November 15, 2015 Awesome to See the Changes which brings Happiness

Hey whats up people!!! Another week gone by, 2 more baptisms. Many new investigators! Let's see what is cool that happened this week. Well we were supposed to have 4 baptisms this Saturday but ON Saturday the 2 kids’ families decided to move to an outer island.... so we didn't get to see them enter the gate:( I just hope the Elders where they are find them and finish the process because they were both so solid!

                                                      

One crazy lesson we had with a less active guy was super crazy intense, this guy had the basic parts of the gospel so skewed and manipulated it was so sad to see how the devil had such a power over this nice old man. He just didn't understand why  he had to get laws and thinks they were not necessary, but he knew the church was true!!!! It was a really powerful rejuvenating lesson and I’m excited to keep working with him!

One fun thing:  So our investigator that got baptised named Aaba he's this 30 year old.  We got him and his wife married and the funny part was when we first started visiting the wife hated us. She is a less active who we aren't exactly sure if she was ever truly a member. But she was ice cold towards us for a long time but as they got married and at his baptism she loves us now and is super funny. It was awesome to see him start on a path to lead his family to become sooo much more. She even grabbed him at the baptism by his shoulders and shook him she was so happy which was dang near the most affection I've seen from a Kiribati person!

Also I got your package full of food. It was so so so awesome thank you so much! Next time you send a package could you send nacho cheese Doritos and a few flash drives? Also, we find out transfers today or tomorrow AHHH!!! Exciting!

Let's see what else. I listened to an awesome talk this morning. An apostle said to a group of youth he talked to about who they were before this life. He said every single person in the building was an incredibly valiant GENERAL in the life before this life. Which is crazy!! If you think about what it means to be the only Mormon family in an environment like Central High School what does that mean for who you were before this life to stand as a beacon of light in so much darkness. It also puts the pressure on! Game time is right now there is no time to waste. God wants all of our family to stand on and become the valiant people we were before this life. And little by little that is exactly who we might become if we STAND for right. It's a constant battle with the devil relentlessly attacking on all fronts. We have to be equally relentless in standing for truth of this I know!

Recently, a lot of our people having been going through huge changes! These two 18 year old cousins are a testimony builder for me that we teach. They essentially live in a casino because it's the gambling house so of course they gamble because it's the only thing they have to do. You are limited in activities you can do here. So we asked them to give up gambling and I was essentially asking them to change their entire life and one girl got a little emotional but they both agreed. The change we have seen in both of them is so crazy. The first lesson the girl walks in acting like she's too cool for school laughing about our lesson, and now she's moving super fast reading a ton and making the changes we ask her. And there is a black and white contrast about her, now when we go over she smiles a ton and is very nice and polite it's so awesome to see the change.

I can't find what its called.... it's on a flashdrive Elder Miller has.... Also, it would be awesome if you put BYU devotionals or awesome talks on one of the flash drives with some christmas missionary music, or missionary music period would be awesome!

OK I GOTTA RUN MOM I LOVE YOU AND THE REST OF THE FAMILY SO MUCH!!! KEEP BEING THE BEST YOU ARE I LOVE YOU AND LOOK UP TO YOU SO MUCH:) BYE. iF I FIND OUT TRANSFERS TODAY I'LL TELL YOU:)

                                        

Three month mark, people are prepared to hear the gospel, flip flops and the Atonement November 8, 2015

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=eng

We 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

Two plagues in Kiribati...cobeen and maamaa November 1, 2015

                                                                               

One funny thing that happened this week. One of our investigators live across from the Mental which is where they keep the crazy people. We are not sure exactly how it works because multiple of them escape daily and wander around... Anyways crazy people always slip out to our people’s house and chill and this crazy girl was sitting there and she saw us and went off about Mormons and how she was baptised and about Joseph Smith nothing bad just crazy talkin like a crazy person. Anyways she was like (Imwain ngkami nako ti riai inka) We have to hug before you go. And she grabbed Elder Miller and then she started coming for me and i juked her and ran out of the house. We are really good friends with the people in the house and they were all DYING laughing and have been bringing it up. It's funny.

I’m excited! So like essentially, kids just run in  packs all day playing and this one huge pack of kids wants to join the church and they already had most lessons but never baptised. So we will probably be teaching a huge pack of kids soon just this little 10 year old cool guys they are super tough it's hilarious. Before church we walk around and wake our people up and one of them spotted us and were like "Elders I’m coming with you" threw on his clothes and went to church with us. I showed him dad's coin trick where you rub it on your arm and it disappears and then you "cough" it up. And he was like “I can do that” and ate the coin and spit it out. That was funny.

