Easter-- and Still Sick :(

So Easter is celebrated on Monday here so today is Easter! Friday they celebrated Good Friday! But we only went to our area 3 days so the work is really slow.   I have been really sick ha. I have a boil growing big in my armpit from when I couldn’t shower for three days.... haha so hopefully that goes down or pops soon! I have been getting migraines since last Wednesday and my throat kills and stomach is really weak but hopefully gets better! And hopefully we get to go to our area more! I am sorry we really have just sat at our house most the week!  The reason we don’t go anywhere is cuz the zones won’t take us! I want to work but we can’t get to our area! I just study and sleep all day.

Sorry I forgot the cord again. We are netting in kolo (town) but if I can find a computer later I will try and send pictures! Or sometime this week! Sorry...

I gotta go. Talk next week! Hopefully we go out and do stuff this week so I have stuff to tell you!

"...two angels looking like missionaries"

Not much happened this week. I am now working in Popua but haven’t even been there cuz I was sick pretty much all week. I didn’t even shower 'til Thursday. The rash got super bad but again I do not have my adapter to send pictures to show you. I am feeling a lot better! Basically I’ve just been getting a lot of rest but we don’t stay in our area cuz they don’t have a house for us there.  Instead, we stay with the zone leaders and eat their leftovers.  I sleep on the floor and there are so many mosquitos! One night it was really bad.  They were out like crazy. I sleep on my side so half of my face is eaten by the bugs and the other half is fine! Ya, it’s annoying haha.  The zone leaders are in the old mission office so I get warm showers for now.  :)  We got switched out of Halaleva and work in Popua. We are just waiting ‘til they tell us we have a new house. It just sucks cuz I get stuff stolen all the time where we are now cuz we can’t lock our door and people always go in there. Stuff like a tie, my kafa(belt), a tupenu, ten bucks, my mp3 player. (This culture is really different.  They think everything belongs to everyone!) It’s irritating but I just try and find it! I have found the mp3 and kafa but not the rest. I hate locking everything up in my suitcase every time I go to a different room.

A couple days we walked into town cuz I got sick of leftovers so I have been spending more money this week. Today we were walking around in town and this guy came up to me and Haleki and was like “My girlfriend had a dream that I was carrying her cuz her feet were cut up and mine were starting to get cut too. Then two angels looking like missionaries came and took her and said that they will take her for now.” So we went and taught her and it went really good! First time teaching in forever! But it sucks cuz it isn’t in our area so we might have to pass her on to someone else. But we got a free pizza today walking around in town!

To answer your questions, Mom, I watched all of General Conference but priesthood in English. It was good but feels weird having it all in English! Ya it’s hot here but it was way hotter in Vava'u! They do let missionaries go to the temple. I think they have times where you go as a zone but I haven’t really heard much cuz I have been hundreds of miles away haha! I still haven’t gotten your package yet. Maybe later today if it is here.

Well, nothing else really exciting happened this week just chilling! Sorry haha boring I know! But I will try and get you pictures sometime this week! Anyway I gotta go. I love you all tons! Thanks for sending Elder Naeata that package!  Love you guys!

Elder Huntsman

Good-bye Vava'u. Hello Dengue Fever!

(In last week’s letter it was clear Kamden was struggling.  His response this week---Just consider last week’s letter an April Fool’s Joke!  Whatever it was, we consider it a tender mercy that he got to the main island when he did and received medical attention for the Dengue Fever. The Lord is certainly mindful of all of us.   Praying for his speedy recovery!)

So this week was really weird. Tuesday was just a typical Tuesday-- nothing wrong! Wednesday hit and my body was super sore and I had some weird bumps on my skin that I figured was just from the water because it has happened before and the pain was just cuz it’s cooling down at night.

Then Thursday we were going to go to a house at 8:30 in the morning to get our hair cut but I woke up and couldn’t walk! My legs were completely unable to support my body so the WHOLE day we stayed in and I just laid there, barely being able to make it to the bathroom when needed. The Zone leaders came over and said I was flying early the next morning to Tonga so that I could interview with President. So my comp Elder Tu'akalau packed my bags the way I told him to cuz I couldn’t move really. Friday we got up and I tried getting dressed and almost pass out but the Zone Leaders kept pushing me saying the plane was at 7 so I had to hurry. (It was 5:45!)  (The plane didn’t leave til 8:45). So I got dressed and barely walked out to the car. I was miserable. We waited for 2 hours before I can even check in and everything. I flew on the 6 passenger plane back to Tonga and when I got to Tonga I sat at the airport by myself for an hour thinking "Is anyone coming??"

I finally got to the office and they said, “Oh, get ready. We are going to a zone conference where you will be able to meet with Pres.” But I saw the mission nurse and she said “No he isn’t going anywhere!” So they gave me a room in the motel that the people stay at when they come from other islands to go to the temple and I tried my best to take a 30 minute nap even though I laid there for 3 hours. I decided to take a shower, my first warm one in 7 months, which was nice.

