August 25, 2013
You have NO IDEA how good it feels to be out in the field! To
be honest, even the very best times in the MTC were pretty bad, now that
I'm not trying to convince myself that they were good. It's SO great
to be out here, doing the Lord's work, and actually helping people!
Not gonna lie, though, as good as it is, I'm still ridiculously
jealous about the peaches and cream. :) Along with all the other food!
Kiribati food is just fine, but man, stuff from our garden and
orchard...
KIRITIMATI IS SO GREAT!!! In this post, I'm mostly going to respond to
questions my dear momma asked, so sorry if it's a bit disjointed to start.
As far as "critters" go, we have a crab, 2 cats, 3 kittens, and
2 metric crap-tons of bugs. We sleep in mosquito nets, so we don't have
too many problems with that while we sleep, but at last count, I had
16 mosquito bites between where my pants end and my crocs start on my
right foot. So far, I don't think I need a blood transplant. :)
We keep the cats around because they keep away rats and mice, and we keep
the crab around because he's a sneaky little booger and we only see
him when we're showering.
Speaking of crabs, they are EVERYWHERE! They dig these little
holes in the sand, and just set up camp, and they generally come out at
night or dusk. They range in size from a silver dollar to my face. First
one I saw scared the living daylights out of me, because it was
scurrying around in its hole and I thought it was a spider about to leap out
and take off my foot. It was of the face-sized variety. They're totally
harmless, they run away from us, but it was still scary. Today we were
going to make spears and go crab hunting, but it's been an all-day
pursuit to find a place to email, so I don't think that's going to
work.
The food is fine. We are very well taken care of by members and
investigators, and have dinners almost every night. There was one
night where everybody's dinner appointments randomly got cancelled,
and Sister Anderson (an angel of a woman) made us chili dogs and
coleslaw. SO GOOD! It was funny though, my very experienced comp was
the one with digestive problems the next day. :)
We eat loads of fish, in just about every way imaginable. I've had fish that
legitimately tasted like steak bits (SO GOOD), I'm learning to pick bones
out of a fish that's just been tossed on a skillet, I've had fish in all
sorts of soups, and I've even had homemade fish jerky. We also have rice
at basically every dinner, and usually some kind of breadfruit or
coconut or papaya. Each one of those deserves a little mini essay, but for
the sake of time, I'll just talk about breadfruit.
It's THE strangest thing ever. When you just eat it plain, it's like eating... nothing...
No flavor, the blandest texture, it's just there. It's pretty good if
it's fried, a bit like a potato chip, but it's still weird. It's the
one food my comp doesn't love, and yesterday, it was following us
around! Meals, mini meals we sometimes get fed at lessons, a snack our
investigator gave us... It was funny.
But ya. Food is good, they always lay out their best for the
missionaries. Usually, they lay out more dishes than you could ever hope to
try, and you can just pick what looks good. They also sometimes get
"Cuponoodles" just for the missionaries, which is amazing. So the food is
good. Not gonna lie, I never really go into a meal excited to eat what we're
eating, because while it's good, it's not super pleasurable to eat, but when
I'm hungry, it does great, and I've always left meals well-stuffed. BUT
LAST NIGHT! Our dinner didn't show up when he was supposed to, so we
went and ate with the sisters. A FEAST! Chicken, super good soup ("soup"
is just a general term for something you put on your rice, like mom's
cajun chicken with tomatoes except generally without big chunks like
chicken) pure water, hot dog chunks, and it was all on the beach
looking out over the ocean! I blew over the chicken, which was the
best part. It tasted JUST like something we'd barbecue at home! So
good! So ya. That was the exception rather than the rule, but we're
always well fed. Word is that everybody gains weight on Kiritimati.
Karewe! (Prononounced Car-EH-veh) ! It's the
drink of choice here. It's basically coconut sap, boiled, and then watered
down. There's good karewe and bad karewe, but it's all like absolutely
nothing back home. Apparently I'm the first white missionary anybody in
the district has ever known to like karewe before they'd been there a
while, which is a blessing. Sometimes, it can be pretty rough, usually
it's just nice to have something to drink, and I've had a few cups
that I really enjoyed. It's usually served warm, like, actually
heated, which confuses me, but hey, I'm always grateful for a drink.
