Spanked by the Ocean

Kasalehhhlie everyyyone!

This week was a GOOD one! (I swear I say that every week but really this one was!)

The language is finally starting to not be a burden, me and my companion are becoming bessstt friends, my investigators are progressing, and life is just good! 

So you guys wanna hear the cutest story ever? Sooo on Thursday night Sister Pokipala and I were SUPER late to get out proselyting because Zone Meeting went late! So it was about 7 o'clock and we had a whole lot of people to see! So we just kinda made the decision to go see our investigator who lives wayyyy in the middle of the jungle. So as we are walking to go see Leoline I get this overwhelming feeling to turn around! So I look back at Sister Pokipala and ask her how she feels and she explains to me that she feels we need to go back to the main road! So (obviously) we pray and both have overwhelming feelings that we need to go see a new family that we've been teaching, the Albert Family! So we went there and we decided to teach simply about Jesus Christ. It was BY far the sweetest and most powerful lesson I've been in since being on Pohnpei. The spirit was so strong and I was so grateful to see the blessings from following the spirit. The whole family is now on baptismal date for the middle of March :) Heavenly Father is so dang aware of his children it's insane. 

Another coooool thing I got to do this week was go out to an outer island of Pohnpei called Parem!! like 10 of us missionaries all loaded up on this tinnnyyy boat and drove out to the island (it was so dangerous holy crap) and it was SO fun! We were all soaked by the time we got to the island! The island of Parem was opened up to a set of elders last transfer and it was so so crazy to see how the Gospel truly is spreading to everyone! OHHHH and on this island I got to hold an octopus!! so hahahah perks of living on a crazy island! and also driving on a little boat with in the middle of the ocean at sun set is probably one of the coolest things I've ever done! 

Ohhh and if you are wondering where the title of the email came from, that's Elder Glauser for ya! hahahah. But really. I'm SO dang grateful for the blessing it is to be the Lord's servant on this island. There are some realllyyyy hard days and some realllyyyy good days! But the good days always outweigh the tough ones! always! 

Udahn Kalanghan Kumail!!

LOVE. Sister Russell

Bucket Showers Brings Blessings...

 

Okayyy you're probably wondering what the heck I mean by bucket showers bring blessings! But really it's nothing! I was in Guam this weekend for MLC (a really loooong 9 hour meeting) and I was eating dinner with the other STL's and ZL's and president and sister Zarbock and all the sisters kept saying how they were taking hot showers! Sooo of course I'm laughing because not only am I taking cold showers but they are with a pump and a bucket! (President Zarbock wasn't real impressed that sisters were bucket showering) BUT something I thought a lot about after that conversation was truly how BLESSED I am to be in a mission where I get to experience these type of things. When else in my life will I be eating rice on the floor with my hands, or be trudging through the jungle just to find that one prepared investigator! I'm SO grateful to serve in Micronesia! 

Soooooo me and Sister Pokipala saw loooots of blessings this week! And one of them had to do with our cute investigator, Marlinda! So Mar is having a HARD time getting permission to get baptised and come to church. So me and Sister Pokipala thought and thought of ways to help her! So one thing we thought about was to ask her family to help us! So we went there one day and asked if there was any way we could buy some bananas from them. They were so grateful that we asked and immediately went to go get some. We bought the bananas and sat and talked with them for a little while annnnnnd we walked out of their house with permission to come to church! wahooo! We haven't gotten permission to be baptised yet but just you wait!

But this weekend was the beeessttt because I got to see Sister Zarbock wahoooo! Oh my goodness it's like seeing my mom. She's so cute because she always talks about how as missionaries we are blessed with this love for people like never before! Which is so so true. I could walk into a first lesson with someone and instantly love them. I think that's a special gift given to missionaries to be able to feel just a little bit of how Heavenly Father feels about His children! Being a missionary is the BEST. 

Sorry this is so short! We just got back from Guam and I'm rushing!! I sure hope you are all doing goooood! And thank you so so much for the support from home! LOVE you all SO so much!

limpppoooak, Sister Russell

Aiiii Maingggg!

This week was just weird. hahaha so weird! But GOOD. I'm not quite sure I ever understood how powerful Satan is until I came on my mission but lemme tell ya! That guy is dang strong and he is the WORST hahaha.

