Okay...I think it worked, i uploaded about 3 test photos to the costco website and now the others are uploading as i type. It takes forever to upload and i can only upload 12 at a time but i spent half the time figuring out how to work this. but good news is that i can write while its uploading so next week i'll upload a lot more photos to good ol costco.

Sorry this email is going to be a little rushed. So yeah we can go fourwheeling...as far as i know. We just can't drive i don't think. That is a lot of marriages going on...pretty crazy. Awesome so you saw Elders richards business card...did it have an address on it? Also i think i should get cards as well...would you like to make a design for me and you could just email it or something...if not thats cool, don't worry about it.


well i only have like 1 min and the photos might not finish uploading so i don't know what is gonna happen but love you all.

Elder Salakielu

Well another week come and gone. I say that like nothing happened...but in fact the greatest thing happened. Adam and Anahera Wairepo got baptized on saturday!!! God: 13 millionish + 2 Satan: 0....unfortunately thats a jk because really he is like 6 billionish...but that doesn't matter cause Adam and Ana got baptized! Saturday was a good day. the other elders had a baptism as well and then there was a hangi (still don't know how to spell it) after and there were a bunch of maori's from another ward and they got up and did a haka don't know which one exactly but it was one about the plan of salvation i think...don't ask me, i couldn't understand it. The spirit was really strong that day during the program and during the actual baptism. I also had to speak about the Holy Ghost and that went alright. Anyways this family is a miracle, how they were found, how receptive they were/are, and that they were baptized. The first time we went over there Adam didn't seem to interested at all and Ana was all like "lets go to church!" and he was all like "good luck," but he has been to church every sunday since. I love this family and they have been a great blessing and an example ( in addition to my many other blessings and you guys) as to why i am out here. Everytime we leave their home I leave wanting to be a better missionary, wanting to find more people and it doesn't matter how many "no's" there are, one "yes" is always worth it, and we've been blessed with three, and they are all proof to that.

So mary's baptism is this saturday, Feb. 20, 2010, at 11:00 am and she is still holding strong. It is really hard for her to make it to church because her daughter and her two grandchildren. Her daughter doesn't feel worthy to come back to church which is a shame because thats what church is for but we are working with her to go see bishop, which she wants to. Mary's two grandchildren are little troublemakers. Like last week we had to babysit the 11 yr. old at church and he was misbehaving and swearing up a storm. The 6 yr. old got glue and glitter on my pants yesterday which adds to the long list of other stuff she has done like sticking gum on my pants, spitting food on my arm, and spitting on my cheek/ear area...she's CRAZY!!!!!!!
So my camera is kind of pretty messed up. It has a hard time focusing and zooming in/out. It did have a bunch of sand in it but not anymore and for the most part it works but acts up from time to time. I'll also be paying that stupid parking ticket today say goodbye $100.

I got your Valentines day card (mom and dad....thanks everyone else....jkz). Thank you, it is always good to get mail....especially when it is unexpected. So it turns out that missionaries love stickers. So if you guys or anyone who reads this are sending any paper mail/envelopes my way just go ahead and include any cool stickers you may have come across. Also there's about 4 or 5 letters that i may be continually sending home for you to distribute throughout the states, i hope that is alright. Although i will need your help obtaining an address for one of those letters. There should be a business card for an Elder Spencer Richards in my room on my dresser serving in Virginia and that should have his address on that there is a good chance that it may or may not be there anymore though...check it out though and if you find it email it on over. It turns out business cards were a good idea. I thought about maybe getting some when he gave me his but was like nah....and then stupid elder hampson and every other missionary in the world had to have them as well and now i regret my poor judgement call. I guess i'll get some eventually.

Anywho I've come up with a little list of lollies (australian for candy....stupid aussies...jk i love them...cause i have to....jk cause i want to) anyways, candies that they don't have here. Reese's: check, along with every other chocolate mixed with peanut butter candy, like peanut butter eminems. They don't have airheads or big hunks or corn nuts and that i know because i had them left over from the mtc and since i haven't served with or been around an american the other missionaries where like whoa what are those. Also they don't have twizzlers or jolley ranchers and that is my amazing list so far. I mention this just for future reference and for something to think about when sending something next time. I know the box isn't very big either so its not like you have to include all those, but anythings good, just something to give to little kids.

Well that is my amazing letter for this week, full of amazing, incredible, entertaining information. I haven't mentioned anyone specific in these letters for a while and group the whole family into one conglomerate and have mom be the representative and althoug i don't mention you all i do think of you all and love and miss all of you, Mom, Dad, Randy, Meliss, Jenn, and Mele, and Nia and Noa and Jared and Carson as well. I love you all.

Elder Salakielu

Well another pday in the works. The day has gone pretty good so far. We went off roading at 7 with a member who has a land rover and it was pretty fun. We got stuck about three times but thats part of the fun. I actually got some pretty good pics but will have to send that next time ( I say that all the time but never actually do anything about it). Although i did get some sand in my camera and it kind of broke so i'll have to try and fix that.

Ok so we now have three baptismal dates set. Two for Adam and Anahera because they couldn't find Ana's records so both of them will be baptized this saturday, the 13th. The third date is for Mary who we finally got to church for the 2nd time yesterday, its actually pretty funny like we went and saw them (mary and her less active daughter and two grandchildren) an hour or two before church started and then church started and they still weren't there and they called us like 5 min into sacrament and asked for directions, but they eventually got there so thats good. And Mary will be baptized on the 20th (knock on wood). Other than that we still do not have any other people really progressing. It's pretty hard and lame...but the work must go on.

Also I mass mailed some letters home for you to send out if you could do that for me. One is to conner, another to mason, and the other to austin. I've actually gotten two letters from mason so thats pretty cool, but it took me forever to write him back...or to write anyone really. There is always something to do. So missionary culture is pretty weird. Like you start liking things you probably wouldn't have liked before, or buy stuff you wouldn't have bought before, or pick up stuff from off the side of the road you normally wouldn't have. also everyone is into scrapbooking, like they refuse to believe and deny that it is scrapbooking but it is and its pretty gay but like that is what happens. Like missionaries like to decorate stuff..like their planners, preach my gospel, binders, and especially sign journals but i guess if anything needs to be scrapbooked its your mission right? the best two years of your life? right?...nah just kidding.

So how is the superbowl going. Is it over. I hope the Colts win/won. I like the Saints 0%.

Thats stupid about the truck getting broken into....that WOULD happen to jenn. But sounds like work is still going well with this conference and all. The place you are staying at sounds amazuhzing....why do you guys do all the cool stuff once i leave...geez...jk. We've actually seen a school? pack? swarm? family? of dolphins pretty close up that was pretty cool...but we weren't on the beach or anything...really we weren't....cause there wasn't a beach we were driving on the road right next to the ocean and it was like a little rocky cliff dealy instead of a beach, but it doesn't matter, what matters is that we saw dolphins.

Well I should have starting doing this a while ago but will hopefully start soon and that is to start kind of prewriting my letters or at least what to include in them at the end of everday. Dad already suggested that but I was in denial and didn't think i needed to but hopefully my emails will start to be better. But for the meantime deal with it...jk...but seriously you'll have to settle for this...jk. Love you guys and miss you all and i will talk to you all next week.

Elder Salakielu