We probably get it after 75% of our lessons.
Holy crud, there's a lot to write. :)
We have a sketchy washing machine. We have to fill a bucket with water
and fill it up, but it works. We have a spinner that gets the clothes
mostly dry, and then we hang them up. It works pretty well.
Regarding the bike, the mission will provide one when I need it, but
that's a nice segue, I think.
I don't use a bike, because we're working in Banana. Can you believe
that? I'm working in Banana Village on Christmas Island. :) The
problem is, that's a 15-30 minute drive, depending on whether Elder
Sias or a Kiribati person is driving (they drive SO slow.) So every
day we either have to hitchike up to Banana, or sometimes we can use
the mission van. Usually that means that we're waiting an hour or two
trying to get a ride. There used to be buses, but they all broke down,
so we've caught rides on the backs of trucks, most of the time.
Actually, Saturday, we saw one of the buses workings again, so
we might start catching that. We're working on getting a house in
Banana, and we found a place that's about a ten minute bike ride away,
but we're going to have to get a rainwater tank for it so it meets
mission standards. So that's a project, but we're working on it, because if
we lived in Banana and didn't have to worry about hitching rides there
and home, we could be teaching two or three more lessons every day.
Oh my goodness! Speaking of the actual missionary work! I baptized
Raeterenga Mareko on Saturday! It was so cool! She's been trying for a
while, but everything has built up against her, especially with a ton
of bureaucratic junk with the government and her getting married. (A
major problem here is that people iain (yayn), or run off together,
without getting legally married, which is against the law of chastity.
To be honest, being iained in Kiribati is less likely to break up than
an American marriage, just because of the culture, but it's still
against the law of chastity, so we spend a decent amount of time at
the Linnux (the government building) getting all the marriage stuff
worked out for people.
So anyway, she finally got married, and then Saturday morning, I got to baptize her in the ocean! (Ya,
my first baptism was in the Pacific Ocean. :) ) The tide was way out, so we
had to find a hole in the coral. She sat, I knelt. The first time I
didn't get her hand all the way under because I was worried about hitting
her head on the rocks, but we cleared them out, and the second time, it
worked! And I did it in Kiribati! So it was a great day for both of
us. :) And Elder Sias, because he's been working with her since he got
here, which I think was six months ago. I got a picture, I'll try to
send it in a later email.
The language is an interesting situation. As long as we're talking about gospel stuff,
I can understand my companion pretty decently, or at least get enough of what he's
saying to know what's going on. Once the Kiribati people speak, I very rarely get what's going on. They
speak fast, and mumble! But I'm getting better every day. I'm also getting to the
point where I can teach major chunks of lessons. Honestly, it's so much easier to
say stuff than to understand other people saying it. Which is interesting,
because I'll teach, and then they'll totally think I know Kiribati, and then
I have to explain my predicament.
With lessons, though, I'm getting to the point where
sometimes, I can really stop trying to figure out the words I'm
going to use, and just open my mouth and trust that it will be filled.
That's been amazing. Usually, my Kiribati is hit and miss, but
sometimes, in a lesson, it will just flow, and I can feel the Spirit.
I've gained an understanding of the Gift of Tongues. It's just like
anything else. The Spirit won't use something I haven't learned, but
it can sure do a great job of putting the words together, and helping
me remember words that I learned once upon a time but haven't used in
a while. It's so amazing, and a great testimony builder.
I was talking to Elder Sias the other day, and I asked him, "As a
missionary, do you ever just sit back and enjoy feeling the
Spirit?" He told me that it was interesting, because as a missionary, you
get so used to having the Spirit with you all the time that you just
notice when it's gone, and then it's this gaping hole in your chest. I
totally understand that, though I'm not used to it yet. We feel the
Spirit ALL the time. I'm so blessed to be a missionary, I love it so
much. The Lord sends his watchmen to be with us, and we can feel the
presence of the Spirit at all times. Once in a while, I just do a
quick check, "Do I still feel the Spirit? Yup, for sure." It's great.
:) I love being a missionary, and I'm so grateful for this opportunity
I have to be doing the Lord's work! I've already seen it change lives.
