated on my underarms and it just itches and burns. It was all these gross little zit like things because some were white and filled with pus. Good stuff.
Now the story of how I had a little bit of a breakdown. It happened yesterday, Sunday. The morning we had church and right after a lesson with Murica so afterwards we went to take a nap. When I was waiting for Ayala to wake up I just started getting irritated and anxious. I was feeling nothing has been happening. After a little while Ayala wakes up and so we go to study with Camila. At Camila's everyone is just laying around on the grass half asleep so we sit there for a while an dI get up to go, looking at Ayala like let's go and he just keeps sitting there. I get a little fed up and walk back to the house and try to calm down. Some time past I go to get up and am waiting for him an dI wait for 10-15 which just irritates me forever. We start walking down and I think Ayala says this condescending comment I can't even remember. That just pushed me to my breaking point so I go back home switch into P-day clothes and walk to the oean. I sit down and compose myself. It's eally hard here everything is slow and just all the aspects: no communication, work is slow, nothing happens. It is all very stressful just wanting to do things but there is nothing.
I will probably find out this week when I go back to Majuro. I am trying to find peace ot build a foundation on Christ (Helamen 5:12). I am blessed and I need to realize all the blessings I have. I need to depend on God and just be guided by him and press forward. I love you guys all the support I have and love I have.
Love,
Elder S. Weenig
P.S. The members are putting something together for my birthday so that should be fun. I'll tell you all about it next week
Quite a bit of people came to our English class, I had a rash all over my body for a week and a half, I at maggoty pancakes and I had a mental breakdown-fun week.
Honestly nothing is happening we have good lessons with people but nothing new is happening with investigators. What really needs to happen is for investigators to come to church.
The rash that I had was insanely weird. At the worst part it covered all of my chest, stomach, back, underarms, and a little on my forearms. It's mostly concentrated on my underarms and it just itches and burns. It was all these gross little zit like things because some were white and filled with pus. Good stuff.
Now the story of how I had a little bit of a breakdown. It happened yesterday, Sunday. The morning we had church and right after a lesson with Murica so afterwards we went to take a nap. When I was waiting for Ayala to wake up I just started getting irritated and anxious. I was feeling nothing has been happening. After a little while Ayala wakes up and so we go to study with Camila. At Camila's everyone is just laying around on the grass half asleep so we sit there for a while an dI get up to go, looking at Ayala like let's go and he just keeps sitting there. I get a little fed up and walk back to the house and try to calm down. Some time past I go to get up and am waiting for him an dI wait for 10-15 which just irritates me forever. We start walking down and I think Ayala says this condescending comment I can't even remember. That just pushed me to my breaking point so I go back home switch into P-day clothes and walk to the oean. I sit down and compose myself. It's eally hard here everything is slow and just all the aspects: no communication, work is slow, nothing happens. It is all very stressful just wanting to do things but there is nothing.
I will probably find out this week when I go back to Majuro. I am trying to find peace ot build a foundation on Christ (Helamen 5:12). I am blessed and I need to realize all the blessings I have. I need to depend on God and just be guided by him and press forward. I love you guys all the support I have and love I have.
Love,
Elder S. Weenig
P.S. The members are putting something together for my birthday so that should be fun. I'll tell you all about it next week
Monday, July 13, 2015
Ebon Week 22: July 13
It is now 5 months in Ebon. The atoll of Ebon is pretty much a ghost town so it's dragging along. Nothing too significant happened-time is just passing by. I love working here and with Elder Ayala but I'm ready to go back to Majuro.
Some fun highlights of the week; Camila keeps telling us how charity keeps telling lawyer, her grandpa, that there's a prophet today and she won't go to the Seventh Day Adventist with him in Majuro, she's also 5. Elder Ayala got a birthday package sent to him but on the phone call Elder Angilau said he accidentally opened it and ate all his candy. So when Ayala opened up the box they sent us with our funds and Book of Mormons he wasn't expecting anything so he got really excited. Murica's grandkid Alik, is really funny and nust his 4 year old who's always eating. I ask him what he's drinking and he tells me blood. That's what is fun there is also funny stuff happening. Also the fact that I've been here so long I know all of the people really well.
Investigators are coming along. This week when we asked Murica to ask Zebedee to study she said he's scared but reads the Book of Mormon and he talks with her about the lessons. It's a similar situation to Toni, Imita's boyfriend, both have a problem with smoking and know it's wrong. That's what's nice about here everyone is Christian and knows what's right and wrong. People know they need to go to church and keep the commandments. Although one thing they don't understand is living together before marriage. The majority of the other churches don't believe in divorce. Meaning that in a lot of cases of most couples on has been married and is still married if not both. With that and smoking those things are what we have to help people with to prepare for baptism.
Alma 26:28 reads, "and now behold, we have come and been forth amongst them; and we have patience in our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house, relying on the mercies of the world-not upon the mercies of the world alone but upon the mercies of God. I am grateful to be in such a safe place with great people. My patience is tested a lot. I am grateful for the generosity of these people. Most importantly, I am grateful for Heavenly Father and for everything I am blessed with, currently and in time to come. The one thing about the verse that doesn't relate is going from house to house, I will probably never do the door approach which makes papa's door approach advice worthless.
