It's been a sick week! I’m pretty sure I have the best area in Kiribati!!! Seriously the work is insane. Our army of future priesthood holder and church leaders grows every day and it's awesome!!!!Yesterday we finally taught this wild pack of around 10 12 year olds and we really hope we can get them all going to church together. It's a deacons quorum waiting to be organized. We are busy busy busy. we have been going on a ton of splits so we can teach all of our people. Which is honestly hard but good because sometimes I feel very unqualified but we have good lessons nonetheless. I am learning to teach and speak by what feels like trial and error, but Elder Miller and I study 4 hours and day to get ready for the day and then we practice on the move too so that's how I learn.
The house next door is a party but we are never there we just see them when we leave the house and come home at night and say hello and goodbye. And we take a lot of them on member lessons all the time. We work 24/7 though I’m grateful that I have a companion that wants to work just as hard as I do. I've baptised 3 and another 4 this Saturday and another 6 the next Saturday and hopefully another 4-5 the Saturday after that. We will see how many come through but the people we have been teaching from the starts dates are all coming up.
Flip flops are legal in Kiribati! It’s very odd sometimes you can’t compare Kiribati to any mission in the world. The Kiribati guy that finished his time in England just got home and we were talking to him and the work is VERY different is something we have learned. Like apparently people teach all the info in 5 lessons? We split those 5 into 20.... and things like that. BUT we had great successes this week. Or our investigators did!!
Three different kids got over Word of Wisdom problems and all came to church, 8 investigators at church and 3 less active FAMILIES. Still that's only half of the people who were supposed to come but we will take it. This guy named Aaba is so funny, he's just like this goob but he's so awesome and like crazy gung ho about becoming a member. His neighbor is this less active guy and he is fellowshipping him back into the church... before he is even baptized!!! It's soooo fun because a few times this week we have used our investigators to testify of truth to other investigators. Like this kid named Taumua (this 16 year old kid who is crazy awesome just ridiculously prepared for the gospel) after we taught him he asked if we could go to the next lesson with us to help with these 2 other guys his same age. So in the lesson he just started testifying of Book of Mormon and if how they listened and did what we asked they could see a huge positive change in their lives. And then yesterday we teach this little kid 12 year old named Villain who is a BALLER. So we taught him and then his two older brothers 18 and 20 years old asked if they could listen too and then in the lesson I asked if Villianur wanted to bear his testimony of our lesson and he hardcore was like "this is true and you can't know it's true until you pray and read the Book of Mormon" and then went on about how important the Book of Mormon is (he read to 2 Nephi in like two days after we gave it to him ahhhh). It was funny because his older brothers are like 2 lessons away from the Book of Mormon but we were we pleased anyways.
Honestly sooo much happens every single day there is too much to write. I could go on and on about all of our people because in all honestly they are all ridiculously prepared and just ready for the gospel. One thing I learned yesterday was how important it is to just listen to people. Its really hard not to let your mind wander and try to think of what you can say back, but when you just try to focus on what people are saying to you and trust the Spirit will do what needs to be done is when the most effective lessons. I was super nervous for this one lesson because we were on splits and my member wasn't helping really at all so it was just me and our investigator is very smart and is usually intense lessons, so I just prayed a lot for help and it was a awesome spiritual lesson, too bad she is leaving for Fiji today :(
Oh and one crazy thing from yesterday so this 17 year old guy we have been teaching and super solid and wants to be baptized, his dad came in from an outer island and is HARDCORE Catholic man. I was walking up to teach him with a member and his dad was kinda drunk and stopped us and went off for a long time about how he doesn't want his son to be baptised and how his son keeps running away from him because he wants to be baptized and he's scared of his dad and all sorts of stuff. It was super tricky because I was picking up a lot of it but not enough to know if it was good or bad news so I just tried to talk about how we are only trying to help and we don't want to force anyone into anything but we know it's true, it was just hard because I only got bits and pieces of what he was saying, but we said we can come back on Saturday and he and his son will tell us what they decided. Big Day!!
The church came out with addiction recovery videos for the 12-week addiction program and we watched them one P-day. I was shocked that the church made them and put them out. Seriously it was horribly intense these people telling about their addiction and the most intense visuals. The church is making big moves like that though it's insane and it's perfect for people who are dealing with that.
(later on he wrote...)
About the Addiction recovery that's so crazy that Uncle Jordan’s father - in -law was in that one those are sooo intense!!! I'll have to look for him!!!
Check out the website : https://addictionrecovery.lds.org/?lang=engWe can be healed completely through any addiction or trouble or repented sin when we accept and use the gift of the Savior's Atonement. It is through the Savior's love and power that the Atonement,which He did for us, that gives us power to be pure again.
I decided you are the best mom ever and how much I love how sensitive to bad things and loving and caring you are. Hopefully I can marry a person like you someday:)
Kiribati is wild that's for sure. People cook their food on fires and kerosene stoves usually it's true!!!
Also everyone in our mission is an Eagle Scout pretty sure. So Go Boy Scouts!!!! Eagle Scouts get the best missions:)
I have a package waiting for me at Eita so i'll get it later today whoot!! SOO PUMPED!
(I asked him what I could send that he would need in 4 months….)
I need sweedish fish
Candy
I think that's it though
maybe toothpaste too
Letters to Brothers:
Hey Kipp, what's up brotha. Also to Peter thats awesome about FIFA 16... ahh fifa. best game on the planet. Keep playing the piano. My companion is constantly getting asked to play piano for people because he's one of the only people in the country that can play pretty sure!!! You're the man!
Sweet thanks!! Honestly I don't need anything though I feel bad how much it costs to send packages!!! Too pricy. People here earn $80 in 3 months sometimes!!! Life is good though.
I know as you rely on God he will truly truly help you. Through Christ we can overcome all things. You are the best mom ever!! Just be happy and positive and even though kids are crazy and hard, I know I was, looking back you constantly being there for me meant so much and I am eternally grateful, I attribute any success I had started with you so thank you.
Next transfers are coming up!! Big deal especially with Christmas coming up. I think I'll stay and that's fine. I think I started off kinda sad I stayed on Tarawa, just a little, but honestly I’m not here for the experience but for the work, and the work is working. Seriously, hard work and exact obedience brings major major blessings.
It's crazy to think it’s already been 3 months. The next two years will FLY by I have no doubt. I gotta go but I love you all. TIABO NGKAMI
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