But that's a story for another letter. I love the Lord, and I love
all of you! Hurrah for Israel!
Elder Marks
August 19, 2013
Dad,
First of all, time is super short, so I only have time to send this to
you, if you could let everybody else know that I got their emails, I
said thanks a ton, they were great, and I'll respond next week, I'd
appreciate it. Usually I'll have more time, but today we had to radio
Fanning Island during the time that the internet is fast during the
morning, so we had to wait for evening, and there's not much time. But
I want to tell you what's going on!
First off, getting here was psycho. We got held up at every airport,
and several times we had to call church hq because it didn't look like
we were going to make it. Even when we finally arrived, they'd never
gotten us work permits, and so we almost didn't make it in. Luckily,
the church is honest, people know that, and they like missionaries,
so we got an exception while stuff gets cleared up with Tarawa. But it
was exciting.
Along the way, I gave a Book of Mormon to a kid! He was way cool. His
family was going to Australia for vacation. He was amazed about how
happy and friendly Sis McDaniel and I were, and I got to talk to him
about the Book of Mormon, the Priesthood, prophets, (which he
understood because he's Muslim) and just the joy that the gospel
brings me.
It was so great! I gave him the Book of Mormon, told him
that it brought me happiness, and he took it! So hopefully, it'll
change his life. He's Greg and Justin's age!
Now for Kiritimati. First of all, it's great, and it's safe. There
aren't any big wildlife issues, and people are nice as long as
they aren't drunk. And the drunk ones are easy to get away from. My
companion is AWESOME. Seriously, I couldn't ask for a better one. His
name is Elder Sais. He's the district leader of us, a set of Elders,
and a set of Sisters, we just expanded to 2 sets of Elders this
transfer. He sings, likes good music, isn't afraid to dabble in the
geeky, played football, is an obedient, hard worker, and he's a
fantastic teacher. I'm so lucky to be his comp. He also knows
everybody!
Elder Sais says our house is the nicest in the mission, and I believe
it. It has a coconut thatching roof, walls made of sticks, and a coral
gravel floor. So, "grass hut" is inaccurate, because there is no
grass. It's a "two elder flat", technically, but we're fitting four.
We're doing pretty well. It has a shower (no crabs in the shower, just
the wall, which is a plus) we just got the toilet working again, it
has a sink, and it even has a fridge, a microwave, and
four light bulbs! It's super nice, love it there. All the water is "cold
water", but it's Kiribati, so nothing is really cold.
Anyway, I need to be off, I'll say more next week! I love you all! I
miss you all, and I'm looking forward to seeing you again! But not too
much, because the work here is AMAZING!!! AH!!!! I wish I could tell
you all these stories, because it's been a great week. I'll try next
week! I guess you'll have to decide, Dad, what to put in the blog,
cause I must be off. Keep on keeping on! Hurrah for Israel!
Love,
Elder Marks
PS. We had zone meeting in Fiji for our layover. Attached is
a picture a fijian friend of mine sent me!
First of all, time is super short, so I only have time to send this to
you, if you could let everybody else know that I got their emails, I
said thanks a ton, they were great, and I'll respond next week, I'd
appreciate it. Usually I'll have more time, but today we had to radio
Fanning Island during the time that the internet is fast during the
morning, so we had to wait for evening, and there's not much time. But
I want to tell you what's going on!
First off, getting here was psycho. We got held up at every airport,
and several times we had to call church hq because it didn't look like
we were going to make it. Even when we finally arrived, they'd never
gotten us work permits, and so we almost didn't make it in. Luckily,
the church is honest, people know that, and they like missionaries,
so we got an exception while stuff gets cleared up with Tarawa. But it
was exciting.
Along the way, I gave a Book of Mormon to a kid! He was way cool. His
family was going to Australia for vacation. He was amazed about how
happy and friendly Sis McDaniel and I were, and I got to talk to him
about the Book of Mormon, the Priesthood, prophets, (which he
understood because he's Muslim) and just the joy that the gospel
brings me.
It was so great! I gave him the Book of Mormon, told him
that it brought me happiness, and he took it! So hopefully, it'll
change his life. He's Greg and Justin's age!
