Week 75 - Se Lao Tu

Weeelllll goodbye Pohnpei. I'm going to America early. I just got transferred to Guam. lucky me.

This week was crazy with Christmas and what not. But it was a fun week. I honestly cant remember what happened that was important that you'd like you hear. But.. OH
Yesterday my Fijian companion killed an eel at a drunk man's house. He was all fine with it and squirmed like a little girl when she yelled 'I killed it!'. She SMACKED it on the head with a machete. Several times. And then it didn't' die until we got back to the house and I stabbed it straight in the head with a bread knife in the sink. Fun times. 5 bucks that wont happen on Guam #woeisme

I'll be flying tomorrow. I hope to really hit the pavement when I get there and just find teach and baptize. The strangest people many times have told me 'I can feel great things are about to happen for you'. People like really faithful members, the senior couple, the father of a return missionary who visited Pohnpei for Christmas, other Sisters.. it's weird. But I guess miracles are gonna happen on Guam :)

Sister Felt video chatting with her family on Christmas Day

Love you all! I'll talk to you next week! Have a good week!
Ahi Limpoak Koaros,
Sister Felt

Week 73 - I dragged a frog down the road with my foot

I didn't mean to, but it was massive and disgusting and dark outside.

Dirty Feet

What a week!! I could probably sum it up by saying 'I learned a lot, all the things God gives me are trials preparing me now for the future to come' But I could also sum it up by saying 'It sucked and I was about thiis close to throwing in the towel and going home' The latter is a bit more dramatic (maybe. depends on your perspective) but I'd say both are accurate. Living with someone 24/7 is DIFFICULT. Especially if they don't know your language very well. Humans in general just require patience, maybe that's why it's a Christlike Attribute. Everything that's hard is good, and truly does work out for our own greatness! I can see how the absolute terribleness of missionary work that come with being imperfect truly work us into becoming more God like. If you're not working every day to be a little more like Jesus Christ, you're failing as a missionary. And you will not achieve any success in the work. I think I can also say you'd be failing as a human being if you're not trying, at least trying, to be a little more Christ-like each day.

In Pohnpeian the word 'mas' literally means first. "Kitail en kapakap mas". So, lucky me, I've had Christ mas every day for this entire year! ;) (I haven't been this punny in a while, it's kinda fun knowing that you people who read my emails can understand puns. I forgot I even knew how to be punny! (I'm going to be so strange when I get home...A mission is a good thing, I promise!)) What a blessing it has been to put Christ first for everything I do for almost a year and a half.

This week our chapel got dedicated. What a neat experience!!! 

Uh chapel dedication

Uh chapel dedication

I cant wait to share it with you when I'm home ;) Seriously though, there are so many cool things about this culture and the people and the gospel that I'd love to tell you all about in 2 months. Kanengamah! I promise I'll share it all with you. But the work is going forward here. In my heart, in my companions, in the Uh area, in the Uh branch, in the hearts and souls of the people on Pohnpei (and for those of you who still think I'm on Guam, I'm sure the work is moving forward there too).

Love you all! Keep the gospel moving forward in your hearts and your "Christmas" will be a great one!

Happy Holidays! And may your days be as merry and as sunny bright as mine ;)

Love,
Sister Felt


P.S. We just got a bed for Sister Marama. She's been sleeping on the floor and I've been on the broken spring board matress thing. We told our district leader and he laughed and said he and his companion have been sleeping on like 6 mattresses and we should have asked for beds, like, months ago. I'm getting my bed today.

Sister Marama on her new bed

Sister Felt on her new bed

We also got Air conditioning on Friday!!! TBH I think we've been living like the Elders on Chuuk. Oh well. all the more blessings in heaven for me......

