Marshall Islands here he comes!

Yokwe!!

I'm chillin' here in the Marshall Islands!!! I made it!! Soo..... I am called to Arrak, Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands. So I am on the main island. I am the only bike area in the mission.. NO INTERNET!!! So I will NOT be able to email you probably for a minimum of 6 weeks. But trust me, you will have letters coming quite a bit - all handwritten... I don't know if this is a blessing or not yet... but my handwriting will improve quite a bit. I love you all. Sorry I wasnt able to call this morning. I bought a phone card that only works for cell phones.... so I hope you guys can send me tons of letters and stuff!! Just type them out, and print them and mail them! I'm gonna really need it. Email was my therapy on my mission!! You don't worry about me though. President Shaw is the best person ever.  I love him. He's going to take great care of me.

BRAT: bananas rice apples treefruit = mainly what I eat. I'm so excited. I'm going to have a ton of pictures for you guys. I hope you enjoy the ones that I try and attach. PLEASE WRITE!! I LOVE YOU ALL. Blessings jerammon.

Elder Ingalls (3.0)

MTC Week 5 - one more week!

Hi baby :)

 

I would have killed to have a home cooked meal on valentines day :/ so be glad you did! I'm pretty sure I had chicken fingers and fries.. which were decent... considering I have had them almost everyday for the last 5 weeks!! haha I still have down 2 lbs... but I eat sooooo horribly and I work out like no ones business.. someday it will catch up to me.. but probably not! haha I met this sister whos brother served in the islands and he lost almost 20 pounds over the course of the 2 years, but came home ripped so I plan on doing the same thing. Ladies beware.... I'm gonna come home a bronze god that is hopefully jacked. :)

 

I'm praying for you and your knee right now :/ I twisted mine a little bit in volleyball and I thought that was some horrible pain... I can't really imagine the pain you must be feeling. You're in every single one of my prayers. I hope you know that. and missionary prayers are a big deal :) Elder Lutu says he is going to pray for you too so you should be better in no time :)

 

Brother Heule was such a great bishop and influence for me. He really played a huge role in developing who I am. I LOVE talking to him about anything. religion, politics.. etc. he's a great man. thank him for his service for me!! Give him a big hug and tell him I'm doing great!! and I'm going with Pattberg being bishop. We probably aren't supposed to guess.. but I could see it!

 

HAHAHAHAHAHA you are such a nerd ;) learning how to crochet? how old are you 70?? haha jk.. (cuz you arent a day for 24) but that's really nice of you to do something like that for all the sisters. they will love it and you will fall in love with the people you serve. It's a fact. If you want to get to know someone better, or like them more, serve them.

 

Your date night sounds fun!! Give me a couple years and I can tag along with my wife ;) Just kidding, I don't like girls yet. Mission first... but there are some pretty attractive new sister missionaries that are here... and dang. they know the gospel and have big testimonies!!!!! (geoff + bunji inside joke) they are awesome and carry a different spirit with them that will help so many people.

 

Mrs McCormick!!!! I will never call her Melinda.... she will always be my favorite second grade teacher!! She babied me so much because I was the middle child and she knew my struggles :) I don't think I could ever forget her. She's invited to my wedding. Just so she knows :)

On to interrogation:

Did you get the package I sent you with the G's and a pair of white socks? yes I did- quite a while ago thank you for them!!

Did you get the package of mission books? Do you like them? Are they good quality? yes I a got that package and I use those books on the daily!! They are a wealth of knowledge for me. It's crazy to think how much I have learned in the last 5 weeks. I feel like an expert!! haha just kidding I have sooooo much to learn!!

 

Did you get a package from Sister W yet and, if you did, did you send her a thank you card? I haven't received a package from her yet! aAsk her what address she sent it to, and please give me her address so I can write her either way!!

 

So FLIGHT PLANS!!! I actually do leave the 26th at 8:00am!! I arrive in Hawaii at 3:40pm there time!! Then I stay the night and leave for Marshall at 6:00am and will be to Marshall around 9:15am marshall time... so if you get some random calls in the middle of the night and such ANSWER THEM!!!!!!!!! I might just be able to call you from the airport, and actually from the hotel!! I don't know all the details yet though about that! I will be able to email home another time this week to tell you when my flights are exactly, the numbers, and anything else I need to quick let you know before I leave.

 

I hope you like the pictures I send home!! I just want to send you everything!!!! I hope you post a lot to my FB and let my friends know what's going on! I bet they would get a kick out of some of them!! I'm still waiting for you to send me pictures off my FB!! Maybe in my first package to the islands you could sneak some in!! pictures are amazing and great for teaching and sharing with people about eternal families!! Man I love the MTC!! Its just so nice here!! I have made some amazing friends!! Elder Shepherd, its probably my favorite person ever!! He said he is going to write you :) and Covington says he's going to write you too!! so just be ready for it!!

