All Good Things Come To An End

Hello Everybody, I hope all is going well back at home with the craziness of the Virus. Well I assume all of you have heard that all missionaries that are not native to the country they are serving in have to come home, and I'm sure you guys have figured out from the title that our mission as well has to head on home. We are not sure as of when because we have to wait for all the outer island missionaries to come back to the main island first, but we were told it will most likely happen next week. But before I keep talking about that sad news, let me share with you all a pretty awesome Highlight from the week.

Saturday Morning: This morning we did a service project for our friends, Waintau, Terenga, and Marawa. We were supposed to do it early in the week, but right now were in the middle of a cyclone I guess you can call it, so it has stopped dumping rain all week which kept putting off our service with them. Finally, I told them that we could just work in the rain, and they happily agreed with that. When we were all ready we grabbed our knifes and went off into the Tropical Jungle. There is this tree called the Pandanus Tree that has these razor sharp leaves and some pretty tasty fruit. The leaves on this tree are kind of in a bunch, it's like an onion almost, so to get to the middle you have to peel back the sharp leaves one by one until you get to the middle (which isn't a fast process ha). Or you can give the knife to an American teenage boy who likes to chop stuff and can get into the middle in half the time hahaha. Anyways, in the middle of this bunch, there are white leaves that haven't gone green yet that people here use to heal sick people (yes potions do exist;)) So basically we peel back these leaves, get a few cuts because there sharp, and rip out the white leaves once you get to them. They are actually not bad taste wise at all. It was a pretty fun service because we were just walking around the Kiribati Jungle, with knives, all while eating leaves. Like how fun does that sound. That was probably the highlight of this week.

Anyways back to the coming home thing. Tuesday morning we found out. Also Tuesday morning we were doing a service project for these people that needed help cutting down a couple coconut trees. I was in the process of cutting  down this one coconut tree when we got the call saying that we are going home. All I can say is that tree fell down a lot faster after I heard that. Its definently going to be really hard leaving this awesome place, but even harder to leave these people. Kiribati has become my second home because of all the awesome people I have met, all the memories that have been made, and everything else that comes a long with a place being your home. And just like it was hard to leave California, it will be just as hard to leave here. But after reading a couple conference talks, I have come to be at more peace with what is happening.

I Tangiringkami 

Elda Jeppson

Service with Waintau

The white part is what you eat 

This is how we get rid of trash

Bubu having fun in the rain 

Helping get the stuff to make Kiei's (mats)

1/2 Cup Of Awesome

This week turned out golden brown and we enjoyed finishing it :) I gotta get down to it so coming at you quick with the week-- we turn the time over to the highlight reel:

Progress: 

The Couple and their daughter I Have been telling you about got baptized on Saturday! But let me back up a little bit and let me tell you about Friday. Friday was the day of their marriage which meant they were to go down to the marriage office to get married by the government, but with an unreliable government we were not sure if they were going to be able to get married. Especially because we have had 3 other couples that went on the Friday before to get married, but were told to come back 2 months later. So that made us a little bit worried because here were these 2 amazing people wanting so badly to get baptized but not knowing if they were going to be able to get married on Friday. We went over to their house around 1:00pm to see how it went, and as we were walking up we heard Terenga (the Wife) yell with a happy voice that they got married. That was so awesome to hear because that meant they could get baptized the following day. Now we fast forward to 4:00pm on Saturday when the baptism took place. All I can say is they were probably the happiest family at that moment in all of Kiribati. One of my favorite parts of being a missionary is seeing a family grow in the gospel and progress all the way until baptism. After the Baptism Waintau (the husband) came up to me and started telling me how good he felt. He told me "I love this feeling that I'm feeling right now inside of my chest, it makes me so happy." That was one of the coolest things that I have heard. Seeing this family get baptized was so wonderful. They are like a family to me here.

Covid-19 and Zone Conference:

Here is the update of Covid-19 and how it is affecting us here. At Zone conference we were informed of all that was happening with the Corona Virus throughout the world and how it was affecting missionaries. We were also informed that missionaries in Africa and the Philippines would be getting sent home. That was insane to hear! As of right now we have nothing to worry about because there have been no confirmed cases of Covid-19 here yet. But our Mission President told us that if a case of the Corona Virus were to come here the same thing that happened in the Philippines and Africa would most likely happen here as well also. That was something none of us missionaries wanted to hear. We were also just told that all flights and cargo ships into and out of Kiribati have been stopped, so even if it it were to come here we would have no way out hahah. Basically we just got thrown a curveballs full of bad news. So that kind of made us all sad to hear, but I know that He has a plan for all of us in this world and no matter what happens, although it may be hard, it is important to put our trust in Him. But as of right now we are not quarantined and we are still working hard.

