This week has been the beginning of what I know will be one
of the most unique experiences of my entire life. I am so excited to be
training and excited to be learning so much. I never thought I would have an
opportunity like I have now and am grateful for the challenge as well as the
growth. I have 2 months left to do everything I was called here to do and I
know with a lot of prayer it can be the best 2 months of my whole mission.
Ready for a curveball? Tuesday morning Sister Paletasala and I took all her stuff to the Tabernacle and had a fun time talking with all the other missionaries who were gathering for transfers, to say goodbye to the missionaries leaving and to welcome the new missionaries. We helped the Assistants unload all the greenies bags the day before and it was understandable why transfer meeting started late, there were 20 new missionaries! They barley fit all of them in the Assistants car, Presidents car, the truck, and our greenie van because there were so many of them. When the Assistants and President finally came out of the room where all the greenies were waiting to be introduced to their trainers, President bee - lined it to me and very excitedly said, "Sister Bowen, I am so excited for you to be training, your missionary is Sister Satame. (He doesnt usually tell us before we meet them) She is Chuukese and from Chuuk! She is SO shy, she wont even look at anyone in the eyes and hardly speaks any English. I think you are going to be so perfect for her because you are just so bubbly and wonderful, Im so excited that she is here and that you are training her!" I laughed and thanked him and felt the confirmation from the spirit that she is who I needed to train. President announced her name later and she came out, and ever since then I have been doing everything I can to improve my Chuukese so I can communicate with her and working hard to introduce her to American life.
I have focused on working with the spirit to know when to correct Sister Satame and when to just smile and let things go. I expected things to be different from training Sister Nicholson and Sister Soga, and they most defintley are.
Right after transfer meeting I wanted to get right out and go to work because transfer meeting tends to take up a lot of time, so we headed straight to KPT (Government housing complex) and as we parked I noticed one of the people we are teaching, Willy, sitting outside. Sister Satame also looks up at where he is sitting and says, "*GASP* Uncle Willy!" I turned to her and said "What you know uncle Willy?" She hurrys over to him and speaks to his wife in Chuukese as I talked about the Book of Mormon with Willy and answered some of his questions. Turns out she LIVED at KPT before and knows EVERYONE. The first day we were together, she walked right up to a door and opened it, hahaha I slowly grabbed the door knob and pulled it shut then she looked at me and I motioned a knocking movement and she laughed and laughed and said sorry sorry (Obusara Obusara) hahaha. I think she feels very much at home here, which I am glad about.
We do language study for about an hour everyday and sometimes more because she needs it but it has been fun to learn as I did with Sister Soga (whos langauge study was a piece of cake compared to Sister Satame) what words she does and doesnt know and use the select vocabulary mixed with my broken Chuukese to explain everything to her. I asked the other day if she knew what the word Choose means and she said, "Ewer *makes slurping sounds* Juice." Hahaha I feel so blessed to have been raised speaking English. We were also reading PMG for langauge study and there was a paragraph where there were blanks ("I know as you read the Book of Mormon you will _______.) And she thought that was the funniest thing ever so we laughed about that for a while.
Ready for a curveball? Tuesday morning Sister Paletasala and I took all her stuff to the Tabernacle and had a fun time talking with all the other missionaries who were gathering for transfers, to say goodbye to the missionaries leaving and to welcome the new missionaries. We helped the Assistants unload all the greenies bags the day before and it was understandable why transfer meeting started late, there were 20 new missionaries! They barley fit all of them in the Assistants car, Presidents car, the truck, and our greenie van because there were so many of them. When the Assistants and President finally came out of the room where all the greenies were waiting to be introduced to their trainers, President bee - lined it to me and very excitedly said, "Sister Bowen, I am so excited for you to be training, your missionary is Sister Satame. (He doesnt usually tell us before we meet them) She is Chuukese and from Chuuk! She is SO shy, she wont even look at anyone in the eyes and hardly speaks any English. I think you are going to be so perfect for her because you are just so bubbly and wonderful, Im so excited that she is here and that you are training her!" I laughed and thanked him and felt the confirmation from the spirit that she is who I needed to train. President announced her name later and she came out, and ever since then I have been doing everything I can to improve my Chuukese so I can communicate with her and working hard to introduce her to American life.
I have focused on working with the spirit to know when to correct Sister Satame and when to just smile and let things go. I expected things to be different from training Sister Nicholson and Sister Soga, and they most defintley are.
