Tuesday 26 April 2016

Week 32 - Kiritimati, Tabakaia 1st (Companion: Elder Miller)

Email dated: 25 April 2016


Hello Family,

What's going on... Yes I did get news about transfers. I'm heading to Tarawa and I'll be working in the Temwaiku Branch as district leader. So scared, feel way to green to be in leadership but should be fun. My companion is actually from Kiritimati and I dropped him off at the airport earlier this year when he was heading to the MTC. His name is Elder Neeti. I'm flying for Fiji on the 18th may and then Tarawa the day after.

Plane for Fanning was cancelled till this Friday coming so I'm still with Elder Miller.


Baptism went really well, Taataua was baptised but Kautaake we are going to wait on a bit longer just to make sure she is ready. We did the baptism in the ocean because the pump for the font wasn't working. It was a really good service and we are waiting for her husband to get out of jail and we'll complete the family.

With Kautaake... Shes still on track but the kouben influence is strong. However her mum is progressing so well, she is the sweetest lady ever, but she is so heavily influenced in the Catholics traditions, its pretty funny. We asked her to pray about Joseph smith in the lesson and it was a really good prayer but instead of praying about Joseph, she prayed to him. 

And another lesson she was really excited to say the prayer which was really cool and then she pulled out a piece of paper headed as "te tataro ni kaukuki" (a prayer of opening). she had got Kautaake to write down the prayer.


She is so legit though, she really gets why the church had to be restored, even in our first lesson with her, she told us that catholic doctrine didn't make sense to her. She came to church this Sunday as well! She's still doing this all behind her mums back which is really funny, we are actually teaching 2 other guys from that house so the grandmother must hate us so much now.

I'm really sad that I'm leaving this area through I really wish I could stay for at least 1 more transfer. It sucks to think that the possibilities of me returning to this island in my life time is low but I guess that depends on how rich I get.

Also, 2 funerals went down this week, one for this old lady who's body was stuck in Hawaii for about 2 months. It finally arrived this Wednesday and she was buried the following day after the service they opened the casket for people to have one last look... I have no idea why the body had been dead for 2 months and she did not look pretty.

The second funeral was a lot more heart breaking. I don't know if I've ever mentioned Akato in my emails but he is the 2nd councillor in the district presidency here. He is the coolest guy and him and his family are so faithful and strong. They have 2 children, a baby girl who was just born this year and Jenny who just turned 1 last year. So baby Jenny has been really sick for a couple of weeks now and just passed away this Thursday. We were actually there when it happened. Elder Miller and I were teaching Taataua and then Akato walks passed our lesson and hugged Menuea (RS president) and broke down in tears and we heard him say "e mutirawa baby Jenny" (she rests, baby Jenny). It was so heart breaking, but lucky we were their at the time to be able to drive Jenny's body to where she needed to go and help Akato make phone calls and while we were helping him do the rounds, he said to us "I'm so grateful to our Heavenly Father right now for the knowledge of the plan of salvation, that's what's giving me peace right now" they are such strong members and happy people.

So yeah that's about it for the major events this week. Hey update on whack food I've eaten, I had this a while ago but I forgot to tell you. I had raw turtle, it was interesting. Rice and flour is back but not sugar.

yeah, that's about it,

Love Elder Berends
Utibwebwe (from the YSA) heading off on his mission this week




Utibwebwe (from the YSA) heading off on his mission this week



Moving House



Monday 18 April 2016

Week 31 - Kiritimati, Tabakaia 1st (Companion: Elder Miller)

Email dated: 18 April 2016


Hey Fam,

This weeks been a good one as always. Bag was found, word somehow got around that my bag was missing and some old guy ended up having it with everything in it except for a gospel picture book which I'm not to fussed about.

Sad news though, its pretty much confirmed I'm being transferred... transfer board says Elder Miller is getting a new comp but not sure where that puts me yet. So yeah in 5 weeks I'll be heading out.

Any updates on the camera battery stuff? if its possible talk to the shipping company and see if it can just be shipped to Tarawa. 

This coming Saturday we will be having 2 baptisms, Nei Taataua and Nei Kautaake. Both I'm really happy for, Taataua say shes been getting some slack from family and friends for being baptized but she still stood up for the church. I've already seen how much a blessing the gospel has been in her family ever since her daughter was baptised 2 months ago. 

And Kautaake has been a struggle, she was never good with Book of Mormon reading, at one stage she was super defensive about the Catholics had a bad problem with Kouben (Tabaco, mixed with coral from the ocean and cool-aid). But now she has come a long way, she's changed the types of people she hangs with, got her mum (Moannara) to take lessons with us and is reading, understanding and loving the Book of Mormon now! in one lesson this week she described 1st Nephi to us flawlessly, she used everyone's name, places, events and even explained to us what she leant spiritually to us. Elder Miller and I where amazed. So yeah fun.