Now for Kiritimati. First of all, it's great, and it's safe. There
aren't any big wildlife issues, and people are nice as long as
they aren't drunk. And the drunk ones are easy to get away from. My
companion is AWESOME. Seriously, I couldn't ask for a better one. His
name is Elder Sais. He's the district leader of us, a set of Elders,
and a set of Sisters, we just expanded to 2 sets of Elders this
transfer. He sings, likes good music, isn't afraid to dabble in the
geeky, played football, is an obedient, hard worker, and he's a
fantastic teacher. I'm so lucky to be his comp. He also knows
everybody!
Elder Sais says our house is the nicest in the mission, and I believe
it. It has a coconut thatching roof, walls made of sticks, and a coral
gravel floor. So, "grass hut" is inaccurate, because there is no
grass. It's a "two elder flat", technically, but we're fitting four.
We're doing pretty well. It has a shower (no crabs in the shower, just
the wall, which is a plus) we just got the toilet working again, it
has a sink, and it even has a fridge, a microwave, and
four light bulbs! It's super nice, love it there. All the water is "cold
water", but it's Kiribati, so nothing is really cold.
Anyway, I need to be off, I'll say more next week! I love you all! I
miss you all, and I'm looking forward to seeing you again! But not too
much, because the work here is AMAZING!!! AH!!!! I wish I could tell
you all these stories, because it's been a great week. I'll try next
week! I guess you'll have to decide, Dad, what to put in the blog,
cause I must be off. Keep on keeping on! Hurrah for Israel!
Love,
Elder Marks
PS. We had zone meeting in Fiji for our layover. Attached is
a picture a fijian friend of mine sent me!
August 13, 2013
Spencer wrote on Tuesday:
Hi, Dad!
I just got to Kiribati, and I get a chance to email home, let you all know I'm doing fine, and I'm alive. I'll be able to email for real on Monday.
I'm here, my companion is totally awesome, I'm living in a grass hut, and life is great! Love you lots, email you soon!
Love,
Elder Marks
Hi, Dad!
I just got to Kiribati, and I get a chance to email home, let you all know I'm doing fine, and I'm alive. I'll be able to email for real on Monday.
I'm here, my companion is totally awesome, I'm living in a grass hut, and life is great! Love you lots, email you soon!
Love,
Elder Marks
August 8, 2013
Well, from mail I've been getting, it sounds like news that I'm going to
Christmas Island has reached the blog. If not... This is awkward. :)
Anyway, I am! But here's the thing. As it turns out, there are TWO
Christmas Islands in the world, one in Kiribati and one just outside of
Indonesia. The one by Indonesia is the famous one that people have heard
of, with the crab migrations. I'm going to one that is actually called
"Kiritimati", which is the Kiribati way of saying Christmas. It's actually only
a thousand miles away from Hawaii, but is three thousand miles away
from Tarawa, and almost 4 thousand from the mission home in
Majuro! (Interestingly enough, according to my amateur measurements on the MTC
map, the other Christmas Island is actually closer. Go figure. :) ) Anyway,
if anybody got that mixed up, you're in good company with the MTC travel
office. They had me flying to Brisbane, and then Perth, (on the west
side of Australia) and then flying up to Christmas. Sister McDaniel
(the sister who's going to Kiritimati with me) and I were very confused why we'd
fly to Perth first, but we were staying in the Hyatt Regency, sleeping
on king sized beds, so we weren't complaining. Not until today, after we
got the new travel plans, did we realize that we'd been about to go to the wrong
one! Can you imagine, showing up and finding out I was 6000 miles away from
where I was supposed to be?! I don't know where I'm relieved or disappointed
that they caught it. :) Anyway, with the new plans, I'm actually leaving at 11
AM on Sunday! So since we don't get mail on weekends, it's probably too
late to send letters, and any Dear Elder sent after noon Mountain Time
on Friday won't get to me either.
Speaking of Dear Elders, there have been a couple that I really wanted
to respond to, but the Dear Elder system munched their addresses. (It works
really well when you get one letter in a day, but
if you happen to get two or three, it starts to get a bit weird. Totally
worth the trouble, but ya.) I think I've responded to all the ones that I had
addresses for, so if I haven't responded to your letter, I'm SUPER sorry! Write
me again in Kiribati, and I'll make sure I get your address! I've appreciated
every letter I've gotten, letters are gold to missionaries!
