Week 10

POHNPEI (Panasong Church Building)

Oh my wow. I don't even know where to start. Definitly the best week of my mission so far. My companion is Sister Behling from Payson Utah. She's been out for 13 months and I am her first American companion who speaks English as a first language. She's incredible. Her first companion was Sister Alanzo. She was my "first temporary companion" when I got to Guam off the plane. Sister Alanzo was a native to Pohnpei and served here on the island. She was from Kitti (where I am serving now). 

Meeting Sister Behling

Anywho, So I got here on Monday and emailed and then the next step was for Sister Behling and I to find our area. We literally had nothing. The STL's had all my suitcases and Behling's stuff, and we just had our satchels and water. We had to find the phone for our area, keys to the house and our car, we had to find our car, and then get a hold of the STL's to get our stuff, and then find someone to take us to our area because neither of us knew where it was and there is no such thing as a map in Micronesia. Also we didn't know where our house was. So it was all an adventure! Finally, we found two Elders (Elder Mueller who was one of my companions flying out here and his trainer) who knew where our area was, and they took us there. Our car is sketch. Smells like cat pee and has the check engine and flat tire lights on. But at least we have a car! We got to our house around 6:00. So it was the end of P-day. Sister Behling is, like I've said a billion times, incredible and so she determined that we need to be exactly obedient, but we also need to be logical and take care of ourselves. So we opened the door and got inside. And sure enough, it was an Elders house. So it was pretty nasty. Also, the two Elders that were there previously hadn't gotten all the information in their transfer call. So the one who went to Guam packed all his stuff, but the other thought he was coming back, so he left everything in the house still. We moved everything he left into the closet room and then put our suitcases in the cleanest part of the floor. Then we took the sheets and paw patrol blanket off the elders bed and put our bedding on the beds, kinda made ourselves at home. After we established ourselves somewhat, we tiptoed out of the house through the mess and went out proselyting. Incredibly, After having only like 3 hours of sleep in two days/two nights, I was doing pretty okay. And we met our neighbors and land lady. It was dark though so we didn't go far. (all year round here it gets light at 6am and dark at 7pm. It's pretty reliable, and makes for some killer dinner time sunsets). Because of my lack of sleep, my companion said we're going to bed at 9:00 because I still needed to adjust. Which was true. So I passed out.

The next day we got up and got permission to deep clean the house and really settle in. Holy cow Elders are nasty.. haha not really, but it was pretty gross. Our house is so cute and tiny, no hot water and barely an AC, and in the middle of the jungle. OH! Our AREA. Oh my wow the Lord truly loves me!! Yap was great and jungley and all, and a lot of Pohnpei is pretty cool, but our area is literally jungle. We're in the middle of the forest hiking on trails going miles and miles all day to find peoples houses in the jungle. Have I mentioned we're living in the jungle? No supermarkets, no parking lots, nothing really. Little side stores that somehow get oreos and pretty good homemade doughnuts.

The view from our front porch

So no one here speaks English really, especially in my area. I'm in the oldest part of Ponpeian meaning that it's the most cultural and is the only one that speaks real true pohnpeian. So I'm picking up the language fast. 

But our first night here, we drove around and met this family by accident. (sister behling drove the car off the side of the road like jones did on Yap. but it was fine because we got out easy). The family came and helped us and they spoke really only pohnpeian. but they were on date with the Elders! They don't remember it, but the area book says they're on date for Oct 14th. Anywho, we've been working with them and the woman Alwisia (alweesee-uh) fed us fresh ocean fish and rice for dinner. It was incredible and we ate with our hands. pretty sure that's what made me a little sick but whatever. Im sure I'll get used to it. But I kid you not, we hike through at least a mile of jungle every day going to and from peoples homes. And there's LOTS of pigs here. There are some that people own and have in pens behind our house and so sometimes our water smells like pig and they squeal in the morning when they're being fed. But I like it! It's really fun.

The local pigs outside our house

Sacrament meeting. Oh my goodness. I thought Yap was small. There were about 40 people at church yesterday. and Four of them were preisthood holders. two of those four were missionaries. Elders Pilami and Yamamoto (Elder Pilami was one of my companions getting here too. The guy is amazing). We had to wait to start sacrament meeting-which was held outside under a tent tarp-for the branch president to show up. And then we had the branch president, one of his councilors, and the two missionaires. the missionaries blessed and passed the sacrament and the presidentcy presdied. The rest of the people were woman and children. The big main problem with our area, is that it takes 3 or 4 hours to walk to church from the edge of our area boundaries closest to the branch (the branch is in Kitti which is the Elders area). and no one has a car. So members in Kitti (pronounced Kitchi. the i making an eee sound.) drive out to Pehleng (our area) and pick people up for church. It's so small. Yap was tiny too, but I cant even describe Kitti.

We went to primary this week. And the kids were so cute! some sat by me during sacrament meeting and tried talking to me. I said in broken pohnpeian that I only know a little bit of pohnpeian, I'm learning. So they talked slower and with more emphasis and tried to teach me. It was so cute! After church we all sat down and the little girls braided my hair and put flowers in it just like Rapunzel and they tried to teach me pohnpeian. No one here speaks English, so i'm picking up the language fast!!

Love you all! We gotta go get our money and such and do laundry and everything. Wahoo. P day is great :)

Sister Felt