Transcript
Darin Tingey: All right. We are back with another episode of the islands podcast. Uh, it's been a few weeks since I've recorded and published. So I apologize. It's, uh, it's summertime and, uh, I probably should be recording and publishing more because all these kids are getting their mission calls and going on their missions. But,
Darin Tingey: vacation has taken over. So got super excited. Today we've got a legend from my time in the mission, Ken Osborne.
Ken: Oh, I don't know about that.
Darin Tingey: Yes, you are You are a legend. So ken give them give us a quick background on you. like Where are you from? are you living now?
Darin Tingey: what are you doing for work?
Ken: Yeah. Yeah. Very cool. So, yeah, I am from, I grew up in Moses Lake, Washington. And a small little town in central Washington.
Ken: And, and yeah, and i but i do for work, I work for a a, medical staffing company here in the Northwest.
Ken: We're one of the largest of just per DM staffing companies. So we just send a lot of per DM and welcome 10 on work when it comes to providers, physicians, but our bread and butter has mainly been nurses and and CNAs, licensed nurses, and we send them to all kinds of different settings where anything with long-term care to a nursing home or assisted living or to a hospital and different settings within within hospitals. And it also kind of, a lot of different ranges of, yeah, so that's kind of what what I do. And I help with the business development side of things. And then also with our scheduling and also our recruiting team as well.
Ken: So it keeps me busy.
Darin Tingey: okay where where in washington are you at currently oh really back back home
Ken: So I'm actually, and I'm actually in Moses Lake. So yeah, yep okay yeah, yeah. So it's kind of funny how it all worked out. I worked for a chain of nursing homes after I i graduated with my undergrad and it was over on the West side. So I actually worked over in Lacey, Washington for a minute.
Ken: And then what's helped them building over there and also North Bend and and the company that I was working for, we actually used the staffing services that we that I'm working with now, which is kind of funny. I knew the owner.
Ken: I grew up with the owner actually mowing his lawns. So it's a full circle, full circle.
Darin Tingey: No way.
Ken: And he called me when his his, he had a guy that I kind of took over his position and he went and randomly bought a different company and was like, hey, there's this position that's opened up.
Darin Tingey: That's cool.
Ken: Would you be interested in come back home? And talked to my wife and prayed about it, thought about it and we decided to make the jump. So we came back to good old Moses and and it's been good.
Darin Tingey: Let's go. That's awesome. and Where's your wife from?
Ken: She's from Arizona. She's from Peoria, Arizona.
Darin Tingey: Oh, yeah? Okay, yeah. I'm familiar. i grew up in mesa is so that's it
Ken: Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Good old P-Town. Good old P-Town. It's fun.
Darin Tingey: And you convinced her to move to small town Washington. That's a very different place than Arizona. Ooh.
Ken: Oh, extremely different. Yes. it It was a lot. Yeah. is It was challenging, especially not having a, you know, the necessities that you have over in in Arizona Utah, right? No Chick-fil-A, right?
Ken: No Costco.
Darin Tingey: Oh, man.
Ken: It's, yeah, it's... it's
Darin Tingey: Brutal.
Ken: it's It's brutal, but we have some.
Darin Tingey: Like you're back in Kitabas, man.
Ken: yeah
Darin Tingey: you Oh, there you go.
Ken: Have a nicer bed, though. Have a nicer bed. I will say a little bit of a nicer bed. But no, it's it's been fun. But yeah, it's she's got some good friends here. and And we've grown to like it. And it's been good. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Good. All right. Well, let's talk about the mission a little bit. What years did you serve?
Ken: Yeah, I served, so 2015 to 2017. So September 2015 August 2017. Yeah, my intake was... and august at twenty seventeen
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ken: yeah my intake was
Darin Tingey: And was that?