 

to my friends!!!: what's up ladies/gentlemen/nerds :) :) religion and church changes a person. I always considered myself religious before I left for my mission, but saying you believe in Christ is one thing and follow Christ is another thing. You need to live what you say and you need to say what you live. Boy, do I know so much about the gospel of Jesus Christ, I live it. I know that through his atonement we can be saved. We are ALL made clean through his atonement. I encourage you guys not to just only go to church, but feast on the gospel of Christ. You don't need to be a Mormon to believe what I say, most of you aren't, but having a personal relationship with God and Jesus Christ is something everyone should have regardless of their faith. I love you guys and I show you all off to my friends here!! They think you all are some of the best people in the world. and its because you are :) hope all of you send me a letter or a picture or something!! I promise I will write back!! I love you guys. know that I pray for you literally everyday and I'm not going to stop and just remember, I'm gonna be right back :)

Wow to all my friends getting their mission calls!! soooo coool!! I'm waiting for someone to hit the Marshalls with me!! I wanna know when Bunji and Geoff get their calls so keep me in the loop!! Thank you mommy for keeping my friends informed and up to date! I hope you have fun doing it!!

 

With love :) Elder Ingalls (3.0)

His life in pictures!

Frans!!!

More frans!!!!

 

Photo bomb!

Having a little pizza!

 

Papa John's day at the MTC

Defying gravity

I got him!

Me and my flag!

David!!!

Me being me ;)

Me being me again ;)

Thee craziest elders ever.

My flag, my companions!!!

Best friends and our flags <3

This is Shepherd. He is my MTC best friend! Will you add him for me on the FB? <3

Kavapalu. sickest guy ever. such a bro. I get to actually email you later today. Love you baby cakes.

MTC Week 4 - Valentine's Day

Mommy!!! I love you!!! Valentine’s Day is coming up.... you were my first Valentine ever :) still are. I remember telling you when I was little that I was going to marry you. (And I still plan on it). Sounds like you will have an awesome day. I will be here reading all my non existent love letters :) but maybe I will get one from a sister or something ;) Just kidding. I don't like girls...

I heard Conner and Ricky talking about wanting to go to Utah for spring break. I’m glad they are actually doing it. It will be so fun for them. Make sure they stay with Lorenzo in his dorm one of the nights!! Bunji would cry. And that would be so fun for them to see the campus. I’m so excited that they both got accepted into BYUI!! That’s awesome. I think they will love it there. I hope they both get out of MN and experience some awesome stuff!! BYU was so great for me.

You know... you could just unplug the Christmas tree... its easier to set up if you never take it down ;) and like I said, I ran the household ;) jk. But seriously. I don’t mind nagging. I get what I want through small but stern requests. How do you think i managed a 300c? lolz. I remember making a PowerPoint presentation to you guys to get a new bicycle and cellphone... so I do have some merit to what I’m saying!

We should get flight info at the end of this week, so the next email, I will tell you everything!! I’m going to have a lot of time to call home! We will stay the night in Hawaii and possibly get to go out with the missionaries there if times line up!! I’m going to take so many pictures. I hope you like the ones I send home to you because they all mean a lot to me!!

I heard about the snow!! That’s awesome. It’s snowed twice since I have been here. I love it because my thrift shop loafers have ZERO traction... haha I run outside the temple and I can slide for soooooo long! I currently hold the record. It’s awesome. I have so much fun here. I could stay here forever, and yet I am definitely ready to leave!!

MOM’s questions/Interrogation:
How many dearelders do you have so far? Who writes you the most? I have probably gotten about 100 or so. Some from people that I barely know to the twice a day people like Lorenzo and Geoff. I love them for doing it. It’s so awesome. Tell everyone to keep them up while they are still free!! The more the better!!!

Who is your best buddy there? Covington and Shepherd are my boys!! They are Samoan speaking elders that are right next door to me. They are sooo funny and we hang out all the time because we have the same schedule. They are the funniest guys ever and I may be a bit obsessed. It will be hard leaving the MTC and leaving them, but we’re for sure chillin after the mish. I wish I knew them before!!! They are my bros.

Do you have jobs there, like cleaning or anything? On Saturdays, we break the rooms and set up chairs for sacrament the next day. It takes about 45 minutes to set up all 20 chapels we have to do. It helps when you have 150 guys helping out haha

What do you do all day?
Usual schedule:
6:30 wake up
7:30 eat
8:00-11:00 class
11:00 personal study
12:15 lunch
1:00 language study
2:00-5:00 class
5:00 lift
6:15 dinner
7:00 personal study
8:30 next day prep
9:30 personal prep time
10:30 RAGE. lolz just kidding. lights out.