Week 72

Glad to hear you had a good week. I had a good week too. P-day was on Tuesday this week because yesterday Elder Choi from the seventy came and had a conference with us missionaries. The conference was amazing. All throughout the meeting with Elder Choi, I just felt like my association with him was such a privilege. He interviewed two of us, and I got to be one of the lucky ones. :) In my interview, he just asked me to tell a little about myself and then asked if I had any questions. I did. And what I said surprised him and he said he'd never had any questions like that before. I asked Elder Choi if he has to memorize conference talks and if he has to present them before giving them in general conference. The answers were no, and yes. No, they don't memorize them, they have prompts put up while they speak. Yes, they present and the first presidency really respects the revelation the individual speakers receive. Exciting :)

Alma is progressing very well. Members have been bringing so many people to church. 9!!! And one of them we started teaching last night. His name is Lucas and lives with our Branch mission leader's Mom. They're amazing. Alma came to church of her own accord even though she was sick. This is the first time real miracles have been happening and hearts have been changing in my mission!!!!! I love it!!

I have to go, tell everyone I saw their emails but will read and respond next week. Thank you! I love you!

Love,
Sister Felt

Sister Felt with elders from her MTC group

Week 71 - It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

If that means yellow shirts and muddy hands, getting down in the dirt to pick up trash, and then eating rice and chicken with those same hands, then heck yes it's Christmas.
What a day I was treated with on Saturday!! I spent all week this week sitting down in meetings and planes, and then on Saturday I got to work and run and move. It was a great blessing from God :)

Worldwide Service Day

Normaleen and Elinda

Sevice Day on Pohnpei

The things that have stuck out to me this week are really just how much this church is a group we can all join to practice living better together. When we forgive each other and allow each other to make mistakes, this earth become a lot less chaotic and painful. The church is a group, Jesus established, where we can look to him and access his help as we walk all over our crooked paths seeking to be better people and make it back home to Heavenly Father. I love it. See Believe, Love, Do by dieter F. Uchdorf

MLC is another great experience I get to practice participating in a council and discussing needs and matters and learning from other people. I'm excited to participate in councils in church when I get home!!! 

MAX!!! My friend from home who is on Guam in the Air Force.
We were able to meet up at the mission office on Wednesday!

Do you still have a baptism scheduled for December 22nd? Heck Yes.
Have you seen any pretty sunsets or sunrises? I can see a pink sky through the banana trees out the window by my study desk when we do weekly planning at night
Taken any pretty pictures (hint hint)? did you see the pohnpei leaders? haha!

Pohnpei Leaders

What was the best thing that happened to you this week? Achko Welle!!!
On the plane to Guam, I got on and sat by the window. A few minutes later, a little 10 year old girl sat in the aisle seat next to me. No one sat in the middle, and I asked this girl what her name was. She was dressed american, but looked islander. She said hi and told me she was going to Chuuk to stay with her family. She told me all about how she grew up in honolulu and Denver and how she's super excited to see chuuk (her mom and dad's home) for the first time. I told her I had lived on pohnpei, an island like chuuk, for a year to be a missionary for jesus' church and help others come closer to christ and change their life. She told me how a year ago her friend gave her a song about jesus and she just wanted to start over, just change her life with a clean slate. And in her cute 10 year old vocabulary told me about how she wants to follow Jesus and change her life :) I pulled out the book of mormon and talked about how Jesus was resurected and visited the American Indians too, and then I got a really distinct impresson to just be bold. I stopped telling my cute little story and then looked Achko in the eyes and said 'hey, if you want to change your life, you HAVE to have this book. You cannot change your life without this book." Achko's eyes got really big, and with a gasp of breath said 'where can I get one??' ......I only had my personal book of mormon I've marked for a while now... I was going to take it home with me... 'umm' i said. 'here's mine' I gave it to her and she leaped across the seat and gave me a big hug. immediatly she started reading 1 Nephi 1 and finished it on the plane. She gained a testimony then and there of the truthfullness of the gospel, and we became best friends. I gave her a hug, said I love you, and said goodbye. I hope she finds the missionaries!!

Achko with my-now her-book

Tell me about a lesson you taught? @Achko

Love you!! Have a good week!

Some cool trees

Week 70 - Everything's Worth It

I have been on my mission for 16 months. I have been working like a dog day and night for 16 months. I have not received permission from the Lord to rest yet. I still have over 2 months to go, and I am tired. And sometimes, I feel like my work is all for nothing. Maybe no one cares, maybe no one will change, maybe not a single difference will be made on Pohnpei because of my 16 months of slaving and sacrificing. But I keep working.

