3-24-12

Sup Dog Lipses,
Yoyoyoyo--it's me here, the fresh prince of Samoa.  Just seshin the fresh sesh, 1-2, 1-2.  Things have been gettin double dank up in here this week in Samzone.  All is fresh to the brothers here, no doubts no dogs.  Peacin' on the smork zone, flaggin down all those who be naggin my gnar.  Shreddin the dunkbunk ain't easy, but it's possee fresh once you get it double beans good.

This week was way sweet though.  We had a stake temple trip from Monday to Wednesday.  So me and my companion got to go stay in Apia for a few days, which is sweet too cause all the food at the office is the bomb.  We raided the heck out of that fridge.  So, Monday morning we left Faiaai to make the boat and then when we got to Upolu, we had to take a taxi over to Pesega.  It was cool though.  Then we went to the temple and did a sesh--it was sweet.  So then the next day was super awesome.  We were pretty much in the temple from the early morning all the way until the evening, except for a few hours in the afternoon where we went back to the office and showered and stuff.  It was so awesome though.  We've been working for this trip for a really long time.  We had some member families that we've been working with be sealed, and that morning a lady that we've been working with for a long time received her endowments.  That was so awesome--I was stoked. 

And then later on we had temple baptisms.  Man, that was the awesomest.  Fonoea and Fansegia, who were just baptized on Saturday both came on the trip as well as Silia, the girl we baptized back in January.  Silia's mom couldn't come though cause she had to watch the kids--that's Mata, who was baptized on Saturday as well.  Man it was awesome though--it was real awesome.  Their family is so excited about the temple--they really can't wait to get sealed for eternity.  Even before we had started teaching lessons, they were eager.  We had just gone to visit them to see how they were doing and the grandma Fonoea goes, "We want to get sealed in the temple.  What do we have to do?"  And we're kinda like, "Well, you have to get baptized first. So they're like, "Well, when can we get baptized?"  So then like a week later they were baptized.  And three days after that they came to the temple to perform baptisms for the dead for their family on the other side.  They collected all the names on their own, got everything prepared on their own, and did everything they could to make it on the trip.  I didn't even know that they were going to be there.  I was really surprised.  

You can really see the Lord's hand in these people's lives.  He's been preparing them for years to receive the gospel, and now they're reaping the blessings.  It truly is amazing.  I can't wait in a year's time to hear about those guys getting sealed in the temple or even to get to be there would be so cool.  After we did baptisms for the dead, we were talking to Silia and she said that she's now preparing to serve a mission.  Freak, that's crazy to me.  I was so stoked when I heard that.  It makes me happy.  Most Samoans actually get called to Samoa, so chances are she'll probably serve here.  That would be way sweet--I would be real stoked.  Silia's pretty much the reason the rest of the family was baptized.  She's real strong.  She would do scripture study and family home evening with her little cousins and her mom and her grandma would get mad at her.  But then she finally convinced them to come to church and when they did, they felt the Spirit real strong and started to understand why it was so important to Silia.  But yeah, their family is real tight--I'm way stoked for them.  They're real strong, like even a lot stronger than families in the ward here that have been going for years.

The work is moving forward here--it's going really well.  We have another investigator who's gonna be baptized soon.  She just has to get married first.  I think they're gonna do that on Monday, I'm not sure.  But she's getting married this week, so then we should be good.  Oh yeah, also this week we had most of our p-day on Saturday, which is today, cause on Monday we spent most of the day traveling to Apia.  We didn't get the chance to clean our house or write letters or anything.  So yeah, that's cool.  And Monday I'm hoping we finally get to hit up those ancient mounds.  That should be really sick.  One of the zone leaders is really keen on the idea, but the other, a  Samoan dude from Savaii, isn't really that stoked.  Haha, I guess he doesn't really find them interesting.  That's kinda how Samoans are.  I feel bad for the guy though--we drive  through his hometown about once every two weeks.  Or at least every time we go to Salelolega, which is where the boat wharf is at.  So kind of all the time.  That would be hard though.  It's like living in Payson and serving in Orem.  I feel bad for these Samoan dudes--they've got it tough.  Our ZL's dope though.  I like him.  They're both real good guys.  We've got a pretty dope zone.  We only have like six guys left.  I think we have the smallest zone in the mission.  But we're doing just as good or better than the zones that have twelve or more guys in them--cause we're all super tight.  If a companionship needs anything, we all help out.  when Tafiti and Bailey needed help in their area, my comp and I went in for a week and helped those dudes out.  We actually did a ton of work--those guys ended up getting like six baptisms real quick.  So it's dope.  I'm stoked on our zone.  Tafitia and Bailey might get moved out though cause Bailey's real sick.  If so, then it would only be me and my companion and the zone leaders.  Haha, that would be crazy.  It's a lot of area to cover.  That's like a third of the island for two companionships.  But it's dope danks to the end.

