Transcript
Darin Tingey: Alright. We are back with another episode of the Islands podcast. Super pumped today to talk to none other than Ben Christensen himself, which is fun, Ben, because we got to meet on the mission like very, very briefly.
Ben Christensen: Mhm.
Darin Tingey: But you got to welcome me to Kitibus, which was a lot of fun.
Ben Christensen: that you remember
Darin Tingey: We'll talk about that later on. But Ben, let's start with a quick intro. like Where are you from? and Where are you at now?
Ben Christensen: Yeah, if I'm the Benedict Mowdy, my kind Iowa.
Darin Tingey: Melody.
Ben Christensen: Mowdy. Yep, so I'm from Iowa. Uh... Grew up here and then went on my mission straight out of high school.
Ben Christensen: And then, uh... Went back and went to BYU. Got married at BYU. We lived in Utah for for a bit. And then I got into grad school here back in Iowa.
Ben Christensen: So I'm living about an hour north of where I grew up. I'm in Cedar Falls, Iowa now. And I'm a graduate student at the University of Northern Iowa studying school psychology.
Ben Christensen: So I want to work in schools with kids with disabilities and mental illness and stuff like that.
Darin Tingey: Wow
Ben Christensen: Okay,
Ben Christensen: I've got another year of classes and then an internship and then I'll... Have a real. adult job.
Darin Tingey: yes It's a long road.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, I've been in school. I did five years at BYU, took a couple years off, and then... This is my third year of grad school, so.
Darin Tingey: What did you study at BYU?
Ben Christensen: Getting there. I studied neuroscience and psychology.
Darin Tingey: Oh wow.
Ben Christensen: and Uh... inspired by friends and family members struggling with mental illness as well as uh honestly experiences on my mission especially with president larkin who was an addictions recovery counselor, and the sort of sorts of things he shared with me about helping people with mental illness.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: and Working in psychology, helping people with those challenges was really influential to me and kind of. pointed me down this road. I'm not working with addictions, but... Uh,
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: somewhat similar work so
Darin Tingey: Very cool. that's That's really cool. And didn't you... If I remember right, I remember running into you at BYU.
Ben Christensen: Mm hmm.
Darin Tingey: Did you do like a Spanish immersion type of? or
Darin Tingey: Bing.
Ben Christensen: So, you know, you get home from Kitty Bess and no Kitty Bess people to talk.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: which is sad and i i loved learning kitty bass and i loved languages and different cultures in general.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: And I took Spanish in high school and I was like, well. I learned one language. Let's see if i can I can pick Spanish back up.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: And so I took a Spanish class. like a 105 or something, and then I applied for the foreign language housing. at BYU, which is on -campus housing, where you live in a dorm with five other people.
Darin Tingey: Yep.
Ben Christensen: One of them is a native speaker. and when you're in the apartment and you have like group dinners you have to speak the language so it's sort of like a mini immersion experience
Darin Tingey: Really cool.
Ben Christensen: So my wife. uh lived in the german house
Darin Tingey: No way.
Ben Christensen: And I lived in the Spanish house. That's actually not where we met. We lived there at different times. but
Darin Tingey: Okay, cool.
Ben Christensen: Anyways, yeah, so now I speak decent Spanish as well. I think I'm more confident in my... interpersonal kiddie best because I've had like the real immersion experience speaking with native speakers, but I can certainly get by with Spanish as well.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Did you... And for the listeners, like...
Ben Christensen: okay
Darin Tingey: Ben was one of the best kid best speakers.
Ben Christensen: Korani nā poi.
Darin Tingey: Ever. Like I remember again, the few. few times. The few hours I spent with you, we went on a bus ride and I remember you speaking to some lady and kid of us.
Darin Tingey: And just to see her face like light up, like, oh my gosh. this White boy is just speaking my language. perfectly you know and like And everyone knew you guys as an amazing kid of a speaker and just an incredible learner. Did you think Spanish? was Uh, Easier or more difficult to learn?
Ben Christensen: In my experience, it was more difficult.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: I think kity but so i mean spanish the advantage of learning Spanish as a native English speaker is there's a lot of overlap between the language. a lot languages a lot of cognates a lot of similarities
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: almost zero similarities between English and Kittybess, right?
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: But I do think Spanish is a more... grammatically complicated language than Kiribati.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, I would agree with that.
Ben Christensen: and just i had that emer true full immersion experience in kitty best whereas I had a pseudo immersion Spanish experience, but.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. All right. Fair enough.
Ben Christensen: We're both both great languages.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. They are. Spanish is probably more applicable in your day -to -day.
Ben Christensen: Spanish. Yeah. Ka e, Bōnganariki te utanga kai i Amerika.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Nā koe anō.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Ugh. Okay, so... Okay, from Iowa, now living back in the homeland, let's let's start to when you got your mission goal.
Ben Christensen: Mm hmm.
Darin Tingey: And remind me, you served? 2015 to 2017. Is that right?
Ben Christensen: Yep, 2015 to 2017.
Darin Tingey: Okay, so Were you in high school when you had your mission call or post?
Ben Christensen: Yep. So post high school, I put in my mission papers and like. Like May or something like right around when I graduated high school
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: And I got my call. month or two later, June, July, I want to say. and opened the call with my family.
Ben Christensen: uh sort of the the funny story as we and my family still does, have in our our main bathroom a shower curtain that's a map of the world. And so we're like, where the heck is Kiribati?
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: And we crowded into our small family bathroom to try and find it on the shower curtain.
Ben Christensen: And I think we i think we did find it.
Darin Tingey: That's awesome.
Ben Christensen: So, yeah.
Darin Tingey: That's so good
Ben Christensen: had no concept of what Kitty Best was beforehand.
Darin Tingey: Did, I mean, when you got called, it was Marshall Islands Madge for a mission.
Ben Christensen: Yes, it was.
Darin Tingey: So... And being from Iowa, there's a lot of Marshallese people in Iowa.
Ben Christensen: There are in fact where I where we live So where I lived growing up, there wasn't really much of a Marshallese presence. But where I live now, Cedar Falls and Waterloo particularly, which is right next to Cedar Falls, has a ton of Marshallese people.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: And so we have a Marshallese group in our stake in this area.
Darin Tingey: No way
Ben Christensen: And so like I see Marshallese people at church and I'm like, yuck way.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Speak more Marshallese than that.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: You know, I'm so glad I served in Kitty Best, but.
Darin Tingey: Right.
Ben Christensen: Had I gotten to go to the Marshalls, wow, it would have been useful.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Hey, that's your third
Ben Christensen: here at this point in my life.
Darin Tingey: There's the third language for you to learn.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, yeah.
Darin Tingey: You can do it. Anyone can do it.
Ben Christensen: I'll start working on it.
Darin Tingey: You can do it. and
Ben Christensen: Awesome.
Darin Tingey: And there, you know, when you start to learn them both. there's some stuff that. They're similar, you know.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, when i was I was an MTC teacher for a little bit.
Darin Tingey: structurally.
Ben Christensen: after graduating from BYU.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: We didn't have any Kiribati missionaries for a bit because of COVID. And so I helped. when, when Kitty Best was closed because of COVID. And so I helped teach a Marshallese group of missionaries for a bit. So I got.
Darin Tingey: Oh cool.
Ben Christensen: I got some very basic Marshallese. I could count to 10. I could bear a simple testimony. And yeah, there are similarities, but.
Darin Tingey: Let's go
Ben Christensen: Yeah, not not much past that.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, alright, fair enough. That's cool.
Ben Christensen: Mhm.
Darin Tingey: So did you... so you got your call kids are best you're like sweet
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Go to the MTC that fall or still in the summer.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, it was that fall. So I entered the MTC September 9th, I think.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: start us up
Darin Tingey: Big group.
Ben Christensen: Yes, we were. At the time, we were the biggest group that had maybe ever come to the mission. There were 14 of us, four sisters, 10 elders.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Darin Tingey: Dang.
Ben Christensen: My MTC companion was Elder Hoskins. Nathan Hoskins. Love him so much.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: And had other wonderful people in there. Ezra Ellis.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, Ellis was, okay, yeah.
Ben Christensen: Good morning. Yeah, and I know he's been on here. He was my district leader in the MTC, and and I was briefly companions with him again later in the mission.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Darin Tingey: Yes. as APs.
Ben Christensen: as APs for one transfer. he
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: as was I was sort of transitioning out of being AP. Yep.
Darin Tingey: All right alright
Ben Christensen: and yeah lots lots of
Darin Tingey: So big group.
Ben Christensen: Missionaries, yeah.
Darin Tingey: It's fun to be part of a big group, I find.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Just. Like. Going into the mission. very much a, you know, unknown place.
Ben Christensen: Mhm.
Darin Tingey: And to go in with a bunch of people that you can then talk to on p days like yo you know like This is crazy, you know.
Ben Christensen: Yes. Yes, no, that was a blessing for sure.
Darin Tingey: Okay, let's talk about you. Landing in Kiribati. you know what was What was your first impressions?
Ben Christensen: Yep, so...
Darin Tingey: When you landed.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, so got on the plane to Fiji. Remember one of the sisters? Got sick in the airport.
Darin Tingey: Oh gosh.
Ben Christensen: We gave her a blessing, and that that seemed to help.
Darin Tingey: gosh
Ben Christensen: So we made it to Fiji, and then from Fiji to Kiribati. after the the huge flight from the US to Fiji.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: and uh there were kitty other kitty best people or there were kitty best people on the plane and i remember Like I tried to talk to someone a little bit and I was like.
Ben Christensen: It's not the same as MTC, Kitty Bess.
Darin Tingey: a
Ben Christensen: Yep. Anyways, so we landed.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: I remember like... Like, feeling physically assaulted by the sun, like... This is so hot. A little.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Iowa white boy. Uh, The skin was not ready.
Darin Tingey: Sun's beating down on you.
Ben Christensen: But yeah, I remember got picked up. we I think we went to... the state I want to say it was like the steak center in Teotihuacan.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: and briefly met the mission president who at that time was president weir he was So I met him briefly. i think I think I spoke to President Weirahl maybe two or three times.
Ben Christensen: Just because i I got there, I was in then my first area for only two transfers, and then I went to an outer island. he left
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: a couple months into that he finished his mission so
Darin Tingey: Gotcha.
Ben Christensen: He was a nice guy. I know many missionaries who love and are close to him. i just never really met him very much but
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, that is the nature of our mission sometimes. If you're on outer islands, it's like...
Ben Christensen: Yep.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, you just never. Never talk to him, never see him. and
Ben Christensen: Yeah, though, when President, and we can talk about this when we get to Aranuka, when President Larkin came in. This was expensive, but he chartered private flights to every outer island when he came in to meet all the missionaries personally. and like That's like still to this day maybe one of for me, the most meaningful, like, kindest things anyone has ever done for me.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: just I had no internet on Aranuka, and to hear that the solution president wanted to meet me and cared about me was really...
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: touching and like a tender mercy for me. and at that time in life.
Darin Tingey: Yay. Yeah you're in the middle of nowhere.
Ben Christensen: Mhm.
Darin Tingey: And. someone's coming to visit you specifically.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: and check in on you and say, hey. i mean I'm the new mission president. and You know, you're doing a great job out here. Wanted to get tonight, you know.
Ben Christensen: Yeah. Yeah, so that was it. Anyways. Then maybe chat.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: a little bit more
Darin Tingey: no no yeah we can we we'll get to it so So you're... Find out your first area is.
Ben Christensen: based on
Darin Tingey: Beso.
Ben Christensen: Yep. Yeah, so it went the length of Tarawa from the airport and all the way down to the far end of Beso.
Ben Christensen: My trainer was Elder McCormick. It was his last transfer and my first transfer. So I was with him for six weeks and he was great.