Anyway, as I'm leaving the MTC, I've been having some thinkings stirring
around, and I'm going to take advantage of this opportunity to present them
before I rush back to the room to try to pack in time.
One thing I've loved about the MTC is that I've read the scriptures so much
more, particularly the Book of Mormon. I'm actually in the end of Ether right
now, about 20 pages from the end. Honestly, if I hadn't gotten my travel plans
changed again, I probably would have finished, but I've been trying to pack,
since I don't have Sunday and Monday to pack any more. But I'm still going to
try to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of my stay at the MTC, after having
started about a week after getting here. I never cease to be amazed by the Book
of Mormon. This time, I've felt like I really got to know the people. I remember
when I was reading Jacob's first sermon, and I realized, "Man, Nephi would NOT
say it that way!" After that, I took note of the different tones of the
different prophets and authors, trying to get a feel for their personality. It's
amazing, and I can't wait to meet them in the next life.
I've also gained a much larger appreciation for just how many scriptures
are about missionaries! I absolutely LOVE the story of Ammon, more than ever
before, and I also love looking at how Alma and Amulek worked as a
companionship. I hope my first companion is like Alma!
Anyway, the Book of Mormon is true, and I love the teachings in there. It's
been great being able to read as much as I have, and I'm going to do a much
better job once I'm off my mission of spending time in the scriptures every
single day, no matter what, and not just reading a verse before I drift off to
sleep. That's the word of God right there, and it's there for us.
I've also gained a much greater appreciation for Preach My Gospel. I always
thought it was a good thing, but the more I've gotten to know it, and the more
I've heard General Authorities here talking about how it was made, the more I've
grown to appreciate it. Seriously, it's amazing! As my comps and I have been
teaching our progressing investigators, it's been remarkable how much each
lesson builds on the last. Everything is in its place. In order to really
understand what's in lesson two, you have to get lesson one. To understand
lesson three, and know why it's important, you'd better have an idea of lesson
two and lesson one. And so on. It's inspired, and it's got the very basics of
the gospel in a straightforward way. To anybody getting ready for a mission,
DEFINITELY read it! I know people told me that, and I sort of listened a bit,
but let this be another testimonial, it's amazing.
Anyway, my time is almost up, and I need to go pack, but I want to say, I
love my Savior. The MTC has been hard for me, as I've left behind amazing
friends and an incredible family, but the Lord has been my support. He's
comforted me and strengthened me. He's answered my prayers, and given me
inspiration to know and do the things that I needed. I'm so privileged to be
involved in His work, and I can't wait to get to Kiribati and actually start
helping people! I don't know when I'm going to be able to email next, but until
then, know that I love the Lord, He loves me, and I'm being protected and
helped! God is good! Hurrah for Israel!
Elder Marks
Christmas Island has reached the blog. If not... This is awkward. :)
Anyway, I am! But here's the thing. As it turns out, there are TWO
Christmas Islands in the world, one in Kiribati and one just outside of
Indonesia. The one by Indonesia is the famous one that people have heard
of, with the crab migrations. I'm going to one that is actually called
"Kiritimati", which is the Kiribati way of saying Christmas. It's actually only
a thousand miles away from Hawaii, but is three thousand miles away
from Tarawa, and almost 4 thousand from the mission home in
Majuro! (Interestingly enough, according to my amateur measurements on the MTC
map, the other Christmas Island is actually closer. Go figure. :) ) Anyway,
if anybody got that mixed up, you're in good company with the MTC travel
office. They had me flying to Brisbane, and then Perth, (on the west
side of Australia) and then flying up to Christmas. Sister McDaniel
(the sister who's going to Kiritimati with me) and I were very confused why we'd
fly to Perth first, but we were staying in the Hyatt Regency, sleeping
on king sized beds, so we weren't complaining. Not until today, after we
got the new travel plans, did we realize that we'd been about to go to the wrong
one! Can you imagine, showing up and finding out I was 6000 miles away from
where I was supposed to be?! I don't know where I'm relieved or disappointed
that they caught it. :) Anyway, with the new plans, I'm actually leaving at 11
AM on Sunday! So since we don't get mail on weekends, it's probably too
late to send letters, and any Dear Elder sent after noon Mountain Time
on Friday won't get to me either.