Ken: That was with Ellis and with Powell. We had like the big group of 14 intake. So we had myself, we had Johnson, Hoskins, Christensen, Graham, Behrens, Tomlinson, Larson, Powell, and Ellis and Sister Eubanks, Baldwin, Sister Eubanks, Baldwin, and Eubanks and Wamura.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ken: I think I got their companionships ready.
Darin Tingey: Man.
Ken: I'm pretty sure.
Darin Tingey: you guys You guys had a stacked intake.
Ken: it's It's been a minute.
Darin Tingey: That's crazy.
Ken: Yeah, we yeah it was it was so it was a blast.
Darin Tingey: The titans of the time.
Ken: MTC was a blast. We had a great time with everybody. It was it was a hoot.
Darin Tingey: did you Did you know anything about Kiribati when you got your mission call? or when you Dude, same.
Ken: No, I got, it was funny. i got my call the day I graduated high school, actually. So I remember coming back from, oh really?
Darin Tingey: Me too. That's actually crazy.
Ken: Yeah, it was, it was awesome.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, same day.
Ken: And so I got it and saw it in the mail. and I kind of opened it. i was like, oh, there's no way that it's in the mailbox when I'm coming back from grad.
Darin Tingey: Yes.
Ken: And, and there was, was like, let's go. and we got to call everybody and get them into the house. And so we got them into the house and, and it was at a time when everybody's getting the mission calls around that time.
Ken: And, So but we had a good turnout and it was a lot of good friends and family that were there. And and i remember opening the call and we, during my time with the guys that I was in my hometown, they were all going to pretty extreme places.
Ken: And we're talking Africa and and in Tahiti and and Paraguay, you're just all over the place. And i had I honestly had never considered that I was going to go to like an islands mission.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: I thought I was, my dad served in Germany.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ken: i he He taught me a little bit of German. I took a little bit of German and in school. Can't say any German now, so don't ask. you know I'm just going to...
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: I was really pumped to go over kind of either Germany or to Europe. I was kind of thinking something like that or stateside.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: and Then I remember getting the call and where the heck is Kiribati at? and i I had no idea where I was going. Initially, thought was going
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: and and initially i thought i was going to you know the marshals i remember you know how everyone is on the you know in the states where they get the flags and everything you know and so i remember getting more marshall yeah yeah and everyone's like oh where are you going because i thought when it when it read you know kittibus region like i thought it was like a region in marshals i didn't think it was a whole different country and so initially so for i don't know how long i mean
Darin Tingey: You get a Marshallese flag? mar island flag a Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Ken: for the first, you know, cause I got call, I got my mission call in June and I left in September. And so I, don't man, first, don't know, at least the first month or so.
Ken: And it was during a time with all the mission moms, right? All the, all the, that whole facebook moms thing that was was starting to kind of creep and get get you know start exploding i remember then and after a short amount of time kind of getting on that page and my mom was there and and uh you know people reaching out and everything finally realized oh man i'm actually yeah i'm not going to marshall islands i'm going to i'm going to kidibus so yeah yeah it was yeah that's crazy crazy times
Darin Tingey: Yeah, uh-huh.
Darin Tingey: Going to a whole other country. yeah
Darin Tingey: What's funny is you know, that's part of the reason Larkin changed the name of a mission to the Marsh Islands Kitabas mission.
Ken: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: That's because all these missionaries and their moms often getting confused that of which country they were in.
Ken: Yeah, yeah.
Ken: Yeah, I
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: mean.
Darin Tingey: There was another elder that just got teased endlessly because he took all his photos with his the Marshall Islands flag, but he went to Kitabas and he just got it has got teased so much by his intake.
Ken: Marsley's, yeah, it's like, yeah.
Darin Tingey: So good.
Ken: Yeah, it's funny because that's such that's very much just a Western thing.
Darin Tingey: Okay. So you...
Darin Tingey: To take a picture with the flag?
Ken: Yeah, like I remember talking to to you know Elder Barons. He was from Australia and the other, Elder Ellis, you know from New Zealand.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: And that's just not a thing that that people do.