Then we got kicked out of the hotel cuz people were coming Monday from 'Eua to stay there. So now I got my companion and we are living in one MQ (missionary quarters) and working in a different area. But today is transfers and they are bringing Missionaries to the MQ we are staying in so since we don’t have one they are getting us a Hotel for at least a week or until they can fix one up. My new comp is Elder Jarequi (pronounced Haleky). He is from Ogden and is a Marine. His attitude and personality are very similar to mine so we get along good!

Oh, the disease I have is what they call here Tengi Fever (Dengue Fever) and my bones ache, I itch like crazy and can’t shower, a rash is all over my body that looks like a spotted lizard or something. I threw up my first two days not being able to eat anything. My joints all swelled up. It kinda sucks you know??? I can walk now. New symptoms pop up every day! I had a rash, it went away, and a different looking rash popped up last night and this morning. The treatment is rest and drink a lot.  I take ibuprofen or Tylenol for pain and Benedryl for the itch. It isn’t contagious. I have pictures but forgot to bring the adapter here so I could send them.  My hands look way cool haha! I took a shower yesterday and it was the worst decision of my life! I itched for two hours straight all over my body haha! Apparently a ton of missionaries are getting it. Mine just seems to be a little different or something cuz theirs usually went away after about 3 days but mine just keeps changing haha! I am fine though don’t worry. I am actually loving it right now haha! Anyways ya I am doing well. Don’t worry! MOM, DON'T CALL THE OFFICE! IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I WILL HAVE THEM CALL YOU!!! But ya all is well :) We will watch conference this week so hopefully I understand it more in Tongan this time than last haha!

Love you all :)

Elder Huntsman

Pizza and Burgers!

I finally got pictures for you! They’re loading now! I got my package from the ward. It didn’t get to Tonga til 2 months after they sent it haha!

So this week was another slow week. STILL haven’t found any new investigators. The members always just joke around with us about them so it’s no bueno. But this week was good...another fast week! Wednesday with one of our wards we went and helped them do service even though they started an hour before they said they would! Then after that we went to the big FHE with the other ward in Ha'alaufuli. The Fine Ofa (Relief Society) did their dance that they had prepared for this big program they did as a stake on Friday. Saturday night for fafanga it was our Ward Mission Leader's turn so he told us we would go to Kolo (town) to get the food and we told him since it is my comp’s birthday today and the other two who were coming with us were about to leave on missions that if they took us to The Aquarium (the nice restaurant here) we would buy. It was good! We got pizza and hamburgers. It was amazing haha! So I finally got to take money out of the ATM when we went to Kolo! Dad might be glad that I am able to.  He kept asking if my debit card worked.

So a couple weeks ago it was raining EVERY single day but now it hasn’t rained just been windy which I think feels good but now everyone here is getting sick! It is starting to cool down at night to where I finally pull the sheet over me haha! It’s not even that cold though. I like it! :)

I hope we are able to find someone to teach this week because not being able to teach anyone isn’t the funnest. I feel like I am wasting time ha but this week we were actually able to find more stuff to do so it was good! Anyways, love you all! Stay amazing! :)

Elder Hanismani

Elder Mani

Elder Huntsman

(you choose) :) haha

P.S. So there is a kid who just left on his mission from my village to the MTC in Provo to serve in the Tempe Arizona Mission so I was wondering if you and/or Kayleigh could just put together a small package to send him! I don’t have the address but she could just drop it off at the MTC! His name is Elder Gabriel Naeata!! That would be amazing!  Thanks!

The road after a smaller rainstorm, still flooded!

WaterVai
(Vai means water in Tongan so WaterWater haha so creative!)

Before we went to do service FOR ONCE!!

RS dancers at huge family home evening
one ward here does every month.

My $5 slippers ($2.70 american money ) but they
have quicksilver bottoms haha so cheap!

Sucks, Sucks, Sucks...Just Kidding!

**I gave him a hard time for saying “sucks” in his email six times last week.  Here is his letter this week! ;)

SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS haha 7 this time ;)‏

Just kidding! It was good this week haha! So one good thing is I am not getting fat! I weigh the exact same as when I can in! 185 haha! My comp though has lost 30 pounds since the MTC and he doesn’t work out or anything! I have gotten bigger though. I do push-ups and sit-ups and stuff every single night! Hopefully I don’t change my habits haha! 

So last week our Bishop in one of our wards asked us to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting and then the night before it happened we heard President Tupou was going to be in our ward.... so I wrote a 10-15 minute talk in Tongan then when we got there, Bishop says “Oh just do a testimony” so I tell my comp that he told us that and I go up and think of a scripture and share it with a testimony on being a good example to everyone and then my comp goes up. He gives his 5-7 minute talk that he prepared and straight up tells the Kaingalotu (members) that they are asleep and the work is dead haha right in front of President! I was like ooooooh my....... haha but then in the next ward the Bishop was like “I think if the Elders were up here they would tell you that the work here is dead and they need your help!” So hey that was maybe good???!! haha But I tried talking with President after and we did a little but right when I was going to bring up the ZL, the ZL walked in so that was bad…notice I didn’t say sucked , ha!  ;)

So I have gotten ngaahi angatamaki'i (boils) under my armpits and it hurts like crazy! I have been lucky only one has come up out of the skin. The others just go away! But this kid in the other village who came into the mission with me had a huge one in his armpit the size of a golf ball and it was the MOST disgusting thing I have ever seen.... haha! I saw a video. It was a straight stream of puss and blood and it spattered on the mirror!!!!! Then it just kept dripping down his hand and arm! Sooooo gross.....

