I got time to send pix cuz I'm at the mission office. Love you baby!
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
9 months - That’s as long as a pregnancy!
MOMMMMMY!!!!!!
The computer finally worked!! It wasn’t working for the longest time and I was so nervous that I wasn’t going to be able to email with you!! But life is good and it worked out!! This week was way good for me!! I haven’t recieved any packages or letters for the last 6 weeks or so… so I’m sure they are on their way J haha well, they better be J I didn't write those letters for nothing!!
HAHAHA YOU GOT PULLED OVER!!!! [I did not get a ticket, though!] I told you I’m the best driver in the family and I meant it and this just goes to show that I’m right ;) haha just kidding, well kinda kidding, but mostly serious! Haha I miss driving. If I ever get blessed to be a zone leader out here then I get a car. But the chances of that aren't high, but I don’t wanna. Haha I like just doing what I'm doing. I really don’t wanna drive a car for 2 years just to say that I didn't. And it would be that much better when I get home!!! Especially in that freezing white stuff you ri-belles call snow… haha funny.
This week was so fun. Just a good week. Got in like 28 studies, and found a bunch of new people and just got complimented a ton on my language skills. I know its not a competition, but its legit and so nice to have people say that you are way good. Haha and yeah maybe I am a bit of a show off haha I came up with an obedience scale and duiriba and I are really pumped about it and it makes trying our best just was fun and it pushes us hard!! He is really pumped about it so that’s been helping him out a ton!!
I just can't believe how far I have got in my mission. 9 months. That’s as long as a pregnancy… haha funny to think about eh? Haha I thought that was funny!! Jeako, my investigator was actually just interviewed this last Saturday and will be baptized this Saturday!! So keep praying for her!! I know dad mentioned a bit about it! We are teaching like crazy. For one of our studies, I sat Dui down and we both wrote out 100 questions to ask people and to help start conversations. Then spent the next couple of days translating them into Marshallese!! It was so good for us and just makes us better. Duiriba is a way tight kid. He’s really opening up and being cool!
Its pretty funny, in the Marshallese song book there are like 55 pages of songs, but we only sing like 3 on average… each ward here has their favorite 3 songs so yeah I started keeping tallys of what songs are sung… haha its hilarious to page through the book and see 40 tallys on one song then the next one have zero. Haha it’ll be funny to show you guys all the little stuff that I did on my mission! I got a ton of elders to start keeping track of songs sung and such. Just the finer things in the mission are what pumps you up!
So I don’t get too much time to email you today. But I'm gonna send you a bunch of pictures!! I got to walk to some of the outer islands on Majuro Atoll because the tide was down!! Its sooo awesome and it just feels like I'm in paradise!!! I get to watch conference this week which I'm way excited about too!! I hope you guys enjoy it. I never really took advantage of watching it when I was at home. It was fun at BYU cuz there were good looking girls to go with! Take it seriously and try to get the most out of it! I know that it was like 3 weeks ago, but you can still read it and still get a lot from it. Its scripture for our day. So just do it J
So Dad awhile back talked about sending out a voice recorder that you can put SD cards into, if you have it you guys should send that out to me so I can say some stuff in Marshallese and give you guys recordings and such!!! Also pants, my pants are getting worn and maybe by Christmas time would be nice to maybe get a new pair. Tan and blue and black khaki pants would be the best!! Like the dockers ones or something. Idk. Not the dressy suit pants tho, they are no good, and machine washable. Haha most of my pants are dry clean only and the Marshall Islands doesn’t know what that means.. haha Also, a lady named Mommity added me on the FB, so if you can you should add her!! She's hilarious. Haha and idk if you guys remember my binoculars but they should be in the closet in my bedroom up against the wall on the right side!! If you guys have absolutely nothing to send me, but are dying to send me something, you could send me those!! Grandpa Dennis would be well pleased that I am using them!!
Okay on to the stuff that matters… recipes…. I wanna know how to make; no peek chicken, garlic bread, carmel popcorn and homemade tortillas!!! You should hook me up with some recipes!!! [Every one of my missionary sons at some point on their missions has asked for recipes from home! Warms my heart to know that they miss my home cooked meals! - MOM]
I love you mom. It seems that every couple days its pday… just going by so fast with me… but its good. I just gotta get to work!!! I got asked to play for the Majuro vball team in there tournament that is coming up!! I had to say no, but dang!! That is quite the compliment… ahaha its so fun playing vball out here!! I'm getting super good too!!! We have a ton of baptisms coming up and I'm just pumped for the progress!! Its so fun!!! And we have really found some awesome families to just go hang with all the time in Uliga!! The work is awesome!!
Please tell Dad I love him and love what he does for me, I only have time to email you this week because of the internet problems. I will get to everyone next week for sure!!! I love you all. You are the best. I think about you guys all the time. I will be right back. See you soon.
Love you baby cakes
Elder Ingalls
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
I got to bear my testimony to the President of the Marshall Islands!!!
Mommy!!!
Yokwe eok :) Life is going well out in the Marshall Islands! I always say this place is a paradise and it completely is… most of the time! This island is so beautiful in some places and the nastiest thing ever in the other places. Its hard for people to keep their island clean I guess, especially with no real solution to garbage problem. Haha The pictures you see in the pamphlets and on the internet are indeed real, but they don’t give you the whole picture!! That’s for sure!! I can't wait to come back here some day and do the tourist stuff!!! That will be so cool!
So I wrote out a letter to you guys this week and put some stuff that you guys would like from a brochure and I got that all sent to you a couple days ago. So you should be looking for that in the next couple of days/weeks. Haha basically whenever you can get it… Idk when. So yeah you will like it, it tells a really detailed explanation of downtown and I wrote on it explaining stuff to you!!
This week was awesome with me. I got to do a ton of awesome things. Having a Fijian comp can be difficult and frustrating, but boy do I love the kid, especially when we got to go to the Fijian independence day party at the resort Saturday night!!! I had the best Fijian (only Fijian) food I have ever had!! That was the most fun party ever!! I was sitting at the table and we really aren’t supposed to go dancing as elders but that’s not the Fijian way… the old ladies came and got me and made me dance with them haha such a good time!! Its weird it made me realize a lot of stuff. Partially because I don’t know Fijian… and their culture… but I realized that I’m white. I have been on my mission for 9 months and not one day has gone by where I think I’m Marshallese… but I have just grown to not look at these people any differently than myself and I just felt like over that last months I have just started to fit in. I just feel like I'm part of them. I know their language…kinda haha I do what they do (except spearfishing!) and I am just friends with all of them and they all think I’m hilarious… and I literally don’t do anything… probably cuz I accidently call people “breasts” instead of “friends”. It was an accident...promise! Haha funny stuff.
Anyway, I had a freaking awesome week. Way good, way spiritual, did some serious work and just tried my best to be the best. There were many days where we didn’t have one single lesson planned so we just had to find, contact and visit members all day. But was that fun when we just turned it into a game and just see how many people we could talk to in a day! Our record is 176 people that we talked to in one day. We shared messages with about half, and the other half we just chatted with. People here are so humble and they will talk to you no matter what. Tanner and Logan never got that where they served. Idk if I would be able to do what they did and have so many people not like you or be rude to you. I’m here for a reason. That’s all. I came up with a formula for lessons taught and also a scale for obedience! I got Elder Duiriba super excited about being the best on the scale and just trying hard and he's way into it!! He’s getting up on time and we run 3 miles then lift after. Still getting ripped haha Some of our investigators are getting baptized in the next week as well!! I’m way pumped about the progress we have had in such a short amount of time!! This week was one week where I felt like I could do this forever. I did what I needed to do and I was way happy about doing it. I love this work!!
On that note… I miss BYU. Haha I’m excited to go back to BYU with my freshman fam there!! Bunji and Geoff seem like they are doing well!! I remember when I first got out on my mish some elders said they missed school…. Haha funniest thing in the world because I thought they were nuts! But now I'm saying the same thing! It’ll be fun and I’m enjoying everyday out here. No rush to get back into the world. This week we saw the President of the Marshall Islands at a restaurant and he invited us to sit with him and eat lunch and he bought us ribs!! Sooooo good!! He is way nice and I couldn’t believe he did that. Not too often you have the president of a country buy you lunch. It was awesome because he kept complimenting my language and Dui wouldn’t talk so it was basically me talking to him for like a hour!! I got to bear my testimony to the President of the Marshall Islands!!! WAY COOL!!
I’m happy that Logan is doing his thing. Sounds like the kiddies are doing well. I’m glad Conner was able to get a job and start working. Hopefully they can give him enough hours and he can just go wild and get money and get on his feet. Has he talked with Pattberg yet? Make sure he is and keep talking to him and get his plan figured out!! I’m praying for that boy sooooo much. And I know they are answered. Tanner and that date… what the freak!! I wanna see the pix of the girl though…. I don’t believe anything until the pix come!
