Week 19 - Kiritimati, Tabakaia 1st (Companion: Elder Afatasi)

Email dated: January 25, 2016

Hey Au Utu,

Sounds like it was a fun weekend, I completely forgot about Straya (Australia) Day but I'll celebrate it tonight with some of the elders. We have the Vegemite I got, TimTams and Milo Elder Darm got from his mum for his birthday. 

President and Sister Weir did not leave on Wednesday because of storms so they stayed up until today, Monday and they almost didn't get on the the plane today! But we are glad we got to ship them off. however, senior couples from Tarawa, the Jenks are coming to Christmas Island for a week as well so will be another busy week. 

I had an interview on with President, he asked me a bunch of questions to see how I am going, and he asked what I want to do after my mission... already! so we talked about school and he really wants me to go BYU Provo for the fall 2017 semester (September). So if all goes well I'll only be home for a week or 2 before I head off again. What do you guys think? He has already printed out the essay questions for me to think about. 

Questions are like this:

1. Most difficult experience, how I over came it and what I learnt (I have no idea?!?)

2. What CES school (BYU Provo, Hawaii, Idaho) would you most like to attend/ why

3. Tell us anything else (experiences, circumstances, interests hobbies, etc.) 

Still got a long time but President wants me thinking about it. 

Morei is fine, he's free but still heavily addicted to sniffing fuel and its hard to get him to stop,  not sure what to do really. There is a new missionary in the district, Elder Beachum, replacing Elder Johnson who left with President. He's really cool, and has a Gopro 4 silver, made me miss gopros so much! 

While President Weir was here, he right in front of me started a new transfer board and asked me who I wanted as a new companion! I told him I couldn't choose and he was like "alright, you missed your chance". He's a funny guy. but the plan for now is that Elder Miller will replace Elder Afatasi.  

Despite not being able to teach much we still had 2 baptisms this Saturday! Laomi and Tatea. Laomi is 17 and has a child, we couldn't have her baptised before because we thought her partner (23) slept  with her, however we just figured out that Laomi's mum doesn't let him sleep over at all and only lets him visit during the day to visit their child. 

Tatea, 19, lives at a members house since she's been back from school in Fiji. so she was a referral, and she has just been golden. At first she was difficult to teach because she asked really hard questions to try and stump us but since she started reading the Book of Mormon she started gaining her testimony and really wanted to be baptised.  

Both of them I am so happy for and my favourite thing is hearing their testimonies after they are baptised. nothing makes more happy to see people changed and have a desire to be disciples of Jesus Christ and I get to be apart of it!

Well thanks for the email, have a good week, love you all,

Love Elder Berends 

Week 18 - Kiritimati, Tabakaia 1st (Companion: Elder Afatasi)

Email dated: January 18, 2016

Hey Family,

This P-Day was with President Weir so we went fishing all day, we just got back and P-Day is almost over so I'll make this quick.

It's so good to hear that FSY (youth convention) went well with you guys, but that spirit of FSY will leave you pretty quick if you don't continue studying gods word and praying about it. 

It sounds like life down in Capalaba/Clevelend is pretty chill. And how is Red with obedience? 

This week has been really busy for us. We started really strong with lessons however on Wednesday we had to pick-up President Weir from the airport. We awoke at 5 am to head to the airport, we waited, the plane landed from Tarawa but no President and Sister Weir, we then heard from AP's that he's coming from Hawaii so the plane would land at 3pm. He was on that plane and then it came to greeting him and I forgot how to speak English, I can only speak English to Elders. Even when someone in Kiribati speaks english to me I respond in Kiribati. So it took me a while to be able speak to President and Sister Weir, but they are the coolest couple, they're a crack up. 

For the rest of the week he have been their drivers/bodyguards so we didn't get much work done. 

Tatonga has not been baptised, but that is because we haven't been able to find a time to meet with him so its partly our fault. However, Katua (the referral) got baptized! along with a guy from Tab 2 and 2 kids from Ronton (london). It was cool to have President and Sister Weir there as well, there are pictures on Google Drive. But yeah, Katua is a legit convert. Her testimony after the baptism was so good, as well as all the other converts who were baptized. 