One thing about Kiribati is people fight in the open quite a bit. And no one cares!!! It was insane!  We were standing there at this house and this little 7 year old walked over to this other 7 year old and started to beat down like straight punching each other in their faces and like picking up rocks and hitting each other. And the whole family saw and really didn't do anything for a long time until the older brother walked over and separated. It was so weird like we will just walk along and these teenagers just start fighting and tons of adults see and don't even try to stop it for a while it's just like what the heck!!! That's a weird cultural thing for sure.

Second email:

What's up people!!!! It's been a good week!!! I was thinking about how is the exact same grind every single day and then I looked at what that had gotten us, and I realized we had an army. We literally have at least 10-15 young men ages 12-20. It's so sick because like some of them are already friends and talking to each other about lessons and one of our people even got another one of our investigators a lot more interested!!! Our big baptismal date is coming up on the 14th! We have around 10 or more people who agreed to that date and hopefully they will all work out!!! We didn't meet our baptismal goal last month which was sad because like 5 people kinda bailed:/ But hopefully we will keep going.

There are two plagues in Kiribati. Cobeen and maamaa. Cobeen is this tabacco chew thing all Kiribati people do because they are bored, it's not even addictive they just do it idk. And maamaa is worse. Maamaa means like shy. Almost everyday we hear "I maamaa".  And because they are all so shy they will never go to church or do things because they are so scared of going outside their comfort zones- it's so frustrating!!

My feet are all good now I got some medicine and its all healed up now so it's all good!! Don’t worry I do everything I can to stay healthy! Even the working out for 30 min in the morning. Which I never want to do because I am tired. But the PMG (Preach My Gospel manual)  says if you want a good study you have to and I can see some progress so that's fun!

This morning our zone woke up at 5 and went on a hike to this little bridge thing. It was cool because we had to walk from one island to another and we had to go waist deep in the ocean to get across, and then we had to take a canoe thing back once the tide rose so it was fun!!! It’s crazy to think that I've almost been on my mission 3 months!!! That's 1/8 of my mission over! I can only imagine how quickly the next two years will fly by.

I think this Elder is going to get his hair cut

Yesterday I realized my time for not being fluent in Kiribati is over now that I've been here 2 months. Yesterday at our dinner they were like "you are not good at Kiribati yet?!" It’s all good I know it’ll come little by little! I've realized harder then not knowing how to say things and translate is knowing how to teach. I have to have a plan of the structure of a lesson or I feel pretty much helpless. That’s what I’ve been doing a lot of is just going through and making a basic lesson structure and its helped. Last P day our neighbors taught Miller and I a Kiribati dance so we have been dancing at a lot of our dinners. The Monday night dinner may have been the funnest dinner yet!!! It was at our neighbor's house and our neighbors are literally a house of 20 high school aged kids. It's constantly a huge party. It's fun being their neighbors.

It's fun not being the super new kid on the block now that the new intake is here.

"Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday" October 25, 2015

                                                            Mauri mauri kein te auti!!

(that's what you scream as you take off your shoes and bust into people's houses)

So things are great!! Yeah im feeling a lot better! Except my feet have gotten super busted up lately and softcore infected... that's what happens when you never wear shoes. And when Kiribati people steal your crocs haha it's ok because I got flip flops to wear and honestly it feels great!!

I got your guys package!!! It was like Christmas but maybe better! So many flavors it was unreal. Miller and I ate like Kings. We were scared though because in a huge crazy transfer thing we found out we are getting two new Kiribati missionaries with us for a few weeks, who have never been to the MTC yet so super super fresh, and don't speak English because they are from outies. So needless to say we felt the need to go through the food and eat the good stuff before our kids got here.

Helaman and the 2,000 Stripling Warriors
You can read about them in the Book of Mormon starting in Alma Chapter 21

Elder Miller teaching how to tie a tie 

Our mission president apparently calls us "Captain Miller and the Sons of Helaman" because he is essentially responsible for training all 3 of us at the same time. But essentially I have to train with the limited abilities I have at the same time, it's going to be crazy. They were supposed to come in last week but they didn't get off the plane, so they will probably be coming in this week. We got a little warm up though. This Kiribati guy that doesn't speak English is waiting for his visa so he can go to the MTC came to stay with us for a few days. It worked out perfectly because we had a TON of lessons we had to teach so Elder Miller grabbed one of the kids from the new intake that just arrived and I went with the new Kiribati guy and off we went. It was insane. It was so weird because I was the senior companion, and I'll admit sometimes I felt like the only companion. The Kiribati guy didn't really help too much in lessons... so really I had the full load of all of our people, going back and forth from trying to understand and then speak back all by myself was crazy. Like usually if I don't understand something I turn to Elder Miller and he would translate, but for that time I would look at Katriki and he would just look back at me full of expectation that I would proceed onward. hahaha It was a really great experience for me though to try to teach everything myself and communicate. I was kinda encouraged because a lot of times I would get the gist of everything that was happening and really I could have a somewhat legitimate conversation with people.

