The Great Drought

Dear Family,

It sounds like all is well back home in Dayton. The Pohnpein skirt suits you Mary. I think I'll have to bring one home for all my sisters. They are so nice and versatile. Most the women wear two; one pulled up over their chest and the other on their waist. They make a perfect apron, bath robe, or hankey for when you have a runny nose. :-)  I'm glad your talk went well. I can see how it would be hard to talk about 3 missionaries and keep you talk down to 20 minutes.

Jacob, I still never found out when you graduated but I assume it has come to pass seeing that you are applying for jobs. I will be praying for you to find the best one to match your family. I know you won't have a problem finding one. You've always been a hard worker and have the experience and grades to back it up.

A couple weeks ago we had a "great drought" in Pohnpei. It hadn't rained for nearly two weeks and all the water was turned off in Kolonia for 4 days. The banana trees were even starting to wilt. It's funny hearing that you are in a drought when there is still greenery all around you. 

Elis and Daisy are still being awesome investigators. Daisy has already read the first ten chapters of the Book of Mormon and Elis is giving up beetle nut. He has only chewed 2 in the last 3 days. This is a huge improvement from the 40 he used to chew every day. 

Lorcina and Rachel both got baptized on Saturday. Their families came and I'm hoping we can encourage their parents to continue coming to church and setting a good example for their children. The girls were both so excited to be baptized and it was extra special because they are cousins. Most the people at the baptism were Kirinese so they got to have the baptismal service mostly in their native language.

Meagan (a Pohnpein girl that joins us teaching) and Ansleen (one of our recent converts) saw that I had hair on my feet and toes during the lesson and so afterwards they decided it all needed to be pulled out. They started doing plucking it and said that when a Nanmwarki (king) is sleeping, it is rude to wake him up by patting him so instead they pull out his toe hair. It was a painful experience. The Pohnpeins seem to have an obsession with hair. They are always grooming each other getting lice and other such things out.

Our shower tiles started falling off on Friday and all the wood behind had rotted away so the only thing holding the tiles up was the grout. Today they are fixing it and our electricity so we can have light in our bathroom.

Well, I still love all of you very much,

Sister Beutler

Kaselelie Family and Friends,

This has been one of those really good weeks. We had Yuri, a Chuuckese girl, staying with us. She came to do her visa and medical for her mission and ended up having to stay for a whole week. Since there were three of us we were able to go on lots of splits. We were able to do lots of finding and contacting and still teach plenty of lesson too. The Andon family is back on a baptismal date. They said they could see the difference in their life when they stopped coming to church and reading and so they are all working to be baptized in March.

On Friday the patriarch for the Guam stake came to do a fireside. Since Guam is the only island in the mission with a stake, President Meecham got special permission for him to give patriarchal blessings to around 42 specially selected people in Pohnpei. This will be such a great blessing for the strong members in Pohnpei who have never had the opportunity to go to the Phillipines and get their blessing. After the fireside President Mecham had a little meeting with all the missionaries. Sister T. Varea and Fatongia made me cupcakes and cookies for my birthday so all the missionaries sang to me and then we all ate the spoils together. 

I went on exchanges to Sapwalap at the beginning of this week. It felt like I was going back home. I loved seeing the people there again. There is just something special about that area of the island. One of the very less-active families we were working with there is active again. We had family home evening with them and the mother shared a very strong testimony with us. It brought me so much joy to see how much their family has grown since I left. I get to go on exchanges there again this week. 

We went to teach a family Saturday evening and they had gone to Paliker but their renters were home so we taught them instead. The man has heard the discussions at different times in his life since he was in 6th grade. He says he is just waiting for his answer to know if it's all true. By the sounds of things I think he already has received his answer and just hasn't recognized it. They both had lots of good soul searching questions and I'm excited to teach them more. 

I have found a new brother. At district meeting our newest Elder to the island (Elder Ryan Curtis Vause) asked me if I knew any Beutlers in Farr West. I told him I had an aunt and uncle there and he told me he was named after cousin Curtis and he also knew Bryan and his family. According to the island culture that pretty much makes him my brother. I had to send a picture. The couple missionaries think we look like siblings. I'm not so sure of that myself. 

Elder Ryan Curtis Vause and Sister Beutler

Mom and dad, it sounds like you had a great week. What a blessing to actually see the humanitarian item given to those in need. I love you both very much and pray often for God to stay with you in your work out there. Hearing about your missionary work every week is just another testimony that the gospel is flooding the earth at a greater pace. I know it won't be long until it has reached every ear on all the four quarters of the earth.  

