The Outcasts ✌🏼 -- January 18, 2021

Aloha!

Oh man, this will probably be a long email so I am sorry. This week was insane. I was SO nervous on Tuesday and Wednesday to come to Lanai. I wasn't sleeping great because I was so nervous. I cry when I'm super tired, so I was crying a lot haha. I also hated saying goodbye to everyone. The plane ride to Lanai was only about 20 minutes. It was a VERY turbulent flight, so I was a little nervous. I was flying by myself with no other missionaries, so that didn't help.

Lanai is similar to Utah tbh. It's about 10 degrees cooler here and it's more dry here. So I've been freezing here! Our pad is cold too. I don't mind though because I get to wear socks and my sweater! I also get to actually sleep with a blanket, lol. I'd rather be cold than dying hot anytime. The high has been in the low 70's and it gets down to the 50's at night...now listen I know that's not cold for Utah. But I've been used to 85 degree weather and humidity for four months, so It's been another adjustment.

I'm not going to lie, I'm kind of struggling here. I went from being in the busiest zone in the mission to the slowest. We're not teaching anyone in Lanai. The people we teach are from the Philippines so they speak Tagalog or Bikolano. I don't do any teaching. I bear my testimony, but they don't understand me and I don't understand them. There are at least four other sisters I know of who speak Tagalog in this mission, so I don't know why I'm here. I feel kind of useless. Sister Gamil is also a STL and an admin over the Tagalog page. So she has a lot to do, but I really don't have anything to do.

I am an admin over our Maui page so that keeps me a little busy on some days. Also, it is HECKA expensive here! A gallon of milk is $10. We went grocery shopping the other day and I spent $55 on a few things that would've cost about $25 in Honolulu. They don't have a lot of things like dry shampoo over here, so we have to wait until we go to Maui to get those things.

We can't really leave our pad. There is only one case of COVID on the Island but that one case freaked everyone out. There are actually about 3800 people here and most of them are older. We live in the same building as our church, lol. We literally walk outside our front door, and the door to the church is just to your left. I spoke in sacrament yesterday and there were about 15 people there. Our sacrament only lasts 30 minutes too.

Sister Gamil is awesome! Her first language is Bikolano. She's the only sister in the mission who speaks that language. Her second language is Tagalog and her third language is English. She is also trying to learn Japanese. She's insane! Language is one thing that I am not good at. I'm trying to learn Tagalog, but man it is hard! I know I won't be fluent, but I want to try! I don't think that I will be able to ever teach a lesson in Tagalog though. This is Sister Gamil's last transfer, so I have no clue what will happen when she leaves. If I stay here, I'm not sure who we're going to teach.

We do a lot of studying to fill up time. We spend most of our time on our phones doing online proselyting, which is hard for me. I'd much rather be outside talking to people than sitting on my phone all day. I haven't found any new friends yet, but I'm doing my best.

It's hard being the only two missionaries on the Island. I'm used to being with lots of people and missionaries. It's pretty lonely here. It's hard when our zone messages about going to get lunch together or doing things on pday together because we can't go with them. We should be going to Maui soon though, so I'm excited for that. My district is just me and Sister Gamil and two Elders. They are on Maui, but they're about two hours away from the rest of the zone. So we call ourselves the outcasts because we pretty much are. 😂

So many people were confused when I got transferred here, including me. There were four sisters who thought for sure that they were coming here because they speak Tagalog. Honestly, I don't know why I'm here. But I do know that there's a reason. Heavenly Father didn't send me here for no reason. I'm starting to think that a big reason why I'm here is for myself to grow. All I know is that I'm going to trust in Heavenly Father and his plan. I'm going to work my butt off here and do as much as I can.

I'm trying to have the best attitude that I can have! I can do this, but prayers would be awesome! Also, please send me emails/letters so that I have something to do on Pdays!! 😆 I love being a missionary, I love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, I love my family, and I love you all! Have a great week! 💟

Sister Israelsen hyping me up for Lana'i ❤