Right after transfer meeting I wanted to get right out and go to work because transfer meeting tends to take up a lot of time, so we headed straight to KPT (Government housing complex) and as we parked I noticed one of the people we are teaching, Willy, sitting outside. Sister Satame also looks up at where he is sitting and says, "*GASP* Uncle Willy!" I turned to her and said "What you know uncle Willy?" She hurrys over to him and speaks to his wife in Chuukese as I talked about the Book of Mormon with Willy and answered some of his questions. Turns out she LIVED at KPT before and knows EVERYONE. The first day we were together, she walked right up to a door and opened it, hahaha I slowly grabbed the door knob and pulled it shut then she looked at me and I motioned a knocking movement and she laughed and laughed and said sorry sorry (Obusara Obusara) hahaha. I think she feels very much at home here, which I am glad about.
We do language study for about an hour everyday and sometimes more because she needs it but it has been fun to learn as I did with Sister Soga (whos langauge study was a piece of cake compared to Sister Satame) what words she does and doesnt know and use the select vocabulary mixed with my broken Chuukese to explain everything to her. I asked the other day if she knew what the word Choose means and she said, "Ewer *makes slurping sounds* Juice." Hahaha I feel so blessed to have been raised speaking English. We were also reading PMG for langauge study and there was a paragraph where there were blanks ("I know as you read the Book of Mormon you will _______.) And she thought that was the funniest thing ever so we laughed about that for a while.
When I trained Sister Soga I learned that if you focus on
figuring out what words a foreign speaker knows in English you can use there
limited vocabualry to explain new words and add to their vocabulary. It takes
time talking to them to eventually know exactly how to describe new things to
them and explain what other people say in words they will understand. Its
kindof like a puzzle and I love it. Ive formed a bond with both Sister Soga and
Sister Satame that is what I would describe as true love. I think it goes even
further than just for my foreign companions learning English too, we all have a
language in a way, the way we feel and express ourselves and true love is
understanding that language and speaking it. :) Sister Satame is actually very
funny and very talkative. As we learn eachothers "words", the ones
she understands in English and the ones I understand in Chuukese, we have a
blast and a half. I cant wait to see what the next few weeks will bring. :)
Sister Satame has a lot of immediate family here and as strange as it is to teach a lesson to her sister, aunt, uncle etc. I know she was sent here for a reason, there is so much good she is going to do and I am praying every night that I can do my part as her trainer to help her learn to teach repentance by the spirit and baptize worthy converts.
Its has also been interesting to see what Sister Satame doesnt understand/like or what she really likes here in Hawaii. One thing she doesnt understand at all is all the homeless people living in tents in the park and sleeping on the sidewalk at night. She just cant fathom why they dont have homes and every time we see a homeless person (which there are a lot) pushing a shopping cart full of rubbish or living in a tent in a park full of tents she just GASPS loudly (Ive almost driven off the road a few times) and says "so sad so sad why they sleep there?" She also is very picky about her rice and LOVES our 4'11 Filipino District Leader, Elder Lidang.
Sister Satame has a lot of immediate family here and as strange as it is to teach a lesson to her sister, aunt, uncle etc. I know she was sent here for a reason, there is so much good she is going to do and I am praying every night that I can do my part as her trainer to help her learn to teach repentance by the spirit and baptize worthy converts.
Its has also been interesting to see what Sister Satame doesnt understand/like or what she really likes here in Hawaii. One thing she doesnt understand at all is all the homeless people living in tents in the park and sleeping on the sidewalk at night. She just cant fathom why they dont have homes and every time we see a homeless person (which there are a lot) pushing a shopping cart full of rubbish or living in a tent in a park full of tents she just GASPS loudly (Ive almost driven off the road a few times) and says "so sad so sad why they sleep there?" She also is very picky about her rice and LOVES our 4'11 Filipino District Leader, Elder Lidang.
Well thats about the extent of my week and Im sure there
will be more stories to come until the end. I am excited to be coming home so
soon and sad at the same time. But if I have learned anything from my mission
it is that the Lords looking out for me and I should be excited for what he has
in store for me in my next phase of life 😊
Thank you for the prayers, I feel a lot of strength and
comfort knowing there are people at home cheering me on. 😊❤
I tong Ngenikemi and Aloooooha!
Sister Bowen
Temple
Fresh Mangos!
Investigators gave us Watermelon:)
Part of the Original Maui gang
Transfers, meeting Sister Satame for the first time :)