Well, I think that's all folks. Love ya' 

Sister Beutler

Dear Family,

Ahhh, I knew my birthday was soon but I didn't realize how old I was going to be until the momma wished me a happy 22nd birthday.  My companion just turned 25 last month though so I guess I don't have to feel super old. Thanks for the birthday wishes. I wish you all a Happy Valentines too. Mary, I think my special someone is just going to have to be Sister Varea this year. 

A few days ago Sister Varea and I went out to a house more in the jungle area. We saw a really cool tree so she climbed it to get a picture. She sort of tried to slide/jump down from the branch and ended up falling and hitting several branches on the way down. She is doing fine though, just has a lots of scrapes and bruises on her arms and legs. We won't be climbing trees anymore.

On Saturday I learned how to husk a coconut with a big sharp stick. 

Tuesday during our dinner hour I taught all the young women the Virginia Reel. Then I played the harmonica while they danced. It was kind of an on the fly thing and the harmonica I had was a cheap tin one, but they had a great time. 

We went out teaching with the zone leaders on Thursday for the whole day. They didn't really give us any feedback afterwards, but it was interesting to see how they teach and how they speak the language. 

Yesterday we saw two different fights. It's kind of funny how people will all come out of their houses and congregate around a fight just to watch. One woman was just screaming and screaming for no reason. The people all ran to her to watch her scream and when we asked what was going on they said her boyfriend was mad at her for getting drunk so she was just acting crazy. I'm sure she'll be the talk of that community for the next week or so. 

The Andon family that was doing so well and getting ready to be baptized just stopped progressing and have been to busy to see us the last couple weeks. We will hopefully be able to have a talk with the mother this next week but Sister Varea is pretty sure we will have to rest from them. I'm a little disappointed and I'm really hoping and praying that won't be the case. 

The rest of our work is going well. We plan to have a baptism this Saturday. We've been working with the girl and her parents. Her father used to be a branch president but he and her mother went inactive long ago. He seems to really be ready to get back on his feet and has been joining the daughter's lessons. The whole family plans to be at the baptism. 

Well I love you all, Mom and Dad I wish you the best with your missionary work. You both sound like you are staying very busy. 

God bless,

Sister Beutler

Sister Beutler by some of the old Japanese tanks they used in the war here.

Hello again,

Our transfer was supposed to end last Sunday, but when our district leader called for our transfer call we were told that this transfer is going to be extended two weeks so that we are in-sync with the MTC transfers. Anyway, everyone in the whole mission will be extending their mission for two more weeks now. The rumors are that all the new missionaries will be coming at the end of this transfer. That means our island will probably be splitting some big areas very soon. Yay!

We were teaching Ansleen (the little girl that was just baptized last week), and before the lesson started she was getting a big kick out of pointing out all the parts of my body that were white. Then, in the middle of the lesson she turned to Sister Varea and said "look at her ears."  Sister Varea replied, "What about them," she then said "They're white too," and burst out laughing. 

We picked up an old investigator this week who told us she just got a new baby. She has four boys and wanted a girl so when her sister had a baby girl she asked if she could have it. Sister Varea says on all the islands it's very common to adopt your siblings children if you want them and the mother consents. 

When we ate dinner with a member family this week, one of the little girls started teaching me a traditional Pohnpein stick song/dance. Most of their cultural dances have disappeared so only selected people still know a few.  

I hope you are all still doing well. I was sad to hear that President Winward passed away. He was one I definitely expected to still be around when I came home. 

Esther, I know you always write an end of the year letter. I just wanted you to know that I have been waiting very patiently to receive it :)

I send all my love,

Sister Beutler

Family Dear,

Wow, that looks like it was quite the train wreck in Dayton. I remember when the truck crashed into the train when I was I senior in high school. For a month after that I would get all scared and sweaty every time I had to drive over the train tracks. It's strange hearing about the snow storms at home and people sliding off the road. That all seems so foreign to me like those things just happened in a make-believe life a long time ago. I'm afraid I'll be in for another big cultural shock when I return home someday.

We had our zone conference this week. President Mecham's training was very inspirational as usual. He told us that declaring the gospel is the most important work going on the world today. This is a great and marvelous work and it wasn't meant to be done in a ordinary way. He also told us that in the next transfer only two missionaries are going home and 18 will be arriving. That means Pohnpei might be splitting some of the really large areas. That would be wonderful. Right now there are some people that have to walk at least 4 hours just to get to the nearest church. One 70-year-old woman in one of the areas walks 3 hours to church and 3 hours back every single week. If only all the members could be that dedicated. 

Our little Ansleen got baptized this Saturday with her cousin Leona (a child of record). It was a nice little baptismal service. 