Darin Tingey: Nice.
Ben Christensen: He was very kind, very patient. Looking back, I think, especially at the start of my mission, I was a difficult companion to have.
Ben Christensen: in my opinion you know none of us are perfect i'm sure we you know we all have Plenty of...
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: learning and growing to do, especially as young missionaries. but I appreciate his kindness and patience to me as I was. getting used to the culture and getting used to.
Ben Christensen: you know being companions, being a roommate, being...
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Doing all that. But Beso was great. And those first six weeks were or positive. Beso, as you know, is like the most densely populated place in the country.
Darin Tingey: Did...
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: very much the Uh... You know, the different sections of Bezo. to different levels, but kind of the slums of Kiribati.
Darin Tingey: Yep.
Ben Christensen: And... But yeah.
Darin Tingey: Starting on this starting out the slums, do was it like...
Darin Tingey: This is not what I expected. Kiddabus to be like. Or did you... You know, like, oh, I thought. island i mean it is island but it's you know everyone's packed in there kind of a different feeling than you expected or or did you not have any expectations at all
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: i don't think i had super any expectations at all. And probably I had some concept of the difference between Tarawa and Outer Islands.
Darin Tingey: Sure.
Ben Christensen: But yeah, there's... Beso is crowded. There are so many people. and You're going to lessons and you're... sneaking in between these tightly packed houses down these alleyways and I will say, like, the...
Ben Christensen: Probably the most flies I experienced on my.
Ben Christensen: So I remember being in lessons and flies just buzzing all around. and that You know, was it was a A new experience, I guess.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: All that being said, not trying to paint Beso as as dirty or gross or whatever. like Good place, good people.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: so elder McCormick went home after six weeks and then I had elder Smith was my companion.
Darin Tingey: Is this Pretty Boy Smith? Is that the nickname?
Ben Christensen: This is Boogie Boy Smith.
Darin Tingey: All right. alderman Pretty Boy Smith. i need I need to get him on the podcast.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: He's been mentioned a few times. So Pretty Boy Smith, if you're listening.
Ben Christensen: You should. He is.
Darin Tingey: Please come on.
Ben Christensen: He was a great missionary. he was very different from elder mccormick and not in a bad way just just very different and i
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: gotten along I think my personality was more similar to Elder McCormick. So I definitely struggled and I was a hard companion, I think, for Elder Smith. and
Darin Tingey: First transfer, you know, there's always
Ben Christensen: That first transfer. Yeah. And just. The way he worked, I think Elder Smith taught me to work really hard. Elder Smith was a really hard worker and I really admire that. uh about him uh but Yeah, was it was a lot of things were different, and it was a hard transition for me. Elder Smith was also very excellent at the language.
Ben Christensen: And I think my big challenge at the start of my mission. and some of this i think was legitimate and some of it was a little bit of young Ben Christensen pride was I felt like I could speak really well, but I really struggled to understand people.
Darin Tingey: a
Ben Christensen: And I think that was true to an extent. It was probably a little bit exaggerated in my mind how good I thought I was.
Darin Tingey: Sure.
Ben Christensen: But. Yeah, really like. I could help teach lessons. i could I remember helping give priesthood blessings and things like this.
Ben Christensen: And then people would talk to me. I was not sure what people were saying.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: how would How did you... You know, given that you are known for being one of the missionaries that really mastered the language.
Ben Christensen: excuse
Darin Tingey: What did you do to study? and practice the language. uh that
Ben Christensen: You know.
Darin Tingey: you you know, was probably different than most missionaries.
Ben Christensen: I don't know man.
Darin Tingey: Was it just confidence?
Ben Christensen: I will.
Darin Tingey: Was it just like... You.
Ben Christensen: Sure. schmer
Darin Tingey: wrote sentences down and spoke those or was it? vocab words. how did How did you learn?
Ben Christensen: I think there is a level of of confidence in just talking to people a lot.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: There's a level of like My... i I think there's a bit of genetics here, like my mom studied like linguistics. related stuff in college and loves languages. and So so may maybe some good genes, tendency towards learning languages.
Darin Tingey: Alright.
Ben Christensen: I know I made a big effort to study the scriptures. in the language. then when I left Beso and went to Aranuka...
Ben Christensen: At my third transfer, I was... It was my third transfer, and it was my companion, Elder Harrison. I don't know if he's been on here. Also a great missionary. Elder Harrison's fourth transfer.
Ben Christensen: And so we were both very young missionaries.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: and it was sort of trial by fire just like I had to and like figure out how to understand people because otherwise we couldn't do missionary work because we spoke the language.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: just about as well as each other. and this
Darin Tingey: Yeah, just forced to do it. Yeah, you just forced.
Ben Christensen: And then I and just forced. And again, then I was with Elder Harrison for. I think only one transfer, maybe two. And then I trained. I think it was one transfer, and then I trained at four transfers.
Darin Tingey: Dang, okay, wow
Ben Christensen: So... Anyways. But that's, I can talk about Aranuka.
Darin Tingey: I'm... Yeah, I mean, let's talk about it. But I agree with the... The idea of just being forced to speak it. early on.
Ben Christensen: Right.
Darin Tingey: is so, so good. like When I came over from Marshalls and you guys sent us all to outer islands, it was just like.
Ben Christensen: Yes, that's right.
Darin Tingey: Here you go. You know, like.
Ben Christensen: Yep.
Darin Tingey: Go learn.
Ben Christensen: Okay, I forgot that you were in that group. It was you and Elder Sheffield and...
Darin Tingey: Yep, Peterson and Hanson.
Ben Christensen: Yep. Okay, awesome.
Darin Tingey: Ross, and Mahanga.
Ben Christensen: Yeah yeah yeah.
Darin Tingey: You guys just...
Ben Christensen: That's right. okay
Darin Tingey: Send us our islands. And then I remember I only had two months with. Elder Tzuyu, Tzuyu Kolovatu.
Darin Tingey: and then And then he was...
Ben Christensen: It's not that you're out of the tree.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, he's the he's the man.
Ben Christensen: a think
Darin Tingey: And, you know, I just came from like Marshalls. I had no.
Ben Christensen: Mm hmm.
Darin Tingey: no learning of Kitibis, no MTC like background at all.
Ben Christensen: mm -hmm
Ben Christensen: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, bye. Right.
Darin Tingey: Going to the Outer Island was the best thing ever because the first month I just listened. I felt like i just tried to listen, train my ears.
Ben Christensen: e Yeah.
Darin Tingey: and then Then Tui left and Elder Otto came and...
Ben Christensen: Mmm.
Darin Tingey: and Otto was actually in MTC with me. End. No shame on him, but he was just shy. He was just a shy guy. And so...
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: I then just had to lead all conversations. and
Ben Christensen: Mhm.
Darin Tingey: but Just forced to do it.
Ben Christensen: Yep.
Darin Tingey: And.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: It just accelerates it so fast.
Ben Christensen: I think I honestly... I think I honestly remember a conversation with President Larkin. as AP about... What are we going to do with these missionaries from the marshals?
Ben Christensen: And I think I probably brought up. Hey, if you send him to an outer island and force them to speak the language, they're going to get the language real fast. so I mean...
Darin Tingey: Well I have you to thank for that I appreciate that.
Ben Christensen: i Possibly. Possibly. I mean, it was probably Elder Hunter as well, who's my companion. i I vaguely remember some sort of conversation along those lines together.
Ben Christensen: So anyways, the the Lords will, but yeah, I guess partially.
Darin Tingey: What? Well I appreciate you. Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Well.
Darin Tingey: I'll send you a gift later.
Ben Christensen: Thank you. yeah
Darin Tingey: so uh you get sent to adenuka first of all we have not talked about adenuka at all on on the podcast.
Ben Christensen: Mm -hmm.
Darin Tingey: so One would love to just. hear a little bit about the island. And were you were you replacing an elder or were you? guys opening or reopening the island.
Ben Christensen: Yep, so I was replacing an elder So he had been Elder Harrison. I'm sorry, I'm blanking on his name. I've been going through my head all day trying to make sure I remember names.
Ben Christensen: I feel so bad if I forget people's names. but I'm going to forget people's names.
Darin Tingey: That's okay.
Ben Christensen: Anyways, I was replacing Elder Harrison's trainer. And... Yeah, i was this was me at three months into the mission and Elder Harrison at four and a half.
Darin Tingey: Heck yeah.
Ben Christensen: And I remember being excited to go. I remember missionaries and like people from Kitty Best being excited, like you're finally going to book and like. but Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: and so
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: i was excited and yeah aranuka is so different than beso I don't know you guys It's not the smallest of the outer islands, but it's not.
Ben Christensen: It's not one of the biggest either. It's probably on the the smaller end of things. There's about a thousand people total on the island.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: And there's like... Four. Towns.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: About? Three there's three on the main part of the island and then there's a little I don't remember.
Ben Christensen: islet and there's a village over there that we would take a boat across the lagoon to to go visit people over there.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, I'm looking at the map it's this I smoke what I was actually it looks quite big I mean but
Ben Christensen: Yeah, the Estimacoro itself is... like geographically quite big, but there's only like one tiny little village that's on the tip of it.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Gotcha. Gotcha. Okay.
Ben Christensen: called Takayang.
Darin Tingey: Takayan.
Ben Christensen: Mhm.
Darin Tingey: And and how was the church there when you when you landed? or Was there a group where you guys, the group leaders?
Ben Christensen: Yep, there's a branch.
Darin Tingey: Oh, it was a branch.
Ben Christensen: There's a branch on Araruca and there has been for a while
Darin Tingey: Wow.
Ben Christensen: There had been for like... 10 almost 10 years by the time I got there which was which was cool.
Darin Tingey: Dang
Ben Christensen: So like the church should was. It comparatively to other places was fairly established there. our but The branch was still very small, but there were a number of very strong, faithful members there.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ben Christensen: I will say, you know. And I think things have gotten better, but just had very little. contact with support from church leaders on Tarawa and stuff.
Ben Christensen: And so I know that they felt isolated. The branch president. Really, really awesome guy, but he had been branch president. Since the branch. was formed and he had been baptized like shortly beforehand
Darin Tingey: Oh gosh.
Ben Christensen: So he's like, he's going on like 10 years as branch president. and has basically received no training or support from leadership ever and was burnt out and uh
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Can't blame him.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, I can't believe and yeah, and not that he was like inactive or doing anything wrong but you know he was tired
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Right.
Ben Christensen: Uh... But the the the branch has since been he has since been released and gotten a break, and there's a new branch president now. and Anyways.
Darin Tingey: You're right
Ben Christensen: But yeah, it's kind of a small number of really strong, faithful families, especially in the far. So there's the northern village, Boariki. And then there's Kawake.
Ben Christensen: Which is mostly just a... like a a Like a junior high. Okay.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: i i'm I'm forgetting what what they called it, but primary junior high school kind of thing.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: with a few people that live around there. And then there's Baudouin at the far. south of the island and so that was about like an hour bike ride between Wadi Hi and Beorua
Ben Christensen: Maybe less. Amen. beaudouin was very strand is very strongly catholic so we had one or two families down there So we do church up in Boariki.
Ben Christensen: And then we would. Usually bike down on Sundays to do the sacrament with the couple families down there. Uh.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: there I know it was hard for those families. They weren't... Uh... The other people in the in the village do not super appreciate our presence or them.
Ben Christensen: Not being Catholic.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: South.
Darin Tingey: That's a bummer.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, but...
Darin Tingey: You know.
Ben Christensen: other There are other places in the country that are are like that, I'm sure. Other missionaries listening probably experienced some, this is this is a Protestant village or this is a Catholic village or whatever.
Darin Tingey: Isn't that funny how that is? It's just like.
Ben Christensen: who
Darin Tingey: It's one or the other.
