Monday, May 31, 2010
Slowness
Also the branch had a branch activity on saturday that was put on by the primary, even though there are only like 5 primary kids in the branch. But it was a western night hoe down. There was singing, dancing, and bbq and fried chicken and fries and it was pretty fun. There was actually a really good turnout of people. There were a lot of inactive families and even quite a few nonmembers there. It was really good, the hard part is now to get them to church, which none of them really came yesterday. We also went to a funeral yesterday. The funeral was of a member who lived out in Denmark which is like half an hour away and she was like 80 and she couldn't really get to church so i've never seen her before but Elder Orth (the Senior Couple) was her hometeacher so we went with them.
well only 11 more days meliss....crazy sauce eh? Jenn thanks for writing me a completely and utterly useless email...no jk it was quite nice, thank you. Mele still lame as usual i see...not jk...
Well not much else to write about. hopefully some things will be happening this week. There is zone conference next week, and our area actually switched zones so now we are in a city zone so we actually will be going to perth and city zone conferences are with two zones combined at a time and i'm pretty sure Elder Rockwood is in the other zone so i'll probably see him there. You probably didn't understand any of that zone business but if you really care just ask and i'll explain it better next time. well thats all for now i guess. Take care everyone, and i love yous all.
Elder Salakielu
Sunday, May 23, 2010
So you cleaned randy's room that is craziness, i never thought i'd see the day. That is quite the feat. So...I see my ipod isn't in the ihome...nah jk. the real challenge is the other room which is all kinds of crazy. That is awesome to hear nia passed her exam and is making her way on up. and oh well about the cardboard cut out...but you guys still have to take a lot of pictures and maybe some videoness. Well good luck with cleaning and continual wedding preparations.
Things here are alright, but i think i jinxed myself when i said that things were picking up. or they really were and so satan was all like i can't have any of this so he just did what he does best and made things harder. Appointments dropped left and right along with investigators. We invited this woman, Alina, to be baptized and she got pretty offended and is all anti for the time being, so we won't go visit her for a while. then there was roy who is like 80 yrs old and we taught him 2 lessons and he was falling asleep during them and then he told us we were wasting out time. Then there was a young couple who decided to go on vacation for a few months...and then we're having trouble with someone quitting smoking and paying tithing. For the time being we only have 1-2 possible real teachable people. One of them is like late 20's and he is filipino but we just can't ever catch him home...or awake. So maybe he isn't actually all that teachable. But we do have some referrals to go and see so hopefully we'll have luck with that. But that just means we have to work and try harder and pray and fast. but there is a branch activity this saturday which actually is supposed to be having a lot of non members come. So we'll see how that goes.
Well thanks for the emails, good luck once again, and take care. Love you guys.
Elder Salakielu
P.S. added some pictures of a few things. One of them is in front of some church back in merriwa with a pretty hypocritical sign...at least hypocritical for them. and then the rest of the pics are here in albany....a frog we caught and then got loose in the apartment, the windmill farm (produces up to like 75% of albany's power) and then pics of the Brig Amity, a replica of the first ship to land in WA in Albany in like 1826...sweet...well see ya later, love ya.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
well hello familia. it is the start of another transfer and i'm still in albany with elder wilkey. Our zone though is having 6 transfers so thats like half of our zone being transferred. we'll find that out later today, but won't even see them until zone conference in like a month.
well thanks meliss and jenn and mom and dad for writing. and thanks for the pics. even though the one you didn't include was the only one i asked for lol. they were still nice thank you. lol about the high voltage pic...LAME...jk. and i have not been late with checking emails. We just don't have day light savings here so it just seems like i've been late but really its just normal.
This past week was not so good. we had like 50 million appointments fall through..ok maybe not that many, but quite a few. Well things sound all crazy and busy back home so i won't bother you with anymore emailness. Love you guys, take care.
Elder Salakielu
Monday, May 10, 2010
ok so it was very good to talk to yalls today (jk i'm not from texas). and you are very welcome for the mothers day card mom...its all true and its the least i could do for all the many wonderful things you have done for me.
I remembered one of the things i forgot to say. its nothing that great so don't get excited. its just about how we were walking past this church yesterday (the free reformed church) and there were so many cars there. like just as many cars as the ward at sandy if not more. I was pretty surprised...and mighty saddened. but i guess good for them, that is the most aussies i've seen at any church yet.
Jenn thanks for the email as usual. you've just gained popularity status over dad this week...jk he's been busy with crane tests and providing for our family and what not, and plus he's written alot more times than you...but still thank you. your email did make me laugh quite a bit though.