I gotta bounce soon because we are doing a combined pday with the whole island of elders!! I wanna write more but I'm just running out of time. But I'm going to try and hand write you some more letters this week!! I’m excited for my birthday coming up!! Haha its cool because its on pday for me so hopefully I can do something fun!!! You guys are awesome and just such good role models for me. I hope I can do the same for you guys. I love this church. I wish all of my friends could know it too. I know they would be happier than they are now. Someday :) I’m doing what I want, and I’m making my dreams reality :) haha I love you!
Yokwe eok :) Life is going well out in the Marshall Islands! I always say this place is a paradise and it completely is… most of the time! This island is so beautiful in some places and the nastiest thing ever in the other places. Its hard for people to keep their island clean I guess, especially with no real solution to garbage problem. Haha The pictures you see in the pamphlets and on the internet are indeed real, but they don’t give you the whole picture!! That’s for sure!! I can't wait to come back here some day and do the tourist stuff!!! That will be so cool!
So I wrote out a letter to you guys this week and put some stuff that you guys would like from a brochure and I got that all sent to you a couple days ago. So you should be looking for that in the next couple of days/weeks. Haha basically whenever you can get it… Idk when. So yeah you will like it, it tells a really detailed explanation of downtown and I wrote on it explaining stuff to you!!
This week was awesome with me. I got to do a ton of awesome things. Having a Fijian comp can be difficult and frustrating, but boy do I love the kid, especially when we got to go to the Fijian independence day party at the resort Saturday night!!! I had the best Fijian (only Fijian) food I have ever had!! That was the most fun party ever!! I was sitting at the table and we really aren’t supposed to go dancing as elders but that’s not the Fijian way… the old ladies came and got me and made me dance with them haha such a good time!! Its weird it made me realize a lot of stuff. Partially because I don’t know Fijian… and their culture… but I realized that I’m white. I have been on my mission for 9 months and not one day has gone by where I think I’m Marshallese… but I have just grown to not look at these people any differently than myself and I just felt like over that last months I have just started to fit in. I just feel like I'm part of them. I know their language…kinda haha I do what they do (except spearfishing!) and I am just friends with all of them and they all think I’m hilarious… and I literally don’t do anything… probably cuz I accidently call people “breasts” instead of “friends”. It was an accident...promise! Haha funny stuff.
Anyway, I had a freaking awesome week. Way good, way spiritual, did some serious work and just tried my best to be the best. There were many days where we didn’t have one single lesson planned so we just had to find, contact and visit members all day. But was that fun when we just turned it into a game and just see how many people we could talk to in a day! Our record is 176 people that we talked to in one day. We shared messages with about half, and the other half we just chatted with. People here are so humble and they will talk to you no matter what. Tanner and Logan never got that where they served. Idk if I would be able to do what they did and have so many people not like you or be rude to you. I’m here for a reason. That’s all. I came up with a formula for lessons taught and also a scale for obedience! I got Elder Duiriba super excited about being the best on the scale and just trying hard and he's way into it!! He’s getting up on time and we run 3 miles then lift after. Still getting ripped haha Some of our investigators are getting baptized in the next week as well!! I’m way pumped about the progress we have had in such a short amount of time!! This week was one week where I felt like I could do this forever. I did what I needed to do and I was way happy about doing it. I love this work!!
On that note… I miss BYU. Haha I’m excited to go back to BYU with my freshman fam there!! Bunji and Geoff seem like they are doing well!! I remember when I first got out on my mish some elders said they missed school…. Haha funniest thing in the world because I thought they were nuts! But now I'm saying the same thing! It’ll be fun and I’m enjoying everyday out here. No rush to get back into the world. This week we saw the President of the Marshall Islands at a restaurant and he invited us to sit with him and eat lunch and he bought us ribs!! Sooooo good!! He is way nice and I couldn’t believe he did that. Not too often you have the president of a country buy you lunch. It was awesome because he kept complimenting my language and Dui wouldn’t talk so it was basically me talking to him for like a hour!! I got to bear my testimony to the President of the Marshall Islands!!! WAY COOL!!
I’m happy that Logan is doing his thing. Sounds like the kiddies are doing well. I’m glad Conner was able to get a job and start working. Hopefully they can give him enough hours and he can just go wild and get money and get on his feet. Has he talked with Pattberg yet? Make sure he is and keep talking to him and get his plan figured out!! I’m praying for that boy sooooo much. And I know they are answered. Tanner and that date… what the freak!! I wanna see the pix of the girl though…. I don’t believe anything until the pix come!
I gotta bounce soon because we are doing a combined pday with the whole island of elders!! I wanna write more but I'm just running out of time. But I'm going to try and hand write you some more letters this week!! I’m excited for my birthday coming up!! Haha its cool because its on pday for me so hopefully I can do something fun!!! You guys are awesome and just such good role models for me. I hope I can do the same for you guys. I love this church. I wish all of my friends could know it too. I know they would be happier than they are now. Someday :) I’m doing what I want, and I’m making my dreams reality :) haha I love you!
Love, Elder Ingalls
I want to make a huge impact here 10-5-2013
Dear Mom,
This week has been good and I’m glad you got my letters home finally!! The card was filled with way good pics and I hope you like them as much as I do!! I never know what to take pictures of… so I just take pictures of things that are cool to me… so I bet a lot of them don’t make sense.. haha just someday I will get to sit down and explain them all out to you and tell you stories after stories of this place!! Hope you get some cool ones out of it!!
This week was nuts… a member asked me why I was serving here and like what is my purpose and I told them the classic answer… and they just seemed not satisfied with it. And I asked what kind of answer that he was looking for and he just told me, seems like most missionaries come here, learn the language, teach some people, take some pictures and gather together some stories to tell their friends and just leave. That hit me like a brick wall. I’ve just been thinking about that for the whole week and just thinking to myself how much I don’t want to be like that. I want to make a huge impact here. I don't care if I'm remembered or not, but the work I do and the people I can help are what matters. Duiriba told me this week he was baptized when he was 14 years old and now he is out on a mission teaching people the gospel. It's weird to think about how we are out here preparing future elders and sisters. We are planting the seeds. Its not all about the pictures.. that hit me really hard this week. Obviously I came here to do that stuff, but never thought it would take me 9 months to really have it sink in how important what I’m doing is…
Anywaysssss I enjoyed your email also!! Very informative and keeps me up to date :) So what is Logan's plan? Does he want to go to the business college or what? And whats up with him and Ashley right now? He emails me almost every week which is way tight and I enjoy it so much. Its fun to hear from the fam individually! And Tanner emails me quite a bit as well. He's funny and always tries to convince me that he’s getting girls at BYU… haha lets be honest they are waiting for me.. haha I promise to help him get married some day :) even if it kills me! I have hope for the kid!!
Conner he sounds like he's figuring it out. I hope he can get hired at Walmart and work with Logan. That would be so good with him. He just needs time to think and make a goal. If a mission is his goal he needs to make a game plan for it. If getting back to school is his goal he needs to make a game plan for it. And what's Ricky up to these days?
Elder Duiriba is better. I was pretty sick this week and didn’t get out to work that much but we tried. I’m feeling way better now. I lost about 10 pounds though and I weigh just under 150 pounds right now… haha but im gonna lift harder and get back into shape. Still ripped…. But definitely lost a ton of weight this week from just no appetite and being sick, but no worries though, I’m alive!
Okay Question and answer time with Elder Ingalls:
1. WHY DID YOU EAT THAT LIZARD???? I still don't get it - this is the kid who wouldn't even eat PEAS!!! I can see eating it at a members home because they were serving it, but you just ate it for fun and it was ALIVE!!! I told you like 2 months in advance that I ate one and I was going to send home the video…. I thought you would have been a bit more prepared for it!! Haha and like I said, the Lord loosened my tongue so I could speak the Marshallese language and some taste buds died in the process!! Haha it was probably the most disgusting thing that I have ever done!! Haha and I caught it and was joking around with the guys saying to them to eat it and they wouldn’t… and I told them I have no fear and that I would do it. And they told me to put my money where my mouth was… haha and I never back down. So yeah… yummy! :)
2. Why are the seats and visors in that minivan wrapped in plastic? Haha it was because the van was brand new and they hadn’t had the time to take it off!! But we kept it on for a long time just to keep in nicer and were always wet and such! haha
3. Why were there old rusty pieces of cars in the ocean? Because where else would they put them? Haha at least that’s what they say… they dump a lot into the ocean and into the lagoon! Garbage is a real problem here…. Its crazy there are some cars that were made in 2012 and they are completely rusted out pieces of junk… haha
4. Why were you cleaning up with the yellow Mormon helping hands shirts on? What happened? That was a mess! And a couple months ago the island had a small 15ft wave crash into the side of it and it just flooded and wrecked that place of the island so we all went to help and President Shaw said we needed to wear the vests I guess.. haha and that clean up sucked because they didn’t have good equipment to do it haha
5. Were those sharks out in the ocean that you took pictures of? They were dolphins!! They were feeding and jumping for a couple hours that day!! Way cool! I never got any way good pictures of them but they were so fun to watch!! Haha I should have taken a video!! You don’t really see that too much in town!