Ben Christensen: or Arora and Ximena, you know, entirely entire islands.
Darin Tingey: Uh...
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: No other religions here.
Darin Tingey: That's crazy. It's like, this is the only religion and it's going to be that way. and You know.
Ben Christensen: Mm hmm.
Darin Tingey: we're goingnna We're going to make you feel it if you if you're not.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: I think that was one of the One of the big challenges on Aranuka was one of the families who lived there. They had joined the church with Elder Harrison and his companion, whose name skill still escapes me.
Ben Christensen: and Their father was... I think he had had a a stroke or series of strokes. He was paraplegic.
Darin Tingey: Gosh.
Ben Christensen: And I met him maybe once or twice. but fairly shortly after I arrived, he passed away. you know he had a number of health challenges But yeah, after he passed away... It was... a It was really sad. the they're I mean, they're all related, essentially. They're kind of like one big family in the village. We're like, okay, so... Dad's dead.
Ben Christensen: And, you know, being a very patriarchal society, dad's dead.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ben Christensen: that means you have to listen to what we the older men in the community say and you need to come back to being catholic or else including, like, threats of blood.
Darin Tingey: Gosh.
Ben Christensen: magic and stuff like that and and so yeah they left uh the church More or less. And that was super hard for me as as a missionary because I'm like, I know that you believe this and know this is true. And just, I think I... I just lacked the the context and understanding of the culture and the.
Ben Christensen: and what they were dealing with and i just really didn't get it like why are you not
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: and Anyways, I...
Darin Tingey: It...
Ben Christensen: It was very bad and it was very hard when they left the church and actually after they left the church one of the or around the same time one of the the daughters who hadn't been baptized yet got baptized.
Ben Christensen: But then she was alone down there and...
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: it was very difficult so i later in my mission i i actually ran into her that daughter who got baptized while i was there on tarawa it was like hey you're on tarawa and i she shared that and i know she ran into my companion elder bonnie She had been able to start going to church on Tarawa, and I also ran into her mom once at like a church stake activity in Eitha.
Ben Christensen: I'm glad they're to some extent able to. escape some of that negative family pressure and and maybe be able to be more involved in the church on Tarawa.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. As a missionary, yeah, you get... sad and frustrated like why you know you know it's true like why don't you just come to church but
Ben Christensen: Yeah. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: we We often forget there are a lot more factors going into.
Ben Christensen: Yes. Yes.
Darin Tingey: uh life especially in a close
Ben Christensen: and
Darin Tingey: Tight -knit village. Like every kid of this village is, it's, you know, they're all in each other's business. There are no walls in the house. Everyone knows. everything that's going on with everybody else.
Ben Christensen: Yes. Yep. So yeah. Definitely, I think that and some other, you know, some conflict with with members, with our branch president, etc.
Ben Christensen: I had some... important. learning and humbling experiences like you know i i needed to respect and try and understand this different culture and You know.
Ben Christensen: things are done differently and that is okay and and people have challenges there that are like really outside of my experience as a young white man from America, but...
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Anyways, so some good... Good humbling, good learning experiences there. and In thinking about Aranuka, as we're going to talk today, the other...
Ben Christensen: experience that really sticks out is Uh, there was a woman named Thassa. and so, so I mentioned they're like the three villages, Beorua, Kauake, and Boariki in the north.
Ben Christensen: And then there's this one family who lives on the other side of Mere.
Darin Tingey: Yep.
Ben Christensen: the the media north of body key.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, okay.
Ben Christensen: And, like, the they... The son there, like, helped run stuff at the mid -air, et cetera.
Darin Tingey: The airport, yeah.
Ben Christensen: Anyways, but his mom, Vasa, this older kiddie best woman. her she's you know again lots of People are mostly related, but she was cousins with one of the strong members of the branch. And we went and visited her. and you know, she was uh nice and you know like many kitty best people was like yeah listen come on in let me feed you etc Uh...
Ben Christensen: And... We were trying really hard to help her read the Book of Mormon, but she had... uh difficulty with her vision and couldn't see well enough to read and so we as as probably other missionaries on outer islands have experienced or wrote to on the the ham radio that thought i it was like could you send us glasses please
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ben Christensen: They sent us glasses and we got hurt.
Darin Tingey: No way!
Ben Christensen: on a specs and
Darin Tingey: And the specs.
Ben Christensen: honest specs by young and whatty whatty And we're like, yes, she's got. And she started reading the Book of Mormon. And like there was like this. really like more so than I saw in other places on my mission, like this night and day change in her as she started reading the Book of Mormon.
Ben Christensen: And then she left for Tarawa, which, as other Outer Island missionaries know, like, well, never seeing that person again.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Happens all the time.
Ben Christensen: but She came back a month later. And she's like, elders. I've been reading the Book of Mormon every day. I went to church by myself in Dimaiku.
Ben Christensen: Which is. WILD.
Darin Tingey: Hey.
Ben Christensen: culturally like
Darin Tingey: Huh?
Ben Christensen: go to a different island and just show up to church like
Darin Tingey: Yeah, that's crazy.
Ben Christensen: mind -blowing and and she's like oh and i quit tea by myself because that was her big like word of wisdom challenge she's like so like can i get baptized now or And we're like, yes!
Darin Tingey: No, you Yeah.
Ben Christensen: So that was...
Ben Christensen: I really...
Ben Christensen: really special experience and And I mean, I think. a number of experiences i had on my mission including this one including the people i saw baptized in in beso when you know i couldn't speak the language or couldn't understand the language it was like this is this is not me doing this like
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: this kind like She left. She left and got converted by herself. like
Darin Tingey: Which is crazy. That's how you know like she's truly converted, because...
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Not many people do that. You know, now people...
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: read actually read the Book of Mormon.
Ben Christensen: Yeah. Yep.
Darin Tingey: every day and like you said to go to church on a different island by yourself that's crazy
Ben Christensen: While yeah, so anyways she Wonderful, wonderful, sweet woman who I love dearly.
Darin Tingey: Would she come down to the church building?
Ben Christensen: and
Darin Tingey: or did was it Did you have a church building?
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: or Menyabe, or...
Ben Christensen: So on Aranuka, so... So there's Boariki and then there's the Mere and then there is her house. So she's like a 15 minute walk or something from church, 15, 20 minutes.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: So not crazy far, but she would come.
Darin Tingey: All right, so you're just able to make it. All right.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, but she she lived out in Wakanikai and she... One of the funny things she had, there were a bunch of wild dogs that just lived around her house. And like, they were sort of her dogs, but they were basically a pack of wild dogs that lived in the forest. But she had a rule and she's like, if they ever bite anyone, then I eat them.
Ben Christensen: when they get eaten.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: And we showed up, we showed up for a like, I think it was like a new member lesson one day. And she's like, elders, I have food for you. it's Like, hamasan niana de come yeah and we're like, sis, why?
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: And she was like, yep, it bit someone. Here you go. we like
Darin Tingey: No way.
Ben Christensen: Nice. then
Darin Tingey: How was it? How did it taste?
Ben Christensen: It was good. It was good did you ever Did you ever have the chance to cut down like that?
Darin Tingey: I... I did. it yeah It was fine. It tasted all right. It wasn't anything like I want more of that, but it was fine.
Ben Christensen: Yes. Yes. Yeah. yeah Yeah. And I was never one of the missionaries who was. who is interested in, like, the city cameo or whatever for, like, a boat deck. I'm like, I'm not.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: That's not for me. but
Darin Tingey: i'm the same way yeah like i'm gonna chase down this dog and kill it and like yeah no thank you
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Yeah. Yeah, no thanks. But. Anyways, Tasa was wonderful and was a... A cool. testimony building experience. So this is, this is Jesus's work. I'm kind of, I'm here. I'm doing what I can. But like, he's the one who's changing these people.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. My... My golden investigator came on an outer Island too. I just, it's just. It's just so crazy To think that.
Darin Tingey: These people live in the middle of nowhere
Ben Christensen: Mm -hmm
Darin Tingey: But God still... wants to
Ben Christensen: Mhm.
Darin Tingey: connect with these children and love them.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: You know, it talks about in the scriptures. You know, not forgetting the people of the Isles of the Sea.
Ben Christensen: Yep.
Darin Tingey: And it's just, it was so cool to experience that and be a part of that, you know. And.
Ben Christensen: 100%. Yeah. Know you not that there are more nations than one. We can get kind of caught up in. here in America. uh with our own stuff and our own problems but jesus loves people everywhere
Darin Tingey: Yeah. No, it's crazy. my I always say like... Jesus is going to the Marshall Islands and Kitibis first when he comes, dude.
Ben Christensen: Oh yeah. i would be surprised if you came here first.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Huh. They are ready. They are ready for Christ. I don't know if the rest of us are, but they are ready.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, 100%.
Darin Tingey: Uh... So, did you guys do Tecantiaro?
Ben Christensen: So.
Darin Tingey: at the primary village.
Ben Christensen: No, we didn't. And I wonder if that... was like maybe a missed opportunity or anything or i i just didn't again i was like
Darin Tingey: Mm. Yeah.
Ben Christensen: a new missionary. I didn't even know Tejantiaro was like a thing until like I was AP and visiting other missionaries on Outer Islands. I'm like, oh, this is a thing you do.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Oh, cool. I could have tried that in Aranuka. Okay.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Anyways, yeah.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: so
Darin Tingey: what What was your house like? and Aranuka.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, so we lived right behind we had a little Little stick house, cement floor.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: Uh... I guess part of it was brick, part of it was sticks. Yeah, like the front was sticks, but other parts were brick. Anyways. And it was right behind the the little manyebe they had for the church building.
Ben Christensen: And.
Darin Tingey: Okay, so it wasn't like, it was it was just purely a minyebe for the church. There wasn't... was there like a sign or was it just like.
Ben Christensen: There were walls. Yeah, it was like a walled Manebe.
Darin Tingey: Oh, okay, okay, okay.
Ben Christensen: No, I mean they maybe not quite a money a bit but like kind of like the size of a small manyebe and again i think it had like a cement floor and
Darin Tingey: It was known as the church building. the do doman doublebo
Ben Christensen: It was the church. movie
Darin Tingey: Right.
Ben Christensen: boomman that lay on there so yeah i remember sunday mornings you know we're getting ready for church and these little primary children are just like coming up to our little like wire window like sticking their fingers in and looking at us and we're like may It's almost time for church.
Ben Christensen: Yep.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ben Christensen: We're coming. those It was cute.
Ben Christensen: those i Yeah, i have some I remember I have some pictures of that. These little kids just like... period.
Darin Tingey: Always.
Ben Christensen: at us. It was fun.
Darin Tingey: Did that...
Darin Tingey: And like. Bathroom, shower -wise, do you shower outside in your bays?
Ben Christensen: No, we were so we were lucky we had it a little It was like a room in the house. It was like a little cement room with a drain. and
Darin Tingey: Cool.
Ben Christensen: You know, we had a bucket and... cup kind of thing and wasn't like running water or anything crazy but i was still spoiled in comparison To what I saw other elders with on other outer islands.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: a Yeah, fair enough.
Ben Christensen: so
Darin Tingey: Did you guys have a well that... you just got your water from.
Ben Christensen: Yeah. Yeah, we had a little well also actually inside the house.
Darin Tingey: No way.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, so the branch president like built this house. So it was technically his property, but he built the house and he built the Umantabu. And that's where we lived.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: so
Darin Tingey: That's cool. Did you guys... For water, did you boil? Did you have the the pump for the filter?
Ben Christensen: So we had a... We had a rain tank.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: uh one of the church rain tanks it was like sort of on the property For the church, but also for us. There were definitely times when...
