Week 7 - Tarawa

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Week 7 and Elder Berends has completed his training and has now left the MTC, and arrived in the Kiribati Islands. Prior to leaving the MTC we had arranged for Danien to call us when he arrived at Los Angeles airport (LAX). Felicity and I had finish work early on Wednesday in order to be home for his phone call, several hours later and we were watching his flight progress on the FlightAware app crossing the pacific bound for Fiji and a connecting flight to the main island of Kiribati, Tarawa, no phone call, and one very disappointed mother, especially when she was hearing via Facebook that the other missionaries in Danien's group had spoken to their Moms.
To make the experience even better, we get the following email from our missionary:


Mauri!

Just a quick email to let you know that I'm in KIRIBATI (island of Tarawa)! I'll be serving on Christmas Island (Kirimati). I leave and fly via Fiji on Monday. Sorry I didn't get to call yesterday, i didn't get a chance in LA.

I tanariko am utu!
Love Elder Berends


Well, that email was well worth the wait, we can only hope his writing improves?



Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Kam na bane ni Mauri!

Okay, well a lot has happened in the past week. Just so you know I'm currently in Fiji writing this email in this sketchy internet café. So im not yet in Kiritimati (Christmas Island), my flight is midnight tonight so we (Elders Afatasi, Peeti & Osborne) have the whole day just wondering around Nadi, Fiji. Our flight out of Tarawa was yesterday afternoon, so we got to spend the night in a really nice hotel which Elders Afatasi and Peeti were freaking out about because they hadn't seen mountains and a nice bed, etc. for months. 

I better start from the beginning though...

The last days at the MTC were nice but I'll skip right to getting on the train in Provo to head to the Airport. MTC buses dropped 14 of us off to the train station and pretty much said, "here are your tickets, good luck". It was a mission coordinating 14 missionaries with 2 suitcases of luggage each, but it was good fun because I love my MTC district. We got to the Airport, checked in bags and got something to eat and all the American Elders and Sisters made their phone calls, I was going to but ya'll would have all been at work and school.

Quick funny story:

Elder Ellis and I were asked by an older couple at the airport where we were off to. We replied with "Marshall Islands serving in Kiribati". Then they said, "Who did we just have go to that Mission?" and then as if it were scripted Elder Christensen comes out of no where yelling, "Uncle Richard!" it was so perfectly timed Elder Ellis and I laughed so hard!

Plane ride from SLC to LAX was nice, LAX international airport is huge! We got through security and that's when I was supposed to call home but there was a bit of trouble. Sister Eubanks got a bit nauseous (it was her first time getting on a plane besides SLC to LAX) and we weren't sure if she was going to be able to fly. So 5 minutes before boarding Elders Ellis, Christensen and I went in to a corner at LAX and gave a blessing of health and comfort. And right after the blessing she stood up shook my hand and got on the plane. She did vomit once right before take off (i was sitting next to her... i lost my apatite for that whole 11 hour plane ride) but other than that she was absolutely fine, eating every meal Fiji airlines gave her. So that's why I did not call home, sorry family. 

We landed in Fiji 11 hours later and we were all so jumped that we were almost in Tarawa. While waiting for our flight in Nadi Airport we bumped into Elders who just came from Christmas Island which was really cool. Their pants were really dirty, white shirts were kinda yellow and stained and they were in crocs. They were on the same flight as us to Tarawa so we got some more insight on what to expect.

Flight from Nadi to Tarawa was nice, we were all so excited. I was stuck between Sisters Baldwin and Eubanks again which was super cool got to know them a bunch, we talked a lot about hiking and traveling, etc. Landing in Tarawa was so exciting, Tarawa is so skinny I'm surprised they were able to fit an airstrip. Right after landing the plane did a u turn and we could see how much strip was left and there wasn't even 100m left which was a bit sketchy but it just added to the excitement.