6. What happened to the turtle? You took a picture of it and it looked like it was upside down. They ate it! And they turn them upside down so they cant move or anything. The way they kill turtles here is crazy…. They bash the neck of it with a hammer and then do some other stuff too… but its their culture and tradition… if I ever go to an outer island they have Elders do it out there as a welcoming party… haha yikes. Turtle tastes way good though!!!
7. Were you really going to the bathroom in public out on the beach? OF COURSE I AM IN A PUBLIC PLACE!! Would expect anything less from me??? And out in Arrak that’s the only place to go. When you need to go to the bathroom and you're out of the house… its either lagoon or the ocean haha plain and simple haha [I will not post the pictures of this! - MOM]
8. What's with the tattoos? We played a prank on the new elders that came in last intake. Haha the ap’s brought them to our house and we acted like we were investigators and stuff. It was way funny to see what they did! And one of the elders here was a tattoo artist before his mission and we had to look convincing…. Haha probably one of our more stupid ideas! haha
9. What are the pictures of the earrings about? An investigator of mine made a ton of earrings for me and I plan to send them home in a package I'm putting together. Haha someday I will send it home….
10. You went to wedding and you actually enjoyed it? Wow! I'm so impressed! I think I only enjoyed that wedding because I was the elder that made it happen! I taught them all about love and marriage and how we can be together forever. Without our work, they would have never got married. They are going to get baptized soon too!!
Well, this email is short, but im gonna try and get you a ton of pictures!! I hope you enjoyed the q and a time - you are the best Mom and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the love and help of you and Dad!!! I’ll do work this week, you guys be strong and do work too!! Love you. Hi Conner :)
Love, Elder Ingalls
This week has been good and I’m glad you got my letters home finally!! The card was filled with way good pics and I hope you like them as much as I do!! I never know what to take pictures of… so I just take pictures of things that are cool to me… so I bet a lot of them don’t make sense.. haha just someday I will get to sit down and explain them all out to you and tell you stories after stories of this place!! Hope you get some cool ones out of it!!
This week was nuts… a member asked me why I was serving here and like what is my purpose and I told them the classic answer… and they just seemed not satisfied with it. And I asked what kind of answer that he was looking for and he just told me, seems like most missionaries come here, learn the language, teach some people, take some pictures and gather together some stories to tell their friends and just leave. That hit me like a brick wall. I’ve just been thinking about that for the whole week and just thinking to myself how much I don’t want to be like that. I want to make a huge impact here. I don't care if I'm remembered or not, but the work I do and the people I can help are what matters. Duiriba told me this week he was baptized when he was 14 years old and now he is out on a mission teaching people the gospel. It's weird to think about how we are out here preparing future elders and sisters. We are planting the seeds. Its not all about the pictures.. that hit me really hard this week. Obviously I came here to do that stuff, but never thought it would take me 9 months to really have it sink in how important what I’m doing is…
Anywaysssss I enjoyed your email also!! Very informative and keeps me up to date :) So what is Logan's plan? Does he want to go to the business college or what? And whats up with him and Ashley right now? He emails me almost every week which is way tight and I enjoy it so much. Its fun to hear from the fam individually! And Tanner emails me quite a bit as well. He's funny and always tries to convince me that he’s getting girls at BYU… haha lets be honest they are waiting for me.. haha I promise to help him get married some day :) even if it kills me! I have hope for the kid!!
Conner he sounds like he's figuring it out. I hope he can get hired at Walmart and work with Logan. That would be so good with him. He just needs time to think and make a goal. If a mission is his goal he needs to make a game plan for it. If getting back to school is his goal he needs to make a game plan for it. And what's Ricky up to these days?
Elder Duiriba is better. I was pretty sick this week and didn’t get out to work that much but we tried. I’m feeling way better now. I lost about 10 pounds though and I weigh just under 150 pounds right now… haha but im gonna lift harder and get back into shape. Still ripped…. But definitely lost a ton of weight this week from just no appetite and being sick, but no worries though, I’m alive!
Okay Question and answer time with Elder Ingalls:
1. WHY DID YOU EAT THAT LIZARD???? I still don't get it - this is the kid who wouldn't even eat PEAS!!! I can see eating it at a members home because they were serving it, but you just ate it for fun and it was ALIVE!!! I told you like 2 months in advance that I ate one and I was going to send home the video…. I thought you would have been a bit more prepared for it!! Haha and like I said, the Lord loosened my tongue so I could speak the Marshallese language and some taste buds died in the process!! Haha it was probably the most disgusting thing that I have ever done!! Haha and I caught it and was joking around with the guys saying to them to eat it and they wouldn’t… and I told them I have no fear and that I would do it. And they told me to put my money where my mouth was… haha and I never back down. So yeah… yummy! :)
2. Why are the seats and visors in that minivan wrapped in plastic? Haha it was because the van was brand new and they hadn’t had the time to take it off!! But we kept it on for a long time just to keep in nicer and were always wet and such! haha
3. Why were there old rusty pieces of cars in the ocean? Because where else would they put them? Haha at least that’s what they say… they dump a lot into the ocean and into the lagoon! Garbage is a real problem here…. Its crazy there are some cars that were made in 2012 and they are completely rusted out pieces of junk… haha
4. Why were you cleaning up with the yellow Mormon helping hands shirts on? What happened? That was a mess! And a couple months ago the island had a small 15ft wave crash into the side of it and it just flooded and wrecked that place of the island so we all went to help and President Shaw said we needed to wear the vests I guess.. haha and that clean up sucked because they didn’t have good equipment to do it haha
5. Were those sharks out in the ocean that you took pictures of? They were dolphins!! They were feeding and jumping for a couple hours that day!! Way cool! I never got any way good pictures of them but they were so fun to watch!! Haha I should have taken a video!! You don’t really see that too much in town!
6. What happened to the turtle? You took a picture of it and it looked like it was upside down. They ate it! And they turn them upside down so they cant move or anything. The way they kill turtles here is crazy…. They bash the neck of it with a hammer and then do some other stuff too… but its their culture and tradition… if I ever go to an outer island they have Elders do it out there as a welcoming party… haha yikes. Turtle tastes way good though!!!
7. Were you really going to the bathroom in public out on the beach? OF COURSE I AM IN A PUBLIC PLACE!! Would expect anything less from me??? And out in Arrak that’s the only place to go. When you need to go to the bathroom and you're out of the house… its either lagoon or the ocean haha plain and simple haha [I will not post the pictures of this! - MOM]
8. What's with the tattoos? We played a prank on the new elders that came in last intake. Haha the ap’s brought them to our house and we acted like we were investigators and stuff. It was way funny to see what they did! And one of the elders here was a tattoo artist before his mission and we had to look convincing…. Haha probably one of our more stupid ideas! haha
9. What are the pictures of the earrings about? An investigator of mine made a ton of earrings for me and I plan to send them home in a package I'm putting together. Haha someday I will send it home….
10. You went to wedding and you actually enjoyed it? Wow! I'm so impressed! I think I only enjoyed that wedding because I was the elder that made it happen! I taught them all about love and marriage and how we can be together forever. Without our work, they would have never got married. They are going to get baptized soon too!!
Love, Elder Ingalls
Bukarrar - which basically means someone who talks a lot! 9-29-2013
Mom!
Hello beautiful! How's it going? Its cool I don’t have to pay for emailing because I do it at CMI which is the college of the Marshall Islands. But sometime soon I will have to pay for it and my emails wont get to be as long! So I’m just gonna tell you some great stuff that happened this week!
Its been such a crazy week…. Way good, way frustrating, but somehow I look back and just think, wow, that was a great week for me as a missionary! So funny/new things first. I got the transfer call and I AM staying with Elder Duiriba AND I am going to be whitewashing Uliga North! Way excited to be able to start over and find new people and hopefully I can be an instrument to their progression. But also way nervous about it too. Don’t know members or anyone… soo just starting completely over… for the second transfer in a row with the same companion… haha but its fun also the new intake is coming into the MTC this week so it might be one of the kiddies I get to train in 6 weeks!! I cant believe I’m this far out already!! I don’t want to train. Being junior companion is way to fun and easy!!! Haha but I know I will be blessed and grow a lot from it. So this whitewashing… I’m going from having 14 investigators to 1…. That’s hard but then I’m like… challenge accepted…
Anyways….. onto the spiritual things of my week. I had a good week and learned a lot and my investigators really wow-ed me this week haha first off, Ajedrik and Jeako got married this week!! Way tight wedding, tons of people and good food! The best wedding I have been to! And I go to a lot!! I taught the Plan of Salvation lesson this week and one of my investigators was tearing up from it and just said to us, “Wow this is amazing. Way, way good study today. I was thinking about going fishing, then for some reason I knew I shouldn’t go but I didn’t know the reason why. And I completely forgot about our study, but this is why” way way cool experience and it hit me how much I love being a missionary right now. I have been named Bukarrar which is basically someone who talks a lot haha all the missionaries are impressed with how I can walk up to anyone without fear and talk to them about anything… the call me bwebwenato makkare which is like the small talk master! Haha way tight to get some recognition!