Branch Mission Correlation Meeting

In our area, we only have 1 person who is genuinely interested in learning the gospel who we are currently teaching. Her name is Alma. She's old and had a stroke so she just stays home. She's the first person I've ever taught who has a genuine desire to learn and change. It came time to teach her about the plan of salvation, and my companion asked 'Did we exist before we were born? What do you believe about pre-earth life?' The family quickly responded 'no, we weren't alive'. I flew in as fast as I could with Pohnpeian and said, 'Yes, we were!' The old woman and her 10 year old grandson (who reads the Bible in English for fun???) got taken aback, and began to stare in wonderment and amazement. Alma looked down, and started to cry. That was all I said!! We did exist and there is a plan. You weren't born and created in vain just because your parents decided to have children. This truth-that SHE voiced through the power of the spirit-touched her so much, and it touched me too!!! I've gone my whole life knowing this, and this 65 year old woman JUST now learned it, an eternal truth about her identity. Her soul being touched has made my 16 months of work 100% worth it. I'd do all of this over again if it means I help one other child of God like I did her. Even if she's not baptized, I saw God talk to her, and I saw her feel it. And that makes all of this worth it.

Walking home from church

Go save the world and help other people feel the love that comes from learning who we are and who our Father in Heaven is. Keep on smiling and don't forget to pet a horse for me ;) Count your blessings! I've only got 2 months left to count mine on Pohnpei. Love you so much!!

Sister Felt

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Leftovers

For Thanksgiving this Elder bought a locally cooked dog from a pohnpeian,
BUT it wasn't cooked all the way so none of us got to eat it.
We also watched Incredibles 2 for thanksgiving :)

Cooked Dog

Week 69 - Third Times the Charm..?

This week, my companion from Fiji got Strep, and then got some migraines again. So we went to the doctor and I talked my way into getting some 5 H-T blocker medication from a doctor who didn't know what that was. And then we both got dehydrated from some weird bowel digestion malfunctions and went into a hyperventilation shock at separate times. our fingers and toes went numb and our nails and lips went grey. Basically I just keep thinking about the scripture where Jesus tells Joseph Smith, 'thou art not yet as Job'. Gone through three different kinds of illness and still recovering, but... all is weeelllll, all is well. :) Cuz at least now we can proselyte!!
Got transfer calls and all is the same. Except some funny stuff happened.....

So in the other Zone, which used to consist of just the other (west) half of the island, Sister Bennett (the Sister Training Leader) and the Zone leaders over there work together. and I work with my Zone leaders over here. But them over in the west been having some issues working together... soo, this transfer they changed things up in a very strange way.

Saying goodbye to the departees from Pohnpei

The two areas in west zone that touch east zone they have added onto east zone. Sister Bennett got moved to one of those areas. My area, which is in the very middle, farthest part of east zone, has now been 'moved' to be a part of the west zone. even though we are very much east. So I guess now I work with West zone leaders and help out my new/old buddies from the west!! yay! :D

We didn't get to work a lot this week due to illnesses. but My companion and I have been having an interesting time learning how to communicate and just buck up and speak even when you're scared the other one wont understand due to language barriers. I could probably be a lot more patient and kind (like Dallin H. Oaks talked about in the womens sesson of General Conference) But I'm doing what I can and things are going well :)

Sister Felt and Sister Marama

Our new chapel is going to be dedicated December 1st!! And we'll begin to have church there December 2nd!!! Last night we got to see our new investigator who we taught our first lesson to last Sunday, when she accepted a baptismal date for december 22nd (and then said she'll be expecting that day!!!) and we saw her again last night for the 2nd time (cuz we were sick. no proselyting) and she was still down for December 22nd :) whoot woot! She has some grandkids that I think will be baptized as well. I love this work and the gospel is true!!! We're just going around katengetengpene, sealing families all around this island to live forever with God and glory!!!

Ward Picnic

My companion always says 'go fiji go!' But I'll say 'go Jesus go!'

Love ya :)
Sister Felt

Week 68 - Zone Conference

Udahn I lokasang mihting en kosonnehdi Zone Conference.