The heat hit us pretty bad, and the arrival part of the airport was a shed with a tin roof with absolutely no facilities and it was soooo hot. The luggage was just handed through a hole in the shed so we had to hunt through a mountain of luggage on the ground to find our luggage. We went through "customs" which didnt consist of anything and we were met by 8 or 10 Elders and President and Sister Weir. There were also atleast 50 Kiribati children waving yelling Eldas! and Ematang! (foreigner) we loaded our language into some Rangers and Hiluxs and off we went, along Tarawa's only road.

We all found out our first areas and Companions/Trainers/dads. I'm serving in Tabakaia 1st and my dad is Elder Afatasi from Utah. I will talk more about him next email but he is sooo cool and I'm super excited to serve with him. Our first dinner appointment was cool. Weird because the family sit and watch you eat and wont eat with you till you leave. But I love the people so much! They are so fun to be around and the my Kiribati is extremely limited but I've got my introductions down and I can share a spiritual thought. 

I've been on splits with several Elders so far, I've been on splits with, Elders Smith, Whitehead, Openshaw and of course Afatasi. 

I'm sorry I'll have to end the Email there I've got alot more to say but this internet cafe is expensive. I'll finish this email tomorrow hopefully. 

Love you fam,

Love Elder Berends

Week 6 - MTC Provo

Mauri Au Utu! 

Last week in MTC!

Mum said I should be making the most of the food at the MTC before I hit the Islands where the diet will be fish and rice, and also whether I was getting sick of it too?  Sometimes I get sick of the food but to be honest its not bad at all, some night its really good! And yes there is a pizza day (Saturday) and ice cream day (Wednesday).

Every week we have service duties and my service every week is cleaning our residence building. I usually do the rubbish, recycling and vacuuming. And I got to welcome new missionaries this Wednesday, its called Hosting and you help new Missionaries with their luggage, help them get their books, show them to their residence and classroom. I really enjoyed meeting several new missionaries but it was awkward standing there as they say their goodbye and you have to tell them to hurry along.

Also this week we had Infield Orientation, which was all about how important members are in Missionary work so I'm happy to hear you are helping the missionaries in your ward... One of the greatest miracles is seeing somebody being converted to the Lord and you could be apart of it!

Had another TRC Skype lesson yesterday, which was fun for about 5 mins until the connection in Tarawa went bad so we weren't able to continue video chatting but we did try teaching him through text. 

Favorite Kiribati word for the week is the word for Air Plane: "Wanakibu" which translates to "Flying Canoe". 

Sorry not much else from the MTC , just really excited to be heading to Kiribati! There is a possibility I'll head straight to an outer island because of how big the wave of missionaries is, so if you don't hear from me, I'm alright. 

I am sending my suit home so expect that in the mail some time. Photos from this week are in Drop Box, I promise these will be the last photos of the Provo Temple.

Okay iI'l write again on Tuesday Morning. 

I tangariko au utu! 

Taibo 

Love Elder Berends. 

Week 5 - MTC Provo

Mauri mauri am utu!

I loved general conference especially Elder Holland's talk about Mothers. its so true that a mothers love for a child is as pure as love can get! You guys are going to love it. I also enjoyed Elder Uchtdorf's talk on making our discipleship in the church simple and building our testimonies on the plain and simple truths of the gospel. And the Prophets testimony was so powerful and after hearing it, made me realize how much we might take the Prophet for granted.

The story about the Elder in Kiribati... I actually meat an Elder who was in his stake and told me the story the week before. its an amazing story, I hope I can be like that during hard trails. To end General conference we had BYU Vocal Point! preform to us live and for there last song they did "Nearer my God to Thee" it sounded just like what Dad and Rhys would play on repeat. it was amazing. 

For Tuesday night Devotional we had the Relief Society General President, Linda K. Burton talk to us! that was really cool she spoke on the importance of prophets and apostle and she shared some of her experience she had with them, even from when she was 14 living in NZ and Thomas S. Monson sat beside her and watched a Basketball game. 

The Package from Elder Grahams mum was huge it was filled with 18 packs of Tim Tams so  our district are Tim tam slamming every night. it was really cool of her. 

