Monday 25 July 2016

Week 45 - Tarawa, Teaoraereke (Companion: Elder Grant)

Email dated: July 25, 2016

Hi,


Everything is going good, our investigators are legit... I'm really excited about the work right now. Me and Elder Grant are trying to work with the ward as much are possible right now, trying to boost up home/visiting teaching and really working on getting prospective Elders ready to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. There is so much work to be done! We are doing this all, as well as working with all our investigators. Our investigators are going so well!

We have this really cool lady, Teraimoa who asked us for the lessons! Shes 66 years old, hasn't been to any kind of church since she was little and just decided when she saw us that it was time to change her life. She is also really good at making Kiribati things (bwaai ni Kiribati) she made a cool cover for my Book of Mormon and shes making one for my planner. 

Elder Grant is really cool, he has less then 3 months left until he goes home. He is a pilot! musically talented and really good at Kiribati dancing. 

Zone is going really well! Obedience is really good here in the West!  I feel we are all getting along really well and we have a lot of fun playing volleyball on P-Days.

Funny observation, so this mission is known as a really unique mission because missionaries get sent to outer islands and are made Branch Presidents, run the church all by them selves. On top of that, no internet, sleep on the floor, no car, no airconditioning, no real house, no power, no postage, no cargo, etc... But since I've being in Kiribati, I've lived in the 2 nicest houses in the Mission with hot water, airconditioning and have always had a car except for 3 weeks in Temaiku.... I want to go experience an outer island so bad!! But I'll get my chance some day... hopefully. I have had a really unique mission compared to every other missionary in this mission. 

So thats about it from me, loving my area, Zone Leader was a bit busy this week but excited for the week to come.

Love you all


Elder Berends 



Monday 18 July 2016

Week 44 - Tarawa, Teaoraereke (Companion: Elder Grant)

Email dated: July 7, 2016

Mauri.
Thanks for sending the parcel, way excited to start using the pentax! And I'm getting better taking photos again which you will be happy about.

Meet President Larkin, he has already been out to every outer island on a charter plane to visit every single missionary in Kiribati, as you saw in Elder Darm's photo.

And yeah Elder Peeti (from NZ) is AP, the one I was on Kiritimati with, you meet him on Skype for Christmas. And the other AP, Elder Lesser (from USA), funny story, his parents moved into Cleveland Ward, Brisbane, Cleveland, Australia Stake! He original worked in the Marshall Island side of the mission but because his AP now he gets to come to Kiribati. He actually finishes his time in 3 weeks so you might be able to catch up with him in Cleveland Ward.

Kammari was baptized! Such a sweet service, her best member friend spoke at the baptism, and it was really cool. Kammari is so solid especially after all shes has been through. Now just gotta plant a good seed with her family that kicked her out.

Emi is so legit also, she has so many questions, just in our last lesson she asked about a patriarchal blessing! She is really interested, but is gonna take a little longer to receive a testimony as Christianity is completely new to her, but yesterday she said as she was praying she feels like someone is looking over her and she felt loved so her testimony is coming along! Really exciting for all of us. Japanese Book of Mormon still hasn't arrived, but we printed of some talks in Japanese, any suggestions on some talks I could print out for her?

My companion has changed again, so Elder Grant and Buhler, who were out on the most remote island of all, Banaba, with out any contact, arrived back unexpectedly on Monday night after being away for one and half months. Elder Grant (from Perth) was meant to be my companion in the first place but they got last minute orders to get on a boat and check out Banaba. Elder Graham is now in Betio with Elder Kaririki in Betio 3rd. So we have Elders in our Zone! So many changes but its been fun.

So that's about it.

