3/11/09

hey dad this is your son virgil im still in niua they do > have internet > here its just fairly hard to get a hold of and i have been > really > busy. what have you all been up to?? > just so you know for some unknown reason google cancelled > my other > account so i made this new one myldsmail takes about thirty > minutes to > load on these internet connections. > work is going great i have some amazing stories from here > but i think > they are best told after my mission or at least after i > leave here. no > baptisms this place is really difficult to work in but we > tract alot > the language is coming along well turns out i might end up > being the > branch president here or my comp in a week or two. how is > everyone > doing what have you all been up to im up here in lalaland > so i dont > here anything about the real world i haven't even > talked to the > president since i got up here just 2x to the AP's. my > comp is a good > guy kinda a dauber but we get along well which is good > because this is > a very small isladn there are 600 people on the island > (probably less) > there are 60 registered baptized members but average church > attendance > is less than ten a week. most everyone leaves the island > after baptism > to go to a place where they can be with other members. i > got a little > sick when we first got here and lost a little bit of weight > but its > all good now. this place is very remote but they do have > one house you > can buy a few things from (very few things) and there are > phone lines > to most of the villages. this place here is the hun of the > local > pohones and has a sat link for outside calls. > tell everyone im doing good i dont know anyones email i > dont have the > paper and my lds mail isnt working im hoping this one is > right. > ummmm how is taylor doing did you happen to get scotts > email if you > guys still have the emails you sent to the other account if > you could > just forward them here. > the missionary house here is slightly lacking as is the > church house > but i havent died yet so i guess its ok there are 7-8 > little villages > here and its about a 2 hour walk from one side to the > other. i did get > a post card from mom a letter from jessica and a letter > from sis knoop > in deming. (please forward this to someone in deming so > they know how > its going) i heard i have a package but its in tonga and > there really > is no way of getting it up here. im going to send this now > to make > sure i can before i write any more i love you all and hope > all is well > love elder virgil mayberry

2/16/09 Virgil is off to an island

hey mom i didnt actually get to read the emails but i got a computer and like two seconds to write you and tell you i love you and that im ok and hopefully io will be able to write you a real lettter here in just a little bit but i love you all the church is true water is wet and tongans drive on the wrong side of the road. love elder mayberry ok i will answer your questions in this email and then i have some crazy news that might make you a little sad. i left being comps with vea three days before 2009 started whenever that was i was comps with elder Tu'imoala he was an ok guy but we had a rough start he was from vava'u. i was in the same area the whole time so far there were two towns fahefa and fo'ui we covered them both both the first transfer i stayed in a house in fahefa and the second transfer i stayed in fo'ui. they do have rats that will eat your feet but they dont come to close to the houses because of all the dogs runnning around they usually stay in the trees. sorry its not very long but i will tell you my story in another email. sorry i have written very much lately but im keeping a journal for you when i get back love you all. elder mayberry

Since this is the last email i got from you guys ill tell you my news you remember that movie the other side of heaven and that little timy that he goes to well im not going there.... but im going to a smaller island a quite a ways farther out it is the farthest island in the mission and im one of the greenest missionaries to go out there in a decade or two. im really excited to go they speak really fast tongan up there and so by the time i get back i will be pretty much fluent its really expensive to send people up there and kinda hard to adjust to the life so i will be up there for at least two transfers or 12 weeks. president mcmurray took me aside after the transfer meeting to talk to me he told me i was in for the adventure of my life the branch up there is all but dead there are 60 members and about 600 people on the island but only one active family. me and my comp will be the first and second counsellors in the branch presidency and it will be our job to reestablish the church in the island. its called Niuafo'ou. im really nervous but extremely excited chances are i wont email for at least three months and the boat rarely goes up there so if you dont hear from me for a couple months know that i love you all. dad try to relax and enjoy yourself in sierra vista if you see any of the guys from sab on base tell them i said hi they drive big red trucks, and could you please text scott payne on my phone and get his email, if you could just tell him im doing ok and i have some really good pictures for him. mom i love your guts (and the rest of you too) dont stress out about school youll do great i promise after the kids you have raised i doubt those kids can surprise you with much. im taking all your letters you have written up with me in case i dont get any more. tell steven i said hi and stay out of trouble. jessica i love you your a gorgeous girl and dont forget it. take it easy stay away from those boys they'll get you in trouble. thom boy your my hero try hard in school dont kill your brother. morgan later bro thanks for the letters do good in school. i probably wont be able to email again to at least may so you'll probably be done with school i wish you all luck. dont worry about me if i die the president has your ohone number so it'll be alright. love you all take it easy and ill talk to you later elder mayberry