The language is getting better, we had our first Skype call with someone from Kiribati, and we were to get to know him pretty well, he's studying at BYU Hawaii and I was able to tell him that Dad studied rocks there even though that's probably not true, he is 28 years old, has a wife no children, from Tarawa, served a mission in Sydney North, and we shared a spiritual thought for 30mins all in 100% Kiribati. it was definitely one of my favorite experience to far. but yes it going to be hard to ask for directions because Kiribati people aren't very precise. for example point with nose and say its next to a coconut tree or something. they'll never use street addresses if there even is any. but i cant wait! 

By the way I've got my travel plans... they're a bit confusing but I'm sure you'll work it out. ill send a picture. 

Cool thing about the language: the word for charity is " Te Tangira ae Kororoai". example translation is "the Love which is Perfect". so cool!!

Last thing, an SBS film crew is here at the MTC doing a documentary about some Elder in our Zone going to FIJI. its the elders i told you about last week from Logan and Ipswich. There going with them to FIJI as well and the presenter is going to tag along with them and see what its like being a missionary. so when it airs look about for me in the background, their class is right next to ours so I'm bound to make the cut ;) 

Okay nice hearing from you!

Tiabo Ngkami! 

Tangira Elder Berends. 

Week 4 - MTC Provo

"...Their Mothers had taught them."

MAURI AU UTU (Hello Family)!! 

I just thought I'd let you know that this is a family email (AU UTU is "my family") as I don't have time to write to everyone individually...

Answers to Questions... 

1. What is your schedule at the MTC? My daily scheduled except for Fridays and Sundays is wake up 6:30, breakie 7:10, class 7:40, GYM 10:50, lunch 12:10, class 12:50, Dinner 5:10, Class 6:00, return to residence 9:30, lights out 10:30.
2. Who are the missionaries in your District? Missionaries in my district, Elders Graham (Minnesota), Larsen (Utah), Tomlinson (Utah), Christensen (somewhere in US), Hoskins (Georgia, US), Johnson (Utah), Osborne (Washington), Ellis (Temple View, NZ!!), Powell (Utah) and Sisters Vuvute (Fiji), Wamura (PNG), Baldwin (Utah), Aubanks (somewhere in US).
3. Have you meet any other Australians in the MTC? There are three in my zone all heading to FIJI and 2 of them are from Logan & Ipswich. But there is only 6 other Australians at the MTC at the moment! 
4. Will you get to watch General Conference? Not sure how we are watching general conference yet but I've never been so excited for it.
5. Are you getting itchy feet (wanting to head to Kiribati)?Yes I definitely am getting itchy feet, I can not wait to meet the people they sound so nice and funny. there is one Kiribati Sister left at the MTC which we speak to at lunch. Its so cool even though the conversation is always the same.

Thanks for the box of Candy, U.S. Cadbury chocolate has nothing on Aussie Cadbury. I also really liked the brown and light blue striped woolen tie, not really a fan of the polka dot ties.  

Fun fact about language: "Simple song" translates to KUNA MAATATA. how cool is that! 

Highlights of the week: On Monday the MTC watched the live broadcast of RICHARD G. SCOTT's funeral which was nice.

On Tuesday nights the MTC has Devotionals where someone usually from the Seventies comes and speaks. This week we had CLAUDIO R.M. COSTA of the Seventy speak and he had some really cool things to say. The thing I like most was that he helped me realise that coming on a mission isn't a sacrifice but an honor. And I am truly Honored to be apart of Gods army and the gathering of Israel. 

The rest of the week consisted of eat, study, eat, study, eat, study, sleep and repeat. And today (P-day) we went to the temple, had a nap, now emailing, lunch, volleyball, basketball or kickball (baseball but you kick it), laundry, study then dinner. p-day ends 6:00 and we go back to class. 

That's about it for this week. Alright, I look forward to hearing from you! till next week! 

TANGIRIKO! TIABO!

Love Elder Berends. 

Provo Temple