Speaking of Dear Elders, there have been a couple that I really wanted
to respond to, but the Dear Elder system munched their addresses. (It works
really well when you get one letter in a day, but
if you happen to get two or three, it starts to get a bit weird. Totally
worth the trouble, but ya.) I think I've responded to all the ones that I had
addresses for, so if I haven't responded to your letter, I'm SUPER sorry! Write
me again in Kiribati, and I'll make sure I get your address! I've appreciated
every letter I've gotten, letters are gold to missionaries!
Anyway, as I'm leaving the MTC, I've been having some thinkings stirring
around, and I'm going to take advantage of this opportunity to present them
before I rush back to the room to try to pack in time.
One thing I've loved about the MTC is that I've read the scriptures so much
more, particularly the Book of Mormon. I'm actually in the end of Ether right
now, about 20 pages from the end. Honestly, if I hadn't gotten my travel plans
changed again, I probably would have finished, but I've been trying to pack,
since I don't have Sunday and Monday to pack any more. But I'm still going to
try to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of my stay at the MTC, after having
started about a week after getting here. I never cease to be amazed by the Book
of Mormon. This time, I've felt like I really got to know the people. I remember
when I was reading Jacob's first sermon, and I realized, "Man, Nephi would NOT
say it that way!" After that, I took note of the different tones of the
different prophets and authors, trying to get a feel for their personality. It's
amazing, and I can't wait to meet them in the next life.
I've also gained a much larger appreciation for just how many scriptures
are about missionaries! I absolutely LOVE the story of Ammon, more than ever
before, and I also love looking at how Alma and Amulek worked as a
companionship. I hope my first companion is like Alma!
Anyway, the Book of Mormon is true, and I love the teachings in there. It's
been great being able to read as much as I have, and I'm going to do a much
better job once I'm off my mission of spending time in the scriptures every
single day, no matter what, and not just reading a verse before I drift off to
sleep. That's the word of God right there, and it's there for us.
I've also gained a much greater appreciation for Preach My Gospel. I always
thought it was a good thing, but the more I've gotten to know it, and the more
I've heard General Authorities here talking about how it was made, the more I've
grown to appreciate it. Seriously, it's amazing! As my comps and I have been
teaching our progressing investigators, it's been remarkable how much each
lesson builds on the last. Everything is in its place. In order to really
understand what's in lesson two, you have to get lesson one. To understand
lesson three, and know why it's important, you'd better have an idea of lesson
two and lesson one. And so on. It's inspired, and it's got the very basics of
the gospel in a straightforward way. To anybody getting ready for a mission,
DEFINITELY read it! I know people told me that, and I sort of listened a bit,
but let this be another testimonial, it's amazing.
Anyway, my time is almost up, and I need to go pack, but I want to say, I
love my Savior. The MTC has been hard for me, as I've left behind amazing
friends and an incredible family, but the Lord has been my support. He's
comforted me and strengthened me. He's answered my prayers, and given me
inspiration to know and do the things that I needed. I'm so privileged to be
involved in His work, and I can't wait to get to Kiribati and actually start
helping people! I don't know when I'm going to be able to email next, but until
then, know that I love the Lord, He loves me, and I'm being protected and
helped! God is good! Hurrah for Israel!
Elder Marks
August 1 2013
SO CLOSE TO BEING DONE!!! Seriously, I'm getting stir crazy. We fly out on the 12th, and time is flying by! But it's not going fast enough! Freaking 2
weeks! :)
Cool deal, Kiribati made the front page of Church News! There are a bunch of pictures on it! Brother Grover said that the hut behind the lady in the wheel
chair is pretty typical of how the housing will be when we get there. It looks great! Of course, seeing beaches and trees isn't helping us not being stir
crazy...