That's the update for this week. I hope you guys all focus on the Savior and the Prophets teachings in the days which are this.

I tangiringkami 

Elda Jeppson

Baptism of Waintau, Terenga and Marawa 

Kiribati children like to look in our window 

Our friends taught us how to Raraanga (weave)

We were invited to help celebrate a 1st birthday party.  In the Kiribati culture there are 4 main celebrations: 1st birthday, when a young woman becomes a lady (gets her period), 21st birthday and a wedding.  Lots of food and dancing.  

Our princess neighbor 

Who Needs Toliet Paper Right?

Hello Everybody, how is the search for Toilet Paper going? I guess I can kind of relate to the searching of toilet paper because after about our seventh store searching we tend to find "toilet paper" or something of the sort haha. I mean worst comes to worst you can just use some leaves or some water haha. Don't worry Mom I don't do that;) This past week has been one filled with growth, funny moments, and realizations of all the things the mission has helped me with so far. So I guess I will just jump right into it.

This couple we have been teaching recently expressed interest in going to the temple. We decided to teach them more in depth about the temple in our lesson with them on Tuesday, and let me tell you that they fell in love with the knowledge that families can be sealed together forever in the temple. This couple are probably the most solid people I have taught so far. Everything we have invited them to do they have agree happily and have done everything. The past 3 lessons we had with them we walked into their house to them reading the Book of Mormon together and to their kids. One of the most awesome parts of being a missionary is seeing the joy people receive throughout your lessons with them, and seeing how much they grow to love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The best part of our lesson was when they said they were beyond excited to get baptized next Saturday. Everytime I talk to this couple they make me realize how awesome this gospel really is. 

There were two moments this week where I realized how different this mission is haha. The first thing happened when we were teaching a lesson to one of our new investigators. We were right in the middle of the Restoration lesson when all of the sudden I look up to see an older lady showering with no clothes on. Let me tell you that that was not something I wanted to see, especially while teaching a lesson haha. It was pretty hard for my companion and I to not burst out laughing. Luckily, we got through the rest of the lesson without losing it. The other funny thing happened at our dinner on Saturday night. We were having a dinner with this new family but when we got there the parents weren't there. That wasn't a huge worry because that has happened before. While we we waiting on their Buia their 2 boys who are 11 and 14 brought the food out and told us that their parents weren't coming. So here are 4 missionaries at a dinner with 2 young boys. Usually the Father conducts the dinner by welcoming everyone and talking for a little bit, but this time is wasn't the father, it was a 13 year old boy haha. I thought it was pretty funny because here were missionaries having a dinner with 2 young boys, no adults, and having a 13 year old tell us what to do hahaha.

 

Here is a Little Spiritual Food For The Week. During one of my studies this week I was reading a talk given by D. Todd Christofferson called "As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten." One of the stories he shared really stood out to me and here it is, 

"President Hugh B. Brown, formerly a member of the Twelve and a counselor in the First Presidency, provided a personal experience. He told of purchasing a rundown farm in Canada many years ago. As he went about cleaning up and repairing his property, he came across a currant bush that had grown over six feet high and was yielding no berries, so he pruned it back drastically, leaving only small stumps. Then he saw a drop like a tear on the top of each of these little stumps, as if the currant bush were crying, and thought he heard it say:

“How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. … And now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me. … How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.”

President Brown replied, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down.’”

This story is very applicable to us in our lives today because there will be times were we will have no idea why something happened to us and there will be times were are faith will be tested. It is important that we remember that God has a plan for us and every trial we have is for our own growth.

That's pretty much it for this week. 

I tangiringkami,

Elda Jeppson

Who says you can't go in the "Ocean"- low tide 

The scripture case an awesome member made for me and my Companion 

My breakfast most days (tastes like garbage Raisin Bran without the raisins haha)

Ready for Baptism 

Our dinner led by the 13 year old- awesome 

Sugar cane is my new favorite snack: its super sweet and really good and also like a natural
teeth whitener says the Fijian haha 

Don't worry I am not standing on an international airport runway :) 

The sketchy bridge we cross everyday 

Moving Sand Again?

Mauri ingkami, Kam uara n te wiki ae tamaroa aei? This week was a little slower due to a couple rain storms, so that meant not as much work. When it rains a lot it's against the culture to go to people's house. One of the main reasons it is that way is because mostly everyone's houses are made out of the coconut tree, so when the Buia gets wet it gets ruined faster. When it rains you either find a member that really loves you so you can hang out at their house, or you end up sitting in your own house until the rain stops haha. On Tuesday we were at a members house for 4 hours doing language study with them and talking because it rained non stop from morning until night. Around the 4th hour we were with them I told my companion that we either leave now and get wet or leave at night and still get wet haha. We ended up getting wet but it didn't really matter that much because when we got home our neighbor needed help fixing their rain pipe that goes into there rain tank. It finally stopped raining around Wednesday afternoon which meant we got to go out and work. 