1/25/09 #2

i live in a small house running water and electricity, its about the
size of your old room in deming but since we are rarely in it here its
not really that big of a deal. i have a mattress but its really nasty
its brown b\from years of missionaries sleeping on it without sheets
and without wearing clothes. it has missionaries signatures from 2004
on it. we have a lot of little sugar ants and geckos but they keep the
centipedes and the cockroaches down so i kinda like them. i have some
good news and some bad news, i did get my packages from my family and
they made me so happy i love you guys and thank you for sending them.
the bad news is everything got stolen except for the dont eat pete
board and the gifts for mcmurray and vea. but its ok its the thought
that counts i did get a few skittles before they disappeared. im
staying about the same on weight i dont want you thinking im starving
to death i eat a lot its just not sticking i weigh 150 and its held
steady for a few weeks now. no i never got any seeds but a lot of stuff
gets "lost" in the mail here. no i dont need any thing right now but
thanks. love you lots
mayberry



i didnt know i had a blog spot. but anyway i have A story for you i did a
companion exchange this week with another palangi and we just got home
after church and a lady came up and asked us to go give a lady a
blessing when we got there she was like laying in the bed crying and
like couldnt hold still because the pain was so bad but as soon as we
started giving her the blessing she stopped moving and stopped crying
and just held still when we finished the blessing she stood up and
just walked away the family was so happy they brought us in and fed us
pig and crab and some other really good tongan delicacies. it was
really amazing. we also went tracking and taught a few families. all
this by two white guys who dont even know the language yet. but heavenly
father know it and like he told moses he created us can he not teach
us?!
well i love you all
elder mayberry

1/25/09

hey dad i havent really been able to get to acomputer for a > while but everything has been going well i finally got to do > some tracting the other day i did a companionexchange with > another whiteguy and even though neither of usare very good > at tongan we taught a few lessons and stuff it was really > amazing to see how much the lord wants usto do his work > sometimes he makes some drastic circumnstances to > makeeverything work right but everything happens for > areason. im doing a lot betterthis week my companion is > kindof difficult but its ok im getting a lot better at > patience. well dad i love you and hope everything works out > on the house im praying for you. love elder mayberry

Dec 20

hey everybody life is good here in tonga the weather is hot and humid (go figure) its really amazing here but it does have its challenges. i saw the first refrigerator today since i have been in tonga. it was kinda funny, i saw a microwave too but it was broken. the mango season is already passed unfortunately but the bananas are all getting ripe so i eat them alot with crackers. hey i got my first baptism on Saturday his name is manoa latu and he is from fo'ui and he is 12 years old he took the lessons 2 x before he got baptized but it was pretty awesome. hey for the christmas call i will call moms cell phone and with a card from here and give you the number to the phone ill be using. if you guys could please find a card that is specifically for the south pacific just get one for like ten minutes (just kidding buy a card for as long as you want to talk to me for. and could you have steven get one if he wont be there to talk with you guys. email me any questions or comments by next monday thanks love you elder mayberry

1/12/09

i havent been able to email fr a while i got a new comp not as cool as the last one he is a good missionary but he has so characteristics that make him very difficult to get along with he doesnt speak a word of english so my tongan is getting better. im in the same area as before just in a different village but i still eat wth and teach the same people. where did josh go on his mission? love you thanks for all you have done for me elder mayberry

12/29/08

hey pop sorry i havent email in a while i havent been able > to get to a > new computer i agree 100 % with what you said i had a few > of those hard > days lately but im still doing really good. my new comp is > best > described as a great builder of patience. he doesnt speak > any english so > my tongn s getting a lot better. but i must say in his > defence he is a > pretty good missionary we have been teaching a couple > poeple and two > whole families it doesnt look like they will come to > fruition until > after this transfer though so i probably wont be here. > there is a rumor > going around that im headed motu after this transfer which > means one of > the smaller islands but nothing for sure yet. well i hope > everything is > going well and hopefully i will be able to email next week > ;-) tell > everyone i said hi > love elder mayberry >