Another thing that isn't helping stir craziness is that some Kiribati sisters came! It's SO cool to talk to them! Seriously, they are the nicest,
friendliest people ever. Which is good, because we totally slaughter their language. :P Talking to the MTC teachers and talking to them is a totally
different experience, and we're going to be HOSED when we get there.Ah well. It's great, because it helps remind us that these really are people! It's easy
to just let "Kiribati people" be a totally abstract concept, but meeting them is so exciting! It's also great because they're so easy to love, which is the most
important part of missionary work. I'm definitely looking forward to being able to help people like that find the joy of the gospel.
There was an awesome speaker at the MTC devotional on Tuesday. He was a former Seventy who'd been on some kind of
missionary board while he'd been there. He said that twice while he was on the commitee, the idea of lowering the age for Elders was discussed, and both times
Elder Packer, who headed the commitee, said that the time had not yet come. Now it has! The Lord is ready for us, and whether or not we're ready, the time has
arrived, and we'll do our best and let the Lord fill in the rest.
That's one thing I've really been realizing lately. There is absolutely NO WAY that we can do what we're called to do on our own. It's too hard. Straight
up. I mean, we're going around the world to tell people in a language that we don't know that angels have visited the earth and that they should give
up all these parts of their way of life to follow the Gospel of Christ. We are supposed to leave our families to spend 24/7 with Elders that
we've never met and whose only similarity with us may be that we all signed up for this. We've giving up plans for school, friends, any hobbies and interests
we had. The stress is pretty incredible. Really, if you stop to think about it, it's psycho what we're doing. But the thing is, we aren't doing it alone. The
Lord is supporting us, and giving us the strength he needs. And we're doing it!
As Ammon, another missionary, said, I don't boast of myself, but I boast of my God, for in His Strength, I can do all things. It's a marvelous thing! And a
wonder. :)
weeks! :)
Cool deal, Kiribati made the front page of Church News! There are a bunch of pictures on it! Brother Grover said that the hut behind the lady in the wheel
chair is pretty typical of how the housing will be when we get there. It looks great! Of course, seeing beaches and trees isn't helping us not being stir
crazy...
Another thing that isn't helping stir craziness is that some Kiribati sisters came! It's SO cool to talk to them! Seriously, they are the nicest,
friendliest people ever. Which is good, because we totally slaughter their language. :P Talking to the MTC teachers and talking to them is a totally
different experience, and we're going to be HOSED when we get there.Ah well. It's great, because it helps remind us that these really are people! It's easy
to just let "Kiribati people" be a totally abstract concept, but meeting them is so exciting! It's also great because they're so easy to love, which is the most
important part of missionary work. I'm definitely looking forward to being able to help people like that find the joy of the gospel.
There was an awesome speaker at the MTC devotional on Tuesday. He was a former Seventy who'd been on some kind of
missionary board while he'd been there. He said that twice while he was on the commitee, the idea of lowering the age for Elders was discussed, and both times
Elder Packer, who headed the commitee, said that the time had not yet come. Now it has! The Lord is ready for us, and whether or not we're ready, the time has
arrived, and we'll do our best and let the Lord fill in the rest.
That's one thing I've really been realizing lately. There is absolutely NO WAY that we can do what we're called to do on our own. It's too hard. Straight
up. I mean, we're going around the world to tell people in a language that we don't know that angels have visited the earth and that they should give
up all these parts of their way of life to follow the Gospel of Christ. We are supposed to leave our families to spend 24/7 with Elders that
we've never met and whose only similarity with us may be that we all signed up for this. We've giving up plans for school, friends, any hobbies and interests
we had. The stress is pretty incredible. Really, if you stop to think about it, it's psycho what we're doing. But the thing is, we aren't doing it alone. The
Lord is supporting us, and giving us the strength he needs. And we're doing it!
As Ammon, another missionary, said, I don't boast of myself, but I boast of my God, for in His Strength, I can do all things. It's a marvelous thing! And a
wonder. :)
August 6, 2013
FAMILY!