Love and miss you guys,
Elder Sweenig
Some fun highlights of the week; Camila keeps telling us how charity keeps telling lawyer, her grandpa, that there's a prophet today and she won't go to the Seventh Day Adventist with him in Majuro, she's also 5. Elder Ayala got a birthday package sent to him but on the phone call Elder Angilau said he accidentally opened it and ate all his candy. So when Ayala opened up the box they sent us with our funds and Book of Mormons he wasn't expecting anything so he got really excited. Murica's grandkid Alik, is really funny and nust his 4 year old who's always eating. I ask him what he's drinking and he tells me blood. That's what is fun there is also funny stuff happening. Also the fact that I've been here so long I know all of the people really well.
Investigators are coming along. This week when we asked Murica to ask Zebedee to study she said he's scared but reads the Book of Mormon and he talks with her about the lessons. It's a similar situation to Toni, Imita's boyfriend, both have a problem with smoking and know it's wrong. That's what's nice about here everyone is Christian and knows what's right and wrong. People know they need to go to church and keep the commandments. Although one thing they don't understand is living together before marriage. The majority of the other churches don't believe in divorce. Meaning that in a lot of cases of most couples on has been married and is still married if not both. With that and smoking those things are what we have to help people with to prepare for baptism.
Alma 26:28 reads, "and now behold, we have come and been forth amongst them; and we have patience in our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house, relying on the mercies of the world-not upon the mercies of the world alone but upon the mercies of God. I am grateful to be in such a safe place with great people. My patience is tested a lot. I am grateful for the generosity of these people. Most importantly, I am grateful for Heavenly Father and for everything I am blessed with, currently and in time to come. The one thing about the verse that doesn't relate is going from house to house, I will probably never do the door approach which makes papa's door approach advice worthless.
Love and miss you guys,
Elder Sweenig
Monday, July 6, 2015
Ebon Week 21: July 6
Family,
Thise week I ate shark, snorkeled in the lagoon, finished "Jesus the Christ" and it's been nice and windy because there is a typhoon in the Phillipines.
I am doing great, althoug work is slow and I get to the point where I'm going. Work is going, it just goes very slowly. Our investigators are progressing well. When we aksed Camila to be baptized she said yes with no hesitation. In a lesso nwith Imita she told us how Toni was erading a Plan of Salvation pamphlet and asked to read her Book of Mormon. Murila is doing well, we're waiting to hear about her old marriage and moving on from there. Anije and Bahn are kind of floating by but all we can do is teach them and help them as they work. Anije told us she's been baptized in another church, before and we've gone over the Restoration a few times with them. It's very interesting to see everyone progress at different rates.
Shark, it's gross and smells bad. The first time I had it the meat was all shredded and it was covered in garlic salt. The second time I had it was boiled and fried. It may have been how it was cooked but the meat was really tough, almost gamey. Swimming in the lagoon was cool there is a lot of life. There are all kinds of fish; schools of hundreds of fish the size of a thumb, smaller sized barracuda, some big flounder, countless other kinds of fish and some stingrays. Althoug I ate quite a bit of shark I didn't see any in the lagoon. It was a way sweet experience and it was cool seeing the beauty of the ocean in the Marshall Islands.
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." (Revelations 21:4-7) My time out her is really great for the chances I have to grow and the expansion of my knowledge of the gospel. I thank you guys for all the support you give and everything you do for me.
With love,
Elder Spencer M. Weenig
Thise week I ate shark, snorkeled in the lagoon, finished "Jesus the Christ" and it's been nice and windy because there is a typhoon in the Phillipines.
I am doing great, althoug work is slow and I get to the point where I'm going. Work is going, it just goes very slowly. Our investigators are progressing well. When we aksed Camila to be baptized she said yes with no hesitation. In a lesso nwith Imita she told us how Toni was erading a Plan of Salvation pamphlet and asked to read her Book of Mormon. Murila is doing well, we're waiting to hear about her old marriage and moving on from there. Anije and Bahn are kind of floating by but all we can do is teach them and help them as they work. Anije told us she's been baptized in another church, before and we've gone over the Restoration a few times with them. It's very interesting to see everyone progress at different rates.
Shark, it's gross and smells bad. The first time I had it the meat was all shredded and it was covered in garlic salt. The second time I had it was boiled and fried. It may have been how it was cooked but the meat was really tough, almost gamey. Swimming in the lagoon was cool there is a lot of life. There are all kinds of fish; schools of hundreds of fish the size of a thumb, smaller sized barracuda, some big flounder, countless other kinds of fish and some stingrays. Althoug I ate quite a bit of shark I didn't see any in the lagoon. It was a way sweet experience and it was cool seeing the beauty of the ocean in the Marshall Islands.
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." (Revelations 21:4-7) My time out her is really great for the chances I have to grow and the expansion of my knowledge of the gospel. I thank you guys for all the support you give and everything you do for me.
With love,
Elder Spencer M. Weenig
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