What language am I learning?
Hey Everyone,
So my heading has two meanings. The first one is that I'm serving on an English speaking island right now. That wasn't the most exciting news to hear. I was kind of bummed, but there wasn't much else that could happen because 10 new French elders came this week, and they only have 8 other ones out there right now. So until someone who came out with me is done training, I'll be English. And the second thing is the people on the English Islands do not speak English. They have a crazy dialect that is impossible to understand. I'm not joking when I say I think I could understand more French than the English that they speak. So it's and adventure for sure! But I'm still studying French and trying to improve there also. Wish me luck, and pray that I'll be able to talk to someone eventually, no matter what language it is!
I wish that I could write about everything that has happened this week, but I just can't. Or in other words, I can't right a hundredth part of what has happened. So I'll do my best, but this email will be very disorganized. Sorry. Saying goodbye to all my MTC friends was harder than I thought it would be. I grew very close to them, and it was hard to say bye. But I have one of them, Elder Oplinger, on St. Vincent with me, so that's good. Oh yeah, I'm on St. Vincent, I probably should have said that already, haha. It is beautiful here, and I have taken some great pictures, but I'm not entirely sure how to put them on the computer yet, so hopefully it works. I'm gonna start a new paragraph and hopefully organize my thoughts better, haha.
Ok, so we got to St. Vincent, and although it is super beautiful here, everyone here is very poor, especially where we are serving. It is insane. But everyone is so humble and happy and fun to talk to. The first night we just walked around and met some members and our trainers showed us around a little bit. Everyone just sits outside, so we don't knock on doors ever. And when they are inside, we call in the time of day instead of knocking. So if it was morning, we would say "Morning inside", and then if they wanted to talk they'd come out. Most people here are religious and love Jesus, which is good, and they like us usually, so sometimes it is hard to tell if someone is interested at all or they just want to be friendly and talk about Jesus. But I guess that's better than nothing.
The second day here we did weekly planning, and then went out and taught a lesson, did some finding, and talked to some members, so about the usual schedule here. We have taught all our lessons outside, sitting on tiny stools or chairs or whatever we can find. It's pretty fun. We went to one member's house and talked with her and her kid's for a little bit, which was fun, and it's especially fun, because her house is right next to the ocean, so we could watch the waves too.
The next few days we talked to more people, taught a couple more lessons, and basically just went out trying to help others come unto Christ. The members are all really nice, and want to help us, so they always have referals for us, which is great, even though not all the referals are interested. Or maybe none of them are. But we are trying!
Sunday was pretty cool. There are somewhere between 30 and 40 people who normally come to church, and it is in a small building with just plastic chairs set up and a music stand for the podium. But although it was small, and I had a hard time understanding people, it was still the same church I know and love. It was almost weird to be in a completely different place, with a completely different culture, and then have something super familiar happen. Weird, but a good weird. Then we drove an hour to the closest computer and had a video conference with the mission president and all the new missionaries. It was fun to see all my MTC friends, even though it was on a small and blurry screen. Then we drove back up and had dinner at a member's house, and it was so good! She cooked rice and pork and chicken, and it was amazing. Then we shared a spiritual message and talked a while about who they knew who we could maybe teach or help. The sun goes down at around 6:30 here, and everyone just starts to go to bed by 8, so we go home at 8 and do companion study then.
Sorry I didn't have my usual spiritual or funny experiences today, but hopefully next week. I will testify of prayer though. The first few days here were not easy, but I prayed a lot and was able to see God's hand in my life every minute of the day. He really does love each of us so much, and if we will just pray to him and do our best, he will comfort us and help us so much. I know that that's true. Have a great week!
Love, Elder Kerr
and the last one is the view from where I live.
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