Family,
Public school started today. It's pretty funny because every school has uniforms here. It's been a while since I've seen all the kids walking around in their goofy uniforms. Some of them are pretty atrocious, I should get a picture for you guys.
This last couple of weeks we've been trying to make a special focus on lessons with recent converts, less-actives, and investigators with a member present. My companion and I did really well, but we had some pretty discouraging results (I don't think they are related, just a bad coincidence). The three girls we had scheduled to be baptized didn't come to church, which is several weeks in a row now. The problem is they don't have a car, and for some reason are ashamed to ask someone for a ride. We arranged for some youth to walk to church with them, but when Saturday came, one of the girls said (well, told her mom to tell us) that she doesn't want to meet with us anymore because she doesn't want to walk all the way to church. It's like a 2 mile walk, but for these Palauans that's like walking from California to Arizona or something - they're pretty spoiled.
Another thing we've struggling with is the actual church here. We have one branch, and the leadership struggles. They don't show up to meetings, they don't really do anything - except the Branch President. He has gotten to the point where he just expects people not to do anything, so he doesn't ask them to, or follow up, but just does it himself, or no one does. One of the other missionaries and I met with him yesterday before church to talk about the problems the branch is having and how 'To the Rescue' (I don't know if you guys are doing that at home, but I assume you are. If you're supposed to be, and aren't, I'll put dishonor on your whole family) can help. He agreed and then discussed it with the branch council. Then we (the missionaries) are going to go into the homes of the active members and pester them and make sure the assignments are fulfilled. Everyone has great intentions, I just don't think they know what their calling actually entails, and need some training.
Last week, we were driving to see a waterfall (I'd been there before, but the new guy hadn't), and we got stuck in some pretty watery mud. We all got out to assess the situation, and decided we'd just push it. So we put it in reverse to give us a little boost as we pushed. It worked great, but the problem is after it got out of the mud, it kept going. Elder Adams opened the driver's side door and jumped in and hit the brakes before it rolled into the side of the hill. It was a pretty good time. We tried going over the mud again, after laying some banana leaves down over it, and from a different angle, and we got over just fine. Unfortunately, we then realized that the path to the waterfall started right there - about 10 feet from the muddy spot. We didn't actually have to go over it at all. We all felt pretty dumb, but we had a good time anyway.
I leave for Yap on Saturday, so I don't know how P-Day is going to work next week. If you don't get an email from me on Monday (Sunday I guess for you), you'll either get an email or a letter from me later in the week I guess.
I heard something about Proposition 8 getting brought up again (I guess that's why they asked you to speak, Dad), but as usual, I don't know anything about it. What's the problem?
Dad, having the new missionary's principle's nephew's cousin be your cousin's wife's sister doesn't make it a small world. That's about normal. Speaking of weird family relationships, Palau is ridiculous about that. Actually all of Micronesia from what I've gathered. People call their 3rd cousins' kids their nieces/nephews, or their grandmother's cousin is their mom, and just tons of other things like that. It always makes contacting referrals interesting.
"We're looking for a woman named Tmong. Do you know her?"
"That's me."
"Nice to meet you, you're sister, Ochob said you might like to listen to the message we have to share."
"Who?"
"Your sister, Ochob?"
"Ochob?"
"Yeah, she lives in Ngerbodel, in the green house."
"Oh! Ochob, yeah that's my cousin's niece."
This probably happens every day.
I'll talk to you all next week, hopefully.
Love,
Elder Barlow
No comments:
Post a Comment