So also I went to an investigators house this week and he was getting a haircut and I told him that we will go and come back and he was like "NO!! My knowledge that I get from you guys is more important than me looking good for the girls". Hahaha sooo funny... we studied with him when only one side of his head was cut… it was the funniest thing ever! Haha but way tight and made me feel way good. Haha
Also…. Yesterday, I taught a lesson to people in English… Wow I thought I could just say what I would say in Marshallese but translate it over to English and it would be fine…but no! I don’t really know how to teach someone in English! The lessons are so much faster and the questions they are way harder!! There is a reason I'm not serving in the states right now!! I don’t know how to talk to people as a missionary in English anymore hahaha way funny!
This week I really focused on obedience. Just the fact that we are missionaries is a sign of our obedience to our Father in Heaven. It shouldn’t be hard for us, but we are all kids and just trying our best and we're not perfect. But we volunteered for this. We wrote letters to our prophet accepting our call. And after serving 8 months, it really really hit me how it just shouldn’t be a problem. So I'm not going to let it be a problem for me. Just do exactly what I need to do regardless of my companion. I can suggest and advise but I’m not here to babysit and force. I think he is getting the picture.
So I don’t have to much else for you! I hope I sound positive in my emails! Haha Sometimes I am upset on P-day and my emails show it, but I wanna just tell you the good stuff and not just waste my emails venting to you! I hope you enjoy it!! I love talking to you and getting your emails!! You are a great mom and there is not a thing I would change about you!! Except maybe you being the person that made me so short…. Haha 5’8 is short in America but here, I'm in the top 5% of tallest people!! Haha way funny!! I love you mom and hope you are doing well!! Its gonna be a tough week ahead for me, but pray for me and you should know that I'm always praying for you guys!! Give the yokwe to the fam for me and let everyone know that I love them!
Love Elder Ingalls
Hello beautiful! How's it going? Its cool I don’t have to pay for emailing because I do it at CMI which is the college of the Marshall Islands. But sometime soon I will have to pay for it and my emails wont get to be as long! So I’m just gonna tell you some great stuff that happened this week!
Its been such a crazy week…. Way good, way frustrating, but somehow I look back and just think, wow, that was a great week for me as a missionary! So funny/new things first. I got the transfer call and I AM staying with Elder Duiriba AND I am going to be whitewashing Uliga North! Way excited to be able to start over and find new people and hopefully I can be an instrument to their progression. But also way nervous about it too. Don’t know members or anyone… soo just starting completely over… for the second transfer in a row with the same companion… haha but its fun also the new intake is coming into the MTC this week so it might be one of the kiddies I get to train in 6 weeks!! I cant believe I’m this far out already!! I don’t want to train. Being junior companion is way to fun and easy!!! Haha but I know I will be blessed and grow a lot from it. So this whitewashing… I’m going from having 14 investigators to 1…. That’s hard but then I’m like… challenge accepted…
Anyways….. onto the spiritual things of my week. I had a good week and learned a lot and my investigators really wow-ed me this week haha first off, Ajedrik and Jeako got married this week!! Way tight wedding, tons of people and good food! The best wedding I have been to! And I go to a lot!! I taught the Plan of Salvation lesson this week and one of my investigators was tearing up from it and just said to us, “Wow this is amazing. Way, way good study today. I was thinking about going fishing, then for some reason I knew I shouldn’t go but I didn’t know the reason why. And I completely forgot about our study, but this is why” way way cool experience and it hit me how much I love being a missionary right now. I have been named Bukarrar which is basically someone who talks a lot haha all the missionaries are impressed with how I can walk up to anyone without fear and talk to them about anything… the call me bwebwenato makkare which is like the small talk master! Haha way tight to get some recognition!
So also I went to an investigators house this week and he was getting a haircut and I told him that we will go and come back and he was like "NO!! My knowledge that I get from you guys is more important than me looking good for the girls". Hahaha sooo funny... we studied with him when only one side of his head was cut… it was the funniest thing ever! Haha but way tight and made me feel way good. Haha
Also…. Yesterday, I taught a lesson to people in English… Wow I thought I could just say what I would say in Marshallese but translate it over to English and it would be fine…but no! I don’t really know how to teach someone in English! The lessons are so much faster and the questions they are way harder!! There is a reason I'm not serving in the states right now!! I don’t know how to talk to people as a missionary in English anymore hahaha way funny!
This week I really focused on obedience. Just the fact that we are missionaries is a sign of our obedience to our Father in Heaven. It shouldn’t be hard for us, but we are all kids and just trying our best and we're not perfect. But we volunteered for this. We wrote letters to our prophet accepting our call. And after serving 8 months, it really really hit me how it just shouldn’t be a problem. So I'm not going to let it be a problem for me. Just do exactly what I need to do regardless of my companion. I can suggest and advise but I’m not here to babysit and force. I think he is getting the picture.
So I don’t have to much else for you! I hope I sound positive in my emails! Haha Sometimes I am upset on P-day and my emails show it, but I wanna just tell you the good stuff and not just waste my emails venting to you! I hope you enjoy it!! I love talking to you and getting your emails!! You are a great mom and there is not a thing I would change about you!! Except maybe you being the person that made me so short…. Haha 5’8 is short in America but here, I'm in the top 5% of tallest people!! Haha way funny!! I love you mom and hope you are doing well!! Its gonna be a tough week ahead for me, but pray for me and you should know that I'm always praying for you guys!! Give the yokwe to the fam for me and let everyone know that I love them!
Love Elder Ingalls
Mennin Aukiuj (Things I need)
Message #1
So idk if you wanna send me a package or wait for my birthday or christmas or what not but here are some things that would be awesome to have: some work out shorts, black or blue or something. some new short Nike socks that are black. The dress socks are way to hot haha Some Blaine Hockey t-shirts!!, A snapback hat like Conners!! Maybe some new ties! Not silk tho, because mine are getting wrecked from the humidity... The sunglasses you sent me a couple month ago broke :( the screws started to rust then they broke... haha so if you guys find it in yor hearts to hook up a new pair that would be way cool too. I like the rayban style! I'm set for Crocs and white shirts!! My pants are all good and should last me well into next year. My bag is great. I got that journal and I should start using it in the next couple months. I bought a bunch of gallon sized bags and put most of my stuff in that.
Nothing I need asap, but that would all be some fun stuff to have eventually. There is some other stuff I need that I will tell you next email when I remember my planner. haha you are the best. Don't feel obligated to send anything, but if you could that would be nice! love you baby
Elder Ingalls
Message #2
I'm at the mission office and I got my planner with me haha Here's my list!!
-Board Shorts. Maybe size 32? Not wild ones though
-Work out shorts, kinda like the BYU ones you got me?
-Key chain watch that I could put on a belt buckle. (avoid tan lines/gets sweaty and stinky)
-Transformers belt?! haha if you still have it! <3
-my African shirt! [Sorry bud! That was the first thing to go to Goodwill when you left! Ugly! - MOM]
- Blaine Hockey Tshirt!
-short black Nike socks
-Snapback hat! blackhawks,t-wolves,wild. Just talk to Tanner and Conner about them haha
-Sunglasses. I like the rayban style ones!
-some non-silk ties! Maybe clip on or zipper would be fun!
-more rope or string to make more stuff! I got a sick shark bone necklace that I'm gonna send home soon!
-Atwood rope 1/16 inch - as much as you can get. People make belts here and they are way tight!!!
-Nice work out shirt
-magnetic dart board, like a small toy one!
-Sprees
-PICTURES of the FAMILY!!
-Beef Jerky
Idk those are all kinda fun things if you wanna put them in some packages. Maybe for Christmas or my birthday or if you just wanna be nice ;) haha the socks though I would like sooner than later!! Beef jerky is nice :) haha just basically anything :) But no worries if you can't get the stuff. Just fun things!
Love you mom!
Elder Ingalls
He sure says "haha" a lot! - MOM - 9-22-2013
Dear mom,
I ask for patience and, boy, do I get the hardest trials this week…. Not a good week for me :/ It was frustrating to the max.
REGARDLESS…. I am trying my best to keep up the good work haha I feel lazy sometimes but its funny cause getting 45 lessons a week is working hard, 30 is decent and 25 and below is like you're not working at all. But its funny cuz I talk to my friends serving missions anywhere else and they are saying 15 lessons in a week is stellar… HAHAHA that stinks. Their missions must be so boring cuz they barely get to teach people. We are so busy and everyone here will say yes to studying with your because its their culture and its extremely rude to say no to anything.. haha just fun to compare other missions to mine. I don’t really feel as bad getting only 25 lessons in a week now… haha our mission is one of the highest baptizing and teaching missions in the world so we just have a standard to uphold I guess!!