Leeettttsss see....... Yesterday was Zone Conference so p-day was later this week. Last week on Tuesday we jumped the Sapwalap Elders car..

Wednesday we got together as leaders and did grown up counciling about what to do for Zone Conference

Wednesday NIGHT I accidentally ate some moldy bread and my stomach was in the most pain I've ever felt in my life. I ordered Sister Marama around to get things done to help me. She didn't know what to do. By 10:45 pm We called the Elders and they came running. I was in my PJ's sitting on the floor in fetal position with blurred vision and sweat pouring down my face when they came. My breathing and heart rate were through the roof!! They helped sit me in a chair in the house and gave me a priesthood blessing. The second they started to bless me, my breathing began to slow down and a great peace came over my whole body. The pain started to go away and I could function a little bit better. Those sweet Elders then stayed with us for another hour or two while we figured things out. They called the mission doctor and sat on the porch looking at the stars, patiently waiting so we'd know if I had to be rushed to the hospital or not. It turned out to be okay and the next day I felt a lot better.

Friday and Sunday the assistants came teaching with us and it was amazing!!! It's been soo long since I've taught with someone else who is confident and knows how to teach. It was really different listening to someone else teach. The spirit was so strong.

Monday we had Zone Conference and it was great :) Ate lots of food, was spiritually fed and learned so much about the doctrine of Christ. The light of Christ leads us to faith and repentance, which then will lead the willing and humble heart to baptism. Baptism prepares one for the reception of the holy ghost which is a great guide for us to help us get to the temple. Yay!! and then we just keep going and trying our best. Endure to the end! Long suffering! Which really isn't suffering if you know where to find the joy.

Pohnpei Zone

Love you all!! hope you've had a good week! theres about 6 elders behind us waiting to email, so I'll get going. I hope you're excited for winter and christmas time!! Love you!

Sister Felt

Week 67 - Ohl emen Kasohwe kiht wihket

This has been a.... fun.. week :) Halloween was actually GREAT because no one on Pohnpei really celebrates it except for in Kolonia. So we just got to walk around at night, wave at people, and say 'happy halloween' and make people laugh because no one was celebrating it. It was awesome :) In our area, missionaries have proselyted here forEEEVVER, so they kind of don't see us as people anymore. Just robots who share the gospel. So I've been taking a sly approach to things to get people to trust us more and want to respect us and open up to us. It's been working :) I had a serious conversation with an adult male the other day that started out as a silly joke. We're going to see him tonight! And if he doesn't get scared and hide from us he might actually learn something new :) Yay!

Eating a mango and filling out teaching records

Sister Marama comes from fiji, and in fiji they eat a ton of freshwater eels. Pohnpei so happens to have lots of freshwater eels, but no one eats them. Legend is that the Eels are like people. And mythical of sorts. So if you kill them, its just super disrespectful and the eels also might kill you. But my companion loooovvvess eating eels 🤣So every river we cross, she goes a'searching for some dinner ;) Ha! Just kidding. sort of... It's a funny conversation starter with the locals, but her eel searching can get a little out of hand as she starts poking them with sticks and then jumping when the 6ft long suckers move. It's disgusting.

Sister Marama

But we've had some fun just real belly laughing and feeling good joy. Life is good, the work moves on, and I stay exhausted ;)

Our water pipe

I really enjoyed president Nelson's talk from last november, 2017. It was SOOO good! I want to read the book of mormon so deeply I find exactly everything he's learned from it. I just feel like I don't have time to do that on a mission sometimes. I hope all is well back home and that you're ready for winter! aaaannnnddd CHRISTMAS! jk Thanksgiving first ;) Love you!! Have a great week!!

Sister Felt

Week 66 - I guess it's just one of those weeks...