Love you,

Elder Berends




  



Monday 11 July 2016

Week 43 - Tarawa, Teaoraereke (Companion: Elder Graham)

Email dated: July 11, 2016

Sup Family

So this weeks been crazy... Makin Elders, Osborne and Kaririki, had tickets for a flight to Tarawa on Friday, and it was our responsibility to let them know, which usually isnt a problem  but this week in Makin, internet was down as well as the council phone. So we had no way of contacting them, so our last resort was, we went to the radio broadcasting building and payed $12 to have an announcement made on Kiribati radio about the Makin Elders flight. So luckily they got the message on Thursday and flew to Tarawa on Friday! So Elder Kaririki and Osborne are now here living with us until the next transfer! 

Another out of the ordinary thing that has happened this week is that we have a new investigator from Japan! Her name is Emi and she is a dietitian and is here working to help Kiribati people/children with there diets. She does not speak Kiribati and very little english. So teaching lessons is so hard, not only because she understands very little but we suck at teaching in english. In our very first lesson with her on Tuesday I had to open us in pray and I could barely do that! I haven't prayed in English for months now! 

Its a struggle but it is so much fun, Emi is so cool and nice and is really trying her hardest to understand/find the truth. She has already been to church twice and we sit next to her to translate but it just turns into a lesson as she has so many questions in sacrament meeting. 

In our second lesson with her I was explaining how we receive answers to our prayers through the Holy Ghost and then I shared how I feel if I feel the Holy Ghost... "Peace, Happiness, sometime even Goosebumps..." and then she asked "goosebumps?" and I'm like Oh fetch, something unimportant that doesn't need to be explained... but i tried explaining anyway and finally got it, she knows goosebumps as "chickenbumps". Anyways, we asked Emi to close in prayer and to ask God to give her testimony for the Prophet. So she prays its a really good prayer and them she asks God that she will "feel the chickenbump" she so cool cool.

New President is in Tarawa, have not met him yet so cant tell you much about him but he'll be going on splits with us this week, so I'm pretty excited.

And Vaughan.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU RANGA, LOVE YOU BRO! 

And Dad... dont embarrass me on Instagram.

Love you guys,

Love Elder Berends








Monday 4 July 2016

Week 42 - Tarawa, Teaoraereke (Companion: Elder Graham)

Email dated: July 4, 2016
Sup,

After 6 months of waiting for my Christmas Parcel to arrive, it finally came with everything intact, camera is working, food is good, thanks for the glasses. I'm trying my best with the camera and I got 2 nice photo, on of the sunset and one of my grandma.

For 4th of July, I don't think there is anything special happening, I think we are more exciting for Kiribati independence day, 12 July

I really love this place so much I'm dreading the day I have to leave it... but so ya'lls
know i still love ya :P haha

Anyways, the work is progressing really well! Finding a really good balance of missionary work and zone leader stuff. Somebody said if Zone Leader stuff is getting in the way of your investigators, you're doing something wrong and that has really stuck with me. 

We have some really good investigator, 7 of them at church yesterday! On the 16th Kammari is being baptized, she actually got kicked out of home for taking lessons with us, but despite that she is so faithful, its amazing. We had some really great progression with a lot of our investigators that we where losing hope in.

This one lady, Nei Uati, she has being taking lesson for a very long time and she had been dropped. But Elder Whitehead when he was here told me to take another shot at her so we did, and for the first time ever she said a pray in our lesson, spirit was so strong, and then she came to church!! Just goes to show that a lot of missionary work is just planting the seed. All the missionaries before planted the seed and this time Elder Graham and I are the lucky ones to see it grow. 

Also we had a Member in our ward invite a Japanese Lady (who is dietitian helping Kiribati people have a better diet), to church on Sunday and she came. Her name is Emi, and she is so cool, not very good at English but she said she is happy to take lessons with us, so we set up a time for Tuesday! Really excited but scared at the same time, never taught in English before, I cant even pray in English anymore!

New Mission President comes to Tarawa on Sunday 10th. 

(Mum) Last requests for parcel... make sure the pentax camera is in there ;) with film. And Allens chico baby things, hahaha

So yeah, work is amazing here, Missionary work had turned me into a workaholic, I'm obsessed with planning, and i hate not being productive... so hopefully these habits stay with me until after the mission.

Love you guys,

Elder Berends.