Ben Christensen: a couple times where like the water was running low and i think we did boil some water and stuff but mostly we use the rain tank and and aranuka is still central enough It's not far south enough that it still rains pretty regularly.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: I remember. Yeah, I remember going like it it flooded sometimes with with big rains. and
Darin Tingey: No way. a Okay.
Ben Christensen: fun times biking through like biking down a hill into like arua and i'm suddenly in chest deep water i'm like whoops
Darin Tingey: No way.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, so
Darin Tingey: That's crazy. There was okay Wow So you got enough...
Ben Christensen: Yeah. But anyways.
Darin Tingey: I mean, that was like the Marshalls out Outer Islands where you... You just drink rainwater. It rains so much.
Ben Christensen: Yep.
Darin Tingey: My Anna was all... It was all well water. I mean... Probably just because we didn't have the rain tanks
Ben Christensen: Mhm.
Darin Tingey: did What's Aranuka known for?
Ben Christensen: Mm hmm.
Darin Tingey: I'm forgetting. What are they? They have something they're known for. like the other islands.
Ben Christensen: What's your like? ayara Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Sir?
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: so yeah i do i do know they're garac looking back on it and and especially like So their Karak is Abuburametaya. They have big eyes. And there is a family.
Ben Christensen: that has like a genetic a predisposition or or disorder where
Ben Christensen: I met this one child who has had like bulging eyes. Uh... sort of Sort of like a facial deformity kind of thing.
Darin Tingey: hu
Ben Christensen: and he was a sweet kid and like you know i talked to his mom and she's like it was kind of sad she's like you know people make fun of our island for this but like it He can't close his, it's hard for him to close his eyelids.
Darin Tingey: No way.
Ben Christensen: this ist eyelids it hurts his eyes and like his eyes are so sensitive he's got to put like a blanket over them when it's really sunny and he's gone for surgeries and stuff and so anyways some of some of the karaks are fun like banganikevi kaini maenna and like stuff like that
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: But I knew because I was like, that's not so nice.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: So it's a literal meaning.
Ben Christensen: But... help smith
Darin Tingey: It's a literal.
Ben Christensen: It's just like this.
Darin Tingey: it's a It's a literal one, not like a...
Ben Christensen: It's It's like this one family. with Yeah, it's literal.
Darin Tingey: Huh.
Ben Christensen: So I don't know, kind of a... Kind of an unfortunate thing, in my opinion. but
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Okay.
Ben Christensen: He was a sweet kid.
Darin Tingey: What?
Ben Christensen: It was is a nice family of when I met them the couple times that I did.
Darin Tingey: Eh.
Ben Christensen: So.
Darin Tingey: how How often did you guys go to the... the other Es Mucorro.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: the other island in there
Ben Christensen: We went there. the start We went there less and less frequently. as my time went on we would go there about like once once or twice a week at the start and then it was kind of more like once a week and then It kind of stopped going because...
Ben Christensen: They're, you know, a lot of kind. good people there but it was very much we're happy to listen we're happy to have the missionaries in our home But we're not. we're not down to actually keep any commitments or we're not interested in you know baptism or making covenants or anything like that and so We we got a pretty significant like budget for a while. like The church would send money to us so we could pay.
Ben Christensen: for a boat to take us across the lagoon. and probably in hindsight we were being overcharged but
Ben Christensen: No big deal. whatever i'm glad that family was making some good money
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: and yeah eventually we're like hey we're spending so much time to go over here and like if we hit the tide wrong then they have to let us out in the shallows and we're like walking 20 minutes through knee -deep water with our bikes on our shoulders to get in and Uh...
Ben Christensen: we We got stuck in a storm once, which was exciting. it was like one am like one of my few like like you know there's storms are rare in kittybess right but it was like one of my like two or three thunder and lightning storms in kittybess and i'm on this little waa in the middle of the lagoon and we couldn't we couldn't see the island
Darin Tingey: What was that like?
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: We were just like...
Darin Tingey: No way.
Ben Christensen: in the rain and you know it's the it's the neme it's the it's the lagoon so it's not like crazy waves or anything but it was raining and thundering and couldn't see where we were and it was scary
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: and so i remember we prayed and a little bit after we prayed we were able to start to see the little blinking red light on the phone tower on the main island and we're able to shoot for that and get back So was my it was my little other side of heaven kind of experience.
Ben Christensen: Also on that same island, rats bit my companion.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: They never bit me though, but he killed a rat and so they bit him.
Darin Tingey: Aaaah...
Ben Christensen: That was in kind of cool. Ko siringa te ki moa te tēnā mankāna ko ākia. I get the hang it.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, right. Yeah, no, it is.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: That is such an interesting thing. like so he He killed it.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, he...
Darin Tingey: whether he
Ben Christensen: he he caught it in a curtain and like snapped its neck it was kind of wild
Darin Tingey: Oh wow.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: which Which companion is this?
Ben Christensen: this is elder bonnie i was like elder bu what did you just do he's like
Darin Tingey: Bonnie.
Ben Christensen: I got the rat. I'm like Good job
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Elder Bonnie, what sin did you just commit?
Ben Christensen: Yeah, I know.
Darin Tingey: In the kidapist culture here.
Ben Christensen: that's like they're They're coming for you now, man. And yeah, they never bit me, but they bit him through his bunga.
Darin Tingey: No way.
Ben Christensen: to be fair he was also taller than a lot taller than me and so his feet probably like rested up against the bunga and stuff but like
Darin Tingey: Yeah
Ben Christensen: They got him, so.
Darin Tingey: i That's crazy. yeah There was one rat that always ran through our... our hut. in my Anna every night. You could just hear it scurrying up top.
Ben Christensen: oh i will say like like we had the bangas that
Darin Tingey: Every night.
Ben Christensen: Like... like they had like four corners they were tied up to and so like it's like kind of this there's this top to it and rat poop would just collect in there
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: You'd have to empty it out every once in a while, you know.
Darin Tingey: so
Ben Christensen: But yeah, if you wake up in the middle of the night, there are rats just scurrying back and forth across the top of your bunga.
Darin Tingey: No way.
Darin Tingey: That's so funny.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, i the on I rarely use the Bunga on my in -op.
Ben Christensen: Mm.
Darin Tingey: Like the the mosquitoes were terrible, but I would just light like. two moon daggers right next to me.
Ben Christensen: the moon tiger.
Darin Tingey: And that would save me, but because the bunga, I just like it.
Ben Christensen: Magic.
Darin Tingey: for some reason. I don't think it actually scientifically was hotter, but it felt hotter inside the bunga.
Ben Christensen: Yeah. Sure. Sure.
Darin Tingey: Or maybe just like... I was maybe more uncomfortable.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: And so.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, sure.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Anyway, it's so funny.
Ben Christensen: with Yeah, we had the we we would run out of Timuntaiga sometimes. Like, they were gone from the store, and so we would...
Darin Tingey: Yeah. All right, yeah, yeah.
Ben Christensen: We're kind of Taos with our moon tiger
Darin Tingey: Fair enough. So did you train Elder Bonnie?
Ben Christensen: So. I trained Elder Bonnie, that's right.
Darin Tingey: And... Okay.
Ben Christensen: So he it was his first area he came out. And so the other, I guess, big thing about Aranuka is... So I had internet. for like the first month i was there and then it went down and they're like oh they're sorry like we're gonna have a technician come out and work on it and they're like okay and so we go back to the island council
Darin Tingey: In six months?
Ben Christensen: Every week and check and about, about like three months into this, we're like, okay, it's not coming back.
Darin Tingey: No.
Ben Christensen: so sort of after the fact i discovered Okay, what really happened is is the island council either wasn't able to afford it or or whatever.
Ben Christensen: were The island council was significantly in debt. to the internet company and had not been paying their internet bill and so thus
Ben Christensen: no internet on Aranuka.
Ben Christensen: Like in Mayena, they don't want to make you feel sad. They want to tell you what you want to hear.
Darin Tingey: That's right.
Ben Christensen: And so they they did not tell us that. And so I held out hope the internet was going to come back. So my fa so at about like three months into no internet or... two transfers or something i started writing letters And then those letters took another couple months to get to my family. And so my family was just like radio silence for me for like four or five months.
Ben Christensen: And... Anyways, yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, because they had... That's funny because you're getting emails and you probably didn't send the last email like, hey, the internet's going out.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, no.
Darin Tingey: It's just like... Boom. Cut off.
Ben Christensen: Yeah. Cut off.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: And so, yeah, no no internet and just me and Elder Bonnie on Aranuka. And I love Elder Bonnie dearly. I think he's one of the the people from the mission I've stayed closer to since the mission. And partially because of, I don't know, shared.
Ben Christensen: trauma of no internet on aranuka or whatever but
Darin Tingey: Yeah. With although did you kind of like not having no internet? I mean, there's some good parts about that.
Ben Christensen: Some people do. I, it was hard for me. I missed my family and I think I, like I'm the oldest child and felt some level of like responsibility.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: taking care of my little sisters and stuff like that and i know it was hard for my family when they didn't hear from me for a long time so
Darin Tingey: All right, fair enough.
Ben Christensen: It was hard for me. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: what What did you guys do on P -Day in Otunuka? Did you guys have fun? Like go do fishing or any Kiribati cultural things?
Ben Christensen: yeah so one of my probably big regrets from my mission is i never went fishing i never I guess I never made the connections with people to go do that. And I think part of it was I didn't realize I could, again, because I was a really young missionary when I went out here.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ben Christensen: I didn't really know that missionaries could go fishing. Like, if I had, like, I'm sure I could have asked some branch member, hey, can we go fishing with you or something? But I didn't. really know that was an option and so we just
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: I don't know. We kind of hung out on P days. There we went. We do some like. There's some pretty nature. places with like folklore around them in Aranuka. There's like a...
Ben Christensen: there's this funny sort of rock with an indent in it big rock off off the in the lagoon side that's uh on a Uh... I'm forgetting the word for footprint, but Denrik, the big giant who supposedly like created the islands, supposedly his footprint is there. And then up in... the There's a lot of mangrove trees in Aranuka, which is kind of a...
Ben Christensen: Maybe sort of unique. geographical aspect and there's these
Ben Christensen: mangrove groves with this ready muddish muddy, reddish water. And so the Qaraq is that there's there's a witch who lives up up north in the mangroves. Her name's Nebirike. And when the tide comes in and the water's all red, supposedly it's Anatayinayne.
Ben Christensen: i That's bad.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Okay. You know, we went up and visited an ATDK and, you know. there's some There's some really beautiful places on Aranuka to go, so we'd bike around. and see stuff or take naps or whatever.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Do long.
Darin Tingey: Explore the island. Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Yeah. Yeah. So.
Darin Tingey: All right
Ben Christensen: Anyways. anyways Yeah.
Darin Tingey: And what about, did you... Were you there for Christmas or the Shura at all?
Ben Christensen: I was there for Tesurai on Aranuka. That's, I guess, another wild Aranuka story. is So for the Surai... again i was a young missionary i didn't really have a concept of this and i was like oh man I guess we really can't teach anyone for a week.
Ben Christensen: Like.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: i didn't think that was like but like nope nope no one's available for a week darn like well i guess we're going to stuff
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Which, i you know, I think I should have expected. and But again, I just didn't really know. I was kind of a young and experienced missionary. but yeah had the surai and like went with branch members to different botox and stuff Then the crazy part was they asked us.
Ben Christensen: with precedent that the last missionaries had done it. If we would help... Judge a Cabo Siquiroi. Help judge a beauty pageant.
Ben Christensen: And we're like, no, we're missionaries. And they're like, no, no, elders. There's an English speech portion of it. And we just want you to help judge that because you're native English speakers. And we're like.
Darin Tingey: alright
Ben Christensen: Hello? hey they're like the last missionaries did it and we're like okay we're like we don't want everyone on the island to hate us so i guess
Darin Tingey: Right. The judge of competition.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: We'll go judge a beauty competition.