Eretii was also meant to be baptized but she came as we just started the service, we went out and told her it was okay and that after the talks we would get her clothes. But then we asked if she was ready to share her testimony (we usually teach a lesson on sharing testimony before baptism but we hadn't yet) and she got super mama (shy) so she said shell get baptized nest Saturday. so very excited for next week. 

Fun fact the highest percent of members in a country is Tonga at 57% then its Samoa at 35% then KIRIBATI! at 16%.

So everything is good with me, I am healthy, a lot more happened this week but don't have time to email but that's why I have journal.

Could you also send me your new address I have to give it to the Mission President. Can't think of anything right now but I'll let you know next week what I might need sent here (haven't received any more parcels).

Alright laters,

love Elder Berends 

Week 17 - Kiritimati, Tabakaia 1st (Companion: Elder Afatasi)

Email dated: January 11, 2016

Hey!

Good to hear you have calling already Mum, and dad will have a calling soon?  The Ward sounds pretty cool, already getting dinners with members. Dinners here are never a problem, but this month we decided to mix up the families we eat with and it was such a great idea. I just keep falling more and more in love with our area.

Weather here, has been so hectic with storms, wind and rain. On Saturday night the weather was so bad that on the jetty at the KPA, there was a huge wave that wiped out a car and two shipping containers into the ocean killing two people. and today we saw one of the shipping containers craned from off the beach and it was beat-up. 

This week has been a lot better, we've got a couple of new investigators that we are teaching and they are all golden. Some of the investigators that we have been teaching for while and have struggled to come to church, came yesterday! they were super mama (shy) but we got their less active sister helping them come to church so that's a bonus.

We have a marriage on Tuesday for Eretii and her partner and then she can get baptized this Saturday. Eretii, when we first started teaching her was super sceptical about the restoration because she was raised Catholic but then she started reading The Book of Mormon and now she is progressing so much! She's super smart as well and she understands the doctrine so well.

Katua, who we started teaching a week ago will be baptised this Saturday as well, and I actually received her referral and contacted personally. We were at the government building and Elder Afatasi was busy. This less active women was like, Elda, iai te referral ibukim (there is a referral for you) and she pointed at her younger sister, Katua, so I was like sweet, well meet with you later today. Turns Katua has been going to church and Young Single Adult activities for a while in Tarawa but was never taught or baptized. so she is golden investigator.

Okay the power went out until now and P-day is all most over so I'll have to close it up here, love you guys heaps.

Love Elder Berends.  

Week 16 - Kiritimati

Email dated: January 4, 2016

Mauri Moa,

Has the new camera charger been sent yet? Really missing having a camera? I received the the parcel from that down under box company, rats almost got it and lots of ants got to it but they only managed to get to the Minties. The TimTams and Shapes were so good! And it's good to have Vegimite again. 

This week has been lame, new month means bills need to be paid so that's what has been happening here. On Wednesday we spent the whole day at the airport because a missionary was coming home. The plane was meant to land around 7am but it chickened out because of the rain and went straight to Hawaii. It was going to return at around 12pm so we went back home to study and then back to the airport again to find out it was landing at 3pm so we stayed until it landed. 

We had a lot of good lessons planned that day.Tatonga's baptism has been postponed again he had a little bit of alcohol on new years, even though he insisted that he was ready. But the harder the struggle the harder the convert. So yeah not so successful this week, but bills have to be paid, and people need to picked up for the airport.

One crazy story from this week, the Elders from London had a break-in at their house. All that was stolen was a torch, speaker and USB with all of Elder Johnson's picture from his mission. There was also food crums on the floor so the thief was hungry. A store owner near by said she saw a kid snooping around and apparently this kid is known for being sketchy. We asked for more details and everyone just knows him as the kid who is always sniffing petrol. We know him, his name is Morei and he is/was our investigator,he's not all right in the head because of his addiction to sniffing petrol and he doesnt have a home which is sad. But we knew where he hangs out in the afternoon so we went there and one of our other investigators, she said she saw Morei with a USB and she heard that an Elders USB had been stolen so she took from him so it was good we get the USB back. 

The next day we were driving and we saw Morei... tied up to a pole... with a crowd of people around him and one of them had a hammer. We had no idea what to do but waved awkwardly as we drove past. So yeah hopefully next week is more successful,
love you all

Love Elder Berends