Darin Tingey: Huh.
Ken: It's just funny. But anyway.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. What? Yeah. American. I guess we like to flaunt where we're going, I guess. I don't know.
Ken: Right, right?
Darin Tingey: so you, you're in the MTC September and big group, you guys fly to Kitabas.
Ken: Yep.
Ken: Big room. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: what was, what was first impressions for you for landing in Kitabas? When landed in Kitabas?
Ken: Man. I remember, so yeah, I mean, a lot of emotions, a lot of emotions come, especially when you look out the look out the window and just, you know, not exactly, not at all what, you know, you expect just this tiny, tiny little island and and, you know, and just tons of water. and and and i But I remember initially,
Ken: just when the door opened, just immediately feeling that heat. That's what I remember. So I, you know, growing up in, in so initially, you know, I was born in Canada and then lived and then kind of, you know moved to moved to Washington.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ken: And so, I mean, we're, you know, Central Washington is a lot different climate than the West side, but still nothing compared to what, I mean, nothing like like that kid of his heat. So I just, I i remember that was something that really kind of hit me was,
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: right when the door opened up and all of us kind of lining up and getting out and, and just getting hit initially with that. and then also just the, just the culture shock of, of you know, all the, all the honking. i remember, I remember just all the chaos of getting there and all that beep, beep, beep, you know, and and when you're not, not, you know,
Ken: and And different language. I mean, you know, I grew up here in in Central Washington where a lot of lot of Spanish. So, you know, a lot of Spanish speaking, but still just, it was, yeah, it was a, yeah, I but i remember the heat and it was it was a crazy experience.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, Kiribati is like just a language you've never heard. Your ears aren't used to it.
Ken: No, not even close.
Darin Tingey: It's like so, so unique that it's just like, whoa, what's going on?
Ken: Yeah. I mean, everything was different. Yes.
Darin Tingey: Did they take you guys to...
Ken: Yes. Especially since back then, I mean, I,
Darin Tingey: go ahead.
Ken: Oh, no i was going to say, it like, especially since, I mean, I've never, I heard about the Marshalls a little bit in school, but I didn't know anything about Kitabas. I didn't know anything about the language. I didn't, you know, it was 2015. twenty fifteen I mean, from what I could see, not a whole lot of stuff I remember on like YouTube barron on the internet.
Ken: It's funny. I looked at pictures, I remember, and my buddies were pulling pictures up and, oh, this is where you're going to and everything. And then I remember going, come back, and that's not at all what Kitabas is, you know, there's that.
Darin Tingey: you Yeah.
Ken: all these, there are all these mallins, all these other things. It's so funny how even back then that, and I, you know, I think things able to see change a lot now, but anyway, it's kind of funny.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, back then there was there was no resources for missionaries to like even figure out what Kiribati was.
Ken: rough still Yeah.
Darin Tingey: like You Google Kiribati Islands and it yeah like you said, it's like mountainous islands.
Ken: what
Darin Tingey: It's like not it at all. I guess that was another reason.
Ken: what I was seeing. i was seeing the most, yeah, all these different things.
Darin Tingey: That was another reason I started the podcast a little bit too, is to give missionaries some more resources to like hear about the mission because there was like nothing.
Ken: Yeah.
Ken: Yeah.
Ken: Yeah, that's smart.
Darin Tingey: Okay. So you guys go, did you guys go to Moroni High or maroni high School like first day, like they took you to Moroni?
Ken: Yep.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: Yep. Yep, got picked up and we had a pretty big pretty big group. So we had a a few cars and, you know, those old fun, can't remember what those buses were called, but it was those Toyota buses, the Hilasses, I think they were called and going and themselves picked up and going.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, stick shift and
Ken: and And, and yep, yeah, on the opposite side, that's still, yeah. that was And yeah, i got to Moroni and, And we had a big group and it was, a yeah, that's where we went. We went to Moroni and got all all the different calls of where everyone was going and on the whiteboard. and And yeah, and then I got called to Christmas. And I remember it was myself and Barron's, other Barron's, we got, both got called to go to Christmas. and And for the most part, I feel like a lot of people went all over the place.