Darin Tingey: Oh, gosh.
Ben Christensen: And anyways. like And it'll start at 7. We're like, okay, well, we have to be back by 9. They're like, yeah, no worries, elders. Yeah, it did not start till like 9 .30.
Darin Tingey: Right, right
Ben Christensen: but But at this point, we're like, hey, like the rules are important. And also, if we leave, the entire island will hate us and the church. So we're going to pick our battles here.
Darin Tingey: Exactly.
Ben Christensen: and So we stayed out to like midnight judging this beauty pageant. And it was not just the English. They're like, yeah, i would give your rating for the dance and stuff.
Ben Christensen: And we're like. What are we doing?
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ben Christensen: yeah Yeah, anyways.
Darin Tingey: That's incredible.
Ben Christensen: and it was yeah it was us and like these other like minita from and catechists from like i'm like why are we judging a bunch of junior year high girls
Darin Tingey: Yeah. of the church. Yeah.
Ben Christensen: i I feel like this is not right. and Anyways, and and and maybe it wasn't, but... o
Darin Tingey: So is that did that make it on your resume?
Ben Christensen: Kind of a wild group. What was that?
Darin Tingey: did that make it Did that make it on your resume, beauty pageant?
Ben Christensen: Yeah. Nope.
Darin Tingey: Judge.
Ben Christensen: Nope. Not.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, me and Elder Bonnie. That was a fun time.
Darin Tingey: That's so good. I love that, though. When you're on an outer island, it's like you're so ingrained in the... the culture in the village there it's like hey you know you're a part of this where everyone's here you gotta
Ben Christensen: Mm -hmm.
Ben Christensen: Liam.
Darin Tingey: Especially... What you got to do?
Ben Christensen: Yeah. So yeah, anyways. good Good cultural learning experiences that that, yeah, helped me to, I mean. It's still weird that we judged a beauty pageant, but it was good for me, the Surai in general, to jump in and participate in the culture rather than being like, no, I'm a missionary.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: I need to be teaching and stuff. It's like, well, the best thing I could be doing is connecting with these people right now. in this thing and That was some good.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: for me.
Darin Tingey: yeah Yeah, the suit eye is so fun.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: i i got to time I timed perfectly because I got to experience Tsutai on Maena, and that was so much fun, man.
Ben Christensen: I bet.
Darin Tingey: It was so much fun.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, food eye on an outer island is. is fantastic.
Darin Tingey: It's incredible. My Anna loves to party and I got to experience that.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: yeah Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Okay, so let's let's talk about you getting transferred. I mean, it sounds like Arunuka, seven months.
Ben Christensen: Yep, seven months.
Darin Tingey: trained. had a lot of success as a missionary you probably grew like crazy and then
Ben Christensen: mm -hmm
Darin Tingey: You can transfer back to Tarawa.
Ben Christensen: Yep, so I came back to Tarawa and I was a zone leader for It was like a weird, like... eight week transfer it was like two months and i was with elder sawn there go buddy sawn who's Bye, Nikki D. Bess.
Ben Christensen: And. really incredible, fantastic missionary. He recently had a baby, so congrats to him and his wife.
Darin Tingey: There we go.
Ben Christensen: uh... I think that was another thing being with a native kitty best companion. That really helped my my language.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: and And also, you know, i thought I thought I was like, wow, I really got a hang of this culture stuff on Aranuka and had a lot more humbling.
Ben Christensen: experience being companions with someone from kittybess and we have these really different expectations about things and and elders to be clear elder sean was like one of the most hard -working missionaries i've ever been with it's not like stereotypical uh or whatever like not at all but just just differences of how we saw things and how we wanted to do things and
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Uh... Yeah. I think, again, I was probably a hard companion for him, and I'm grateful for his kindness and patience as I i learned and grew. and and became a bit more humble.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. i I was just you guys had native companions on the Kitibba side. We rarely got that on the Marshall side.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Very rarely.
Ben Christensen: it was it was still pretty rare in kitty bass But less rare than in the Marshalls.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: like at that time i'm pretty sure elder sawn maybe there was a sister who was kitty best as well, but he was like one of the only kitty best missionaries in the mission. So it was still fairly rare, but did happen sometimes.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. And then. So you zone later for eight weeks and then...
Ben Christensen: Yep. Zone leader for eight weeks.
Darin Tingey: AP.
Ben Christensen: And then AP. Yeah, I remember President Larkin like took me aside to to interview me and say, hey, we're this is going to be the thing. on a p -day and then i came back and elder son was just like looking at me and he's like you're gonna be And I'm like.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: No. Because President Larkin said, don't tell anyone. And I'm like, no, no, no.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, yeah
Ben Christensen: And Elder Son's like, you're lying. like yeah it was It was funny.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, then I was.
Darin Tingey: so
Ben Christensen: Okay.
Darin Tingey: Were you You're AP with Elder Hunter, right?
Ben Christensen: I was Elder with Elder Hunter for three transfers, and then with Elder... Ellis for one.
Darin Tingey: So were you... The first. part of the first companionship of APs. On the cannabis side. Ever.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, yeah, we were the first APs just in Kittybess.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: which again now that I live in cedar falls island there's a bunch of marshallese people here darn but
Darin Tingey: I know if only they kept it over on the Marshall side, you get to bounce back and.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, I would have gotten some Marshallese experience, but it it...
Darin Tingey: Learn some martial arts.
Ben Christensen: in so many ways it was a huge blessing first of all it meant we got to have an area
Darin Tingey: Mm.
Ben Christensen: And we got to each. Which for other APs was not the case. Like, they're always going different places.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: We sort of shared an area with... Elder Osborn, I think it was Elder Otto who was his companion as well at the time. Kenny Osbornen and Elder Otto.
Darin Tingey: Yep.
Ben Christensen: And so, so we still did leave like we, I visited. most of the outer islands as AP to go do transfer, go do training stuff with them. We'd go out for like a weekend.
Ben Christensen: and uh go around with them
Darin Tingey: Yeah, tell me, did you did you guys pitch President on this or was this his idea?
Ben Christensen: I think it was his idea because it was a sweet deal. Like it was amazing.
Darin Tingey: That's a super sweet deal.
Ben Christensen: It was amazing. Yeah, I feel very blessed to have gotten that opportunity to. you know. I saw, I think the ones I didn't make it to were Mucking.
Ben Christensen: and because i didn't think I don't think we had missionaries there at the time, and I never went through Beirut either.
Darin Tingey: co
Ben Christensen: But. And I guess I never went through Tabitha Weah. I technically went to Tabitha Way because we landed there on the way to like... technical now or no notes or whatever
Darin Tingey: Sure. Yeah.
Ben Christensen: But... Yeah, that was just a very cool experience to see all these other missionaries and and kind of try to do for them what President Larkin did for me. of like hey you're on this outer island but like we still know you're here and we care about you you're not alone because that's very much how I felt.
Ben Christensen: on aranuka until like that last transfer when president larkin came out and visited me and He and Sister Larkin and the mission nurse came and checked us out and they brought us apples from Tarawa and like...
Ben Christensen: Apples, wow.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Yeah.
Ben Christensen: It's amazing. And so. Uh... Yeah, and just getting to meet some of the members out there. The Stan... i i mean all the all the missionaries i got to go see in the islands were awesome I think the standout experience was going to Nikunao. It was Elder Baker and Elder Morphonius in Nikunao.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: and uh you know beru like
Darin Tingey: Two studs two studs right there
Ben Christensen: Yeah, two studs indeed. But the...
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: You know, the far south of Kiribati, close to Arora and Tamena, like, a lot of... antagonistic feelings towards the church. But the members on Nikunao were just like so incredible and so faithful. And even though, you know.
Ben Christensen: you know, they had ministers throw a Book of Mormon at the missionary's house and then run it over with their reperepes and like you know like had some intense antagonism towards them But... Like, the members were just like, eh. All good. We're... we're staying faithful. And I remember we.
Ben Christensen: we brought back this envelope that had like a thousand dollars of tithing in it.
Darin Tingey: Wow.
Ben Christensen: This little branch in Nikunau that had been there.
Darin Tingey: It's crazy.
Ben Christensen: a year or less. And was just... Anyways, just so cool to see the faith of those members. That was a really special experience.
Ben Christensen: And also Elder Baker did some fun, fun crazy choreographed dance at the little party they had. for
Ben Christensen: Anyway. public figure with that.
Darin Tingey: That's so good.
Ben Christensen: I don't know if you ever got to to witness that, but. and i'm black and i niku niku
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, that's awesome. How did you guys logistically visit all these outer islands? I mean, there were flights going multiple times a week or?
Ben Christensen: Yeah, so most outer islands have two flights a week.
Darin Tingey: In fact...
Ben Christensen: A lot of them, it's like a Thursday, Saturday or something like that.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: And so we would go in on one flight and come out. back on the next and then we'd be in our area for like three or four days and then we'd do another trip and and part of why we're able to do this is we have this second companionship that was sharing the area with us so if they needed to go visit some of our people on the three, four days we were gone, they could.
Ben Christensen: and that was that was awesome
Darin Tingey: Okay. kyle
Ben Christensen: And yeah, Eita was just, I mean, you know, it's where Moronai is and a lot of really strong generational members. uh you know kind of kind of the utah of kittybess
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Okay. it uh
Darin Tingey: <unk> good That's a good comparison actually. I never thought about it like that.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, it's it's a little bit like, you know, like there's lots of, it's not like everyone's a member, but there are a lot of strong members there. and uh there's a lot of member support for the the work and we're blessed to find a lot of people
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: the The big, maybe, teaching experience. All right. Maybe a couple really special experiences to me in 8th that I was thinking about.
Ben Christensen: One was with a family that we found, Athania and Dabonepe. and they live like right on the border between it's tech it's eta but technically bang on tibure and uh guinea
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: and actually now they're their their Their house is right next to the fence where there's now a new church building there. I don't know if you saw it built.
Darin Tingey: No, no, I haven't.
Ben Christensen: with But they they built a brand new church building there. which is exciting. So now they don't have to. walk for like 40 minutes to get to church.
Darin Tingey: Oh gosh, yeah.
Ben Christensen: But. Anyways, we we were blessed to find this family. I think elder sean and I found them. And then we continued to teach them while I was there. And it was really special. the The whole family got baptized.
Ben Christensen: uh tanya and his mother uh Betty Tay. and And their kids, except for the the youngest two who weren't eight yet. And so we were.
Ben Christensen: It was a really crazy time being AP and trying to... Trying to balance lots of things. And while we were trying to balance lots of things, one thing that fell through the cracks was doing their their baptism baptismal forms, the paperwork. And we're like, it's fine. We just need to get it done before the baptism. And so we went to do it the day before the baptism.
Ben Christensen: and we're like and we just need your marriage certificate Which...
Darin Tingey: oh
Ben Christensen: I know you know is a fun. common issue in kittybess and they're like well yeah we got married but like I don't know
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: we're like well we need to check and make sure like yan tisua like that you're legally married and we have the sisters the the very kind sisters who would who would help help do this for us who were in Bairiki, who would go and check at the government offices and like, sorry, elders.
Ben Christensen: No go. And this was a Friday because of the Baptist.
Darin Tingey: Oh gosh.
Ben Christensen: maybe on Saturday.
Darin Tingey: gosh
Ben Christensen: And we're like, What in the heck? and i felt just like really awful and like i've let this family down And...
Ben Christensen: They prepared so much for baptism and now we're gonna have to postpone it and They're going to be upset, and I... I just felt really down on myself, like I should have should have done this better, and like I don't deserve...
