Hey everybody!! Today is another p-day down south. We have a ton of baptismal pictures that we needed to print off and laminate for our investigators that have been baptized, so we decided to take a p-day and just get it all done. That, and we ran out of baptismal record forms...not that that's a bad thing. Anyway, right now I'm sitting in Bikinibeu in an internet cafe typing. I got four hours of sleep last night because we got up early to catch a boat during high tide. One of our members took us in his fishing boat and will take us back tonight. So yeah...I made it to some internet!!!!!
I have soooo much to tell you I don't even know where to begin. First off, thanks for all of your emails!!! It's like christmas to open your emails after a few weeks and read all the messages from you. Sounds like life in good in Nixa!!! The fireplace looks awesome! Kep, I can't believe you took the ACT!?!?! How was it? If it was rough, don't worry...the first time is always a little intimidating. Carsten, how's it going? Is percussion fun?? Kaiden, how's ALERT going? Colin, You're signature looks amazing! You'll be a great artist!
Taraweita is so sweet! I love it out there. It's a little difficult because we are the first missionaries to ever be there. From the main island, there are three or four little islands, then Nabeina (or nabaina? I don;t know how to spell it). That's where we sleep four nights a week. Our buuia is right on the beach behind some bushes in the water. It's the last one in a row of three. I'm not going to lie, work in Nabeina is -pretty tough. When we first got there, everyone wanted to hear our lessons. We had 40 something investigators to keep up with. But over time, one by one, they all either told us they were done or we dropped them from lack of progress. Now we have about 5 solid investigators there. At church, which we run every Sunday in our house, we have 15 or so people each week. It's pretty depressing because everyone always tells us that they will come but then they don't.
Our other island, Kainaba, is way different. We started spending more time there because there is more work to do there. So we started staying over there for three days in a row, then in Nabeina for three days in a row (and p-day). That way we don't have to walk/swim nearly as much and we waste less time. We didn't have a house there, so we asked around at church and one of our investigators said we could stay with him. He gives us his extra buuia, cooks tons of meals for us, and lets us have our baptisms at his house every saturday. And he's not even baptized!! We have had many baptisms there. We did a marriage on Saturday (with permission) and the husband baptized his wife the next day. Last Sunday at church we had over 30 people! The people there are so faithful!!! We are talking to President today about buying some land and building our chapel there (right now we just have it at someone's house). It's so fun to see the church grow there!!!!
So yeah, we are staying pretty busy. Elder Peeti is a beast. He's from New Zealand, loves rugby, and is really good at speaking Kiribati. He's got two months left on his mission, so he's really cramming in the work. Our missionary daily schedule changed...now there's no set time for studies or planning, it's up to our discretion. So having some freedom has been good.
As far as my health goes, i boni marurung (I'm healthy)! We haven't had any problems with the water or food since our first week. We do get a little sick of taari (dried fish), rice, and ramen noodles every day, but it's better than nothing. I've lost some weight and I'm getting a legendary farmer's tan. Don't worry Dad; I brought a good first aid kit, there's a "clinic" on the island with free health care, and I'm only an hour's boat ride away from the main island. And...I'm a missionary!!!
The language is good. I understand everything my comp says, and mostly everything the natives say (mostly). It's pretty fun when you get going on a roll during a lesson and they understand. Just a little bit every day. I officially hit my 3 month mark living in Kiribati, which is the standard amount of time it takes a missionary to get the language down. I'm not sure I have it "down" yet, but it's getting there.
I'm super excited to get that package soon...especially the hat (don't worry, I've been using sunscreen). One thing that would be nice is another charging cord for my camera (mine was stolen so I can't use it. It's not a micro usb, it's a little smaller. Also, the voltage here is 240, so i busted my gopro when I charged it) and a usb to sd card adapter. I feel bad that I haven't been able so send any pictures or videos, and I have a ton. Don't worry about the dry sacks - we hold our bags above our heads and it all works out. And...I wrote a letter to you guys and will try to send it today! So look out for that!
I'm so glad I got to email! I love you all. Keep up the good work, and keep me updated!
Love,
Kaleb