It was crazy too because for a little bit we didn't have a lesson so we went tracking and we met a ton of people. It felt weird doing literally everything from just like busting into people's houses like we do and just leading everything. But it was fun. Made me realize honestly more than anything I have to learn how to teach, like it's hard to balance the learning the language and the learning to teach because its two sides of the spectrum which are equally important.

Church yesterday was ALMOST awesome. So in the morning we run around to everyone's house and tell them about church and a lot of people were up and ready to rumble, Then when like no one came to church but 3 investigators it was like wooow!

a lot of sleeping going on especially when it rains

Especially our guy that was supposed to get baptized this week didn't come so he can't get baptized this week. His name is Abaa and he's really funny. Kinda just this plumpy man you cannot just love him. He's very simple and content and the man. He got married this week!! Kiribati weddings are very much a joke. 30 minutes before he was getting married we walked by his house he was shirtless and pantless poking a tree with a stick and his wife was like "I tangira mate ibukun te bong aio" I want to die because it's that day.... lol... anyways the wedding was honestly way fun. All 10 of us got up and gave a speech. Needless to say I started mine off right with a good ol "What brings us together today. Marriage. And love. True love" (Princess Bride) Elder Miller was the only one to get it but it's ok.

    

If you know Cody at all you can see this woman mimicking Cody's head bobble.
It's the little things he does that makes us all smile.

These two awesome girls we teach literally went to church, like went all the way over on the bus, got off, saw what everyone was wearing and they felt like they were not dressed nice enough so the got on another bus and went home. SO FRUSTRATING. It's good to know they are legit though for sure!!

Also another awesome investigator is just awesome. Tamara is this ridiculously humble 18 year old kid who is ultra prepared. Like he always talks about how his whole like how he just did what everyone did and he just tried to get through life, but he wants to change and he thinks the gospel is the way to do it. Needless to say he's right! It was kinda funny we stopped by his house after church (which he went to) and he was asleep (no surprise everyone is always asleep) and he heard us and when he rolled over we noticed he was cuddling his Book of Mormon while he slept ahhaha

We went to a couple of awesome botakis this week. This one we went to on Monday was soooo fun. The MC was crazy and everyone was up singing and dancing and having a grand ol time. Then while we ate all the kids danced and sang it was so fun. We dance all the time at dinners. It just what happens everyone sings and claps and we stand up and just bust moves. And there is this thing called the cake dance. So when there is cake someone has the get up and present the cake to the group, through a dance obviously. IT's so fun dancing with a cake in your hand it's always hilarious too.

One weird thing is that Kiribati woman dance with their hips and honestly that's all they dance with. It's just the culture like honestly half the time I’m like what the heck is this legal but it's all in good fun.

Elder Kennedy dances for his dinner

the lights come on after the first minute

well worth the wait....

The Marines are in town so it's fun to see them!! This one Marine ran up to us and told us he was an RM so it was sick talking to him. He said he is baptizing his wife when he gets home and in the process of getting reactivated in the church. It was honestly awesome to listen to the redemptive power the Atonement brings into people's lives. It sounded like he had messed up pretty bad but it was awesome to see him as he returns to good and to know as he continues his path he can receive everything God has to offer!

I’m not sure I’ve mentioned this yet but I talk about you guys everyday in our introductions!! So say Aran Tamau Jacob Aran Tinau Cara Iai Nimen n au utu. Ngai te katimoa. ngai te manne Imwiin te ainee Imwiin tenimen manne. It means The name of my father is Jacob. The name of my mother is Cara. There is 5 people in my family. (you don’t count parents in how many there are sorry guys) I am the oldest. I am a boy after a girl after 3 boys.

Answers to our mail: Yeah for sure send them over!!!!! That’ll be fun. I need more pictures of the family!! Just a few 

would be nice. 

Definitely not socks. I need to send back all my socks. I wore socks the first day and quickly vowed never to again. The amount of times I walk through basically rivers and nasty much. Kiribati is no place for socks ahahha.

I really don’t need any stuff at all. I already have way more stuff then I need. I already know a ton of stuff I will never ever even use clothes wise for sure!!