But yes life is GOOD. I'm finally getting to the point where I understand how to be a servant of the Lord instead of a missionary with a badge. So I have the cutest story. Last night we were going to a members house to pick up our member present when everyone looked a little down! The oldest daughter told me that her parents had been out getting food for a few hours and the little kids were starting to get HUNGRY. We had lessons planned and people that we needed to go see but knowing exactly what Sises Krais would have done! So we ran home and made a whole lot of PB&J's, grabbed some chips and candy and were off! it was like Christmas morning to those kids!! It was such a tender mercy for me to see Heavenly Father reach out to His children through me. Oh I love love love the calling I hold!

So in regards to the work here in Mesihsou things are going sooooo good! You guys remember Nedleen? oh my heck that lady is the BEST. I can't wait for the day when she's called as the General Relief Society President or something hahha. She's a CONVERT not just a baptism and oh my heck do I love her and her family. I'm working with her husband right now and working with the Welter family has made me truly understand my calling as a missionary! We are constantly pointing them to the temple and helping them see the big picture. Nedleen and her husband call us her children and the kids call us their sisters. I was never quite sure why I got sent to this crazy hard mission until I watched the Atonement work through Nedleen and her family. You truly can feel the light of Christ when you walk into their home! What a tender mercy it was for me to see this lady who has been taught by every missionary ever change her heart when I started teaching her! it's TRUE. There are people prepared for specific missionaries! ALSO because of this family I'm a whole more grateful for the temple and for eternal families! I've always LOVED the temple. and that love has grown so so much since coming to Pohnpei. So many of the members pray in every prayer that a temple will come closer to Pohnpei!  The day they announce a temple in Micronesia will be the best day of my liiiiiife!

I get a whole lot of support from home and I want you all to know just how grateful I am for that! thank you thank you thank you!! On hard days I really can feel the prayers of loved one's at home! Being a missionary is the best. the toughest thing ever. but the best! 

Udahn I poakepoake kumail!

LOVE. Sister Russell

Ayyooo....

Wahoooo! It's Mondayh again! Every missionary would be lying if they said they aren't stoked when it's Monday! But really this week was a good one!! President Zarbock flew in from Guam on Tuesday with Sister Zarbock for Zone Conference! (seeing Sister Zarbock is the best thing EVER) And the training by President was so so good! It was centered on repentance and we can help ourselves and our investigators understand that repenting is such a happy thing! I LOVED that because it's so dang true! When we repent we turn back towards God. It brings light into our lives and prepares us to meet our Heavenly Father again! I love it!

Sooo this week we were our seeing investigators and I had this impression to go see an old lady that me and Sister George used to teach! So we went and saw Ruth, she was sitting alone in here house and invited us in to have a lesson. (she's so dang Protestant so having a lesson is sometimes hard) She then went on to explain to me that for some reason she was really struggling with the death of her husband and 2 daughter but couldn't explain why because it had been years since their passing. So offff course we teach about the Plan of Salvation and how one days she can see them again! Which lead to a baptismal invitation and a "I'll pray about it." Which is GOOD ENOUGH! it was so so sweet for me to see the Lord guide me exactly where I was needed.

So another GOOD day this past week was on Tuesday when I went on exchanges with the sisters in Sekere! And I got to spend the whole day with Grace George as my member present! We laughed ALL day! She's like my family on this island and being with her for the day was the biggest tender mercy! She's a total idiot but I LOVE her.

Another tender mercy I saw was I have this investigator, Roseleen, and on the week of Christmas she yelled at me telling me that she never wanted to see us again and that she hated everyone in this church. hahah OKAY. But this week we were out and she stopped, apologized, and asked if we would come back and see her! Annnnd now she is on baptismal date for next month!! I've been praying and praying to soften her hard and would you look at that!! He sure did!

So boo yah! Life is GOOD right now! Life as a missionary is dang simple and I love it! I know Heavenly Father needs me on this island, at this time! There's no where else that's more important for me to be!

Lessons learned by Sista B, Wari, and Poki

1. Life's way easier when you don't give a crap.

2. Be grateful for running water.

3. As a missionary you literally water the power of Satan and Heavenly Father working against each other every day.

4. Rotten coconut juice is THE grossest thing I've ever come in contact with.

5. HUMBLE YOSELF.

Love you alllll! Xoxoxoxo

Sister Russell

Hey! and Happy New Year!!

Hey! Hey! Heyyy!