There is this house we have started teaching at with lots of new people every time we go. The two constant people that we see every time is a man named Joab, and an old 83 year old woman. Every time we come, the woman is so excited and makes everyone sit down and listen. I don't think she understands a thing we are saying because she's a little senile and speaks a different dialect but a couple days ago I was giving her a hug goodbye and she grabbed my arm and sang me a little song. I couldn't really tell what it was about but I'm pretty sure it was a nice song. 

Keep pushing forward, continue praying for missionary experiences, and remember that I love you all very much!

Sister Beutler

Flu Season

Dear Family,
I don't have much to tell this week. I forgot to look in my journal before I came to the computer place and now I can't remember much of what I did Monday through Wednesday. Thursday I woke up feeling terrible. I had a sore throat, runny nose, and a fever that just got worse throughout the morning. We went to District Meeting and by the end of that I decided I needed to rest. I ended up sleeping the rest of that day. By Friday evening I thought I was doing well enough to go out, so we went to three of our evening appointments where I struggled to speak loud enough for my investigators to hear me. By the end of the evening my fever was back and I was aching all over. Saturday we went to the doctor who didn't really look at me. She just asked me what was wrong and then gave me a bunch of different kinds of pills. I think she was just hoping one of them would solve the problem. The congestion pills made me feel depressed and angry so I stopped taking that one. Yesterday I was feeling a little better and tired of being in the house so we went out teaching all afternoon. I'm feeling pretty good today. Now I mostly just have a cough. Lots of the missionaries have been getting sick lately.

Tomorrow is our zone conference so we get to see and be trained from our mission President. I'm excited for that. They always make really good food for zone conferences too. I hear rumors that we are going to have tacos. The other two sisters are stay overnight so they don't have to drive back again for conference. That means we get to teach twice as many people tonight. We need to catch up for all the appointments we missed.

Mamma, my stove is an electric stove. They are waiting for a part from Guam to fix it but it seems like orders from Guam take several months to get here for some reason. 

The picture is from when I was in Sapwalap. It is a giant lobster.

 

Gaint Lobster from Sapwalap

Oh it was my companion's birthday on Tuesday and we went to a member's house for dinner. Afterwards I taught the member how to dance to cotton-eyed joe. She had a great time and her kids and Sister Varea had a great time laughing at us.

Kasalel

My Dear Family,

Rayleen got baptized and confirmed this past week. She's such a sweet girl and I know she will stay strong in the church. 

I tried a fruit called soursap this week. It's just coming in season so lately everyone has been eating it. It's super sour but then has a sweet after-taste. It's a strange fruit but I really like it. 

On Saturday we were in a hurry to leave the house to get to our appointment on time. We walked the 2-ish miles down to Kolonia and when I took off my shoes to go in a house I noticed I had two different shoes on (one black and one brown, they were even different styles). I had a long dress on so it wasn't as noticeable but I did end up walking around all day with mismatched shoes. Sister Varea couldn't stop laughing. 

Yesterday the young women asked me to lead the closing hymn for sacrament meeting because they said it was a hard one. I looked and saw it was "How Great Thou Art" which is just a 4/4 song. When I started leading I soon realized why it was so hard. Everyone was singing a Methodist melody that didn't even sound the same at all. It also didn't help that Pohnpeins love to drag out all their notes and sing loud enough to drown out the piano. Sister Varea and the young women just sat and chuckled at me the whole song as they watched me struggle to lead. 

Sister Andon and her kids were supposed to be baptized this next week but we extended it a week because she is scared. She says she still swears at her kids and gossips so she doesn't feel quite ready yet. She is such a funny lady. Her husband just lost his job because he went in for a different job interview. Hopefully he gets the new job. That way he won't have to work on Sundays anymore and can come to church. I really feel like God is working in their lives right now to prepare the family to be baptized and eventually go to the temple together. 

We taught a professor from Africa last night. He is a very intellectual person and had a lot to tell about his background. He was schooled in the states first in Texas, then Oklahoma, and then New York. It will be fun teaching him. He loves to talk. It's a little hard getting enough words in to teach, but he is really interested to learn about our church and plans to come to church next week. Here's crossing our fingers that nothing really weird happens in our meetings! :)  

Momma, I do know an Elder Hansen. He came to Pohnpei the same time as me. He says to tell Elder May hi.

Elder Lyman also wants to know if you know an Elder Collin Meclain, if so, he also says hi. 

Be good boys and girls

Love You All,

Sister Beutler

Oh one more thing, Sister Andon's husband told her one night as they were going to bed that he just feels something inside when we come and he has decided to give up smoking. That is the biggest miracle I have seen this week.