Also already forgot the elder coming in that worked with laurie....what was his name?
work really is picking up here we got a call from a less active who is actually a pretty good member but just doesn't come to church, but she called us to tell us that she has a nonmember friend who wants to come to church. But in an email or two back you said that you always keep our work in your prayers and that just really stands out in my mind and that it really does help an the Lord hears our prayers and it makes a difference so thank you. Love you all and take care.
Elder Salakielu
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Anywho we are back in Albany now and work is picking up we may possibly have 3-4 new people (thank you for your prayers) to teach and have made some progress with one of the people we have already been working with, its not very much but its progress none the less. her name is Marlain and she is like 60-70ish and is retired and lives off of pension and is afraid to pay tithing, and she said that that is the only thing keeping her back. We've prayed and fasted for her and hopefully we can help her to let the Lord help her.
That is great to hear about Jonathan Slack and that he has been called to labor in new mexico. My district leader in the mtc was from alberquque (?) new mexico...good ol elder sloan. he is in riverside california. Anyways tell Jonathan good luck, even though you probably won't be in sandy for 2 weeks. I'd give him advice but it wouldn't be anything new. Do you know when he leaves?
Time is going pretty fast, only one more month until the big day for meliss. sounds like things have been pretty busy and hectic with the planning and picturing and what not...but girls love that kind of stuff...i think...so oh well. But i am looking forward to getting the announcement.
Jenn...(head shake of shame)...i'm deeply disappointed in you.
So my camera is slightly broken again which is a shame cause we went on this tree top walk thing and it was pretty cool but didn't get any pictures cause my camera is brokeny. but there is a guy in the branch who i think can fix it...Danny powell...he is awesome. also i would put up some new pics from before it went brokeny but i couldn't find the cable, so next time.
So i found out what anzac day is, it is to celebrate when 30,000 troops left from albany to go to Gallipoli in 1914 for WWI...you guys probably don't care though.
Also me and Elder Wilkey found out that we are 19th cousins through Baron Roger De Grey. We could be cousins earlier but we don't know, also we heard that everyone is at the most 26th cousins don't know if thats true or not but whatevs.
Ok now to get serious. So we were tracting and we tracted into this lady who used to be on pretty good terms with missionaries but haven't really talked to any for a while. But one missionary she was pretty close, after finishing sent her his wedding announcement and this was like way back in 1999. anywho his name was like brandon or brendon savage, and who he was marrying her last name was seely. the reason i bring this up is cause they were from montana. Now either my mind is playing tricks on me or those names are ringing some very small bells...i dunno, i think i actually might just be crazy. Are they familiar to you at all?
And what time should i call? i was thinking that i was going to call monday morning which would be like sunday afternoon/evening. if your in hawaii church starts at 1 doesn't it? Well i probably should've asked all this last week so that i could actually check before it gets to be mother's day. but its the same dealy where its 2 days before and after and then the day of i can call so whatevs.
Well it was good to hear from you all and thank you for writing. Thank you for the prayers and i pray for you all as well. i hope all is well and that you take care. Love you all and talk to you next week....like literally talk, and not just email. love ya.
Elder Salakielu
p.s. haha jenn you thought that that was all i was going to write about you. but seriously...haha. but double seriously you should be ashamed of yourself. only going to 2 hours of church and then not wanting to introduce yourself. shame....jk, but seriously. also could you send that pic of randy somehow, maybe just like scan it and email it or somethin...that'd be swell. thanks love ya.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Ok yeah so we didn't email yesterday because it was a public holiday...again. It was anzac day on sunday which i think celebrates when the first ships left to go fight in world war I, i think, or something like that. It was also the first dawn church service in either WA or Australia. So that was on sunday and then monday is just a public holiday to give people a day off since the actual holiday was on sunday.
but the "yay" in the subject line is there cause we got to see conference on saturday and sunday. we started the saturday sessions at 12 with only an hour break in between (which the branch president took us out for lunch and then a snack during those breaks) and so it felt like 8 hrs of conference straight but it sure was good. and then on sunday we started at 10 and finished at about 2:30 and haha oh man the branch president was just lying asleep on the floor by the end of it, it was funny. He is one of the funniest guys ever. he's pretty cool. but like on saturday there weren't very many people in the chapel just like the branch presidency and their wives and then us, and a senior missionary couple (we found out last week that the mission president was going to send down a senior couple and we didn't know what that meant for us cause like a year and a half ago there only used to be a senior couple down here and we didn't know if that meant we were going to get transferred and it was pretty funny cause we were freaking out but it looks like we'll be staying for the time being) but back to conference, so later one like 4-5 people showed up for the saturday sessions and then there was only like 8-9 of us for priesthood and then sunday there was about 15-20 people, which is quite a bit less than a normal sunday. Anywho this new senior couple (they're from queensland by the way, Elder and Sister Orth) is mostly going to work with the branch and the less active and part member couples in the branch and a bit of proselyting while we can now completely focus on finding new people to teach because that is what we are really struggling with right now is finding people. We only really have like 3 consistent but not necessarily progressing investigators. but the zone leaders are coming tonight on a 6 hour bus ride for exchanges so we could really use their help. Then we have zone conference on friday in bunbury which is the zone leaders area so we'll drive them back and stay with them on thursday. then stay in bridgetown friday night and come back saturday...pretty busy week.