Another week done just like that!! Sometimes it freaks me out how quickly weeks fly by! So this week was GOOD. Remember Nedleen?? The lady who was baptized with her son a few weeks ago!  Adas, Nedleen's daughter, was baptized this week! Wahooo! and also the dad is preparing for baptism for the beginning of February! So once he is baptized hen the road to the temple begins!! Nedleen told me that she has already started saving! The closest temple is in the Philippines but just you wait! Soon enough there will be a temple on this crazy island!

So this week I don't have any WAY crazy stories. Didn't hit any pigs, no one was licking my feet, and no frogs were in our toilet! But I do have a funny one! So here's a little background... On Pohnpei, dating isn't a thing!! The guy just kinda says he wants to marry the girl and then the girls just says yes or no! It's SO weird. So this past week Sister Pokipala and I are in a lesson with a guy and I'm in the middle of a sentence and he just cuts me off and asks me if I'll marry him after he is baptized! hahahaha no. But GOOD thing I had a Pohnpeian companion who taught me that if you say yes, even if you are joking, you are obligated to marry them! hahahahah Pohnpei is so weird. & I think the elders might be getting a new investigator real soon!

Oh geez I love this place! Some people are DANG weird but boy do I love them!! The decision I made to serve a mission was by far the best decision I've made. The Lord has blessed me so so much. LIFE'S GOOD.

Lessons learning this week! (by Sister Bowers, Wari and Pokipala)

1. Take everything out of your pockets before you wash your clothes.

2. Don't get butt hurt when your comp calls you fat, just take it.

3. People from Papua New Guinea really don't eat people.

4. But Tongans really do hate Samoans.

5. Sister missionaries make everyone uncomfortable.

Okay peace out girl scouts!! Kasalel Kumaiiiilll!

LOVE. Sister Russell

Merry Christmas

Yoooo everyone! 

So OF COURSE this week was the best week ever! because Christmassss! and with the addition of Christmas and getting to see my cute family, Nedleen and Nomad (her son) got baptized!! Wahoooo! That was a dang hard baptism and a whole lot of work. But it was SO worth it. Right before she went into the water she was just sobbing. holy crap it was cute! The Church is WAY true my friends! Sooooo then the next morning (Christmas morning) I am walking to church with her and she just goes on and on and on about how after her baptism she prayed all night and thanked Heavenly Father for me! It was such an eye opener to me & such a tender mercy! I was so grateful to see that these prepared people ARE waiting for me! I just need to have the faith that things will work out for the good!

Christmas was FUN though! On Christmas eve the missionaries acted out the manger scene for the members! And you know that I was the best Mary everrrr lol. And then on Christmas we proselyted like crazzzyyyy and shared a message about Christ! Best Christmas ever huh?

Things I learned this week:

1. There 1000000% are people on the other side of the veil. Good and not so good! (Ask me when I get home!)

2. Celebrating Christmas on an island is the way to goooo.

3. I miss my mom!

4. Don't EVER give up on anyone! Some people just take a little longer to accept the Gospel.

5. I LOVE POHNPEI!!

okayyyyy everyone! I hope you all had the BEST Christmas's everrrr! 

Ayyyyooooo...

Helllloooo and I'm back on Pohnpei!

I'm training a new sister, Sister Pokipala! She's from Florida but her family is originally from Hawaii! She's awwwwesome! She's 19 and we are having the best time together!

So I picked her up on Wednesday (which was filled with trainer and trainee meetings)! Then we proselyted on Guam on Thursday and then flew out early Friday morning! & oh did I miss Pohnpei! The only good thing about Guam is that I got to go to Taco Bell! hahahah but HOLY CRAP was I nervous to go out proselyting when I got back to Pohnpei because if we are being honest, Pohnpeian is just not quite there yet! However, it's crazy because someone will talk to me and though I can only understand like 60% of what they are saying, I know what they re talking about and I am given words to reply! The gift of tongues is SO real. 

ALSO. This week I have found that as I push through difficulties that the Lord will lift us during those trials and we will see miracles! So here's the story! Saturday night I was struggling! likeeee big time! Struggling with the work, training a new missionary, trying to be a leader on this island to the sisters, Christmas, and my brothers wedding this week! And we go to get in the car and 3 girls run up to us and ask where our church is! So we invite them to church, they agreed, and then on Sunday we had a lesson with the 3 of them and all 3 accepted the invitation to be baptized! Now how sweet is that?? The Lord truly does bless His missionaries!

Okayyyy everyone! Thank you so much for the love and support! Oh and happy wedding week to Taylor and Hannah! Love you all!!

LOVE. Sister Russell