Ben Christensen: for this to work out because because I really messed this up and let this... this thing slide that i'm sure i was telling other missionaries don't put off your paperwork you know
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: And. What ended up happening is we... Through the sisters in Bairiki who knew a person who knew a person who worked in the government offices, we were able to get into the government offices on a Saturday.
Ben Christensen: to get the official marriage paperwork. and they're like elder the person who let us in was like hey like i'm not supposed to be doing this like Don't tell anyone.
Darin Tingey: Probably.
Ben Christensen: Uh... We got the paperwork. We like are like talking to our bishop and like we go to the family. We're like, hey, it's going to work out after all. We got your marriage papers. You're going to get married at four and baptized at five. And the wife was like, oh, well, my husband went to work because he thought it wasn't happening anymore. And he works in Beso. And we're like.
Darin Tingey: oh
Ben Christensen: we were gonna go get him and uh we went and picked him up in a mission car which again was Not by
Darin Tingey: Hey, you got to do what you got to do.
Ben Christensen: But in this case, we felt that it was justified and we got him to his wedding and they got married in the bishop's office and then their whole family got baptized.
Darin Tingey: Yes!
Ben Christensen: and It was another of those experiences of like, hey. Like I was feeling so down on myself. I messed this up, but. This family deserved a miracle.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: And even me, I'm imperfect, doesn't mean Jesus doesn't want to still help me and give me miracles in my life. even when i'm imperfect and that was a big sign of first of all jesus this is god's work Second of all, like This is not like, this is not about me.
Ben Christensen: I'm not. make converting these people and yeah he loves us even when we're not perfect and make mistakes and we can still see miracles and so
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: That was a really special 8 -day experience.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, incredible. you know that you got to baptize a whole family. I never. Had that opportunity. I shouldn't, like you said, it's not about us, but like just.
Darin Tingey: It's fun to to see that, a whole family just finding joy together.
Ben Christensen: yeah And they have been to the temple in Fiji now, which is really cool.
Darin Tingey: Any experience with that? Yeah.
Ben Christensen: so
Darin Tingey: It's incredible. I... I baptize. part member families inside. you know,
Ben Christensen: Mm -hmm.
Darin Tingey: Does unite which was also incredible.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, really special.
Darin Tingey: I I really loved President Larkin's push to focus on families.
Ben Christensen: Yes, yes.
Darin Tingey: It was such a big push of his, and I thought it was really...
Ben Christensen: That was really meaningful.
Darin Tingey: Needed. Because we saw a lot of kid baptisms.
Ben Christensen: Right. Yeah. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Which...
Ben Christensen: which sometimes are great and Jesus loves the little children, but so often without that family support, those kids aren't going to stay.
Darin Tingey: And... Yeah. Exactly.
Ben Christensen: And the ultimate goal is the temple. It's not just baptisms, right?
Darin Tingey: Exactly.
Ben Christensen: And we can't do that without the family. so
Darin Tingey: Exactly.
Ben Christensen: but
Darin Tingey: Okay. So that was why you were his zone leader.
Ben Christensen: all Yeah, so so it started while I was zone leader. It ended while I was AP.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: And... Maybe the one other 8th story. so kind of in that neighborhood through Atani and Tebunepe, we met other people, including a girl who lived next door to them, who I taught a little bit. She ended up serving a mission. And there was this other part member family, this woman named Taware.
Ben Christensen: Her husband was Asera, and she and her her children were all baptized, and they were super awesome, super strong. But husband was really not interested at all. And for her birthday, she was like, hey, it's my birthday for my birthday.
Ben Christensen: I want the missionaries to come over and I want you, husband, to be there.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: and stop
Darin Tingey: Uh huh.
Ben Christensen: And thus he was caught with guile.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: and yeah we just we came and you know we tried our best to to put on the charm and he was he was literally like sitting in a separate booyah from us and like kind of turning away like he did not want to talk to us but like We got him in and he's like, okay, they're not scary. And we ended up.
Ben Christensen: being able to teach them some. and then i i left eta i transferred to bulta with Elder Ellis where I was AP for one transfer. And the APs were just in Vuelta for...
Ben Christensen: for a bit.
Darin Tingey: Yep. Okay.
Ben Christensen: And. And. Anyways, Elder Osborn, maybe with Elder Otto, maybe yet another companion, continued teaching them.
Ben Christensen: And anyways, Asera, the husband, ended up getting baptized. He was going to get baptized and he had a... pretty significant uh and addiction challenges, non onna other things, and he had some heart challenges related to that.
Ben Christensen: I guess part of this story was... One of the hardest experiences on my mission was... We were teaching a lesson with his wife present as like a member present and her husband came home drunk looking for her.
Ben Christensen: and basically pulled her out of...
Darin Tingey: Hmm.
Ben Christensen: her our lesson and and beat her in front of us.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: And that was a really horrible experience. And just I just froze up, didn't know what to do. It was really sad. but cool power of the atonement this guy who beat his wife in front of us, was able to change his life around. and ended up getting baptized.
Ben Christensen: He still had a lot of health problems, and so on the day he was going to get baptized, he had a heart attack. and went to Na Veri Veri instead of getting baptized.
Darin Tingey: Wow
Ben Christensen: And he recovered and got baptized the next week. And then a month later, he had another heart attack and passed away.
Darin Tingey: a
Ben Christensen: And so I found out about this pretty after the fact because I was often, well, I wasn't AP anymore. but and it was this was almost the end of my mission came and visited the family. cause I really loved that family and I was so sad to hear he passed away and I hadn't known about this. And,
Ben Christensen: like maybe if I'd known I could have attended the funeral or something, I don't know. but came in there, they're excited to see me. and I was like, wow, I'm so sorry. Like my condolences. And I'm so sad. And they're like, yeah.
Ben Christensen: But. it It was a really striking. Like they were sad. but they were most, they're mostly excited. like They were excited to show me how nice his grave was and excited to tell me how much that, like, that everyone in the ward had come to his botakinimet and, like, how supported they'd felt.
Ben Christensen: And...
Darin Tingey: Hmm.
Ben Christensen: And they're like, and really, we're just excited to get to the temple in a year so we can be sealed as a family. It was like they were comforting me and they're like, Elder, don't worry about it. We're going to go to the temple.
Darin Tingey: Wow.
Ben Christensen: kind of thing And again, that. like faith and that i mean seeing first of all someone like i said a change who was drug addict, beaten his wife, et cetera, domestic abuse to he's gotten baptized and he and his family are preparing to go to the temple. And now.
Ben Christensen: his family is excited to go to the temple to be sealed with him for eternity. and you know they're sad but they're not sad and like that was just like wow The plan of salvation.
Ben Christensen: That just makes all the difference. That's so incredible.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: So.
Darin Tingey: Like a crazy perspective of... of life and eternal life just like yeah he passed away but
Ben Christensen: Mhm.
Darin Tingey: We're going to be with him.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: You know, we're going to go to Temple.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, and it was very much like, they're testifying to me, they're comforting me.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: as Like, I'm the missionary, I'm the one who's supposed to do this, but yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Really.
Darin Tingey: Their faith is so great and simple. It's it's just like yeah like It's going to be okay.
Ben Christensen: Mhm.
Darin Tingey: you know god's We trust God. It's going to be great, you know?
Ben Christensen: Yep. Yeah, and I think, you know again... We have such a great deal of privilege here in our first world, you know.
Ben Christensen: very prosperous nation you know death. and the hunger and other challenges are so much more common there, right? and perhaps is easier to be humble and connect with God more than sometimes it is for us.
Ben Christensen: And I think we have a great deal to learn from them.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: some
Darin Tingey: i would I would agree with that. I would agree with that. Uh, Can we selfishly talk about... a piece and you guys bring in. the Marshall.
Darin Tingey: Marshallese missionaries over.
Ben Christensen: Yes. Yes, let's do it. Let's do it.
Darin Tingey: So I was one of the six that got transferred from Marshalls.
Ben Christensen: Yep.
Darin Tingey: From what President told me. He was like, we're losing 20 missionaries this summer. And we're sort of bringing over six of you to help with the work.
Ben Christensen: Yep. Uh -huh
Darin Tingey: Like, I was like, okay, six doesn't really cover 20, but sure.
Ben Christensen: you know
Darin Tingey: You know? Like, what what were the conversations like?
Ben Christensen: guys You guys were mighty, though. You were mighty sticks.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: What were the conversations like around? that.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, so yeah, I remember there were a bunch of missionaries going home. I don't. I don't remember which. which ones or anything but yeah i knew we were losing a lot and the work was i don't know it felt like it was really kind of exploding everywhere And...
Ben Christensen: We're just like really high, high numbers of lessons and baptisms back when we counted lessons. all that
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Right?
Ben Christensen: and like yeah wow we need more Bye. need more missionaries and Just at that time, there was more work in Kitty Best than in the Marshalls, and the president was like, well well, let's pull over some people from the Marshalls.
Darin Tingey: True.
Ben Christensen: he picked some young missionaries who felt really confident in including yourself and uh you guys came over and i mentioned before i think we had a conversation it's like well how are we going to get them to learn the language like we need them we need them to like get in and start doing the work. And we're like, well, send a me book.
Darin Tingey: o
Ben Christensen: they'll pick it up and you did so
Darin Tingey: Yeah, it was so fun. i
Ben Christensen: Yeah. And I had Elder Sheffield was my companion for just like a few weeks. I love Elder Sheffield. i He ended up studying neuroscience at BYU as well and and like worked in the same lab that I did.
Ben Christensen: and
Darin Tingey: Oh cool.
Ben Christensen: and it ended up being pretty good friends with him he's actually he's in med school right now and is working on some A trip to Kitty Bess.
Ben Christensen: It's kind of nebulous right now, but to try and do some like mental health kind of stuff over there that I'm hoping I can participate in a little bit.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Absolutely.
Ben Christensen: It would be really exciting.
Darin Tingey: You said.
Ben Christensen: Anyways. Anyways, I jokingly said that I was his that i was his father. them. You know, his the three weeks he was with me in Buota before he went to...
Ben Christensen: I forget which outer island he went.
Darin Tingey: you know, Ono toa. Anata.
Ben Christensen: oh no That's right. That's right.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Anyways. but
Darin Tingey: Yeah, he he he stayed on Tarawa for a while. Yeah, three weeks. I feel like the rest of us.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, it took a while. I don't remember what the holdup was, but yeah, he was my companion for three weeks.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, because I... It was funny. it was It was like, it all happened so fast. We we fly in. We landed on Sunday. you know You guys were there to pick us up. I hopped in the bus with pal and.
Ben Christensen: I think we're pretty excited to tell you. Hey, guess what?
Darin Tingey: Hoskins.
Ben Christensen: We're sending you a book.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, everyone's like...
Ben Christensen: maram
Darin Tingey: Oh, you're going out around, you're going to man, huh? Oh, that's so sweet.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Hoskins had served there. He's like, dude, you're going to love it. there's like
Ben Christensen: That's right. Yep, because Elder Hoskins was living.
Darin Tingey: Eh?
Ben Christensen: with me at the time he loved me yep that's right
Darin Tingey: Yeah. He's like, dude, so many parties. You're going to have so much fun. I was like. Sweet, dude. You know, that's great. and I was going to Maiana. Ross was going to Abimeme.
Ben Christensen: Mhm.
Darin Tingey: Hanson, I think, went to Tarabayeta.
Ben Christensen: Mhm.
Darin Tingey: Peterson went to Tepituwea.
Ben Christensen: Mm hmm.
Darin Tingey: May I act? And then.
Ben Christensen: That's right. He opened up W2A or helped open up W2A Mayek.
Darin Tingey: And then.
Ben Christensen: We'll be open.
Darin Tingey: And then, oh, I'm blanking. Mahunga went to Onotoa first and then got pulled back and then Sheffield went out to Onotoa.