Ken: and I have to take a look at different names and try and remember all the locations, but I know a lot of us, lot of the guys in our and our intake, they they went to to a lot of different places, which was which was kind of fun.
Darin Tingey: Who was your mission president when you started?
Ken: but
Ken: Yeah, President Weir when I started. Yeah, President Weir and then a transition.
Darin Tingey: Was he there when you landed?
Ken: was, remember man i remember she was there? i don't know if he was there, but I i never remember seeing him oh when we went to Moroni.
Ken: yeah I remember we we got a picture with him and Moroni and all of us all got together because it was like, I think, and I can't, i mean, don't quote me on this, but I think it was one of the biggest intakes. So they got the whole picture and the whole nine and everything. And and I don' remember where he was there, but I can't remember if he was there at the at the airport.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. So you, yeah, you split your time pretty equally between Ware and Larkin, about a year each, right?
Ken: Yeah, yeah.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ken: Yeah, it was a pretty yeah pretty good pretty good split in between down the middle with both Weir and with Larkin.
Darin Tingey: So real quick, before we go into Christmas, quickly just run through your areas of where you where you served. Christmas, then...
Ken: Yeah, so I served Christmas and then I got called to mock in.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ken: And then after after Mak'in, and then I went to Butaritari, there was a small stint where, so I did go to Mak'in, and then i I went back to Tarawa for a little bit of a transfer. And then I was there in Abateau, in Tabatawai, just for, don't know, like a number, a couple weeks or so.
Ken: and then went back to Mak'in.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ken: I was with Elder Carrington there in Abateau before he went home. And then went back to Mak'in and then went to Butaritari, and then went to eight to First, And then after eight to first, uh, I thought I was going to finish my time at eight to first, and then they called me out to, yeah, they went to, to kind of that talk we at the, so yeah, yeah, yeah.
Darin Tingey: Okay. So you got all over the place. So it it is kind of funny. Like you get Tarawa and they're like, Elder Osborne, you're going to Christmas.
Darin Tingey: And you're like, okay, great. Where's that? And they're like, you're going back on a flight to Fiji, right?
Ken: Yes. Yes. Yes.
Darin Tingey: You just came from Fiji and now you're going back.
Ken: Yeah. Yeah. I remember, man, it was, I remember when I was with, yeah, Elder Barons and i remember a lot of elders were saying, Hey, just get ready to, you know, enjoy that hot shower when you get it.
Ken: When you, when you're in the hotel, enjoy the hot shower and enjoy the Maccas.
Darin Tingey: and
Ken: That's what they were, you know, Elder Barons was all pumped about hungry Jackson Maccas. And, and, and,
Darin Tingey: Maccas.
Ken: go and get a mean feed over a Mac is. And so that was, that was a fun time. So we, we got there and yeah, I was not expecting to, yeah I didn't get to my area for, cause I was still at that time I was still in, we were still in Tarawa for,
Ken: Man, can't remember if it was like a week or so. We were still in Taddewa for a minute. We were doing splits and and with elders there and in eight, I want to say. And then before we finally got on our on our flight, because I want to say back in the time that for from Fiji to Christmas, it was only...
Ken: one flight a week, something like that.
Darin Tingey: OK.
Ken: So we we've got back from, went from Tarawa to go to Fiji and then Fiji to to Christmas.
Darin Tingey: Did you spend a few days in Fiji or just a day?
Ken: Yeah, we spent we spent, I want to say a day or two
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: It wasn't too long. I want to say about a day and then, and then stayed in the hotel and that's where we got the shower.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: And we stayed at the hotel that was right there by the airport and we got picked up. i remember by the the airport elders over there. And yeah, it was, it was a fun time. And that's when, yeah, that's where I was with, with, with Barron's and yeah, we had we had we had a hoop. It was fun.
