MAURI OOO!
Wow...it's been a little while, hasn't it? I haven't been able to send a real email for...a long time. There is internet in Nonouti (sometimes), but it is very unreliable and crashes if your email is too long.
I really don't know where to start. There is so much I want to tell all of you about Nonouti! This is my second time going there, so I have already told you a little bit. The past six months have been the highlight of my time here. By far the hardest part of my mission so far, but definitely worth it. I have gown so close to the people of Nonouti and the three other elders that I worked with out there.
Three things you must know about Nonouti:
1) It is extremely hot
2) It is very long.
3) There are a lot of fish.
Sruprising, huh?
We did a lot of biking. My new area that I'm in now can be walked across in 7 or 8 minutes. My area in Nonouti takes 4-5 hours to bike across or around 8 hours to walk (flat tires are the worst). We conduct church meetings in four villages every Sunday. We live in a stick house and teach seminary and Engish classes in the school. We have ward picnics, firesides, combined family home evenings, and other impromtu activiteis with the members.
While we were there were three big bootaki (holidays) that happened. One of them was the Kiribati independence day. Literally the entire island came to the island meetinghouse for a week to celebrate. The day of the main celebration we biked to our lessons about and hour and a half away in hopes that there would be a couple of our investigators we could visit or at least some houses we could tract. There was literally nobody in the entire village. Not a single person. Very, very creepy.
The members also taught us a kiribati dance that we practiced for about a week so that we could perform it at the independance day bootaki. The day of the competition we dressed up in kiribati dance costumes, covered our faces with shredded shark skin, and went and danced in front of the entire island. They thought it was so funny. The whole island howled with laughter from the time we stood up to when we sat down. But...we got third place and won $100! We used it for a ward picnic the next day.
The church is doing so well out there. Attendance is at 87 and growing. We had a good number of baptisms and tons of referrals. And guess what? One of the leaders from Tarawa came out to check the progress, and he told us that church leaders will be coming out next month to find a place to build a chapel! We won't have to meet in members' houses anymore! And that means that a branch will officially be organized within the next few months! It's so satisfying to see the fruits of our labors. Missionary work just can't be beat.
There are so many stories I want to tell that I simply don't the time or patience to type. But I have learned so much from Nonouti. I finished the Book of Mormon in English once and in Kiribati twice. I have a firm belief in the truth of prayer. There were so many times when I felt exhausted, discouraged, scared, and inadequate. I know that no matter what happens or where you are you Father in Heaven knows you and has a plan. You have been trusted to be a light to those around you!!!
Elder Barker
