Mom and Dad,

I received your letters on Thanksgiving Day. I was so happy to get some real letters from both of you and I return my love. Dad, I do stay very busy and we teach lots of lessons. The people here are all willing to listen, we just have to be observant enough to know which ones really want to hear and which ones are just being polite. It was good to here about your teaching experiences.

Family,

The people here don't really celebrate Thanksgiving but the missionaries got together in the evening and ate an excellent meal with all the traditional Thanksgiving food. The couple missionaries prepared it all for us. We even had turkey and pumpkin pie. The Lefevre's said they put pictures of it on the mission blog.  [This is the link http://alanmelanielefevre.blogspot.com/]

We had a baptism in Sapwalap this weekend that I was able to go to on the condition that I give the Restoration talk. I was a little nervous to give a talk in Pohnpein but it went really well and I didn't even have to use notes.

I was really sad to leave Sapwalap. Yesterday we went on splits in Sokehs. I went with a middle aged lady that I didn't really know and we taught investigators I'd never met. It was hard but I hope to get to know the people fast.

Mom: my mailing address is the same as long as I'm on this island. There is just one P.O. box and the zone leaders get our mail for us.

I love you all.
Sister Beutler

New Happenings

Dear Family,

Sister Varea and I had an awesome week. We have three different people that actually sought us out and asked to be taught so each of them should be pretty promising. We were able to teach 20 member present lessons this week which is the most we've ever done. We will also be having a baptism for two young boys this Saturday. They have a 20-year-old brother that was baptized 4 years ago but is less active now. He has started sitting in on the lessons and asks lots of questions. I believe with a little encouragement and fellow-shipping he'll be a strong member again and a good support for his brothers. He just needs to stop chewing that nasty beetlenut! I hate beetlenuts and sakau. They seem to be everybody's downfall out here.

Now for the sad news. Late Saturday night we found out that I will be transferred to Sokehs. Sokehs is the city part of Pohnpei so I will be leaving the jungle (for now). Sister R. Varea will be my new companion. Right when the work was really picking up in Sapwalap too! There is happy news though. Sister Fatongia (my companion in the MTC) is coming to Pohnpei and Sister T. Varea will train her in the language in Sapwalap. We'll pick her up from the airport this Wednesday. I'm really excited to see her again and she's gifted with learning new languages so I think she will pick it up fast. We also finally got Sister Salaiau on the plane to go home this morning at 1:00am. While we waited at the airport I was able to get lots of my language mastery things passed off with the locals. Lots of people came to send her off even though it was the middle of the night.

In Sokehs pretty much all of the teenagers speak English, some people speak normal Pohnpein, some speak the Kitti dialect of Pohnpein and there is a big section of people that speak Krinese (a language from one of the outer islands). I'm afraid my language progression might slow down while I'm here since I won't be using it all the time. I'm excited to get to know all the members in Sokehs though (there are lots because the church is really strong there). We also won't have a car so maybe I'll get a little more fit too. I'm still staying happy and very healthy. I love all y'all. 

Sister Beutler

Transfer Week

It has been a really good week for Sister Varea and I. We taught lots of lessons and we continue to find good investigators. I've been happy with the work and I'm getting better and better at teaching on my own when we go on splits. Now that my twelve week program training is over I'm allowed to study the rest of the missionary library besides just the Book of Mormon and Preach My Gospel. I've started studying from the new testament with the seminary manual and it is really fun learning all the insights prophets, apostles, and scholars have to say about the writings in the 4 gospels.

Sister Saliau was supposed to go home on Thursday with Elder Peterson. We all went to the airport to send them off but Sister Saliau's visa expired so she wasn't allowed to get on the plane. Anyway, she is still here and has an interview with the Embassy on Tuesday. Hopefully she will be able to go home this next week. The sister that was supposed to take her place hasn't had her visa go through yet so until that happens, Sister R. Varea will join me and Sister T. Varea 4 days a week in Sapwalap and then teach in Kolonia 3 days a week with one of the senior couples. Sister R. Varea was throwing up for four days straight so Sister Saliau has just been sitting in their house studying her scriptures and waiting to go home.

We had our district conference (like stake conference) yesterday. All the members on the island came to Sapwalap so our branch deep cleaned the church building from top to bottom. The mission president, one of his counselors, and his wife spoke along with some of the other leaders of the Pohnpei district. The ones that spoke in English had someone translate for them so they would only say a couple sentences at a time. Their talks were really good though. 

I pray every night for all of you to receive the blessings promised to those who lead righteous lives. I can also feel all your prayers in my life. Yes momma, my testimony continues to grow leaps and bounds every day. 

Love, Sister Beutler

Me, Awalt, and Roger cleaning fish for dinner.

In the Service of My Lord

Dear Family,

The work has picked up this week. We are finding more and more interested people. We contacted three sisters this week who said they'd had the discussions long ago. They said they knew our church was true and when I extended them a baptismal date the oldest said, "okay what time?" They family may show some opposition but I believe their mother's heart has been softened. It's interesting how people here can be thirty years old and they still won't do anything without the parent's permission. Part of the culture here is that people are very very respectful to older people.

Sister Salaiua will be going home this week so a family in our Sapwalap branch (The Calios) had a going away dinner for her on Saturday. We also went to a dinner for her at the house of a Phillipino family last night. We had to drive to Kolonia and sleep over so we could take the sisters to the zone activity this morning. They don't have a car since their area is right in town. Anyway, there was lots of delicious local food to be eaten. Sister Salaiau congratulated me last night on gaining weight (a compliment from an islander). She's not the first to tell me I'm looking plumper so I'm afraid it must be true. I think it's all the taro and meat I eat here. Sister Varea says they are body building foods. At district meeting this week I beat my district leader in an arm wrestle so maybe I'm just getting stronger. :)

Our branch did a little trick-or-treating thing for the kids on Halloween. They went to three different rooms in the church building and got a little bag of candy, a bag of chips, and a candy bar. It didn't last long but the kids really seemed to think it was fun and some even dressed up in make-shift costumes. A group of the young men dressed as women. They thought they were pretty funny.

I've been wondering how cousin Jordan is doing. Is he in Ukraine still or some other country? How would I get a hold of him if I wanted to write a letter?

Mary, I enjoy your weekly update on things going on in Dayton. Mom and Dad, thanks for writing to me. I feel like I've finally settled into this new life and culture. I'm learning not to get frustrated about things as easily and the language comes better to me every day. I also pray for you two every day and I know you are doing a great work for the members and Elders where you are serving. The senior couples always ask me how you two are doing whenever they see me.

I feel all your prayers and I'm so thankful for so many family members and friends that love me. 

Well, I thinks that's all folks,

Sister Beutler

One of our service projects digging taro at the Welters