That’s what we usually do. The times sometime switch. Class usually is 95% all in Marshallese, we do a lot of teaching. We teach investigators everyday.

What is pday like? Super relaxed, but also super scheduled. Wake up at 5 to do laundry, temple at 930, lunch at like 12, personal time til 5, dinner/choir practice, 7 devo, 8 devo review, 9 plan, 1030 lights out. It’s nice.

Are you taking plenty of pictures? You know I will want to see everything! I have sent home a ton of pictures!! I hope you like them and I hope you are sharing them with my friends. I want to share the experience!! But yes, I am taking a  ton of pics! There are only so many different temple pics I can send, but when I get to the islands, PICS GALORE!!!

I love you so much mom and hope you are having a great week!! I love you to death!! Does anyone look at my blog? Has anyone messaged me on FB or anything? My friends are doing good with dear elder!! You should be getting a letter soon!! Tell everyone I said “hi” and that I’m doing just fine. Also, the velcro on my watch is worn out so it falls off all the time now :( I have taped it, but the tape turns my skin really red and irritates it :/ I don’t know what to do about that...
The language is coming along so well. This week are trying so hard to SYL [Speak your language]. It’s difficult, but we grow so much. The first week I was just drilling on flashcards, now when a teacher teaches me a word, I just remember. It’s weird. I know that I can’t do this without the help of Heavenly Father. My lessons are so fun and I just love my teachers. This week we had "black Friday" where we all wore black suits and ties. Our teacher brother Fallon, wore a blue tie to the AM class, and for the PM class he had ran all the way home to switch into a black tie, and he texted Brother Mora to wear a black tie too. Wow. I LOVE MY TEACHERS!!! They are so cool. He didn’t have to do that. So the pic I sent you with everyone wearing black means a lot to me!! Every day of class is amazing. I love this work.

Note to my frans: Hey guys/ladies. Hope you all are doing well. Can’t believe I have been gone for a month. TIME IS FLYING. Seems like I got here last Wednesday and for all we know I’m gonna be coming home next month! (figure of speech, I still have like 23 to go :) it’s gonna be awesome. I have so much to tell you all and I’ve only been in Provo for the last month!! You all should write me a quick dear elder or letter. I know it sucks... but that would mean the world to me or message me something on the Facebook and I will have my mom include it in my letter she writes me (sorry mom to make you work so hard) you guys are all awesome. I love you all so much. Thanks for everything you do for me. SHOUTS OUT TO MY HOMIES READING MY LETTERS N STUFF. SHOUT OUT TO GEOFF FRANCIS FOR BEING MY BOI. Oh yeah... Bunji too.. and if you guys read this... ITS A GO. You know what that means. I always said my favorite number was 3 ;)

Love you mom! Well I will be thinking of your meatloaf on the 14^th [I make a heart shaped meatloaf and heart shaped potatoes for Valentine’s Day dinner]. I love you babe. Man, I LOVE YOU!!!!!

Love, Elder Ingalls (3.0)

No letter yet...again! Just lots of pics!

Lutu... my favorite Fijian elder ever. I learn so much from him.

The craziest group of elders I have ever met! Right next to me is Elder Shepherd.
Honestly, the best kid ever. Wish I knew him before the mish  -- Dallin

- Elder Lelenoa. We have the best relationship ever. Everyone thinks
we're actually gonna fight...he may be Tongan, but I got him. haha



Tongans = my favorite! We all sat on the couches and everyone came to take pics with us...



we would take some pix then yell "CHANGE POSITION!!!
 and we would all jump up and scatter and take more pics.

Another pic of all these crazy elders. They are sooooooooo funnny!!!!!!!
It was awesome. I love it here!

 

With Elder Heiner

Traditional "map" picture - point to where you're going!



Always good times at the MTC

Same guys/more fun!

Sooooo glad I'm not having to baptize people in a frozen waste land.... wow I'm pumped - Dallin

"Black Friday" -  everyone wore black suits and black ties!!!

MTC Week 3

My Mommy :)
When I saw that first email I figured that you accidently sent it! :) you never were too good at figuring out computer stuff ;) hehehe just kidding, I love you. Not everyone can be a genius like me ;) IM SO PUMPED FOR CONNER YOU DONT EVEN KNOW!! [He got accepted to BYUI!!] Man, that is just awesome news. I remember how pumped I was when I got accepted into BYU!!

You guys would leave the Christmas tree up this long... wow.. [It is still up and Mom is NOT happy about it!!] might as well leave it up til next year :) haha if I was home, you already know I would have been the enforcer and made you guys take it down by now :) (dont you miss me????), but Dad is busy with work so I totally understand so don’t give him too hard of a time! Get Conner and put him to work!!

