Spencer Marks Kiribati Mission

Last Stop Before Heading Home

  • Elder Marks's Letters
    • June 2015 Letters
    • May 2015 Letters
    • April 2015 Letters
    • March 2015 Letters
    • February 2015 Letters
    • January 2015 Letters
    • December 2014 Letters
    • November 2014 Letters
    • October 2014 Letters
    • September 2014 Letters
    • August 2014 Letters
    • July 2014 Letters
    • June 2014 Letters
    • May 2014 Letters
    • April 2014 Letters
    • March 2014 Letters
    • February 2014 Letters
    • January 2014 Letters
    • December 2013 Letters
    • November 2013 Letters
    • October 2013 Letters
    • September 2013 Letters
    • August 2013 Letters
    • July 2013 Letters
  • How to Write Spencer

June 14, 2015 Letter


[Here's Spencer's last letter]

Not gonna lie, this doesn't even seem real right now. I can't believe
that it's over. I really don't know. I've spent so long being a
missionary... The idea that I'm not going to be able to just be
helping people 24/7 is a weird thing. So I was told by the Spirit that
I need to keep helping people, keep finding ways to give service. It's
strange. 

One thing I've learned my whole mission is that when I think
about myself, I'm sad and disappointed, but when I think about others,
I'm happy and fulfilled. I keep finding more and more applications for
that. 

When I look back and evaluate my mission, when I think about
myself, I'm honestly a bit disappointed. I'm not as knowledgeable on
the scriptures as I wish I was, I'm not nearly charitable enough, I"m
not good enough at feeling the Holy Ghost, and there's a whole score
of things that I wish I'd been able to develop more on my mission. At
the same time, when I think of the people that have been helped
through my service, I'm happy. I've been so blessed to serve in a
mission where I really could help loads of people, that's what makes
it all worth it.

I don't know, Dad. I really am excited to get home and see you all,
but I would honestly be very happy if I was told I was getting
transferred out to some outy for the next 6 weeks instead.
Unfortunately, President Weir doesn't let people extend. :P I just
want to go and do and work, and home... I don't know, it just doesn't
seem right that I'm not going to be doing everything I can to help
people and solve their problems all day every day. I think I'm going
to need to find a job in customer service. :)

I'm keeping a journal, taking pictures, and being good. :) We found
out last Monday that hey were closing this area once we leave, because
we don't have enough missionaries, so that took a lot of the wind out
of us, but we've tried to hook them up with members, our area book is
beautiful, and so I think that's about all we can really do now.

One thing I've discovered this week! The LDS app! First thing I want
to do (after going to the temple) is find some device that has it. It
is the most amazing thing in the WORLD! Senior couples were showing it
to me and Elder Loe yesterday, and it was on an Android they'd got for
35 bucks, and if they didn't have a ridiculous data package for their
daughter, it would only be 20 bucks a month. So... I'm definitely
going to look into that!

Anyway, I'll see you soon! Thursday! :) Love you loads, best of luck this
week, and I'll talk to you before it's over. :)

Love,

Elder Marks







June 7, 2015 Letter


But as far as Tarawa goes...Life continues to be crazy here
on the bustling island city of Tarawa! Elder Loe and I are out
here kicking trash and taking names for the area book.
We got here and the area book (the book with the names and
addresses of people we're supposed to teach) was basically
non-existent, we had a few names without addresses, and even a boy who
was baptized but never received the Holy Ghost who we've been
searching for but, without an address, it's hard. Man, back on outys,
you just need a name, MAYBE a village, and your good! It's weird to
need an actual direction to where the people live. No addresses here
on Tarawa, but maps are nice! More than, "Next to the store". Gee,
thanks, how many hundreds of stores are there here?!

So we spent the first week cleaning that up, and now we're doing our best with what
we've got. So this week we've really been getting to work. Both Loe
and I are just... Well, we're outy boys, and we're still working like
it. BUT we also have official permission to go anywhere and do
anything on the island. So what's our trunky thing we're doing? We met
a great investigator at a member's house, asked to go to his house so
we could teach the family, and when he led us there it turned out he
was in sisters' area. He prayed and received an answer, came to church
with his family, and even attended a baptism, all on first invitation,
so... We're still teaching them. TRUNKY!!! :)

And a scary thing happened this week... Two guys from our intake went
home early this week to go to the summer semester at BYU. And it is SO
SCARY. I mean, crud! Those guys just LEFT! And Kiribati... I don't
know. I don't think I'll ever be able to explain to anybody back home
about Kiribati. It's just... different. Definitely planning on trying
to come back when they dedicate a temple out here! (Planned to happen in 10
years! :) ) It's a really special place, with really special people,
and I just busted down crying that those guys were leaving it, and
I'll be following soon. AAAAAAHHH!!!!! So definitely making the most
out of this last week and a half.

It's funny, usually missionaries get super trunky here, and all the RMs 

["return missionaries"] in our ward keep telling Elder Loe
and I how great we are for still working hard. (Two people have
apparently had feelings that Loe is going to be a 70, so I'm excited
for his first talk! :) ) But life is good on Tarawa, it's so great
having all these RMs to help us teach and find and have a really
excellent and spiritual church service with a smack down awesome
bishop and loads of people who REALLY GET THE GOSPEL! I mean, on
outies you're just trying to barely hash it out, get people to quit
drinking and smoking, and here... WOW! Holy Ghost! Outpouring of the
Spirit! People who truly understand God and the Restoration and the
Plan of Salvation and the Atonement! It is SO GREAT! I'm loving it. :)


I've also almost died because I'm not used to roads. :) But I'm not
dead yet, and I think I'm getting used to them again! ("Right, look
BOTH ways BEFORE we cross the street, I've got this." ) :)
Anyway, life is good, we're working hard, and sprinting it through to
the end! I'll be super sad to leave here, but I'll be pumped to see
you all again! I may or may not email next week, but either way, see
y'all in Sandpoint! :)

Love,

Elder Marks

Proudly powered by Weebly