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 wont. 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! I swear we have the best and the funniest elders ever in this mission. I honestly am laughing and joking all the time haha
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 Rice cakes 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 haha 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 each other 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! I 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 Marshallese 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 need 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 J 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 bread 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. haha
3. Do the members feed you much? Not as much as they did in Arrak. On Mondays for FHE they do. Big time, we eat until with literally have to tell them we're full… 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 them when they fall. They make coconut oil so they have to let the coconuts age 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 haha
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 everyone think I’m crazy!! And I would say 4 month old giant sea clam. haha
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.
10. Are you skilled in getting a coconut open? I am the best J 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 can't get. I wish I didn’t have to ask for everything, but who ever knew you cant buy belts here…. Haha
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 and 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 souls 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 all 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!! Haha
Well, I should close now and get on with my pday and go play haha 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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