That is seriously wonderful you reaching out like that to others. You will personally find blessings in doing that. It sounds selfish, but missionary work is a work to bring others to Christ, but it has brought me to Christ in ways I can’t even explain. These last three weeks preparing for the people of the Marshall Islands I feel has been all about me, even though I am going to teach them. I grow along with them. Sounds like a good lesson. BYU made me just start loving church and getting involved in discussions etc... I wish I had that drive sooner!!

Interrogation ;)
What is your favorite thing to eat there? PAPA JOHNS PIZZA ON FRIDAYS BABY!!!!!!! I usually eat 8-10 pieces :) I haven’t gained a pound here!! I’m still your little 150 lbs. boy!! I also love all the different sorts of juices they have here. I love orange guava something... haha it’s good. I’m glad I didn’t wear myself out at the Cannon Center fall semester... I would be dying right now.

Who's your favorite teacher? BROTHER MORA!!! They are all super amazing teachers and I love them all and learn so much from them, but he is just an awkward, funny kind of guy. He is Mexican and speaks English, Spanish and Marshallese and when he talks he always says "I forget what language I am speaking in.." so sometimes he just starts speaking Spanish haha its awesome. They are all amazing teachers and with only 6 people learning Marshallese, we get a ton of 1 on 1 time with them.

Have you seen any general authorities yet? Not yet, but rumor has it Thomas S. Monson is coming tonight!! fingers crossed!! JUST KIDDING!!!  I started that rumor :) I hope it’s true, though! They come on Tuesdays for devotionals. I missed Elder Holland just the day before I got here, and it has been two 70's since!

How's the choir going? lolz.... i just do it to get a good spot at devotionals :) I suck at singing unless its Jonas Brothers... because, in that case, I’m the 4th Jonas!

Can you believe you are leaving in 3 weeks? Do you know if your visa came through yet? Will there be any delays? Yeah, its crazy to think. Sometimes I just feel like I’m gonna be at the MTC for the next 2 years!! But yeah I’m ready and excited to leave. I want to learn so much more of the language before I leave though. They don’t tell us visa information, but there are no delays. We will be leaving on the 25th visa or no visa because we don’t need one to get into the country.

How did you email me on a Monday if your pday is Tuesday? My p-day is on Tuesday, but sometimes in our schedule we have times to email because there are SO many elders and sisters here. So expect emails Tuesday, and then sometimes they give us time on Mondays.

Are you being obedient? If they told me not to breathe, I wouldn’t breathe because I know they are called of God here. I know that’s a little much, but to the best of my ability I am obedient. I know my purpose and I know what I am doing. I’m here to bring others unto Christ and forget about myself. it’s hard, but I do it and will keep doing it!

Do you miss me yet? I missed you right when I got in the car to leave the house :/ but I am fine and in God's hands. He is my guardian for the next two years. I know you are in good hands too. We are protected and we will be fine. I think about you 2-3 times a day. Minimum ;) jk I think about you all the time, but I am not distracted from my work. I’m not homesick. I know this is where I need to be!

I love you mom!! Hope I answered all your questions!! Keep up being the best my in the world :) you’re doing pretty good at it!! This week has been awesome. I expect to have another great week. Tell me all the good news, keep the questions coming, I love all the dear elders I’m getting!! I pray for you every night mom. The language is going well. I’m doing well. I lift and work out every day. I read my scriptures. I do what I need to be doing, and then some!

Note to all my friends: You guys are awesome and I miss you all. I’ll be back to earth someday looking a little bit more bronze, knowing a little Marshallese, and knowing a ton about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I miss you guys so much and would love some love letters. Valentine’s Day is coming up and I know you all love me soooo... ;) get writing. But seriously. haha hope everyone is doing well.

love you mommy - ij iakwe eok :)

Elder Ingalls (3.0)

No letter yet, just tons of pictures!

The whole group at the temple

Just like the beatles

New hat

What a surprise! Krispy Kremes from his brother in Sweden!

Going to that little speck out in the middle of the ocean!

Getting a little R&R in while they can!

"My district is the bomb!" - Dallin

Our boy band pic!

More pics at the temple

Marshallese clothing!

"Elder Memea - honestly my favorite elder in the world!" - Dallin

MTC food

"Keeping the garden out of  my stomach!" - Dallin

Fooling the other missionaries with the wrong name tag! (Logan's)

Making the cafeteria staff work for their pay!

He's loving dearelder! Thanks to everyone who writes to him! He says he feels so blessed!

"Laddy Mea - my best teacher ever! This guy is amazing!" - Dallin

Trying to catch up on letter writing!

Just took his snowman family to the temple!

I think this is Elder Memea again!