Elders Miller and Beacham will be leaving for Fanning this Wednesday so Elder Fonseca and I will be working London and Tabwakea 1st for a week. 

right now uaimata (pink eye) is plaguing Kiritimati, its ridiculous how quickly it spread, Elders Darm, Osborne, Johnson and Parry have it but I'm yet to get it. 

Funny story, Elder Darm just get pink eye right before he left for Fiji to be transferred. He got on the plane to Fiji and after was meant to get on a plane to Tarawa. So the day after we put Darm on the plane to Fiji, Elder Millers email blew up with emails from Tarawa asking if Darm was still in Kiritimati because he didn't get off the plane in Tarawa. So for 3 days nobody had any idea of where Elder Darm was until finally we get news that he is stuck in Fiji because they didn't let him on the plane to Tarawa because of his pink eye. 

This mission is such a pain when it comes to transfers, flight never go to plan. 

I'll see about Mothers day, if I'm still on this island I'll definitely be able to skype. 

Anyway, I'm really going to miss this area. really wish I could introduce ya'll to all the people here. 

laters, bye

Love Elder Berends. 


  

Thursday 14 April 2016

Week 30 - Kiritimati, Tabakaia 1st (Companion: Elder Miller)

Email dated: 11 April 2016

Hey Family

This week has been really good for some investigators and not so good for others.

So remember that seventh day guy we're teaching, he finally started getting his testimony which we were so pumped about. However, he has a partner who is about to give birth and they haven't  been married, which usually isn't a problem I've done several marriages before hand. But...the girl is 16. So that killed us and I feel it would be a bad thing to suggest separating because they are about to have a baby.

Anyways, there are several investigators that make up for that bad news. Taataua (teriime's mum who we baptized last month) is now close to baptism she'll be baptized on the 23rd.

Kautaake will also be baptized on the 23rd. Kautaake is a 14-15 year old girl who has been really faithful coming to church but had problem with the Word of Wisdom and her family is hard core Catholic but has progressed so much since the time we started teaching her. We had to talk to her mum the other day to get permission which we were really scared about because Catholics hate us but her mum is the coolest lady and turns out that the grandma is the hard core Catholic and hates us. And now we are actually teaching Kautaake's mum, so they are both going behind grandma's back to have lessons with us. (Grandma knows but hates us for it) but little by little hopefully her heart will be softened.

There's Tekori who is a 40yr old lady who has the husband who a drunk. She is golden, she's a book worm so her Book of Mormon reading is amazing, she already has strong testimony of the book and during lessons already knows doctrine that we haven't taught yet because she reads all the pamphlets. And what's amazing is that her drunk husband hasn't drank since we started teaching which is a miracle because he doesn't even sit in on the lessons. It has to be a blessing to her because of her faith.

Its elder Millers 20th birthday today! Don't have much planned today, just a funeral. It really sad actually, a return mission who got back last month from Philippines, his mum died unexpectedly Saturday night. Its so sad he such a cool guy, only member in his family as well. I'll send a picture of me and him.

Also there some drama with Fiji airways right now and rumour has that they are so frustrated with Kiribati because how sketchy everything is with broken fire engines they are now refusing to offer flights to Kiribati. Fiji airways is the only airway that goes in and out of Kiribati so we are potentially stranded out here. We have confirmation that Fiji is frustrated with Kiribati but haven't had confirmation that they have stopped flights. So this is fun!! And the island is pretty much completely out of rice and flour, and sugar has been done for a month now. I love this country. 

So that's about it. I'm loving this place so much and really don't want to leave this area even if it is opening Fanning Island. 

Alright love y'all

Love Elder Berends




Tuesday 5 April 2016

Week 29 - Kiritimati, Tabakaia 1st (Companion: Elder Miller)

Email dated: 4 April 2016

Mauri

Weeks been a good one, apart from my backpack being stolen but only my Kiribati scriptures were in it so nothing too important but it does suck I have start a new set of scriptures. But if you are going to send those batteries send a new backpack with it.


Other than that, our karewe cutting is coming along well.... I love doing Kiribati cultural stuff like that and so do the people. Investigators are coming along nicely. Got this new one this week, betoro (Peter), he is a Seventh Day so he is going to be a hard one to convert. Its funny though, he knows the Bible really well, especially scriptures regarding pig eating. However he is clueless about the other doctrine sda have like the whole Sabbath thing. So the only thing giving him doubt right now is whether pig is bad or good.


And actually this Sunday I had a lesson with him. Just me and a YSA, I was pretty scared I didn't have Elder Miller to answer all the hard questions. But it all went really well. At the end of the lesson he said that our lessons have been really good with him its just pork thing he cant get over, I showed him some verses in the Book of Mormon how the mosiac law was given because the people at the time were quick to do iniquity and how Christ came fulfilled the law.
But I told him the thing that was important was that we gains a testimony of the prophet and the book of mormon, he says he would pray and fast about it so if her does with the right heart he get his trueth no doubt.


