Week 37 - Goodbye for Now

Within the week the missionary department called all Micronesia missionaries immediately back to Guam. President and Sister Hicks worked for the next 3 days getting flights for eighty plus missionaries to return to their homelands. Elder George returned home to Salt Lake City Friday March 20th @ 10:45am. He was given a 14 day Quarantine and issued a "temporary" release with reassignment waiting until the world is once again a safe place to travel.

After 9 months, this is not the end, just a detour for now. Returning to the Guam airport.

Sister Hicks and the assistants pick up the Yap missionaries. Back to the Guam Mission home.

President Hicks delivering the sad news - Missions completed
early for some and temporary releases for others. The missionaries
on the Isles of the Sea will return to their homelands. 

One last time all together - singing the mission song

Luggage gathered and off to the airport 3am

Farewell Elder Nascimento! He heads back to Brazil having
completed a 21 month mission. "Sipwap Chu" Til we meet again. 

 

      Elder Bataclan off to the Philliphines and my friend Elder Goth returns to Canada.

Sister Hicks, "This week we sent 83 missionaries home to Japan, New Zealand, Samoa, America Samoa, Mexico, Tonga, United States, Canada, Philippines, Tahiti, Vanuatu, Kiribati, and Brazil! We love them and they will be missed. They will be in our hearts forever and ever! We will continue to gather Israel on the isles of the sea! “The Standard of Truth has been erected [in Micronesia]"

After 23 hours a very tired Elder Jones, Elder George and Sister Christensen return Friday 

morning March 20th to a very empty airport.....No crowds, No happy families,

  

  

                                 

     No Posters, No Welcome Home Signs, No hugs...We'll save that for a later date.

Katie was the lucky one to greet her brother, Randy
grabbed the luggage and mom drove the getaway car.

stay tuned....

Week 36 - Come What May

Elders George, Jones and Bataclan - Sister Stella makes sure
 there is always enough food to share with the missionaries.

 My one fun note for this week: We lack a cheese grater. but our magic bullet blender seemed like a solid idea. Elder Jones suggested as it was spinning to bang it against the counter. It started roarin and I couldn't stop laughing. The real instruction is to bang it against the counter, when it is NOT spinning. Oh well, it was funny.
     Well, there was a baptism on Saturday! and the day before we had updates about COVID-19. Now it is updates everyday. Currently we are preparing with food storage, we are still getting out there and teaching until Corona gets to Yap and we can't do that anymore. Guam and Saipan are on self lock down, so no leaving. That could be interesting, if flights stop there will be no fuel, or food. Or leaving hahaha. My message to this is short, because I know the whole world is affected: "I Believe in Christ, so come what may" (From hymn #134, I believe in Christ)
     I don't know what will come, but we will be ready for it. We have an awesome prophet who said in Due time, this will pass. And President Nelson is still excited for general conference, and so am I. Our leaders are receiving revelation on how we can react, and as long as we sustain them, and hold to that revelation we are going to be fine. Stay safe!
Elder George

The antibiotics have worked! I'm getting stronger each day!
 Back to my Island and ready to serve the people of Yap.

Bamboo stick to knock coconuts down

Sharing a meal and testimonies for the last time

Sister Stella opens her home to all! Although she can not walk
that doesn't stop her from following the Savior and serving others.
She is the best of us all.

We went for our last dinner at the Oceania. We met up with
some of Elder Buttars's friends. He wrestled in high school and
was able to help the coach train the wrestling team on Thol.

What to order???

The gangs all here!

We found the tip of the Island of Yap

The view is amazing!

Elder George and Elder Jones, "Oh how we love our Island."

Week 35 - Let's go Danny Boy!

      Danny Boy, that legend from the past? Baptized! I came back to Yap and Elder Buttars let me know Danny Boy was being baptized this Saturday which resulted in a LEEETTTTSSS GOOOOOO! He wants to be a missionary someday and he is at college here so he called his parents in Chuuk to let them know how happy he was and excited for his baptism. I shared a little at the baptism and he is honestly the highlight of the week. I also remember President Bamlul saying, "The Holy Ghost is like a chicken. If you have the copra(coconut meat) it will come to you, but if not the chicken will run away from you...." And relating that to faith and obedience bringing the Holy Ghost to you, and disobedience and sin would make him run away. Never heard that one before hahaha

Elder Queroga healed and ready to work!