What else…. Oh yeah transfers… they will happen this Friday and I don’t think that I will be moving from the island. I think I will probably be staying with Dui but I think we will be whitewashing Uliga north. We work in the central part of it now. So two transfers in a row I will be whitewashing… dang. President said to the AP’s that he is testing my limits… whatever that means!! But challenge accepted. Its fun. The language is easy now and I understand enough. I still study my heart out though. Its one of my favorite things to do is just learn more. Probably cuz everyone compliments you and your language skills. Haha its just fun. I wanna be the best by my year mark. Its going to be hard and crazy to think that it is only 4 months away. Its just going fast. Sometimes I don’t feel like im doing everything I can, but then again, I look back an I’m like what the freak…. I cant believe all the stuff I have done on my mission so far…
I really wanna see a picture of the framed one you have of me!!! It sounds way legit!! Where is it at and how big is it?! [Kitchen/Living room and it's 16X20 - MOM] Soon, I'm going to send home a package of cool girl stuff you will like!! People love to give me things!! Its sweet I never have to buy souvenirs haha
And Chipotle…. Maybe in their suggestions box you can ask them to deliver to the Marshall Islands? Idk just thought that would be good. They do need to branch out… actually suggest that to every fast food restaurant and see what they say… thanks babe J I miss not having to make food… haha We don’t really eat with members that much, but they are amazing and will feed you all the time. There just isn't Chipotle here like the lame stateside elders get haha Geoff really brags to me about it. Haha but stinks for him because I’m in paradise. End of story. Haha only thing that would make this place better would be Chipotle. Haha [I must say Dallin has always had a little addiction to Chipotle which I find very funny because for the first year they were open he wouldn't even go because he thought it looked disgusting! The first time I took him there was under extreme duress and a bet that he lost! Lucky for him it turned out to be the happiest moment of his life up to that point when he found out how AMAZING it really was and never looked back! - MOM]
I didn’t have time to get Geoffs and Bunjis addresses so I just told them to email you. You don’t have to email them! No worries. Focus on me;) haha So let's talk about the people I'm teaching right now… there are too many to name so I will name a few!! Kathy and Lanny are a couple I found and am teaching and they are going to get married in the next week and baptized the week after that!! They are awesome and love having the elders. They call me Elder Lakatu which means good looking haha so that makes me feel good! then we have Mommity…. She is awesome. Haha knows perfect English so she really helps us out with Marshallese and pronunciation and such. Way cool. Life is good and we're stilling working with her. Haha some of my favorite people I study with are the Less Actives. Just because they are so cool and you really have to dig into their lives to help them out. You can't just teach them a lesson and expect them to come to church or what not. You really have to get to know them and meet their friends and just live with them. It’s the coolest feeling ever. I miss working solely with less actives. It is some rewarding work. Its weird because so many people measure success by how many baptisms you get, but it was just as rewarding, if not more rewarding to get these people who haven’t came to church in 20 years to put on that shirt and tie and come. We literally get so pumped and celly [Celebrate] super hard. Haha
I love the people here - they are the best. Its tight when you get like 50 kids surrounding you and you get them to start chanting “Eagle, eagle, EAGLE, EAGLE” haha one of these times I'm going to film it! Its sooooo legit and you feel like you own the place. Haha I cant go anywhere without hearing my name! Its way tight. Even if it is just kids, its cool to be the man!
Tell Trayson Happy Birthday for me and let him know that were hitting McDonalds soon! haha Well kinda soon!! You are the best. Sorry my email is short this week. Not too much to say, but hope you enjoyed it!! Next week I should have a bunch of new news for you guys!! Maybe It will be the last time I email you guys for awhile!! Haha just kidding I don’t think that will happen! Haha
I love you mommy!! Love you all family and love you friends. Keep it real and don’t miss me too much!! See you guys next week!
Love Elder Ingalls
I ask for patience and, boy, do I get the hardest trials this week…. Not a good week for me :/ It was frustrating to the max.
REGARDLESS…. I am trying my best to keep up the good work haha I feel lazy sometimes but its funny cause getting 45 lessons a week is working hard, 30 is decent and 25 and below is like you're not working at all. But its funny cuz I talk to my friends serving missions anywhere else and they are saying 15 lessons in a week is stellar… HAHAHA that stinks. Their missions must be so boring cuz they barely get to teach people. We are so busy and everyone here will say yes to studying with your because its their culture and its extremely rude to say no to anything.. haha just fun to compare other missions to mine. I don’t really feel as bad getting only 25 lessons in a week now… haha our mission is one of the highest baptizing and teaching missions in the world so we just have a standard to uphold I guess!!
What else…. Oh yeah transfers… they will happen this Friday and I don’t think that I will be moving from the island. I think I will probably be staying with Dui but I think we will be whitewashing Uliga north. We work in the central part of it now. So two transfers in a row I will be whitewashing… dang. President said to the AP’s that he is testing my limits… whatever that means!! But challenge accepted. Its fun. The language is easy now and I understand enough. I still study my heart out though. Its one of my favorite things to do is just learn more. Probably cuz everyone compliments you and your language skills. Haha its just fun. I wanna be the best by my year mark. Its going to be hard and crazy to think that it is only 4 months away. Its just going fast. Sometimes I don’t feel like im doing everything I can, but then again, I look back an I’m like what the freak…. I cant believe all the stuff I have done on my mission so far…
I really wanna see a picture of the framed one you have of me!!! It sounds way legit!! Where is it at and how big is it?! [Kitchen/Living room and it's 16X20 - MOM] Soon, I'm going to send home a package of cool girl stuff you will like!! People love to give me things!! Its sweet I never have to buy souvenirs haha
And Chipotle…. Maybe in their suggestions box you can ask them to deliver to the Marshall Islands? Idk just thought that would be good. They do need to branch out… actually suggest that to every fast food restaurant and see what they say… thanks babe J I miss not having to make food… haha We don’t really eat with members that much, but they are amazing and will feed you all the time. There just isn't Chipotle here like the lame stateside elders get haha Geoff really brags to me about it. Haha but stinks for him because I’m in paradise. End of story. Haha only thing that would make this place better would be Chipotle. Haha [I must say Dallin has always had a little addiction to Chipotle which I find very funny because for the first year they were open he wouldn't even go because he thought it looked disgusting! The first time I took him there was under extreme duress and a bet that he lost! Lucky for him it turned out to be the happiest moment of his life up to that point when he found out how AMAZING it really was and never looked back! - MOM]
I didn’t have time to get Geoffs and Bunjis addresses so I just told them to email you. You don’t have to email them! No worries. Focus on me;) haha So let's talk about the people I'm teaching right now… there are too many to name so I will name a few!! Kathy and Lanny are a couple I found and am teaching and they are going to get married in the next week and baptized the week after that!! They are awesome and love having the elders. They call me Elder Lakatu which means good looking haha so that makes me feel good! then we have Mommity…. She is awesome. Haha knows perfect English so she really helps us out with Marshallese and pronunciation and such. Way cool. Life is good and we're stilling working with her. Haha some of my favorite people I study with are the Less Actives. Just because they are so cool and you really have to dig into their lives to help them out. You can't just teach them a lesson and expect them to come to church or what not. You really have to get to know them and meet their friends and just live with them. It’s the coolest feeling ever. I miss working solely with less actives. It is some rewarding work. Its weird because so many people measure success by how many baptisms you get, but it was just as rewarding, if not more rewarding to get these people who haven’t came to church in 20 years to put on that shirt and tie and come. We literally get so pumped and celly [Celebrate] super hard. Haha
I love the people here - they are the best. Its tight when you get like 50 kids surrounding you and you get them to start chanting “Eagle, eagle, EAGLE, EAGLE” haha one of these times I'm going to film it! Its sooooo legit and you feel like you own the place. Haha I cant go anywhere without hearing my name! Its way tight. Even if it is just kids, its cool to be the man!
Tell Trayson Happy Birthday for me and let him know that were hitting McDonalds soon! haha Well kinda soon!! You are the best. Sorry my email is short this week. Not too much to say, but hope you enjoyed it!! Next week I should have a bunch of new news for you guys!! Maybe It will be the last time I email you guys for awhile!! Haha just kidding I don’t think that will happen! Haha
I love you mommy!! Love you all family and love you friends. Keep it real and don’t miss me too much!! See you guys next week!
Love Elder Ingalls
Here on the other side of heaven 9-15-2013
Hey Mom!