Ben Christensen: That's right.
Ben Christensen: That's right. That's right
Darin Tingey: So it was crazy. And then. i don't even know All right. So, so anyway, we land on Sunday. You guys tell us at Moroni, like where we're going, like, cool. This is like, it's, it's always like shock still, you know, like we're here in kid abyss.
Ben Christensen: Mhmm.
Darin Tingey: And then. I remember I stayed in Buelta with you guys. With you.
Ben Christensen: Mm hmm.
Darin Tingey: Ellis had just become... Or sorry. Who is AP after you? with Ellis.
Ben Christensen: Dinsdale.
Darin Tingey: Dinsdale. Yeah. Yeah. Him and Bonnie were zone leaders, but then Dinsdale became AP with Ellis. And then I remember staying in both that night and there was so many of us staying there and it was just like, all right, sleep on the ground.
Darin Tingey: We're all like sardines, you know, sleeping on the ground.
Ben Christensen: I do remember. it I remember that was quite the party.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: a
Darin Tingey: Yeah, for sure not.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: It was so fun. I just, that was, I remember there like, whoa, like this is so different, you know?
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: And. the manyebe outside of the bota house there next to the church
Ben Christensen: Mm -hmm.
Darin Tingey: I was like, wow.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, yeah, that was that was a cool place to live.
Darin Tingey: So it's like. It was so different. And I remember the next morning it was like, all right, you know, this is a little. place you can shower and you're like i'm gonna shower outside and i'm like shower outside like what is he doing you know They were just showering in your bay there. And I was like.
Darin Tingey: What the heck?
Ben Christensen: I don't remember that right
Darin Tingey: and You're like, yeah, it's pretty common here. yeah like It's pretty common here in Kiribati.
Ben Christensen: I believe it.
Darin Tingey: I was like, what is he doing? and Then like when I go to out around, I'm like, oh, I get it. like Everyone just showers outside.
Ben Christensen: Yep.
Darin Tingey: It's no big deal.
Ben Christensen: Yep. Yep, yep.
Darin Tingey: But for me, I was like, it was so weird.
Ben Christensen: That's funny. That's funny. I did not remember that, but yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, and it was P -Day and then Tuesday I flew out. And.
Ben Christensen: Yup.
Darin Tingey: And then I was just on my Anna. And then like when I came back. And I... I don't know if I... I think you were gone by the time I came back off of my Anna.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, I might have been.
Darin Tingey: August, late August, maybe.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, because I was in World Cup for my last three transfers. Yeah, but I left August. eighth or something. I left a little bit early so I could make it back for the BYU semester.
Darin Tingey: school. Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: So I got off Mayanna after you left, like late August, I think.
Ben Christensen: Mm hmm.
Darin Tingey: And. Land on a Tuesday. meet with President on Wednesday. And I stayed in Bota again. i stayed i Baker picked me up and I stayed in Bota, which was fun because...
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: I had gone out with Hoskins. One day to go teach.
Ben Christensen: Mhm.
Darin Tingey: And. by the time i got back baker was They had all been baptized and we were just continuing to teach them post baptism
Ben Christensen: Yeah. Elder Baker and Elder Hoskins had some really incredible success in their part of the area. they they they were blessed to find some really amazing people and also were with fantastic missionaries.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: But yeah, that's really cool.
Darin Tingey: it was What was cool about it is when I first got there, couldn't speak a lick, you know?
Ben Christensen: And then you came back and you could actually talk to these people.
Darin Tingey: like And... Yes, yes. And they're like, I remember you. And you I was like, yeah, I was here like four and a half months ago, five months ago, whatever.
Ben Christensen: yeah i had a little bit of a similar experience like before i left like i took a p -day with elder sablon was my companion i trained him or technically a sablon and we all said sablon and he never corrected anyone even though they misspelled it on his name tag and i still feel bad about that we just never told anyone so we're calling him sablon even though his name was sablon anyways it took a day and went to baso to like visit some of these old people that i taught there
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Poor guy.
Ben Christensen: And it was crazy. I was like. I knew you guys, but, like, now I can talk to you. and
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: it was It was cool to see that. Again, the its work is not about me. There are these two couples that we taught who both got baptized. And, you know, two years, almost two years later, they're but all still faithful.
Ben Christensen: and
Darin Tingey: So cool.
Ben Christensen: again again like i i barely spoke the language i didn't understand a word they said but i was there and heavenly father worked through me and maybe more so my companions but
Darin Tingey: Yeah, so cool to go back and just see them.
Ben Christensen: now
Darin Tingey: Like, hey, now I can like actually talk to you.
Ben Christensen: Yeah. Yeah, it was crazy.
Darin Tingey: and like
Ben Christensen: I was like, wow. You're you're.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ben Christensen: little kid who was like two and pretending to be a lion when we were there is now can now speak to me and I understand what he says.
Darin Tingey: Right.
Darin Tingey: Right. Oh, it's so funny.
Ben Christensen: well Yeah. So.
Darin Tingey: But, but anyway, I, I got to be in both and then. President told me on Wednesday, I was going back to the Marshalls. And then on Friday, I flew back to the Marshalls. It was crazy. Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Wow
Darin Tingey: But I got to. do a cannabis branch in the marsh islands which was way way cool
Ben Christensen: That is cool. I didn't know that. That's fantastic.
Darin Tingey: So, yeah, I started that up because Ross and I went back together and then.
Ben Christensen: Okay, nice.
Darin Tingey: And so. And Suha came. if I don't know if you remember Ensua.
Ben Christensen: Yeah. Yep. I remember Odin Sua. Great guy.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, he came back for a transfer to help me with the branch the the cannabis group it was super fun
Ben Christensen: Yeah, that's fantastic. That's awesome.
Darin Tingey: Anyway, so yeah, that's my I got to experience both with you and both when I got back, and that was basically it for Tarawa.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, yeah Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Bye. Good.
Ben Christensen: We're good.
Darin Tingey: Super fun. and the The bus ride. Uh, I don't know. bus van, whatever you call it. Everyone's just piling in.
Ben Christensen: it's so It's kind of a wild bus ride, the Buota.
Darin Tingey: dead
Ben Christensen: You go over that you go over that like World War II era rickety bridge with you can see holes down to the water below and you're like, well.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: It hasn't collapsed yet.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Uh...
Ben Christensen: Yeah, both are kind of a funny. Like, in between an outer island and Tarawa.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: So you finished, did you, so did you train? You finished training.
Ben Christensen: Yep, so i train other sub I trained other Sheffield. He was my son. If he listens to this podcast, remember that.
Darin Tingey: That's right. that's right
Ben Christensen: and i we Anyways, we joke about that.
Ben Christensen: but And then I trained Elder Sablan. And...
Ben Christensen: that As I was thinking about water.
Ben Christensen: You know, did did see a few baptisms there. There's one part member family where the husband was less active. and His wife was really uninterested, and I remember it as being...
Ben Christensen: uh we we came in we we managed to catch her at a time where we were able to teach her and we taught her the first vision and i remember reciting the first vision in kitty bass and like it being Maybe one of the most powerful times I've ever felt the spirit and seeing her being like very cold and standoffish and not wanting to.
Ben Christensen: to listen to. her feeling that spirit and changing. And then she ended up getting baptized and her husband had his records had gotten lost. So he got rebaptized. and I think their, their baptism actually happened like the week after I left.
Darin Tingey: There we go.
Ben Christensen: so i didn't actually see it but they sent me pictures and Still, they're they're great people. So that was a special experience. The other thing I was thinking about. And...
Ben Christensen: Uh... There was so we were in both that but we would also go up to It was called Tabitué, but it's a little islet just north of Bota.
Ben Christensen: So I've been to Tabitué, but not.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: The real W2A. Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Uh... Uh... and we had like a little group up there and we would teach people there occasionally But it was pretty far.
Ben Christensen: and And like that's really like more of an outer island. And so we wouldn't go there often. But there is a family we visited and I only visited him like twice, I think. And so I can't remember their names, which I feel bad about.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: But the hu it was a situation where another common one where this this guy had been married. and was divorced, but not legally. And his wife was kind to Katorika and Ayakikukure.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: it ba ben irare and but his wife and children. were interested i think as children I think his daughters had been baptized and they were at Moroni, I think was kind of part of.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: Yes, but anyways, again, so I only taught him a couple times and then I left but it turned out after the fact that they got those divorce papers signed and the wife got baptized and kind of the way like i think i heard about this from missionaries but what really brought it back is This was a year or two ago, but like my second cousin, like my dad's cousin's daughter is serving a mission.
Ben Christensen: somewhere in the caribbean i think i again i don't remember like i don't Like this is a family member, but I don't really know her, but she texted me like Facebook messaged me out of the blue and was like, do you, my companion is from kitty best.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: And she says, she knows you.
Darin Tingey: No.
Ben Christensen: and i'm like
Darin Tingey: way.
Ben Christensen: and i like i'm like i do not know this person i don't know this name i don't i feel so she's she's like but she said you were one of her missionaries and i'm like I've forgotten a convert that she's a missionary and this is going to anyways, but I was able to figure it out and was like, okay, no, you are this guy's daughter.
Ben Christensen: And your family ended up getting baptized and you got baptized. and you're on a mission now and like again kind of that crazy like i was this little small part of this but so cool that Again, this miracle for them.
Ben Christensen: Like, I know lots of people who want to get baptized and have this divorce situation that is just really hard for whatever reason in Kitty Bess.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: But it happened for them. and So.
Darin Tingey: It never happens. That's so rare. Uh...
Ben Christensen: it's so rare it's so hard but it happened for them and then their daughter was a missionary with my second cousin and was like Christensen.
Darin Tingey: Served.
Ben Christensen: I recognize that name. as so
Darin Tingey: That's crazy.
Darin Tingey: That's incredible. i mean that's it And the lives that she's then influenced to in the Caribbean as a missionary, you know, it's just like.
Ben Christensen: Yeah. Mm -hmm.
Darin Tingey: That's why you do it. That's why you do the mission, you know, right there.
Ben Christensen: Yeah. Yes. Yeah. And another one with that, there was a... If anyone listening has been in Bwulta, I'm sure you would know or remember Nayadis. Really strong member family there. I'm blinking on her husband's name. But anyways, her mother...
Ben Christensen: uh was not a member but she and her younger sister her younger sister was a missionary like was serving her mission at the time i was there but their mom wasn't a member and was pretty meto eto and nanato And we and a series of other missionaries taught her.
Ben Christensen: And she came to church. Once which we're really excited about but ultimately she was just really not ready and then again like A few months after I got home, I got word from other missionaries that she'd gotten baptized.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: And it was like, again. This isn't me. She wasn't ready when I was there.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: I'm glad I could be a part of that. journey but
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Heavenly Father still had a plan for her. And she got baptized. and It was probably a year or so later that she passed away. Yeah. cool that Cool to see Heavenly Father doing his work. Really special. yet to be a part of it.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. and and I always feel that those ones are the ones that.
Darin Tingey: are more rewarding a little bit when they're so strong in their church and their in their faith.
Ben Christensen: Mhm.
Darin Tingey: And then to see. That. Switch. Because you know that they're just going to be strong. If they're switching...
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: their beliefs, you know, if they're
Ben Christensen: Mm -hmm
Darin Tingey: converting, like it they're going to be strong.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, they're making that. Big change, yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: And I know for her and for... a lot of And for other people like Tasa, who I taught on Aranuka, the old woman, a big part of it was, and and we talked about President Larkin's focus on families, a big part of it was the temple and eternal families.
Ben Christensen: like They already believe in Jesus, which is wonderful. and I feel like we kind of We super take for granted that like.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: There are so many good Christian people in Kiribati. like
Darin Tingey: Oh yeah.
