Thursday, January 15, 2015

                                                  Awakening

 Mauri! How ya'll doing? this week has been crazy and there was no internet last monday so i get to send some quick ones this monday! first off i have been transferred off of Beru and am going to work on Marakei with elder Buhler from my intake! There is no internet on Marakei so this will be my last email for a little bit. I am greatly looking forward to working on Marakei and cant wait! I have the chance to be in Tarawa for a couple days before i go and it is crazy how much things can change in 1 1/2 months! But it looks good!
  I am just sending a quick one this week before i go so i will close in testimony that I know this is the true gospel of Jesus Christ and that He is with us every step of the way on our pilgrim journeys. 1 Nephi 20:10 we need adversity to become strong. All things are for our benefit. I tangiringkami ni kabane! Love, Elder Scot Carrington

Thursday, January 1, 2015

                                                                   Soggy Sandals


Well this week has been an adventure to say the least but I made it
so far! The internet here is weird and way slow so for this mass email
i will have to ask that yo spread it around as much as possible
because i can only send it to like 6 people for some reason. We got to
our house on monday in Beru after meeting with one of the wards and we
have one light hanging from the ceiling powered by a solar battery
which lasts a few hours it's nice. We have a kerosine stove top and we
use bucket showers from a well quite different from tarawa living bt
for now it is fun. The island ran out of flour some months ago and
barely got more today from the ship so that is how long it takes to
get shipments of food in out here there is so little haha. The week
went alright but my packets of oatmeal are gone so now there is just
what I can invent and then there is kiribati food too (rice and fish
and the occasional tou dish) oh also they eat mud here like i was
saying about slow shipments of food one time a while back they ran out
of food so they started making food out of mud which i dont know how
one makes mud edible or to taste remotely good but they did it and i
have eaten it it is almost like a kiribati milkshake. There are sort
of few members out here so on sunday we talked at four different
sacrament meetings on the island and gave lessons at them as well it
was a journey preparing 4 different talks in 30 minutes since the
first was at 8 am and abot an hour bike ride away when youre petal to
the metal even. When the day finally came to an end we were resting at
the last chapel and when i say chapel it is really just a leaf roof
resting on four big sticks in the gravel haha but we were talking with
members and I saw a kid put on my shoes since we leave them at the
door and he started walking arond in these huge sandals pretending to
be a missionary saying mauri mauri to pretend people and i though oh
cute haha and turned my attention back to the conversation. Then out
of curiosity as to where my sandals had gone off to i looked back over
to where the kid was and saw him with his pants down peeing on my
shoes... Yes a big facepalm for me haha uh so I had to clean my
sandals off. What can i say though it was actually pretty funny even
though it was not desirable in any way. Beru is hopefully going to
look up here soon I am working hard and we are going to try and
involve more members to church. I know that Our heavenly father and
Savior live and that they journey with us every step of the way. It is
a big testimony to me to see even as few people that are out here make
it to church regularly and progress with their knowledge of the
gospel. I know that every hour we need our Savior and regardless of if
we are thinking about that or not He is thinking about us. I know I
definitely need Him out here with only one other person on the whole
island that can understand english it is very comforting to know that
They are always with me and strengthening me. We are never abandoned
and there is a light that shines for and in each of us if we are
willing to look and accept it. The church is true and was restored
through Joseph Smith a prophet of God in these the Latter Days. In the
name of Jesus Christ amen.
Love, Elder Scot Carrington