Its your favorite son. Dallin. [I love all of you equally! Every one of you are my favorite! -MOM] So today is the big 8th month mark!!! I can't believe that I have made it this far!! Very impressed with myself!! Haha I can't believe that I am 1/3 done… What the heck… This is flying for me. I can't believe how far I am with the language, that I am working with somebody younger than me, that I have opened up a new area and started from scratch… its pretty crazy all the things I have done so far. I am glad to have worked on both sides of the island here!! Many of the elders here have been to outer islands but have never even been on the west side of the atoll…. Haha its pretty funny!! Some people never get out to that side so I am really happy to have gone there!! Its completely different than the work here. Its hard to believe that I am still on the same island, just 30 miles down the road!!
So lets review, in the last 8 months:
Favorite new food: sashimi J raw fish. It’s the best, and I really enjoy it. Idk if I’m gonna like the fish when we get home, but I like the fish here. Maybe it will be just a 2 year thing… haha probably… we will see I guess. And coconuts… love them. Don’t get to have too many on this side of the island, but I love them. Idk if I will like coconut flavored candies or foods, but I know that I love the real deal now!!
Favorite Word: Jumbo J Just walking around, chatting, visiting, doing anything. Just cruising. Basically the best thing to do here in the islands is jumbo. Its probably my favorite word and I’m definitely gonna use it when I get home. I read in a textbook that had all the countries and a little bit about them, that “Jumbo” means the art of walking around to visit and chat with people and is “a national pastime in the Marshall Islands” haha
Favorite activity on pday: Volleyball. For sure. Its fun playing, cuz I am pretty much taller than 90% of the island and I can jump to the moon. So yeah I love playing J Some of the other elders here are pretty good at the game as well. Its awesome.
Favorite thing to do on pday: email mom
Favorite scripture: John 14:18, its just comforting. I really break the scriptures apart and study them and its one of my new favs!
The natural man problem. Its funny to think about the natural man. That’s what I would look into. I know everyone justifies sin. And sins of commission and omission ke? And one thing I want to say, is if you are not following the commandments, you are sinning right? Yes. To what degree you are sinning, obviously depends on what you do, but its still a problem. And the prophet said no. and if the prophet says it we do it. We know from a modern prophet to obey the word of wisdom, to not get more that one set of earrings, to have food storage etc… we follow all those things and they make sense. Even if they didn’t, the scriptures constantly say the Lords ways are not our ways. And that true. So basically if I am saying anything after just probably not making sense is, is Thomas S. Monson a prophet today? If your answer is yes, then you already know your answer.
So this last week. It was pretty good. Looks like I might be whitewashing a new area next transfer. So that would be crazy… I will probably still be with Dui or another new guy. Haha I’m up for the challenge. I was talking to the President and he is saying how I am a missionary that is easy to get along with and I can really handle any type of missionary, so he told me I might be the one that gets put with the difficult guys cuz I can handle it and try and help them… It’s cool that he sees that in me and that I can better myself by helping these guys. So we will see.
This week I am not speaking English. That’s gonna be interesting haha I have gone full days where I haven’t spoken English, but a week is going to be so hard. Haha Especially when your companion doesn't want to do the same thing. But regardless, I will be doing it!!
So Conner at BYUI huh!! How is he saying he's liking it?? I bet he is having a blast!! I hope he can adjust well. He’s lucky to have friends out there and people he knows. I never got that… But I made some ballin friends out there that’s for sure!! Speaking of Bunji and Geoff, I will email you their emails separately cuz I have to look them up as stuff!! But I’m sure they would loveeeee if you sent them mail and such!! They are cool, I get to email them quite a bit and try and send a few letters here and there. I have really really slowed down with the letter writing because I can email now, and I am just so busy now… but I try to at least get you letters. I am going to send home about 350 pictures next week. I am nervous because you guys haven’t sent me a new memory card soon and I have one but it can't hold that many pics on it… so send on quick!! Or I will have to waste my money here and buy one, or just not take pics… haha idk. You decide ;)
Give the yokwe to everyone for me!! I feel like a ton of people broke their hands or something because the letters have been lacking lately… haha at least that better be the reason ;) just kidding no worries as long as I hear from mommy, nobody else really matters. J But it never hurts to get a ton of mail or something haha birthday is coming up soooo J haha
Lets see what else can I tell you about this week…. I’m getting less stressed about things. I am getting used to talking to investigators more, just relying more on myself, and trying to help Elder Duiriba the best I can. This was a good week. We try hard. I have learned a lot. I am trying to read the Book of Mormon with the BYU class manuals and really try and become an expert on the scriptures. That is my focus these days. I really wanna get better at them. I feel pretty confident to share and explain scriptures, but I wanna just know them better, really study them and be awesome at them. And my mish is the time to do it!! I got all the time in the world! Haha So we will see how that is going a month or two from now!! Hopefully well!
I have really learned a lot while I have been out here!! I know this is the mission for me and Heavenly Father knows I couldn’t manage anywhere else!! I talk to a few people that are serving missions right now all over the world and boy is it crazy to hear their stories and experiences and then try and relate them to mine!! They are just so different and I don’t know if I could do what they are doing and I don’t think they could do what I am doing! Its cool how inspired this work is!! I hope Conner serves soon!! I am so blessed to be here!
I love you guys. Sorry my email is short, but I tried to make it sweet!! We don’t have that much time cuz the internet wasn’t working!! I love you fam, love you friends. You all stay safe and remember I’m thinking about you guys over here on the other side of heaven. 8 months down… a couple more to go!
Love,
Elder Ingalls the Great
Its your favorite son. Dallin. [I love all of you equally! Every one of you are my favorite! -MOM] So today is the big 8th month mark!!! I can't believe that I have made it this far!! Very impressed with myself!! Haha I can't believe that I am 1/3 done… What the heck… This is flying for me. I can't believe how far I am with the language, that I am working with somebody younger than me, that I have opened up a new area and started from scratch… its pretty crazy all the things I have done so far. I am glad to have worked on both sides of the island here!! Many of the elders here have been to outer islands but have never even been on the west side of the atoll…. Haha its pretty funny!! Some people never get out to that side so I am really happy to have gone there!! Its completely different than the work here. Its hard to believe that I am still on the same island, just 30 miles down the road!!
So lets review, in the last 8 months:
Favorite new food: sashimi J raw fish. It’s the best, and I really enjoy it. Idk if I’m gonna like the fish when we get home, but I like the fish here. Maybe it will be just a 2 year thing… haha probably… we will see I guess. And coconuts… love them. Don’t get to have too many on this side of the island, but I love them. Idk if I will like coconut flavored candies or foods, but I know that I love the real deal now!!
Favorite Word: Jumbo J Just walking around, chatting, visiting, doing anything. Just cruising. Basically the best thing to do here in the islands is jumbo. Its probably my favorite word and I’m definitely gonna use it when I get home. I read in a textbook that had all the countries and a little bit about them, that “Jumbo” means the art of walking around to visit and chat with people and is “a national pastime in the Marshall Islands” haha
Favorite activity on pday: Volleyball. For sure. Its fun playing, cuz I am pretty much taller than 90% of the island and I can jump to the moon. So yeah I love playing J Some of the other elders here are pretty good at the game as well. Its awesome.
Favorite thing to do on pday: email mom
Favorite scripture: John 14:18, its just comforting. I really break the scriptures apart and study them and its one of my new favs!
The natural man problem. Its funny to think about the natural man. That’s what I would look into. I know everyone justifies sin. And sins of commission and omission ke? And one thing I want to say, is if you are not following the commandments, you are sinning right? Yes. To what degree you are sinning, obviously depends on what you do, but its still a problem. And the prophet said no. and if the prophet says it we do it. We know from a modern prophet to obey the word of wisdom, to not get more that one set of earrings, to have food storage etc… we follow all those things and they make sense. Even if they didn’t, the scriptures constantly say the Lords ways are not our ways. And that true. So basically if I am saying anything after just probably not making sense is, is Thomas S. Monson a prophet today? If your answer is yes, then you already know your answer.
So this last week. It was pretty good. Looks like I might be whitewashing a new area next transfer. So that would be crazy… I will probably still be with Dui or another new guy. Haha I’m up for the challenge. I was talking to the President and he is saying how I am a missionary that is easy to get along with and I can really handle any type of missionary, so he told me I might be the one that gets put with the difficult guys cuz I can handle it and try and help them… It’s cool that he sees that in me and that I can better myself by helping these guys. So we will see.
This week I am not speaking English. That’s gonna be interesting haha I have gone full days where I haven’t spoken English, but a week is going to be so hard. Haha Especially when your companion doesn't want to do the same thing. But regardless, I will be doing it!!