So, craziness happened. By the time somebody reads this, I'm guessing that you'll have gotten my letter with travel plans. Today, I received word that
those would be changed, so my district leader authorized an emergency email. The reason these plans have been changed is that I'M GOING TO CHRISTMAS
ISLAND!!!! :) (Spelled Kiritimati in Kiribati.) I'll only be going with Sister McDaniel, which is sad because I'm not going to be able to party with the rest
of my district, but I'm super excited. According to Brother Green, there's only one companionship of Elders, one of Sisters, and one of Seniors on Christmas,
and it's so far away from the rest of the mission (it's roughly comparable to thinking I was getting called to Portland and ending up in Boston) that I'll
probably end up being there for 6 months. Which would mean that I'm on Christmas for Christmas. :) So I hope I like my companion!
As far as travel plans go... It's WAY different. I'll be leaving SLC for LA at 825 PM, and I'll arrive at 925. Then I'l fly from there to frikkin BRISBANE.
We'll leave at 1155 PM, and arrive at 700 AM local time. My flight plans say that's a 14 hour flight. :P Then we'll fly from Brisbane to Perth, from 815
PM to 1155 PM. I don't know why... Cause that means we'll be on the west coast of Australia... but whatevs. I also don't know what we'll be doing for a day in
Brisbane. We have an Elder in our zone from Brisbane, and he's telling us we need to check out all these sights, but I'm not sure if an Elder and a Sister
can just wander the streets of Brisbane waiting for their flight. I guess we'll see. Anyway, that night we'll sleep in Perth. In the Hyatt Regency! The room
costs $355! And it has a king size bed! So I'm excited. The next day, at 1 in the afternoon, we'll fly out for Chistmas, and we're supposed to land at 4 local
time! So... Again, if you could figure out what those times are and let me know when I'll be able to call, I'd appreciate it!
Anyway, I'm WAY bummed that I'm not going to be flying out with my family, but man! Christmas Island! Cruise ships go there, so I might be able to actually
come back someday! And apparently it's big enough that the Elders get a car! (That's what Bro Green heard, but he used to be an AP, so it's probably legit.)
I'm super excited, and I'm ready to get out there! Wish me luck, I'm looking forward to hearing from you all!
Lots of Love,
Elder Marks
So, craziness happened. By the time somebody reads this, I'm guessing that you'll have gotten my letter with travel plans. Today, I received word that
those would be changed, so my district leader authorized an emergency email. The reason these plans have been changed is that I'M GOING TO CHRISTMAS
ISLAND!!!! :) (Spelled Kiritimati in Kiribati.) I'll only be going with Sister McDaniel, which is sad because I'm not going to be able to party with the rest
of my district, but I'm super excited. According to Brother Green, there's only one companionship of Elders, one of Sisters, and one of Seniors on Christmas,
and it's so far away from the rest of the mission (it's roughly comparable to thinking I was getting called to Portland and ending up in Boston) that I'll
probably end up being there for 6 months. Which would mean that I'm on Christmas for Christmas. :) So I hope I like my companion!
As far as travel plans go... It's WAY different. I'll be leaving SLC for LA at 825 PM, and I'll arrive at 925. Then I'l fly from there to frikkin BRISBANE.
We'll leave at 1155 PM, and arrive at 700 AM local time. My flight plans say that's a 14 hour flight. :P Then we'll fly from Brisbane to Perth, from 815
PM to 1155 PM. I don't know why... Cause that means we'll be on the west coast of Australia... but whatevs. I also don't know what we'll be doing for a day in
Brisbane. We have an Elder in our zone from Brisbane, and he's telling us we need to check out all these sights, but I'm not sure if an Elder and a Sister
can just wander the streets of Brisbane waiting for their flight. I guess we'll see. Anyway, that night we'll sleep in Perth. In the Hyatt Regency! The room
costs $355! And it has a king size bed! So I'm excited. The next day, at 1 in the afternoon, we'll fly out for Chistmas, and we're supposed to land at 4 local
time! So... Again, if you could figure out what those times are and let me know when I'll be able to call, I'd appreciate it!
Anyway, I'm WAY bummed that I'm not going to be flying out with my family, but man! Christmas Island! Cruise ships go there, so I might be able to actually
come back someday! And apparently it's big enough that the Elders get a car! (That's what Bro Green heard, but he used to be an AP, so it's probably legit.)
I'm super excited, and I'm ready to get out there! Wish me luck, I'm looking forward to hearing from you all!
Lots of Love,
Elder Marks