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

 

Dear Family,

 

This week we have been able to teach lots of new investigators that actually really want to participate in the discussions and know what we have to teach. It has been a good change. As we take the members out teaching I've realized how much work we have to do with the less actives. They point out all sorts of people that have joined the church and fallen away. I have to remember that we can only work with so many people at once so I don't get overwhelmed. So many members go back to their saukau and beetlenut and then eventually fall away because they don't feel worthy to go to church.

 

For our service we helped a member family dig a trench by their pig pen so the pen wouldn't get flooded out when it rains. I'm sad to say that my camera fell in the ocean when we went to Nan Madol. I put it in a bag of rice for a couple days but I'm afraid it has gone the way of all the earth.

 

Brothers and Sisters:I think I have listened to enough cheesy church music to last me a lifetime. If anyone feels an inkling to send me something, some good uplifting, missionary appropraite cd's would be appreciated (I love Christmas music).

 

Mama: My transfer day is this next Wednesday Nov. 7 so it is a week after yours. The mail service is good here. I usually get letters from the US within a week or two so your letters sould get to me. I will most likely be in Pohnpei my whole mission.

Dear Family,

It has been an interesting week. Sister Varea and I have happened to teach an uncommonly high amount of older people. They are all either Catholic or Pros and they all say the same thing. “There is one God and all the churches are good.” We can teach them as simply as possible about the apostasy and priesthood authority but they don’t really seem to be listening. They tell us they know the Book of Mormon is true because it is words of God even though they haven’t read or prayed about it, and they can’t seem to grasp the concept that because the Book of Mormon is true, that also means Joseph Smith is a prophet. My point is, it isn’t fun trying to teach old people. There is one older woman, however, that I think actually had an “Ah-ha moment” when we read about how Christ was baptized. I can tell her heart is open because she really does think about what we say and is willing to change.

We have also had the opportunity to teach quite a few high school/college-age people who we contacted through referrals. The young ward members come with us to contact them too. They are a little more intimidating to teach because we are close to the same age but are also a lot more fun because they want to learn.

General Conference was so good, I thought of Jared during the talk about the bees. Between conference sessions we ate with the members and I tried pig intestines for the first time. They were pretty gross and that will be my last time trying them. I also found out this week that there are glow-in-the-dark mushrooms here. We forgot our flashlight one day and as we were walking in the dark on a jungle path to our car I could see all the mushrooms glowing around me.

This Saturday was pretty worthless for teaching. Pohnpei was having a cultural celebration so everyone was either at a party or pounding sakau and we aren’t allowed to teach when they do sakau. I guess it would be the equivalent of trying to teach in a bar.  

Even though there are so many forces trying to delay the Lord's work, it continues to more forward on this island and hearts continue to be prepared. I keep thinking of people at home that need the gospel. Share it with everyone. There are so many just waiting for an invitation.

Love you all,

Sister Beutler

Family Dear, 

It has been a busy week. My language day went pretty well. Sister Varea sent me on a split with Paulo. She is 20-year-old girl that doesn't know much English and didn't speak any to me. I taught one of her friends. It was really scary and I don't know how much the girl understood. I was so nervous I was forgetting words I've known since the first week here. I'm glad the first split is over with now though and I know if I just depend on the spirit it can only get better. I actually feel like I've been improving alot on the language this week. 

We had our zone conference on Saturday so we got to see President Mecham and his wife. It was so good. It's nice to receive some good instruction and President knows how to get us excited and uplift our spirits. He's excited about the change in missionary age and is hoping that if there is a big increase in sister missionaries they may start sending sisters to Kosrae and Yap! We also had baked potatoes, rolls, salad, and jello for dinner. It was the first potato I've had since I've been here. 

Our district went to the Nan Madal ruins today. It is an ancient city built of rocks. Nobody knows what happened to the people and half the city is sunk in the ocean now. It was really cool. I also got to meet the Nanmwarki (King). I guess he owns the land with the ruins. I didn't know who he was until he left and the Elders told me, so I wasn't able to get a picture with him. 

We get to watch general conference this next Saturday and Sunday. It won't be too long of a wait this time around.

Love you all,

Sister Beutler

Pictures-*All the sister missionaries in our Pohnpein skirts.

*My Best attempt at a jack-o-lantern. They don't celebrate Halloween in Sapwalap and don't really grow pumpkins.

*Some of the Elders at the Nan Madal ruins

 

All the sister missionaries in our Pohnpein skirts

My Best attempt at a jack-o-lantern

Some of the Elders at the Nan Madal ruins

 

Kasalelie Maing Koaros,

Oh my goodness, I won't be able to watch conference until they send it to us with the Pohnpein translation. Sister Varea and I will watch it in English in the clerks office while the members watch the Pohnpien version in the chapel. It might be a few weeks until I can see it. So, I just heard about the age change for missionaries. That is crazy news. I so wish I could have come out here at 19. I think there will be so many more sisters coming now. That will be great. I've learned so much already that I never would have learned had I not come. My testimony grows more each day and I know how to really study and find answers though the scriptures and prayer. This new revelation will be such a blessing to so many people. 

We were able to have a baptism of Daniel and Javileen on Saturday. They are both 11 and have such strong testimonies. Unfortunately, Daniel's auntie was mad that he got baptized so she came and took him away Sunday morning so he couldn't be confirmed. I'm not sure why his parents let her take him but Daniel told his grandma that they can slap him or do whatever they want but he knows his decision was right. Hopefully we get everything straightened out so he can be confirmed this coming Sunday.We put the Valentine Family on a baptisimal date and and they are looking to be golden investigators. I can really see the parent's desire for their family to be joined in the church and the boys love coming to primary.

We also have an old woman that believes everything and comes to church but still doesn't quite understand the concept that we are the "only" church with priesthood authority. She has been baptized Catholic and Pros and doesn't know if she wants to get baptized a third time. Last night we really talked in depth about the authority of God with her and I know she knows this is the right church. She just needs a little time to pray about it.

I'm getting much more comfortable with speaking in Pohnpei. Sometimes my mind gets ahead of my mouth though and I forget to add some words in my sentences or even finish a thought. I always know when that happens though because the person I'm talking to just raises their eyebrows. People use their eyebrows to communicate a lot here. We have a language packet with lots of different things I have to pass off with my trainer and also with a local Pohnpein. This Wednesday is the day I plan to go for a whole day speaking only Pohnpein. We will see how that goes.

I love getting everybody's letters. It's fun to hear what's going on in your lives and also back home in good old Dayton.

Love you all,

Sister Beutler