Ben Christensen: Like. Like talking to other people in the States, I'm like, yeah, I never met an atheist my entire mission. And they're like, what?
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: like
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Yeah.
Ben Christensen: i think we like take for granted like especially as missionaries, we're so focused on finding people who are ready to join our church and make covenants and stuff that. We can sometimes feel...
Ben Christensen: frustrated at or antagonistic towards other churches, which I think is... is unfortunate and we maybe miss some of the good that's there.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: I'd agree with that.
Ben Christensen: well But anyways, I digress somewhat.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: But a big, really special thing that we have in our church is eternal families and that promise of. Okay, you you already know Jesus, but this is what Jesus can do for you when you make covenants with him.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: And... That's... It's the good news.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Yeah, it unlocks. So much.
Ben Christensen: Mm.
Darin Tingey: happiness and, you know, the. Continue on the covenant path towards.
Ben Christensen: Mm hmm.
Darin Tingey: Living with God again.
Darin Tingey: Before I ask my last three questions, I do want to... Ask one more about. the Our island visits that you guys did.
Ben Christensen: Mm hmm. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: So it sounds like the primary purpose was to... Go meet the missionaries, do some training with them. also kind of see how the work is going.
Ben Christensen: Yep.
Darin Tingey: Was there any like focus on. Okay, maybe we could... Turn this island where it just has a group into a branch or like have a group leader or a branch president
Ben Christensen: Yes! Yes, that was part of it. And I mean, obviously we as missionaries were not. authorized to do that, but we could go.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: do reconnaissance as it were and report back to and so i mean at the time I don't know. have has i know it was in the works that like a stake might be established like like the Southern Island stake with like Tabithawea being the headquarters. I don't know if that has happened or anything, but.
Darin Tingey: There's an... There's a stake that I think deals with Outer Islands, but I don't think it's headquartered in Tapatua. I think it's... North Tarawa, and it includes the Outer Islands.
Darin Tingey: I think.
Ben Christensen: Okay, cool. Cool.
Darin Tingey: If not, you should listen to my one of my latest episodes with Gage Dowdle, who just got home. We talk about it in there.
Ben Christensen: Okay.
Darin Tingey: I just don't remember what he said.
Ben Christensen: No, okay, well I should check that out. I'd be interested to hear that. Anyways. so So at the time... As part of a district, the Outer Islands were technically under President Larkin, right, as the as the mission president.
Ben Christensen: He was over that district.
Darin Tingey: Right.
Ben Christensen: And so he would send, and so it was him and Joshua Tune was his.
Darin Tingey: Counselor.
Ben Christensen: counselor in the mission presidency at the time. uh who's now uh area 70 i think anyways
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: So we would go out and yeah, part of what we would do is we would. talk to the missionaries about and talk to the leaders about hey how are things going how are Like we we would do our best to be able to be there on a Sunday when we could, so we could go to church and see what that was like.
Ben Christensen: i think I don't think we were always able to do that, but when we could, we would try to.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: and yeah it was exciting to be able to bring back to president larkin like especially like niku now like wow like here's an and envelope of a thousand dollars of tithing we were very careful not to lose that envelope we're like
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: but yeah to be able to see the faith and the prepare the preparation of these members and like hey they're ready for more like it's growing things are moving
Ben Christensen: And again, so we weren't, we weren't. you know Yeah. in that line of authority or whatever super privy to those conversations but we were able to provide some information and be sort of messengers in that in that sense
Darin Tingey: Okay. Yeah, no, I, again, I'm. I never wanted to be AP. But I always wanted to like do the the touring that you guys got to do of these other islands.
Ben Christensen: Yes, yes.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Obviously, it was work, but still. like to see
Ben Christensen: No, it was a...
Darin Tingey: like Yeah.
Ben Christensen: it It was a great blessing. It was very cool.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, it's like when are you?
Ben Christensen: Certainly certainly other parts of being AP, not fun. paperwork.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: The amount of time I spent in the Jenks' home.
Darin Tingey: Amen.
Ben Christensen: I mean, I love the Jenks, but...
Darin Tingey: Right.
Ben Christensen: they were they got I mean, there were there was a time or two where we were doing paperwork and they were like, hey, we need you to leave. This is our house. And we're like, yeah, fair enough.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, the...
Ben Christensen: So.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, I didn't envy that part at all. Just the part where you get to see so much of Kiribati. I'm like, man.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, that was that was really amazing, for sure.
Darin Tingey: up. like You probably never get to do that ever again, you know? The app.
Ben Christensen: No, no. I mean, I'm hopeful I might, you know. I'm in grad school and I have a child, so money is... is
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: is not not necessarily easy right now but i i do really hope i can go back to kitty best sometime soon and whether it's with this mental health stuff with elder sheffield that i can maybe assist with or or at least just to see the temple I'm.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: So excited for that.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Well, last three questions for you.
Ben Christensen: Okay. Go for it.
Darin Tingey: And I'm going to add a short fourth one in just because you got to see all the islands. but
Darin Tingey: the So we'll start with that one. wolf One, whoa. what was the most beautiful island you got to go visit or the coolest i guess either one
Ben Christensen: Oh man.
Ben Christensen: I gotta say, I mean, I have a special place in my heart for Aranuka. I do think Aranuka is very beautiful.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ben Christensen: I will say... Medicaid. medica is gorgeous and it's the emeron run like it's like the completely enclosed lagoon inside it
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Pretty cool.
Ben Christensen: And you go there and you cut the bun in like... it's like it's culture elders you have to bike the whole island before you can do anything else
Darin Tingey: Yeah, you got to do it.
Ben Christensen: and so that merike is very beautiful and i know that was special for elder hunter when we went because that was he'd served there for a while and it was cool for him to go back and see the people he'd taught there and butaritari butaritari was gorgeous and you know being one of the far northern islands i i wonder if it maybe it looks a little bit more like the marshals it was
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Darin Tingey: come
Ben Christensen: compared to the rest of kiddie bass especially like Southern kitty bass, like it is so much more like a tropical Island. Like there are bananas everywhere.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Like I, you know, I love.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: like Man, bananas here suck.
Darin Tingey: It's so true.
Ben Christensen: I was in Phoebus. Amazing. But on... Like, you know, it wasn't like bananas were super plentiful. Like, you know, on Tarawa you could usually find them, but on an outer island, like, you know, maybe the stoa gets a a thing of bananas and it's super exciting.
Ben Christensen: But Butaritari, there's just like bananas growing everywhere and it's very jungly and it's green.
Darin Tingey: So many.
Ben Christensen: And there's like, I saw a mango tree there and like all these things that you don't see in the rest of Kiribati.
Darin Tingey: So cool.
Ben Christensen: But Dari Dari was really gorgeous.
Darin Tingey: and Okay. All right. So it sounds like there's a few few in there that... Take the cake there.
Ben Christensen: yeah
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Favorite. food.
Ben Christensen: Oh.
Ben Christensen: dingy mayor i half cook like that uh like uh i may aurora that's the that's the kitty that's word for it or af cook the
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Darin Tingey: Half cook.
Ben Christensen: that's just like seared on the outside, but it's kind of still raw on the inside. It's like this the steak of kitty bass.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: I love that. And I loved your aura. you know.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. So good.
Ben Christensen: i love sushi now it's not quite the same but i can still eat raw fish here which makes me happy
Ben Christensen: And I do love a good Banny Mae. The Banny Mae.
Darin Tingey: Hmm.
Ben Christensen: Hmm.
Darin Tingey: Benny May is so good.
Ben Christensen: Yeah, I still I've not had breadfruit since I left Kitty Bess. i I heard that sometimes you can find it at like a Polynesian market or something in Utah, but.
Darin Tingey: Yet.
Ben Christensen: I never was able, I never. managed to find it. when while we were living in utah but
Darin Tingey: Yeah, that's true. I probably haven't had that since the mission either. Danny may really good. And then also it's like one of those things when you're at the, the boat dock, you're like, I can count on that being good.
Darin Tingey: And I'm not going to get sick.
Ben Christensen: Yeah. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: it
Ben Christensen: you know You know, even even if there's, you know, a can of corned beef or whatever.
Darin Tingey: Mm.
Ben Christensen: you can count on there being some anime and you can Fill yourself up on that.
Darin Tingey: and
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Exactly. So good.
Ben Christensen: so and you i may aora You can avoid that and eat the penime.
Darin Tingey: uh
Darin Tingey: Yeah. exactly exactly uh I think I know the answer to this one. but Favorite area.
Ben Christensen: Probably 8th. I love all my areas.
Darin Tingey: Oh! I did not.
Ben Christensen: how
Darin Tingey: I was thinking it was going to be Aranuka.
Ben Christensen: atannuka I love Dearly, but it was very hard. it was very difficult just
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: Feeling very alone. Some of the difficult emotional things related to like members leaving and some conflict with members and learned a lot and still love those people very much.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: And, you know, we're able to resolve some of those challenges, but. but also just like there's only a thousand people there
Darin Tingey: You just do.
Ben Christensen: And like, everyone's talked to the missionaries, right? And everyone's related to one another.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: And like, you know. Yeah. there's just a lot more there's a lot more people who are willing to be taught. or who are ready to be taught on Tarawa.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: and and part of eight that was you know being ap and getting to go cool places but
Darin Tingey: Fair enough.
Ben Christensen: and And some of the families I talked about, they're really special to me. so
Darin Tingey: Yeah. All right. Eitha. Eitha's a great, great place. Yeah. I did get to go to Eitha for a day.
Ben Christensen: Yeah. And you know, if anyone from my other areas is listening, I love you too.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: i needn gum mean epid but overall if i had to choose a favorite area eight that would probably be it
Darin Tingey: He... Yeah. Okay. All right.
Ben Christensen: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Fair enough. And then last and final question, what was your favorite thing about Kitibis?
Ben Christensen: I mean, it's cliche, but the people. And specifically, like... And I think some of this I've realized since the mission as I've continued to grow and mature.
Ben Christensen: and humble myself and there are just things about the people of Kitty Best that I admire so deeply and the aspects of their culture that they are rightfully proud of like they are proud of what a family -centered culture they have And wow, we in America, if we had a more family centered.
Ben Christensen: culture more supportive of our family members regardless of difference and etc they're proud of what a peaceful country they are and in a time of war and rumors of war and...
Ben Christensen: We live in a... I would say war -like. country and society. in which war is sometimes glorified, and certainly not always, but...
Darin Tingey: Sure.
Ben Christensen: in comparison to kitty bass uh
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: they're proud of being a peaceful country and of of you know they talk to you're like in america and stuff like that like
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ben Christensen: They're proud that... They don't have any weapons and that they are a peaceful and peace loving people. And that's something I deeply admire. and just the their love of and trust in God and Jesus Christ within the church and outside the church.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Yeah, culturally in general, yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: No, I think that's...
Darin Tingey: Yeah, I think those are all fair points. and Living in a... In a place like Kid Your Best, it it really... humbles you and realize and helps you realize like...
Darin Tingey: Life is simple. And. Your relationship with God can be simple as well. and That's something I've tried to remember. Post. post -mission.
Darin Tingey: It's just. Keep it simple. Well, Ben. You, uh... You had an incredible mission. And sounds like you were. a part of so many people's journey of coming to christ and and making those covenants and i I'd like...
Darin Tingey: to let you know that you've had a massive impact on the missionaries as a whole too. Everyone I ever talked to just has sings. Your praises. just What an incredible... missionary and leader you were. I'm i'm grateful that I got to meet you and like you welcomed me to to the mission.
Darin Tingey: It was super fun. So I'm i'm happy we got to... talk about on the podcast. And like, I got to hear your full story and got to really get to know it a little bit better, but. Thanks for coming on. And this was another great episode of the Allen's podcast.
Darin Tingey: Thank you.
