I definitely have an accent 1-26-2014

I definitely have an accent.. I recorded myself talking and I sound weird.... great... one more year to go... haha Love U mommy!

Lame News 1-19-2014

Hi Mom!

 

Well I got some lame news... I'm not going to Ailinglaplap. I went to the doctor because I was having bad knee problems and I was have some calcium build ups and they need to take care of before I can go anywhere. So I won't be leaving for awhile... I'm so upset right now.

 

I don't have much time to email. I will write you more next week when I figure out everything thats happening and when I know the internet works better. This is honestly the most depressed I have ever been. I'm gonna work hard and snap out of it. I will try to write more next week. I just don't have that much time because I didn't expect to email today. Talk to you soon.

 

Love you

Elder Ingalls

I'm really sad to leave Jenrok 1-11-2014

Mom!!!!

 

Sup babe??? Well the time has come!!!!!! This is my last email to you for the next 4-6 months! This Friday I'm gonna hop on a plane and fly to Ailinglaplap!!! But if it doesn't fly I could be going to get in a boat to take a 14 hour open ocean boat trip there! It's one of the most primitive outer islands in the Marshalls! No anything... Haha no power, internet, running water, they have a bit of solar electricity but nothing we use... No stores, or much of anything. It's about 400 miles from Majuro Atoll! Haha nuts!!! My time has come! I'm soooo pumped!!! It's gonna be the scariest thing if my life but it's gonna be one of the best thing that ever happen to me! I'm going to learn sooo much! People out there don't speak any English so my Marshallese is gonna be amazing and my English.... Well I will get better at that when I go home! haha it's going to be soooo awesome. I'm so amped. So yeah that is my news. This is gonna be the last email I get to send to you for a couple of months! All letters and packages I get will be kept in the office and waiting for me so I won't get any of that stuff! So you shouldn't send me packages or anything until I get back to Majuro Atoll. 

 

Dang this is going to be such an adventure! When the assistants called me and I don't think I slept more than 20 minutes that whole night! A billion things went through my head! It's gonna be so legit! I can't believe that I am going to be completely shut out for the outside world and literally have no idea what's going on!! So pumped!!!!! It's gonna be pretty hard. 6 months is gonna be a long time that's for sure. But knowing that I'm in God's hands and I am totally and completely protected. I'm gonna go through some hard stuff but I will manage haha I always said I wanted to be on survivor haha and this is harder because I have to do that and teach people the gospel! dang I'm so pumped! I'm gonna do some crazy stuff out there! Gonna go shark fishing soon too-it's gonna be legit!!!!

 

I'm really sad to leave Jenrok. It's hard because I have like 6 baptisms lined up and I just love the members here. They are like my family here. It's hard because I know the language the best here so it's the easiest to have the most fun! I really love working in Jenrok. There is a lot of work to be done still. I know Elder Faleono is the man for the job. He's an amazing elder and I have absolutely loved working with him. He's one of my best friends out here. Haha he's crazier than me too! This mission is going so fast for me. These next few months are going to go even faster! I hope they go fast for you as well!

 

I think I might still need to watch the bachelor when I get home -it's kinda my show..... Hahaha you will get back into it don't you worry [I used to watch it, but this last bachelor was so lame that I couldn't even stand to watch it!] yeah we have had about a 4 week drought because the wind has been so fierce that rain clouds can't form so no rain! We are all using well water right now but if it doesn't rain hard soon, we gonna have to hop in the ocean or something! Haha  we are getting 7 new elders in 2 weeks then 11 new ones in March and I'm not gonna know any of them because I will be gone!!! Idk what it was like for Tanner and Logan's missions but in mine, you know everyone that's a missionary and we are all super close!!! So not knowing about 20 elders, which is about half the ones here in the Marshall's, is crazy to me!!!

 

I was stoked to hear about Macey's dance competition!! 2nd place isn't bad!! So do they go to State?? [Yes, they did!] They sound like they are awesome! I miss being able to watch them! Dance is so hard haha it's good to hear that the boys are doing well in the promised land!! I can't wait to join them eventually!! Haha I can't believe Conner has to bike so far for his job!! [He eventually bought a car!] Haha how is he liking it? Tell Tanner to make some moves!! I'm coming home soon and ask him if that $100 means anything to him!!!

