Merry Christmas!!!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The next time I email it will be the day after Christmas for me, so I had to get that out of the way first.

Things are going well here in Betio. Nothing really new to report. I am really missing the Christmas season though. They don't really celebrate it here...like, at all. No lights, no songs, no presents, no nativities, no...Christmas food (gasp of horror). It's way different.

This is going to sound weird, but...I really miss food. We have a ton of rice, fish, and chicken, and....that's about it. Especially around Christmas time, I quite literally dream about nice fat holiday treats. First world problems.

I have noticed something interesting though. Every single dinner we have, the conversation turns to Donald Trump. Sitting in a grass and stick hut on the floor, eating rice and raw fish with my hands, living in the most remote place I can think of...Donald Trump (another gasp of horror).

Also, we were having dinner and my companion told them I was good at "tebotebo i taari."

That means bathing in the ocean.

I was so confused. They just stared at me expectantly, waiting for me to elaborate, but...what more is there to say? So I just sat there confused. After dinner, I found out he said "tebo i taari."

Scuba diving. Way different story.

Oh well. Two days ago I hit my one month mark living in Betio. That one month has been filled with experiences like that one. The average time it takes a missionary to become comfortable in Kiribati is about three months. So I'm getting there!

Anyway, the work is going well. We have more people ready for baptism every week. I love seeing people make changes in their lives and getting blessings from Heavenly Father. What better way to spend my time than to help others find happiness for themselves and their families? I know this gospel is true because I've seen it work in my life, in my family's lives, and in others lives. And I am sooooo grateful for it.

Merry Christmas again!!

Elder Barker

PS - I love getting mail...