On Thursday morning we had a combined service with the Elders in the area above us, so we had to get on a little canoe and cross this channel that's probably 200 yards wide. And guess what the service project was!? We moved sand haha to make a foundation for this guys house. We had 1 wheelbarrow, 5 rice bag, and 2 shovels. We took about 70 wheelbarrows full of sand and about a hundred something rice bags full of sand to fill up this 30x15 ish foundation. I have to say that after moving sand all the time in my fist area and now for this service project, you start to enjoy it haha. 1 because it's a way good work out which takes off my rice belly and 2 you get to play in sand haha. I mean who doesn't like burning off rice bellies and playing in sand at the same time.

We have been teaching this man named Katutu who has lessoned with 5 sets of missionaries but is a pretty strong Catholic and doesn't want to give up his faith. The thing with him is he really wants to be sealed in the temple with his family (who is mostly members) but at the same time wants to keep his faith in the Catholic church. He has had 1 son serve a mission, 1 son who is currently on a mission, a wife who is a less active but switched over to the Catholic church, and a daughter who is a solid member. On Saturday we had a super awesome discussion with him. He started talking about why he believed what he believed and why he wanted to stay in his church. He said he has grown up in the Catholic church since he was a young boy and that the Catholic church is part of his life, but then he started talking about how his heart didn't really feel like belonging to the Catholic church. We got super excited because we thought he finally came around, but then he said that he wasn't ready to join our church. It was definitely sad but he said he would pray and read the Book of Mormon, so hopefully something happens there. Its by the small and simple things that great things are brought to pass right.

Ti ngai anne ibukin te wiki aio. I tangiringkami ao ti a bo

Elder Jeppson

Me and Elder Thornton (Utah) This is how we get around the island 

Moving Sand service project with Elder Quarase and Elder Thornton 

Baptism in the Jordan River, Kiribati  (Not a real river haha) 

Elder Aiu pondering life 

Can you spot the Kiribati child?  This was during church on Sunday.  Maybe he didn't like the speakers haha  

What happens when you forget your sunscreen 

Month 6, Week 30, Day 200 (cool date)

Mauri Ingkami, Kam Uara n te Wiki ae Tamaroa Aio? Well this week has been one to remember. My love for the people of Kiribati has grown even more and so has my love for the mission. Here are some highlight from the week;

We had the Baptism of Tekimwau and Angineti Kabuati on February 29, 2020. First of all that date is cool all by itself, and then you add a baptism for 2 awesome people, and it makes it that much more amazing. The spirit was so strong at that baptism.  The girls whole family were there, some of their friends, and some members. It was so awesome their parents came because their Dad had to been to church in a very long time and their mom is not a member of our church. At the end of the baptism their dad got up to say the closing prayer, and wow that was so awesome. He sat down in his chair after and started crying. It was one of the best baptismal services I have been to. The whole family that day after the girls were baptized grew a lot closer.

One quote that stood out to me this week while I was listening  to a talk given by David A. Bednar. He said "If you have desires to serve to Lord, then you are called to the work." I thought this was so cool because when we are called on a mission we tend to focus on the place where we are going or want to go and forget that the work you do is the same no matter where you go. It's pretty cool that for 18 months or 2 years all we are doing is his work.

Another awesome highlight was when we went Kaunwaaro (Sea Mantis Hunting). That is something everyone needs to try in their life cause wow it's an adrenaline rush and way fun. Here's how to do it; you go out into the water when its low tide -so there is about a foot of water- and look for the holes the make in the sand. Your bait is a dead smaller fish but you make it look like its alive by making it look like its swimming. The Sea mantis will come put of its hole eventually and it will grab on to the fish really fast, so you have to be ready. As soon as its claw grabs onto the fish you have to grab its claw that's on the fish then reach down the hole and grab its other claw before it grabs you. Once you've got both claws you reach back down the hole and grab its head and pull it out. Wow its exciting and so much fun. We caught about 7 of them and gave them to the family that took us. I recommend you all try and do it in your lives.

Well I hope you all of a good week. Make every second count and try to be a little better each day then you were the last.

I tangirinkami!

Elder Jeppson

Baptism of Tekimwau and Angineti Kabuati
The Walkers, Elder Aiu, Elder Andrada

Elder Aiu and I in the tropical jungle

Behind the scenes 

Kaunwaaro: (translation- Sea Mantis Hunting) 

The Walkers 

Me, Elder Aiu, Ioane, Elder Qarase
Back row: Elder Andrada and Bubu 

My awesome watch tan line