But this week we gave two blessings and I was able to do it in Tongan! So that was somewhat of an achievement for me haha! But anyways this week I taught the Peace Corp lady again and she told us she isn’t interested in listening anymore.... so ya.  Oh well. But we are still trying to find an investigator here.... still haven’t found one so that is no fun! But we are trying! Loving it here! Just super hot haha! Sorry, no pictures. I just don’t take any!!! I will take a bunch this week. I already told myself that cuz I don’t have any of like the people so I need to take more!  Oh and breakfast this morning was with Harvey Unga's grandparents!   :)

Anyways, all is well! Love you all!  

Elder Huntsman

Umm...this sucks!

WARNING FROM KAMDEN'S MOM- Extreme overuse of the word "suck" in this week's conversation with Kamden.  Real life frustrations of a teenaged boy a world away from home whose mission isn't going quite as he had planned.

Hello! This week was another slow week. We had 3 Putu (funerals) this week so we didn’t have much work because EVERYONE in our two villages went to them! And our Zone Leader told us no going to the Funerals. Then we asked President yesterday and he said GOOOO! Those are your best teaching opportunities! So that sucked....

It was a REALLY slow week..... We sat at the Chinese store in between my two villages and tried to find stuff to do there.... I helped them put things out and organize stuff and carry the heavy stuff in so that was probably the highlight of my week! 

It’s so hard being in such a small area..... and this is probably the biggest or one of the biggest in Vava'u!!  I hate being confined to such a smallllllll space...... and seeing all my friends on other missions and they always seem to be able to find something to do, somewhere to go where here, if we leave our area, we get sent back to the main island and if it happens again you go home!!  I am having a hard time here haha but I am not coming home or wanting to at allllll!!!  I just need to find something to do!!!

Still no phone yet but we talked to President and he said they have tons at the office. He doesn’t know why we don’t have one........... this sucks.... nothing like I thought a mission would be. It’s so small I never know what to do..... toooo freaking relaxed! I want to serve where I can go home sore and fall right asleep cuz we did so much but that nevvvver happens.....and they are trying to make this area into two.... like that would make the work slower... ya we get a lot of baptisms but that’s just cuz we get it done fast! Haha!  

I don’t know.  It just sucks seeing friends pictures of them with other missionaries, them actually doing stuff, them having investigators where I am just like ya we have maybe one at a time…every area here on Vava'u is like this. I am in one of the biggest areas and it sucks! I am never even stressed here. It sucks but am not down! haha it just sucks.

Sorry this letter is short. We honestly couldn’t find anything to do this week! Our bishops asked us not to proselyte so ya…what is a missionary supposed to do right???? We try serving them but they won't let us.  They want to serve us!

Anyways love you all! See you in 16!!! haha

Elder Mani

Oh Mom, this other elder wanted me to see if his dad sends you a camera if you will put it in a package and send it here cuz I always get my stuff haha! His packages seem to get stolen or something. I’ll give him your address.  Thanks!

Baptism in the Ocean

This week went really fast! We had two baptisms on Monday but when we started to fill up the font we ran out of water at the church!!! It only filled up to about a foot so we had to go to the beach! My first ocean baptism so that was cool! Elder Tu'akalau performed the baptism so hopefully I get one in the ocean soon! Haha maybe this week or next!

I am sorry I don’t remember much that happened this week! I got to do vilo hoa (companion exchange) to teach the Peace Corp in lea Faka-Palangi (English) so that was good! She struggles a lot with faith and she doesn’t really believe what Joseph Smith saw! She always has a bunch of questions so I like doing that. We gave her the book Our Search for Happiness by Elder Ballard and it is really getting her thinking and helping her understand more what we believe and what we are teaching her.

But ya this week we didn’t have much to do. Just trying to find people to teach! Our Bishop here, Pisope Veni, calls me Sinimani (Cinnamon) haha so that always makes people laugh! Or he just straight up calls me Palangi (white guy) so I call him Tonga cuz I know he knows my real name haha I like this area a lot. It’s good and everyone is nice!!!

Mom, I gave away one of my super thin towels so if you could send one of those somehow that would be good ha :) I am loving it! The only thing that really sucked this week is that when we go to the mission prep class we help out with those who are going to go serve English speaking missions and so we showed them how to do street contacting in English and man, did that make me wish I was doing that instead of Tongan.... Sooooooo much easier!!!! Haha but hey I guess I can just work harder on my Tongan!! Ha anyways love you all! All is well here in Tonga!!!

Elder Huntsman