I'm sorry. i don't really want to write a group email this week, you can just tell everyone i ran out of time and the power went out or something. ya. is that okay? You can send the pictures and what not. or you can make up a group email if you want! :D that'd actually be hilarious and I'd love to read it if you do. Or have Corine make up one. Hahahaha okay ya. Or send this as the groupie? idk. all I know is i LOVE you! and i am tired. that's all. I actually feel a lot better now after just talking to you through the computer and typing out my thoughts. it feels really nice. Thanks for listening :) Love you!
sister colie

Week 65 - General Conference and Migraines

So I think my companion is going to die, but it's okay because we have Faith in Jesus Christ! :D

Sister Marama

That's not a very funny joke because we're both actually a little concerned.... But every day since we've gotten to Pohnpei my companion has had massive headaches, she just wont be honest with me about them because she wants to proselyte. Finally on Thursday I saw through the lies and we stayed inside. We'll see a doctor tomorrow and figure things out, but she's been having pretty bad headaches, very frequently. She said she's gotten them ever since she fell out of a mango tree when she was little and only the local Fijian medicine or priesthood blessings fixes it. hhmmmm.....

Washing my hair in the rain

General Conference was just oh wow amazing! I have relearned what I knew so well at the beginning of my mission. Being an instrument in the lords hands is such a privilege!! (See Alma 26) It can be so so hard sometimes to realize that even though you're trying to do the 'Lords will' your actually just doing what you think is best based on your limited mortal perspective. But I've relearned just how much we actually need to rely on God because he really does know SO much more than us! Even when we know a pretty good amount on what we should do, we should still counsel with the Lord and seek his will. He's just so much better at everything!!

1 Nephi 22:24-26 has so much to do with what everyone in General conference talked about. The prophet commanded us to study general conference frequently, starting the week we hear it. Are you doing that? You really should. I cant wait to get the magazine!!

Pohnpei is beautiful and rainy. We watched General conference at Sapwalap chapel in the Family History room with 4 elders in english. The rest of the members watched it in the chapel in Pohnpeian. TBH I would have loved to join them in Pohnpeian, but my companion would have been so confused! The Family History room was absolutely freezing. I walked out of there and for lunch as we were shaking everyone's hands they all jerked their hands back and looked at me like I was a monster. I'm not a monster! Really! I just wish everyone would Let it Go!

Fiji and USA

Pictures of me with my two countries:
USA...

...and Micronesia

It's been a good week :) I've got a good companion and we've got a great plan to share our strong firm faithfilled testimonies with everyone we meet about the truthfullness of the Book of Mormon and the man who translated it by the power and gift of God. I know this church IS Christ's true and living church upon the Earth. He is gathering his people and doing all he can to help you hear his voice! He loves you, and his servant the prophet has asked us to pray sincerely to feel that love. I did! Haven't felt it yet, but I'm sure I will :) haha I love you all!! I hope you have a good week! And prepare for winter cuz I'm coming home soon..... 😏

Love you!!
Sister Felt

Cereal in my sweats. Sister Marama's on the floor cuz her head hurts.
But she still goofs. 😊

Week 64 - Fun fun fiji fun

Sister Marama. Sister Felt. Killin' it in Uh with no investigators on date to be baptized.

Sister Felt and Sister Marama on Guam - first day together

This week was lots of fun. My new companion is Sister Marama and she's from Fiji and she's way bubbly and happy and talkative and silly :) 

Sister Marama

She's got a little afro and it's legit. She's got lots of energy, it just needs to be directed. She studied hospitality in college, and so basically all she does is clean, clean, clean, and cook and it's really weird and really awesome. She's amazing! 

Sister Marama in front of our house in Uh

Sister Marama is really really positive. Sometimes I just want to be grumpy, and then she's happy and it reminds me I should not be grumpy.

Anywho Guam was a blast, MLC was good. Stayed up late with the STL's like every single night and just talked about deep gospel doctrine. 

Sister Training Leaders at MLC on Guam

Sister Bennett and I spent a lot of time together and we're becoming really good friends. Had a great time on the plane together! MLC will be in mid november next month because there's no MLC in december. Fun!

"Shopping" on Guam

I don't know what to write about, it's proselyting as usual. We are teaching many many people who's families don't support them joining the church. I don't know what we're gonna do. Find new investigators? 

Sister Felt at companionship study

There's just not many people and I feel like I could teach everyone here. But I wanna help the people I know NOW to be baptized. idk. we'll see. 