So Conner at BYUI huh!! How is he saying he's liking it?? I bet he is having a blast!! I hope he can adjust well. He’s lucky to have friends out there and people he knows. I never got that… But I made some ballin friends out there that’s for sure!! Speaking of Bunji and Geoff, I will email you their emails separately cuz I have to look them up as stuff!! But I’m sure they would loveeeee if you sent them mail and such!! They are cool, I get to email them quite a bit and try and send a few letters here and there. I have really really slowed down with the letter writing because I can email now, and I am just so busy now… but I try to at least get you letters. I am going to send home about 350 pictures next week. I am nervous because you guys haven’t sent me a new memory card soon and I have one but it can't hold that many pics on it… so send on quick!! Or I will have to waste my money here and buy one, or just not take pics… haha idk. You decide ;)
Give the yokwe to everyone for me!! I feel like a ton of people broke their hands or something because the letters have been lacking lately… haha at least that better be the reason ;) just kidding no worries as long as I hear from mommy, nobody else really matters. J But it never hurts to get a ton of mail or something haha birthday is coming up soooo J haha
Lets see what else can I tell you about this week…. I’m getting less stressed about things. I am getting used to talking to investigators more, just relying more on myself, and trying to help Elder Duiriba the best I can. This was a good week. We try hard. I have learned a lot. I am trying to read the Book of Mormon with the BYU class manuals and really try and become an expert on the scriptures. That is my focus these days. I really wanna get better at them. I feel pretty confident to share and explain scriptures, but I wanna just know them better, really study them and be awesome at them. And my mish is the time to do it!! I got all the time in the world! Haha So we will see how that is going a month or two from now!! Hopefully well!
I have really learned a lot while I have been out here!! I know this is the mission for me and Heavenly Father knows I couldn’t manage anywhere else!! I talk to a few people that are serving missions right now all over the world and boy is it crazy to hear their stories and experiences and then try and relate them to mine!! They are just so different and I don’t know if I could do what they are doing and I don’t think they could do what I am doing! Its cool how inspired this work is!! I hope Conner serves soon!! I am so blessed to be here!
I love you guys. Sorry my email is short, but I tried to make it sweet!! We don’t have that much time cuz the internet wasn’t working!! I love you fam, love you friends. You all stay safe and remember I’m thinking about you guys over here on the other side of heaven. 8 months down… a couple more to go!
Love,
Elder Ingalls the Great
Kin iakwe
Mom!!! You are the best.
Haha I feel like I start all my emails out like that. But its true, you are the best. Thank you so much for writing to me and thinking about me. I miss you a lot!! It’s starting to get weird how fast time is going. I feel like every other day I am back here emailing home!! Time flies!! I sent out a handwritten letter to you and to grandma. So in the next 2-3 weeks hopefully you should be getting those!!! Hopefully it doesn’t take 3 months!
So this week: it was pretty good. It seemed like we were kinda lazy this week. I didn’t really wanna get out and work, so it was difficult. But we managed through it and taught quite a few people. Its hard being with a companion that will literally do anything you want. So if I don’t wanna work, we won't. If I wanna work, we will. Its super nice until you have those days where you just need that push. And its not there. But I love Dui he is the man. One of my favorite Fijians haha besides lutu of course! I swear we have the best and the funniest elders ever in this mission. I honestly am laughing and joking all the time!
Macey…another bf…. What the heck. I managed to get through highschool with none (official ones) ;) haha but whatevs that’s cool too. Matty is a cutie pie too. Wonder how long that is gonna last… hopefully its good. Is he a senior or a junior? I don’t even remember. Anyways I cant believe I am talking about macey and boys…. What the heck happened to my little baby sister….. that’s the real question… and her driving. Limit it to once a week and bike the rest of the time. You guys are gonna owe me a car if she crashes it…. Its probably weird dad driving just one car to seminary for the first time in years….. haha he always tried to race me but I kept him under control ;) you know me :)but give Macey the yokwe for me and tell her to kick some butt in tennis and tell Fedor I say wadddddup and as for BPA, its awesome and I loved it. But just work hard and give Ms. Ricecakes a hard time for me!!
Anyways, I am currently just emailing back and forth with Tanner as we speak. Well, as I write you this email. I miss that kid. Make sure he is taken care of, cuz I am not out at BYU to babysit him right now and Logan, holy buckets how many hours does he work???? Works more hours than hours in a day haha but props to him. Missions put a sense of work into people and that’s the way. I hope he gets into BYU!! That would be legit to get the brothers going there and then maybe Conner after his mission!! I’m so proud of Conner and Retard, whoops Ricky, for them getting ordained and heading out to school. I love those kids and I think they will do great out there and I hope they both can get on missions at the same time and help eachother go!! I’m pumped that they are rooming with Nick too. That kid is the man!!!
Yeah talking to people isn’t difficult. Having small talk and talking and talking is one thing I am really good at. Haha Who knew that not knowing when to shut up would ever be a good thing ;) But yeah I can literally talk about anything and everything with these people. Its fun being the guy that has to do all the talking. I learn a lot about their culture and their lifestyles. Its fun to teach lessons and stuff, but gaining a vocabulary bigger than that is what helps you find people and helps people be more attracted to what you have to say. They say the broken testimony of a elder that is trying is the same as a polished testimony. So if they are the same, might as well be the better one :) really try to sound like these people and pronounce things the way they do. I notice that I do say some English words differently, nothing like an accent, but I just say them the way a marsahallese person would haha and rolling my R’s and flicking my tongue. Probably the coolest thing to do ever. Haha I cant really do it, but I can really act like I can and fake it haha all of the elders when talking about the language just say the same thing, “fake it until you make it” haha and its so true. Just act like you know what is going on and that will give you the confidence you needs to learn the language. And I take that to heart. Its funny when old ladies are talking to me and I really have no idea what they are saying I just act like I do then respond with a yes or a no and hope that they asked a yes or a no question… haha and a lot of the time it works and they all love me :) So yeah getting the lovin from the grandmas :) they are called bubu’s here and grandpas are called jima’s haha its funny :)
Question and answer time with Elder Ingalls:
1. What do you eat out there? Food? Duh. Haha I eat a lot of chicken and rice. There is quite a bit of American food here, but it is so expensive and idk I would rather eat fish and breads and stuff. Idk American food is bomb, but I just am not used to it anymore and I get sick a lot of the time from eating it haha
2. Do you cook much? Whenever I wanna eat? Haha just kidding. I do the cooking and destroy the kitchen in exchange for Dui to clean it up cuz he doesn’t know how to cook that well and likes what I make haha and that soup recipe you sent me… haha nope definitely wont be able to make that any time soon but I am gonna save and hopefully buy all the ingredients and make it for Christmas or something. If I am not on an outer island.
3. Do the members feed you much? Not as much as they did in arrak. And on Mondays for FHE they do. Big time, we eat until with literally have to tell them were so full the food doesn’t taste good anymore… and its hard for me because I eat small portions. haha
4. Do you go to the grocery store? Yeah we go on pdays usually. We have the store in our area so if we need something, were set. But its nothing like a grocery store in the states.
5. Are there fruits and veggies that you can just eat as you are walking around? Like growing wild. Coconuts yes. But not really anything else. And you don’t eat in public or while you are walking. Huge culture no no… haha standing up and eating… nope don’t do that. ALWAYS sitting. Its extremely disrespectful if you stand and eat. haha
6. Why are there big coconut piles? Because they eat a lot of coconuts ;) haha and there is just no other place to put themwhen they fall. And they make coconut oil so they have tolet the coconuts ages and do that stuff so they just make piles. And in the jungle side, they are everywhere!!!
7. What foods do you miss from home that I made you? Yeah quite a bit. Haha I miss not having to make my food, do the dishes sometimes (when I wasn’t fast enough to run away) and just knowing that there was always gonna be something good to eat. Cuz the food I make is good…. But that’s just cuz I tell myself that its good!
8. What have you eaten there that you would never eat again? (Please tell me the answer is lizard!) Lizards are actually dece. Like I would eat another one. But not all the time. Haha just to show off and make these people think I’m crazy!! And I would say 4 month old giant sea clam.
9. Are you still a little eater? Do they try to get you to eat a lot? Yes and yes. I don’t eat too much, But I eat quite often. Its just healthier for you and I never have that big of an appetite. Haha and yes they try to feed you until you can't eat anymore haha
10. Are you skilled in getting a coconut open? I am the best :) there are tons of different ways to do it. One is just a machete, and the other way is this sword like thing they put into the ground and husk the coconut with. Its legit and I am really fast at doing it haha it’s a really good work out too. I’m gonna miss coconuts when I come home to the frozen wasteland!
11. Did you get your package from GMA yet? YESSSSSSSSSS!!! That was awesome!! The belt fits great and I love it!! Thank you thank you thank you!! I wrote her a letter so she should be getting that pretty soon haha and thank her for the candy and the SPREESS!!!!! That was awesome. It is always nice to get packages of things I need and cant get. Haha Its hard here!! I wish I didn’t have to ask for everything,but who ever knew you cant buy belts here!
So lets see what else can I tell you before I close…. Probably the coolest thing about my mission is the fun I have, but more the spiritual experiences I have every single day. Giving people blessings and just knowing what seems like perfect Marshallese for that prayer is the best feeling ever. Even if I am making mistakes, I know that Heavenly Father is making it make sense to them and that they understand. It’s a thing that could almost bring me to tears to be honest and I don’t cry. The language… the language is awesome. Its just fun to learn knew things and just try and speak Marshallese all the time. This next week I am gonna celebrate my 8th month by speaking only Marshallese this week!!! So that will be interesting J haha its cool. I understand a ton of the language, but when I have to go an translate it to English its really hard. But I understand… haha pretty cool when you start thinking about objects first in Marshallese!! Trying to think in Marshallese is hard, but wow does it get you good at the language fast!!
