Monday, February 20, 2017

Sacrament Meeting Suprises



Hello,
   This week has been busy but really good.  We have been teaching a ton and it is great!!

 Well, let me tell you one cool story. First I need to say that in Kiribati and other island places education is not always the best.  So, we have been teaching this guy and his wife and he is a really smart guy.  That one obstacle that we keep having is that we will challenge him to read the Book of Mormon but he never does.  He would listen to his wife read though.  We finally found out that he doesn’t know how to read.   So Elder Bonney and I got one of our books that we got when we were learning Kiribati and we gave it to him and now at each of our lessons we have been teaching him how to read. It is really exciting and you can just tell that it is making things a lot better for him.

Another family we are teaching. The husband (Maibi) is super strong KUC (protestant) but he is a less active member of the LDS church from a long time ago and his wife is really strong Catholic.   Maibi has really been a good support for his son (who is 13) to join the church.  He has been coming to church the last couple weeks.   This Sunday we went over and they were not ready so we woke up the whole family for church.   I explained to  Maibi  that if he wants his son to be baptized he needs to support him and start coming to church too.   So, we are in the middle of sacrament meeting and Maibi with his wife and his 2 other little kids all walk into the chapel!!   I was so happy!  That isn’t all...  During Elders Quorum he stood up, introduced himself and started bearing a way amazing testimony of this church.  It was just super great.

 One of our recent converts Utara blessed the sacrament this week and another one Kianteiti passed it.   Seete should be getting the Aaronic Priesthood this next week so that is awesome as well.

We have like 6-8 people I could see getting baptized in the next 2 months. Things are just really good.   One thing people here have a really hard time understanding is the Prophets and Apostles.  All they have ever seen is their pictures.  They have to have crazy faith to believe, but there are still many that have solid testimonies.   It would be nice though if they could see them in real life.

Rescues are going really good here.   (That is when we go with members to visit less active members).  We had a bunch of people come to help.   I just look at the church and I see how much people change and how much happier they are as they keep the commandments of God and strive to follow the counsel of his prophets.   I notice a lot of people here that want to have lessons are just looking at trying to have better families.  For example no drinking, smoking or nankona  (a alcoholic kava drink ) and just other issues in the family.   So many people here are living together and want or are willing to be married to their spouses but they don't have people that are willing to help them.   But missionaries are always ready to help.   That is something I have really enjoyed in Kiribati is just helping people get married.   They always seem to have such a more happy family when they are married together. 

You asked what people do here all day?   Well, volleyball is the sport they play more than every other sport.  Every single day people are playing volleyball and in every village there seems to be multiple places to play.  They have some way good people as well.  Little kids tie cans to string and run around with them or the will push bike tires around while they run next to it.  Older people just play volleyball or basketball if they have a place to play.  Oh and soccer, a lot of people play soccer.  People do like to sleep here too. 

We have some solid people right now and they seem to be progressing. Things are just going really good overall. 

I love the work here!  Have a good week!
  
Love you all
Elder Dinsdale


No comments:

Post a Comment