Enjoying the sunrise from our porch

Love you all!! I hope you enjoyed general conference!! I'm excited to see it and then read the book of mormon. have a good week!

Love,
Sister Felt

Week 63 - Whoa

I'M SO STOKED ABOUT THE TEMPLE I HAD NO IDEA. I also had no idea it was general conference THIS weekend. There are SOOOOOOOOO many missionaries going to guam this week. instead of the usual 15-20 missionaries on that island, this week there will be 50!!!!!!!!!! because of all the trainers and trainees and zone and sister training leaders and their companions on the islands where there are only 1 set of elders/sisters. crazy wild fun :)

Sister Palanite at our house in Uh

I've got lots to deal with right now. Hundreds of emails about MLC for tomorrow. I'm staying in Uh and training. I'm picking up a new missionary when I go to Guam this week for MLC. Sister Palanite is going to Kitti with sister Bennett. Sister Schow is being transferred to Guam whitewashing an area and training. Fun :) Sister Caldwell and Sister Teriitaohia are still the same in Kolonia. Basically every single other area on the island changed. myself and the zone leaders and the brand new missionary in one area of our Zone are the only missionarys who did not move around. CRAZY!

Okay ya wow so they'res a temple on Guam? That's pretty neato. General Conference didn't get breathed a word here on Pohnpei, so we'll all freak out about it in a month.

THIS week we worked our guts out despite a large lack of understanding and communication. It's just hard when you don't understand one another. And it's not like either of us had bad intentions! It's just hard. But we still got lots of good work done and got two lovely friends of ours to church on Sunday :) AND developed some great relationships with Less Active Members and their non member husbands.

Walking with our two investigators!!!
They're soooo good. We're bros. If a sister can be a bro. And I very much can.

About the less active member, her name is Margarihta Sahm and shes a RM. She 'married' a Pohnpeian man who is not a member and they have a cute little girl. We've never met the husband, and we've been having a large problem with the husbands of all the women we're working with. They don't like us, don't wanna talk to us, and avoid us. and they're keeping their wives from being baptized. Or at least that's the excuse the wives give.

ANYWAYS.

We met Margarihta's husband on Saturday :) The relationship with her is rocky as it is, but we sat down and chatted for a bit. Then the husband came out of a room and pulled out one of those soft, zipper gun cases and pulled a small gun out of it. Guns are illegal on Pohnpei. But a few people have some strong bb guns for shooting birds. I was curious so I asked what he had there. He said 'gun', and I asked if I could see it. He pulled it out of the case, and then to my surprise, he unloaded those familiar .22 shells out of the chamber and my heart leaped! AN ACTUAL RIFLE. oooooohhhhh I got soo excited! Not just because of the gun, but because of what the gun means here on Pohnpei. This man was a hunter! I asked what he had it for, and sure enough!!! He hunts deer!! Margarihta said he killed a buck JUST LAST WEEK. Oh my gosh I was FREAKING out!! She pulled out her phone and showed me the pictures of the deer he shot. He said (impressively) the deer weighed a whopping 130 pounds. I looked at the pictures and then smiling like a fool said "I'm a hunter too!" He looked surprised, and then we chatted for a bit about how we hunt in the states and how they hunt here on Pohnpei. So funny :) Then he started to gather some things and said he was actually leaving right then to go hunt up in the mountains for the night. ooooohhhh oh my soul LOOONNNGNGGED to go with him!!! Apparently it showed on my face because margarihta laughed and said "Maybe she wants to go too! When you get back sister felt, he'll take you and you can kill a deer too"

They have our phone number now and will call us when he shoots a deer again.

Give it 2 more months and we'll have him coming to church :) Friendships are the best.

Breaking our fast

I don't know what else to write about. Teaching a lot of people who are catholic and don't want to be baptized but said they're happy to hear our teachings. So we're hoping to have the spirit whisper to their hearts that these things are true. And then after that confirmation is made we will help them recognize that to follow the path of Jesus Christ, they need to experiment upon our words and come to church, and then some day be baptized :) We'll see how this goes.

Love you all!! Enjoy general conference and don't eat too much junk.
Sister Felt