Another good lesson we had was with Tekaie, Tabwata (who we usually lesson with) and beia (was in their house and we invited him to listen). We were teaching plan of salvation which we knew was going to be a good lesson because tekaie and tabwata's first born died at age 3. And it really a good lesson for them 2 but for beia... He wasn't paying attention and was just slouching around until we mentioned being sealed to our families for eternity. After we mentioned it beia sprung up and starting asking how that was possible and so we explained a little bit with out getting to off track. But hopefully that's sparked something in him to back for more.


Anyways, life's good. Watched a couple of session of conference live this weekend at a really rich members house who had his own satalite dish. Some good talks a lot about temples and the blessings from it. 


Love you all 

Love Elder Berends  

Week 28 - Kiritimati, Tabakaia 1st (Companion: Elder Miller)

Email dated: 28 March 2016


Hey family,

Sorry guys, I didn't relies how much it sucks for you guys not hearing from me so I'll try my best in describing what happened in the past 2 weeks. However, the past 2 weeks have been so jammed packed with awesome things that I will never do justice.

First off, President and Sister Weir stayed for a week. Did find out about transfers, Elder Darm is going Ibuki (outer island) I'm staying here! The plane for Fanning Island is up and running, so Fanning will be opened soon! Exciting things happened in this part of Kiribati.

We have some really good families we are teaching now, Eritaake and Kaena and their son Tioni are one of them. Eritaake is teaching us how to cut karewe (that sap from coconut tree that are really popular to drink hear). They're really good investigators but have a lot of Word of Wisdom problems to get over.

Tekaie and Tabwata, are another family that we "tracted". it was really funny how we found them. Elder Miller and I saw these kids playing a game and we wanted to be those Elders who go play with the locals. so we started walking towards this group of guys play some sought of games end then we chickened out last minute and walked to the closest house and it was Tekaie' and Tabwata's house. so they're a really cool family but the KPC (Kiribati Protestant Church) is really strong in that area so it will be hard for them to change to LDS. there was this one time we turned up to there house to teach and there was this really nice lady (Tabwata's friend) there and started talking with us. we found out she was baptized and really loves the church and the Elders but she got married to a hard Core KPC guy who doesn't let he affiliate with the church anymore. but she said because her husband was at work at the time she ran to Tabwata's when she saw us approach the house, just so she could say hi. really sad to see that she cant worship the way she want because of her husband but she was a really cool lady.

There's this other lady that we are teaching who wanted us to have lessons with her and her husband. Tekori asked us to teacher her so we could help her husband who is an alcoholic. the first lesson she was trying so bad to get the husband to stay but he found stupid excuses not to sit in the lesson. so after he left, Tekori was telling us, when she first saw us she hoped that we could help her family, because right now, when the husband is drunk they get a abused. it was really sad to hear I want to help them out so bad so something we will be doing is doing what ever we can to get the husband to sit in the lesson.

Our other new family is Uraria's family, they are such a nice family. we only just managed to teach them on Sunday but we tried earlier in the week but Uraria was always out fishing. But they said if keep coming back they'll give us fish, which they did... way to much fish. a bucket full of fish and an octopus another bucket of  lobster and this other giant fish. so we invited the YSA to help us cook it all last night and we ate it all. it was legit.

So yeah that's our families right now. also MC'd a botaki (party) infront of president, it was fun... had to translate for them when President and Sister got up to speak. really loving Kiritimati, gonna be sad leaving and ive been think lately that its going to be harder to leave Kiribati than it was leaving home. I love the place and its people so much!.

Easter has been a killer for us missionaries, everyone from the KPC and Catholic have been partying hard and stealing all our people definitely not help us. makes our church seem boring because we don't set a huge Jesus cross on fire and eat lots of food afterward.

Parcel is still in Tarawa, they wont bring it over, just easier for everyone if it waits in Tarawa until I return. and for the batteries if you want send them but just to Tarawa, don't bother sending it to Kiritimati.

that's about it, area and companion is going great.

ngaia, love you fam bam

Love Elder Berends 

Week 27 - Kiritimati, Tabakaia 1st (Companion: Elder Miller)

Email dated: 21 March 2016


Hello,

Such a busy P-day today, President and Sister Weir are in town so no time to email because we went fishing all day. Sorry, and this week was a really good week as well, had cool things I wanted to tell you but I'll have to tell you next week.

And yes we do drink the coconuts, the Moimoto or the bin. Moitoto is what it is before the meet inside turns hard and its really nice to drink then there's bin which is what you already know as coconut. So that's what I was doing in that photo... picking for Moitoto.

okay I know really lame email, but I gotta sleep . 
love Elder Berends.