 

Well, I have no idea what you wanna do about emails and my blog if I even have one or letters and stuff. I know I'm gonna write in my journal hard and bring a special outer island adventures journal!! So I will keep you way posted it'll just be a couple of months old but it'll be good. I really wanna do some serious work there! If you guys wanna email me I guess you can but have like 100 emails that I won't be able able to have time to read might not go so well. Whatever you want is fine with me. I really don't even know what else to say other than I love you and am so happy to have this experience and hopefully help these people a ton! I don't wanna just come home with stories. I wanna come home with people's lives changed. I know the importance of having the spirit with me and that 3rd person in our companionships. I work super hard to always have it. I love being a missionary and I know that this is where my Father in Heaven wants me to be right now. 

 

To the friends: idk if you guys ever read my blog but if you guys are extremely bored and are wondering what I'm doing.... Go ahead and take a gander! I'm heading to Ailinglaplap this Friday for a couple months... So power, water, food, anything... Pray that I don't die... Hahaha So don't miss me too much! I'm gonna miss you guys a ton, especially Steve. That kid is a stud you all need to love him up and thank him for being amazing. I will be home soon enough, so you guys enjoy your break from me! Haha you all be good!! Remember, ambition can be a virtue when it drives you to excel. Love you guys and see ya in a couple months. 

 

I'm gonna miss you mom! Make sure you keep a nice long email telling me of what you have been up to and I will do the same. you are awesome and I am going to be missing and praying for you a ton! I will talk to you soon babe don't you worry, I'm gonna be right back!

 

I love you mom!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Elder Ingalls 

Help Pray for Rain - 1-5-2014 (Happy New Year!!!!!!)

Mom!!

 

Well... All I can say is I can't believe it's already January. What the heck, time flies! This time last year I was freaking out about leaving for 2 years and now I'm freaking out about coming home in a year. I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do with myself when I get home... It's weird. I was just thinking about it... It's like playing tennis all day everyday for two years straight, but literally do nothing else. Wake up study's about it and practice then go play all day, then plan about playing tomorrow. 2 years of hardcore training and then after 2 years, quit, and never play tennis again. That's gonna be jacked up. I know I will always be a member missionary and stuff but you know what I mean. No more hard core training and language stuff after 2 years of it is gonna mess me up hard. Tanner and Logan I don't think we're too bad but they also had technology and stuff similar to home. For me... Haha it's gonna be legit. There are rumors of me going to Ailinglaplap which is an outer island here! Nothing is final but I will know in the next 3-4 weeks! If I do, it'll will be "see you in June" cuz they don't have internet there!

 

My quote of the week: I will be more perfected in 2 years of trials and hardship than in a lifetime without them.

 

This week was legit! New Years here was pretty crazy! They blocked off their only road and had a huge block party with like the whole island on it! It was so bomb! Awesome fun, they had a live band and tons and tons of booths for stuff! Way fun and they had some fireworks!!! I was so bwilon kake!!! (Amazed) it was a way good week. This week was good with me. We did some serious work and had some serious fun! We went to the ward New Years party and we, the Elders did a dance and we did the dance to the chacha slide... Haha it was fun, they don't know English so they didn't realize that the song literally tells us what to do! Elder Faleono and me got 4 investigators and 16 less actives to come back to church today! It was huge!! There were almost 200 people at church!!! It was crazy I was pumped!!! Dang that was so cool. I felt like one of the best missionaries ever!! Haha I know it's not me but still! It also helps that church is at 1 now! Haha everyone wants to come then!

 

So it hasn't really rained here for almost 3 weeks.... Haha that's when the no bathing for a day or 2 or 5 comes into play! Haha and the laundrymats are out so we get the blessing of doing out laundry while we take showers! Haha pretty soon if it doesn't rain here in the next week we get to shower in the lagoon! This island really needs water so help pray for rain! Haha I'm really getting pumped for all the new things that are happening! 7 new elders come at the end of this month and 13 new elders come the end of February! About half the missionaries in the Marshall Islands are going to be under 3 months old by the time march comes! That's crazy to think about! These kiddies are so young!!! It's hard for me to remember the days a year ago when I didn't know one word of Marshallese! I feel like it was always a part of me and that I always knew it! Haha pretty weird because I read in my journal just 6 months back and I read about how frustrated I was not ever knowing what was going on or what was being spoken!! I'm not fluent but I'm on a quick path to get there! I really am challenging myself to learn it faster and better. I try to learn 10 new words a day and force myself to speak Marshallese to my companion even though it's so frustrating for us to tell stories and everything because we're American. Desire is the drive. 