Funny we had a lesson on the mission of saving in church yesterday and when asked why leaving the 99 and saving the 1 was important, I said, because a dollar is better than 99 cents and they are roared with applause and they were all laughing soooooo hard haha I’m just having fun with the language. When I can start cracking jokes, you know that’s when you are just having a good time and got this stuff down!!
Well, I should close now and get on with my pday and go play! I love you family. Love you mommy. Love you friends. You guys help make me who I am. I need you guys! Keep writing me and see you guys soon!
Kin iakwe
Elder Ingalls the 4th
Haha I feel like I start all my emails out like that. But its true, you are the best. Thank you so much for writing to me and thinking about me. I miss you a lot!! It’s starting to get weird how fast time is going. I feel like every other day I am back here emailing home!! Time flies!! I sent out a handwritten letter to you and to grandma. So in the next 2-3 weeks hopefully you should be getting those!!! Hopefully it doesn’t take 3 months!
So this week: it was pretty good. It seemed like we were kinda lazy this week. I didn’t really wanna get out and work, so it was difficult. But we managed through it and taught quite a few people. Its hard being with a companion that will literally do anything you want. So if I don’t wanna work, we won't. If I wanna work, we will. Its super nice until you have those days where you just need that push. And its not there. But I love Dui he is the man. One of my favorite Fijians haha besides lutu of course! I swear we have the best and the funniest elders ever in this mission. I honestly am laughing and joking all the time!
Macey…another bf…. What the heck. I managed to get through highschool with none (official ones) ;) haha but whatevs that’s cool too. Matty is a cutie pie too. Wonder how long that is gonna last… hopefully its good. Is he a senior or a junior? I don’t even remember. Anyways I cant believe I am talking about macey and boys…. What the heck happened to my little baby sister….. that’s the real question… and her driving. Limit it to once a week and bike the rest of the time. You guys are gonna owe me a car if she crashes it…. Its probably weird dad driving just one car to seminary for the first time in years….. haha he always tried to race me but I kept him under control ;) you know me :)but give Macey the yokwe for me and tell her to kick some butt in tennis and tell Fedor I say wadddddup and as for BPA, its awesome and I loved it. But just work hard and give Ms. Ricecakes a hard time for me!!
Anyways, I am currently just emailing back and forth with Tanner as we speak. Well, as I write you this email. I miss that kid. Make sure he is taken care of, cuz I am not out at BYU to babysit him right now and Logan, holy buckets how many hours does he work???? Works more hours than hours in a day haha but props to him. Missions put a sense of work into people and that’s the way. I hope he gets into BYU!! That would be legit to get the brothers going there and then maybe Conner after his mission!! I’m so proud of Conner and Retard, whoops Ricky, for them getting ordained and heading out to school. I love those kids and I think they will do great out there and I hope they both can get on missions at the same time and help eachother go!! I’m pumped that they are rooming with Nick too. That kid is the man!!!
Yeah talking to people isn’t difficult. Having small talk and talking and talking is one thing I am really good at. Haha Who knew that not knowing when to shut up would ever be a good thing ;) But yeah I can literally talk about anything and everything with these people. Its fun being the guy that has to do all the talking. I learn a lot about their culture and their lifestyles. Its fun to teach lessons and stuff, but gaining a vocabulary bigger than that is what helps you find people and helps people be more attracted to what you have to say. They say the broken testimony of a elder that is trying is the same as a polished testimony. So if they are the same, might as well be the better one :) really try to sound like these people and pronounce things the way they do. I notice that I do say some English words differently, nothing like an accent, but I just say them the way a marsahallese person would haha and rolling my R’s and flicking my tongue. Probably the coolest thing to do ever. Haha I cant really do it, but I can really act like I can and fake it haha all of the elders when talking about the language just say the same thing, “fake it until you make it” haha and its so true. Just act like you know what is going on and that will give you the confidence you needs to learn the language. And I take that to heart. Its funny when old ladies are talking to me and I really have no idea what they are saying I just act like I do then respond with a yes or a no and hope that they asked a yes or a no question… haha and a lot of the time it works and they all love me :) So yeah getting the lovin from the grandmas :) they are called bubu’s here and grandpas are called jima’s haha its funny :)
Question and answer time with Elder Ingalls:
1. What do you eat out there? Food? Duh. Haha I eat a lot of chicken and rice. There is quite a bit of American food here, but it is so expensive and idk I would rather eat fish and breads and stuff. Idk American food is bomb, but I just am not used to it anymore and I get sick a lot of the time from eating it haha
2. Do you cook much? Whenever I wanna eat? Haha just kidding. I do the cooking and destroy the kitchen in exchange for Dui to clean it up cuz he doesn’t know how to cook that well and likes what I make haha and that soup recipe you sent me… haha nope definitely wont be able to make that any time soon but I am gonna save and hopefully buy all the ingredients and make it for Christmas or something. If I am not on an outer island.
3. Do the members feed you much? Not as much as they did in arrak. And on Mondays for FHE they do. Big time, we eat until with literally have to tell them were so full the food doesn’t taste good anymore… and its hard for me because I eat small portions. haha
4. Do you go to the grocery store? Yeah we go on pdays usually. We have the store in our area so if we need something, were set. But its nothing like a grocery store in the states.
5. Are there fruits and veggies that you can just eat as you are walking around? Like growing wild. Coconuts yes. But not really anything else. And you don’t eat in public or while you are walking. Huge culture no no… haha standing up and eating… nope don’t do that. ALWAYS sitting. Its extremely disrespectful if you stand and eat. haha
6. Why are there big coconut piles? Because they eat a lot of coconuts ;) haha and there is just no other place to put themwhen they fall. And they make coconut oil so they have tolet the coconuts ages and do that stuff so they just make piles. And in the jungle side, they are everywhere!!!
7. What foods do you miss from home that I made you? Yeah quite a bit. Haha I miss not having to make my food, do the dishes sometimes (when I wasn’t fast enough to run away) and just knowing that there was always gonna be something good to eat. Cuz the food I make is good…. But that’s just cuz I tell myself that its good!
8. What have you eaten there that you would never eat again? (Please tell me the answer is lizard!) Lizards are actually dece. Like I would eat another one. But not all the time. Haha just to show off and make these people think I’m crazy!! And I would say 4 month old giant sea clam.
9. Are you still a little eater? Do they try to get you to eat a lot? Yes and yes. I don’t eat too much, But I eat quite often. Its just healthier for you and I never have that big of an appetite. Haha and yes they try to feed you until you can't eat anymore haha
10. Are you skilled in getting a coconut open? I am the best :) there are tons of different ways to do it. One is just a machete, and the other way is this sword like thing they put into the ground and husk the coconut with. Its legit and I am really fast at doing it haha it’s a really good work out too. I’m gonna miss coconuts when I come home to the frozen wasteland!
11. Did you get your package from GMA yet? YESSSSSSSSSS!!! That was awesome!! The belt fits great and I love it!! Thank you thank you thank you!! I wrote her a letter so she should be getting that pretty soon haha and thank her for the candy and the SPREESS!!!!! That was awesome. It is always nice to get packages of things I need and cant get. Haha Its hard here!! I wish I didn’t have to ask for everything,but who ever knew you cant buy belts here!
So lets see what else can I tell you before I close…. Probably the coolest thing about my mission is the fun I have, but more the spiritual experiences I have every single day. Giving people blessings and just knowing what seems like perfect Marshallese for that prayer is the best feeling ever. Even if I am making mistakes, I know that Heavenly Father is making it make sense to them and that they understand. It’s a thing that could almost bring me to tears to be honest and I don’t cry. The language… the language is awesome. Its just fun to learn knew things and just try and speak Marshallese all the time. This next week I am gonna celebrate my 8th month by speaking only Marshallese this week!!! So that will be interesting J haha its cool. I understand a ton of the language, but when I have to go an translate it to English its really hard. But I understand… haha pretty cool when you start thinking about objects first in Marshallese!! Trying to think in Marshallese is hard, but wow does it get you good at the language fast!!
Funny we had a lesson on the mission of saving in church yesterday and when asked why leaving the 99 and saving the 1 was important, I said, because a dollar is better than 99 cents and they are roared with applause and they were all laughing soooooo hard haha I’m just having fun with the language. When I can start cracking jokes, you know that’s when you are just having a good time and got this stuff down!!
Well, I should close now and get on with my pday and go play! I love you family. Love you mommy. Love you friends. You guys help make me who I am. I need you guys! Keep writing me and see you guys soon!
Kin iakwe
Elder Ingalls the 4th
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