Monday 15 February 2016

Week 22 - Kiritimati, Tabakaia 1st (Companion: Elder Afatasi)

Email Dated : 15 February 2016

Mauri Family,

...we do know transfers now, I will be staying, already knew that because they wouldn't have Elders white wash Tabwakea 1st again. Elder Miller will be my companion and will replace Afatasi as district leader. Elder Hungai (kain: Vanuatu) will be leaving and Elder Johnson from my intake will be replacing him in Banana.

Elder Dinsdale is leaving and a greeny will replace him in London. And Elder Peeti (kain NZ) will be leaving to become AP and Elder Tekenui (kain Kiribati) will be replacing him in Tabwakea 2nd. So big changes hear in Kiritimati, that will all go down on the 24th February... if the plane comes, which has been a problem for the past couple of weeks.
Now, work this week has been very busy, I think I was telling you last about the senior couples who were meant to come to Kiritimati a couple of weeks ago. The purpose of their trip was to do audit training for all 4 branches and the district. But, because they didn't come that responsibility was handed down to us just like everything else.

So this week we had to set up an appointment with each of the branch presidency and district presidency (which is really difficult because no one ever shows up) go through all their finances (also difficult because things aren't very organized) and check if they are following church policies (which they are so not everything is bad) etc...

So yeah, this, on top of bills for the new month, has been taking up a lot of time doing senior couple duties that could be spent teaching investigators and studying.

It sounds like I'm complaining, but really I do have the coolest mission, I wouldn't choose to be anywhere else. The Lord has blessed us so much, as well, with all this senior couple stuff we still manage to hit our baptism goal every month and I have no idea how. But when we are going about our day the Lord just puts people who are ready to hear the gospel right in front of us. Every responsibility we have, from paying bills to fulfilling our purpose as missionaries, the Lord has prepared a way for us to accomplish it. (1 Nephi 3:7) "... for I know the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

He has also blessed me so much as well. I haven't had time for language study for 2 months now and barely get time for personal and companionship study, but somehow I'm able to still speak this language and teach people in a way that lets the spirit guide. Even though I feel that I still have so far to go in the language, all the time people are shocked to hear that I've only been out for 3 going 4 months in the islands. So yeah, the Lord has really helped me in so many ways.

Anyways, love my area. Oh, by the way, Earitabeta, the investigator I talked about last week got baptized this Saturday! Pictures are up on Google drive. So that's another complete family, and through that we reactivated her husband and our branch mission leader and wife who live in the same house!

Okay, laters.

Love Elder Berends.

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