before i forget, tell grandma and grandpa that i've got their letters and sorry that i haven't written back to them yet but i'm getting to it.
Jenn thanks for the update...all i have to say to you is keep it real.
AHHH i almost forgot to mention that i got the package and letter from austin and thank you thank you thank you again as always it is mucho appreciated. I did send a letter to utah but seems like you might miss it. And why doesn't cody email? i much prefer to email than write letters. Good to hear it is warm and sunny there. It is pretty dang cold here in albany and its only going to get colder cause its only fall, ahhh!
Well just about out of time and sorry i haven't written you back yet dad but thanks for writing and for the info and encouragement and updates (especially with the jazz). but I love you all and hope you all take care.
Elder Salakielu
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Good morning family, or should i say good evening...yeah, i'll say good evening. well last week for pday we went to the gap, and no not the clothing store. its this place on the coast where there is just like cliffs and there is a big gap from one side to the other and its like super high. also there is like a giant rock bridge thing and so i have some pictures of that. also pictures of a frog we caught and elder wilkey doing a wheelie on his bike.
The branch is good, we had about 40 people there again at church yesterday. Oh and yes this is the only branch for all of albany and we are the only missionaries for albany. the closest missionaries are in esperance and bridgetown and they are each like 4 hours away. technically our areas are huge and with bridgetown our areas meet halfway so a two hour drive for them towards us and a two hour drive for us towards them and that would be our areas but that is being technical when really they are just giant grey areas that no one really goes to.
I don't know if there is a major religion here. I'd say there is a mixture cause there are definitely like 20 other chapels in town like baptist, weslyan, catholic, free reformed, JW, uniting church of australia, salvation army, and a bunch more but i don't really know how many people go to any of them, my guess would be very few...at least now a days, i'm sure back in the day people were more church going and there are a bunch of chapels here because albany was the first settlement in Western Australia. Oh but we did tract into a free reformed church family who looked mormon and acted mormon and even had 6 kids but they were pretty far off the mark and didn't believe in modern day prophets and personal revelation and only believed in the bible and nothing else and that nothing can be added or taken away from it and i was just like wow people actually believe that, they didn't just make that up in the mtc. But anyways we were just battling with them for like an hour and elder wilkey was just smashing them with his bible bashing skills and they didn't even want to believe it or change or even consider it for a moment, it was just so frustrating...ok so it wasn't that contentious but it sounds better and funnier that way, but really it was a pretty friendly discussion. and we offered them a book of mormon and they were just like horrified and disgusted that we would do such a thing and then we accpeted their bible and so they took a book of mormon. and actually it was their sons bible so now we have a reason to go back.
As for the geneology i don't know which line we traced it back through exactly. I was going back through every ones parents and then that was taking forever. did that for like an hour and it was still going and like it was zoomed out way back and the print was like super small and i couldn't really tell from which line, but bro. james was expecting it to slow down and stop somewhere. but then we started going back through just one line and then we had to go and so bro. james took over and went from there, and i don't remember the name we went through.
Jenn that was quite the interesting email...but it was sooooooo funny. crazy people are the best. there is this guy here in albany who walks around wearing a white suit and hat and has a cane and he has a pretty awesome beard but he thinks he's jesus. he doesn't quite match up to the weirdo in hawaii. pretty funny though. and about the perfume ..hahaha oh man thats classic...classic dad. Good times.
Well (dad) it still sounds like work is good so no problem there. Like you always say the Big Guy Upstairs is really looking out for us and we are very blessed and i'm grateful for you (dad) and everyone else...jk everyone else being mom, randy, meliss, jenn, and mele and many more and i love you all.
Anywho things are alright. i'm fine, eating good, the branch takes care of us, even less actives and non members. elder wilkey can cook and usually does but yeah we're good. well time to go shopping for some food after we pick up the car from getting serviced, and then we don't know what else we are going to do today. Well take care everyone, love ya.
Elder Salakielu