 

How are the boys liking it in Utah? Are they all moved in! I hope their apartment is better than Tanner's apartment when I was there. That place was pretty small. It's crazy to think that now, that place is large compared to where I live and the houses the people have here! This mission is really humbling me in that fact. I feel a lot more fortunate to have what I have.

 

Jenrok is my favorite area so far [He seems to say that about every one of his areas!]. The members are the nicest, there are a lot of investigators, and I am just happy to be here. It helps that I know enough of the language to make jokes and just have fun so the people really open up to me then it's easy to teach them and for them to be accepting and really feel the Spirit. I think that each area I have next is gonna be my favorite because I am just getting better at communicating with people and being a better missionary. I want to go to an outer island, but I love Jenrok so much right now I really wanna stay here for another couple of months too! Who knows?

 

How's everything going at home?? You guys all sounded so good on the Skype. I'm glad it worked out wonderfully. I am writing all these  emails before checking mine so I don't know what questions you are gonna ask so I will send this and then maybe send a smaller one! How does Macey like being the princess of the house now? Give it a year and daddy D [I guess this means, him?] is back in town to run that place again haha 

 

S/O to the friends and family also. You guys are amazing. I think about you guys a lot and I spend a lot of my days telling these people of some people who's skin is whiter than soap all the stories and the things I did back home with them! They are amazed when I show them pics of Justice or Duke cuz they all think just white people live there! Well, Justice is like the whitest black person I know... haha hopefully he reads that. And someone ask Duke if he ever got my letter.. I probably sent it to the wrong penthouse.... My b. anyways to my friends I love all you guys. I hope you guys are all doing well. Miss you all bunches. This time next year I hope you guys will be getting ready to party and celly my coming home again. Haha see you all in a couple

 

To the ward: yokwe family :) how's the best ward in the world doing?? I miss you all! I hope you guys can recognize this little brown kid coming home talking funny next year! I haven't quite forgetten English yet but my family says otherwise! I hope you all individually are doing well. See the missionaries around? Take advantage of those guys, feed them, drive them, work with them, make them work harder!! It took me being a missionary to realize the importance of missionary work... Don't follow that lead. Just get out and do it. I spend two years of my life with a name badge serving The Lord when in reality I will take off that badge, but continue doing the things I'm doing right now for the rest of my life. So take part, and do your part! I love you all. See you guys soon. I'm gonna be right back. 

 

Okay back to you mom! I just wanna write you a mushy love letter cuz you are cute and deserve some love for your favorite son :) I just wanna tell you how much I love and adore you mommy! There are some great moms here that take me in and are wonderful to me and some remind me of you, but they are not you :) simply cuz you're the best :) I'm so spoiled to have parents like you guys! But then again I don't think I could have it any other way! I can't wait to come home and cuddle with you and watch some dumb girl movie :) and the bachelor... Omg. Haha but yeah I can't wait to take you on some dates and to just be around you!! These 2 years is hard because you never really have a family and I'll never have my mommy. That's the thing I miss most, even more than chipotle, my car (believe it or not), girls, Steve :), and everything else that's awesome :) this year went by so fast and this next one is gonna fly faster. I love you babe :)

 

I gotta bounce talk to you soon!!

 

Your favorite son Elder Ingalls 

My crazy Minnesota family - 12-29-2013

Mom!!
So I don't get to email you that long because the internet is really bad.. so I will keep it short and sweet!! Talking to you guys this week made up for not being able to email you guys that much! I got to tell you everything! I should have come up with a list of things to say to you guys! I never realized how much I stink at English and trying to tell stories until I got to Skype you guys! haha all the other Elders are just as bad as me and we use Marshallese when we are with each other so its really easy to chat and tell stories... haha Its gonna be weird going home and only hearing English all the time! I feel like I don't know how to talk to people, especially white people! haha But it will be fine!! I loved talking to you guys!

Sounds like you all had a really good Christmas!! Wisconsin Dells sounds like a really fun place! I can't believe I never got that chance to go there!  Sounds like my crazy Minnesota family running around in the snow and in shorts at this time of year! [We stayed at a hotel/condo that had 4 waterparks that we could ride a shuttle to every day all day long! It was so fun! Highly recommend it. We could just hop on the warm shuttle in our wet suits and ride back to the hotel. It was awesome! Who cares that the weather was below 20 degrees each day!] haha its funny I really am scared to go home and be in that cold weather... I feel like I'm going to get really sick and die... haha I hope you guys have a nice coat for me at the airport or I might just stay at the airport! haha its crazy to think a year from now I'm just going to be packing up to go home!! Skyping you guys will be interesting.... haha its just like see you guys in a couple of weeks! haha it all goes by way fast just like what you said! There are some slow days and some fast days but overall its fast!

