Sup Fam
How did our baptism go?
Soooo good! Has to be one of the most rewarding baptisms so far... Kautaake, who we have been teaching for 4 months now, is now a member of the church! And she is so solid. After she got baptized she got up to bare her testimony and it was so good, her testimony is so solid especially after the hard time she had getting to baptism. But the best was after the baptism service had finished, two of our investigators attended the baptism so we decided to split with Tab 2nd Elders and teach them real quick before dinner. So Elder Osborne and I taught Akiniti (actually one of many referrals from Kautaake) and Kautaake sat in.
We were teaching the Word of Wisdom and the lesson was really good, handed the time to Osborne to do some explaining and while he was teaching, Kautaake grabs my bible and starts looking through it. Then she taps me on the leg and tells me she has something to to say.
So after Elder Osborne finished I hand the time to Kautaake and she starts reading John 14:15... "if you love me keep my commandments". She then goes on saying if we love God we will keep the Word of Wisdom... and then she turns to the most random verse that I don't even know the reference to and goes a long the lines of nobody is perfect, we are all sinners. and after she explains how she is a sinner, Akiniti is a sinner, us Elders are sinners, ma ngkana ti bwaka ti na manga teirake (but if we fall, we will stand right back up). She then goes on saying how she had a hard time with the Word of Wisdom and she fell a lot and sometimes she wanted to give up on baptism but she endured and was blessed for trying to keep Gods commandments. She then ends it with her testimony and leaves Elder Osborne and I blown away. So yeah our baptism was cool.
It was fun, went with some of the sickest YSA and one of our investigators, Aratana. We only had fishing lines wrapped around a rock so the fish weren't that big but we ate them all. We just chuck them on a fire until its cooked, nothing fancy, ate it with coconut and for drink... cocnut. Pretty cool, didn't have to bring any food with us and we still were able to feed everybody. After fishing we went to this random forest that shouldn't belong in Kiribati and there were big bee hives that we got a bunch of honey from, the honey was the best I'd every tasted. So yeah, fishing trips with YSA is cool.
How has my week been?
Any last requests for my parcel?
I was thinking... it's way our there but I've been missing my Pentax K1000. It would make me happy to be reunited with it. So yeah, shooting with film again would be cool.
Do we celebrate Mothers Day in Kiribati?
Not really... but i just want to say that mum, you are the coolest Mum and to be honest you raised me so well... You had the right amount of chill and enough discipline that I didn't turn in to a druggo. You weren't too protective but I still know that you care and love me, you taught by what I think is a perfect example, thinking about you know and really do have Christ like attributes, patient, loving, charitable, faithful, humble... You really are a great example to me, Rhys, Vaughan, Dad and to all us ratbags at home. I'm actually really proud to be your son and if i am being a rat bag, ao ngkana iai au bure iroum, i butiko bwa kona kabwarai au bure (and if there is my sin with you, i ask you to untie my sins). I love you, 1# mum. Okay enough mushy lovey stuff. So yeah, love you Mum.
Okay one more thing that I think is cool, Moannara (Kautaake's mum) she has a smoking problem and so we said we would fast with her and she was really excited. So on Wednesday morning we go to her house and open the fast with her. we come back at lunch to lesson with her and she was still going strong and she really wanted to close her fast with us at dinner but we had a dinner already. So she suggested that we come back for a early lunch on Thursday. So we were like yeah if your down. So the next day we have a really busy morning and didn't get to Moannara's until 3pm. We get there and she is still fasting! We felt so bad, she was so faithful. We quickly let her close her fast and eat with her . She has got to be one of my favorite people right now.
Everything is just going so good with this family we are actually teaching Moannara's husband now, he is so fascinated with the Book of Mormon. it was really funny during one of her lesson tua n te itiaki (law of chastity) was mentioned and he must have heard it as Tua n te kaitiake (law of cleaning). So Moannara was telling us that after that lesson, Tebau (her husband) starts cleaning their house and yard because he thought there was a law of cleaning. Moannara thinks it so funny. She really wants to get baptized before I leave and I really want to be there as well but she hasn't quite been taught everything yet and wont make it until the 21st and I'm leaving the 18th so lets pray the plane doesn't come.
Alright thats about it fam, really doing well in this area right now, missionary work has to be the most rewarding work/activity.
Love ya'll
Love Elder Berends
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