      Updates? Elder Queroga is fully recovered. Or so I have heard 🤔. He's out teaching and doing amazing things.
      I finished my antibiotics and am now just physically recovering from intestinal issues for so long. So doing some good ol ab workouts, which I have not done since...2019? My stomach has truly grown flabby & weak.
      We continue to sprint with learning Yapese by the end of this month. It sometimes seems impossible but we continue to do it so someday we can fluently teach in only Yapese. No longer part English part Yapese but can just go with the flow.
      Corona has mildly affected Yap.The boats with all the food that comes into Yap have stopped coming so we have built up food storage for what we think will be the Yap apocalypse. The other day we bought hash browns, and the shelves at the one store keeping getting emptier and emptier... It is crazy. We cooked some hash browns the other day and I don't know the next time that I will have hash browns because it was just such a bad experience. Apparently they expired last August but that was  learned by sad experience... They smelled so bad.
                  

Preparing for the Yap Apocalypse... 😃
Actually this storage belongs to the Elders on Guam

     No cases of the virus anywhere in the Micronesian Islands, however they closed the hotels here and so the restaurants closed too....Which is rather depressing because that is where the only really good food was.
     But people are dealing with much worse around the world, I know that in the Asia North Area for example missionaries in Korea are locked down due to the seriousness of the virus. Life continues to be life. Up down, and all around. But the work will continue! Have a great week, Elder George

P-Day on YAP

An extra set of sisters for the week.

 

                                                      If Ye are Prepared, Ye shall not fear...

Week 34 - Improving a little each day

Hey Everyone great week! Mostly!
     This week the highlight, was speaking Thin nu Wa'ab all of Friday. Truly a challenging experience one that helped us learn... a lot. Trying to tell stories was so hard, and we had to resist the urge to speak Thin nu American. We did fun movie quoting and tried singing songs in Yapese too.
     We didn't get to do a lot of teaching this week, people seem to be missing in action because "Yap Day" is Today, and started yesterday and it is like a Christmas level holiday on Yap.
     Well spiritually, pray for specific things and exercise your faith. Our phone had no minutes left and we needed to get those minutes refilled to do call-ins that night. So we said a prayer that we could run into the missionaries or if there was something we could do that we would be inspired to do so. No more than 30 seconds after the prayer I just reached behind the seat to find the spare phone, which somehow still had battery even though it hasn't been charged in 8 days, we called the Elders and asked them for minutes. Right after, the phone died. Miracle? I think yes!
     Lastly, I bore my testimony to a young man this week and my finishing statement to him was, "Find the path. Get on the path. Stay on the path. Live it. Love it. I say that in the name of Jesus Christ amen."  Have a great week, Elder George

Our new apartment has a washer and dryer. Awesome! Other
good news, I had my companion on Guam Elder Queroga send
me a picture of my antibiotics. I took it to a Doctor here on Yap
and he said that was good enough. He filled the prescription
so I am back on the road to recovery! I'm hoping for the best.

The apartment is very nice. However
there is only COLD water... That was
a bit of a disappointment. Other than
that it is really very comfortable.

Elder Jones making popcorn on the stove.
Fun notes about my companion! He is a good
strategist so card playing is good competition.
He also is very clever and obedient, and is good
at impersonations. He loves vegetables, and soy
milk and being healthy. He has a good drive to
do the work and we are loving our area!

Elder Jones can break coconuts with his head...

Elder Jones got a coconut bracelet stuck on his arm, and could
not get it off without losing a slight amount of skin and using oil .

My companion Elder Queroga is doing better on Guam just so you all know.
The missionaries there have been keeping me updated on his condition. He will
 have all of his stitches removed by next week and he is doing great! No more
biking though, he has the luxury of a car. That will make him very happy hahaha.