I can't believe you guys think that I talk funny.. [He had a little accent!] I don't feel like I do at all... haha its really hard because I just use Marshallese words when I'm talking to the other Elders in English. its way nice... but I can't do that with you guys and it trips me up.. haha I dont think that I have changed too much, just maybe a tad bit more spiritual and less inappropriate... haha well.. maybe just the spiritual part :)
This week was way fun! Pday then eating at president's houses, then the Christmas celebration with the members on Christmas!! which was soooo legit!! then Skyping you guys!! the week went really fast!! Its crazy how fast all this is going... but I love it and love being here!!

I dont have much else to say this week!! I got to talk on Skype to you guys so all my questions are answered, hopefully I will be getting my sling shot in the mail soon ;) and hopefully Tanner pops the question ;) haha I love you a ton mom!! You have a good week!! I will be seeing your beautiful face soon! loveeeeeee Dallin :)
Elder Ingalls :)

Happy to be a missionary! - 12-22-2013

Mom!!

Hey girl. What's up? How you doing? I'm doing good! The college is closed so I am only getting to email you guys a little bit! I'm super excited to talk to you guys in a couple days! Boy do I miss you guys! It's been months since we talked! Weird to think this time next year I will be Skyping you guys and just be coming home a couple weeks after that! Haha this all goes so fast. The first 6 months were long but these last 6 months fly... I hope I can hit an outer island soon and have that amazing experience! The next couple of months will be really fun! I really want that Other Side of Heaven experience! It would be pretty hard! I knew one Elder that served 4 months out there weighing like 260 pounds and came back 190... Now that was crazy to see!!! Haha hopefully I don't go there at 160 and come back at 90 hahaha I would be on the next plane home! I think I can honestly say that this is the best mission in the world! I have the best Mission President in the history of Mission Presidents as well as the coolest Elders ever. [Funny, my other two boys said the same thing about their Mission Presidents and Elders!] I honestly believe we were all called here for a reason. I definitely think that these guys were all hand picked to serve here. Like its weird to describe but like we all have a certain personality to work here that just works with other Elders and the people here. Takes a certain type of person to serve in the Marshall's that's for sure. 

 

So this last week probably my best friend and most respected Elder left the mission to go home! Elder Fesolai was the man! I'm really gonna miss that guy. If he adds me on FB give the okay! Also Rafy Abaya. I think he said he was going to add me! He's one of my buds that works for the church! Right now I work with Elder Faleono. He is a half Mexican half Samoan Elder and he's from San Diego California. He is soooo funny! I love working with this cat. I hope to be able to spend a transfer or two with him. He is 8 months out and is the man. One of my favorite companions to work with so far! We literally laugh and joke around all day! Haha it's fun to work with an American that laughs at the same jokes and can speak fluent English. Haha you Guys will ever understand how awesome it is to be able to be surrounded by people that speak your language. The finer things in life really mean a lot. Talks a mission to understand that!

 

So this week Elder Faleono was pretty sick so we chilled out a bit but also got to get out and meet a ton of members and do some work! We wanna get a bunch if new investigators so that's what our focus is going to be this next week! It's gonna be pretty hard cuz it being Christmas week and such! I'm really pumped to be working with Faleono. I'm really having fun and learning a lot and really happy to be a missionary!

 

I'm writing all this before I get to check my email so sorry I don't know if I'm going to be able to answers any questions you have for me! But last week I got a package from grandma with a shirt in it that I'm way pumped about!!! Tell her thank you so much!!! And I also got a package from Katie Traffie!!! So happy about it that! And letters from Mckayla Berres and Sara Miller! I wrote them all letters and got them sent in the mail a couple of days ago so I hope they like them and get them soon! I was amped to get all that mail!  Writing letters is so tiring and boring but I love to respond and it actually is fun! I'm gonna write a few more and get them all sent out! 

 

I have been taking some awesome pictures lately so I hope you like what I send home! I'm going to send my memory card home soon! Probably in the next 2 or 3 weeks. I don't really have much more to tell you guys.. I'm gonna log on and write the responses to your letter in the ps part of my letter. Love you baby cakes

Elder Ingalls :)

12-14-2013 (Later that day)

Yo and by the way I actually get to Skype you guys on the 26th here at 3:15pm. so that's Christmas day at like 9:15pm or so back home I think!! peace out love you!!! got grandmas package with the shirt tell her thank you and I love you!!!