Haawa

Family,

Well, just like that it's been another week. It just always feels like there's not enough time in the day to get everything done that you'd like to, and so it just feels like a blur. Things have been going very well here on the Gwaii. It's so beautiful here! The weather has just been crazy, though. We've had gale-force winds and snow and rain (sometimes it's raining and snowing at the same time) and sometimes warmth and sunshine. Driving from Skidegate to Masset on Sunday along the coast there were waves so big that they wash over the road. They have to have a snowplow push driftwood off the road. The weather will literally change in just minutes. I'll try to send pictures soon (possibly later today?) because it's just beautiful up here.

The work on Haida Gwaii has been great! It's definitely a lot different than anywhere else in the mission. You can knock on every door on the island in 2 or 3 weeks. It usually takes longer because you're teaching or doing service, but there aren't exactly oodles of people up here. In church, the members will speak in sacrament meeting almost monthly, and everybody has to have multiple callings. And the people here are so faithful! Some of the recent converts here, that are coming to church even though none of their friends or family go, even though the church service here is so small and simple because we don't even have a building, are very inspiring. Because it's so remote, Haida Gwaii is it's own district, and so district meetings just have us and the Masons (who Mom is apparently already in contact with) inside of them. So, as a district leader, I'll have to find ways to make the meetings lively because there are so few of us!

The people here on Haida Gwaii are just great, thA lot of people would warm up to us if they joined the churchough. They're very laid back and very willing to talk with us. We probably find 2 new investigators every day. A lot of the first nations people here have a lot of reservations talking to religious people because of how poorly the people here were treated. A lot of natives were forced from their families as children and stuck in Catholic "residential schools", and faced a lot of abuse. It definitely takes a lot of time for people to warm up to us, and so we try to do a lot of service so they can see that we're here because we really want to help.

We're working with some very awesome people, though. We're teaching a native named Eddie who is trying to quit smoking and drinking that was raised in an LDS home but was never baptized. Sid, the chief in Skidegate, and his wife Cindy, are just awesome. They feed us all the time and we'll just be talking. We just love them. They've had a big impact on the community that they live in already as far as perception of the church in Skidegate. We've definitely been blessed by the Lord here.

The language here is very cool, as well. The Haidas have their own language that is apparently very unique. I'm trying to learn all the pleasantries. Haawa means thank you. Dongaa dii K'uuga ga means I love you. And... that's about all that I remember so far. The culture here is very cool. Haida art is very famous, and it all originates here. They take a lot of pride in their culture and history. Anciently, the Haida people were very aggressive. They had these big war canoes, and they would canoe on the open ocean to places as far as Hawaii and someone said they even went to New Zealand. Pretty crazy.

Sounds like it was a pretty great week back home! Dad, enjoy Revelstoke! You'll have to give a report on how the skiing there is! When you're driving in between Salmon Arm and Vernon, there's a place with a "Goat Walk" where you stop and you can put some food in a bucket thing, and a goat will walk over this bridge and spin a wheel or something with it's head to pull up the bucket and eat the food. The skiing is great and all, but it's a must-see. Well, love you all! Hope you have a great week!

Elder Blotter