So yeah, I got your packages momma.  I was freakin' stoked as always.  I don't remember if I thanked you for the St. Patty's day one or not, but I was really stoked on that one too.  Well, kind of haha--after the zone and the kids next door had a go at the thing, there was only the ties and the sunflower seeds left.  Haha, but that's why I like getting packages--it's good to share.  I'm not gonna lie though--I stashed away a bunch of the candy from the most recent package in my closet so the kids next door don't eat it all.  No worries though--I gave them all the gross chocolates and the peeps--they loved it just the same.  Thanks a ton for real for the package.  I was double dank stoked on it.  Oh yeah, I wasn't able to listen to that tape thing.  I left the recorder with a bunch of other stuff in Apia in the storage at the office.  So, I'll have to grab that next time I go to Apia.  Oh yeah, by now I'm pretty sure the Webers probably came by with that stuff for you guys.  I hope you thanked them a ton.  I actually didn't get the chance to even ask them if they would take it.  I had planned to give it to them, and then when we went to Apia for the temple, they were leaving to the airport like five minutes after we got there, so I just had to give that stuff to the APs to give to them.  I hope they didn't have trouble going through the airport.  There was actually a dead lizard in Johnny's bag.  Do the airport scanners pick up dead lizards?  I hope not cause it was cool.  So maybe if they got arrested, that's probably why.  America doesn't like you bringing dead animals into the country--I know from experience.  That's why I have to get unknowing senior missionary couples to smuggle it in for me.  So yeah, make sure you thank them--they're tight.  Real nice people.

Alright--question time:
Q: Do kids go to school?
A:  Mostly.  Some don't, but most kids do at least to an extent.  When I was helping Tafiti and Bailey in their area, me and Tafiti went and taught this girl that didn't know how to read.  She couldn't even write her own name.  Haha, but at the time I didn't really know that, and I told her that the only way she could know that the Book of Mormon was true was to read it.  I'm pretty sure she ended up getting baptized though.  I guess she just looked at the pictures or something, I don't really know.  But yeah, a lot of kids go to school, but the schools aren't that great.  Some of the teachers don't really know much.  But it's cool.
Q:  Are the schools like ours here in the US?
A:  Nah, they're different.  There's way more Samoan kids than in the US.  Nah, but I actually don't really know--I've never been to school in Samoa.  Mostly we just do missionary work.
Q:  What do they do with their garbage?
A:  Most of the food and stuff comes from the plantation, so pretty much all the waste is plants and old food and stuff like banana leaves.  They just chuck it random places and the dogs and the pigs eat it.  But some houses do have these wooden stands that people put trash on, but I've never really seen anyone come by and take it.  But I'm not really gonna worry about it.  Again, I'm a missionary, not a garbage man.  Waste disposal is not the Lord's work--I can't stress about garbage too much or it will distract from the work.  I've heard of missionaries getting sent home for stuff like that.
Q:  Do they have some kind of garbage pick up service or just chuck it in the jungle or what?
A:  Well that's kind of a redundant question.  Just why are you so concerned with garbage all of a sudden?  Or as my companion would say, "What's all this rubbish???"
Q:  Have you encountered any dog-lipped fiends with malice in their eyes and murder in their hearts?
A:  Now you're starting to make some sense.  A very good question actually--I'm glad you asked.  We have, in fact, encountered someone of that very description.  However he had not set his eyes on the prize and lost the will to spill.  An excellent question, however.  I'm very glad you asked.  It really shows that you're actually interested in me and what I'm doing out here.

So yeah, it's dope bones  out here.  A stokeage fest at a 14.c rating, and the gnar is being shred at a more rapid rate.

You know I gotta please the fans,
Elder Jordan Ratmouth