Darin Tingey: Fiji is pretty incredible. I mean, just, just flying through there to go to Tonga recently, i was like, dang, this would be sweet. Like what a, what a cool place and, and very different than Kitabas, right?
Darin Tingey: Very mountainous, very jungly, beautiful.
Ken: Yes. Yes.
Darin Tingey: would have been tempting to just stay there for a second. Uh, but,
Ken: yeah Just missed the plane flight for a little bit.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Oh, dang it.
Ken: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Dang it. sting it
Ken: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Okay. So you go to Christmas and, you know, again, probably a little bit of a culture shock again to be on Christmas because also different than Tarawa. Where in Christmas were you serving? How many missionaries were there? Was there a senior couple? What was that like?
Ken: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I was. So I remember when I got called and they were telling us where or everyone's going, they brought up the campaigns and everyone was super stoked. They're like, yo, going be with all the PD, man. He's the, he's the man. This is going to be great. And, and, uh, it's funny. I,
Ken: i we we get out there and yeah, we had, it was myself and my trainer was, was Sonny Petey. He was the man. He was a Maori guy from New Zealand and just, just, a just like a mammoth of a dude, like in the sense of just built different. I mean, he could just take anybody out. I mean, and I was just this skinny twig from from Washington, right? and And it was myself, him and Barron's and Afatasi.
Ken: and And it was funny because Afatasi, Elder Afatasi was Elder Petey's trainer initially, which was kind of funny.
Darin Tingey: Okay. Kev?
Ken: And as it was like full circle, everyone all back back in the back there. and Yeah, we had there were so there were there were eight elders. There was four companionships and two in Tapakea, one in Banana, one in London.
Ken: And there was there was a mission. there was a senior couple's house that was there kind of behind the chapel over there in Tapakea, but no senior couples were there.
Darin Tingey: calf
Ken: So that's where Afatasi and Barons were living at. So they were living there because Elder Athatasi was the DL. He was a district leader. and And then, yeah, and then we had Elder Dharam was there with Elder Hungai.
Ken: And man, there's just a hoot. There was just a blast. It was it was awesome. And then, or no, at that point sorry at that point in time, it was Johnson.
Darin Tingey: Hungai eventually came over to the Marshalls. Okay.
Ken: Sorry?
Darin Tingey: I would say Hungai eventually came to the Marshalls. I met him there.
Ken: Yeah. Oh, man. Elder Hongai was just the man. He was the man.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: He was just the coolest dude.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: Just down to earth. You know, I mean, just heart of gold. You know, pure love of Christ. Just charity. And just got along with everybody. You know, and so I got confused. So it was really, it was Elder Hongai. And I'm i'm forgetting.
Ken: whose companionship was because initially it was i think it was elder darm and then it was was it dinsdale that was there with hungai i think it was dinsdale with hangai and then johnson was with elder darm and then it was uh that was the that was the group but i want to say that was it man it's been a while like i feel like i should have prepped more with uh looking back at all the all the different missionaries all different places but we had we had a blast it was it was great
Darin Tingey: and No, that's great. so well what So what area did you cover with with other PD?
Ken: I covered Taba Kea Wawa.
Darin Tingey: Okay. What was the church like at the time on what that you served there?
Ken: Yeah. Yeah.
Ken: Yeah. We had, it was a, it was a ward and the work was, it was growing. We, over there in Taba Kea, we had a lot of, we had a lot of work and, and other, know, other PD was just,
Ken: he He didn't know how to stop. he would just He was grinding. so And he would yeah just work, work, work. And he had a really cool story because he was a convert to the church.
Ken: And, when you talk about opposites in every sense of the word from me and him, I mean, you know, this is super, you know, just jacked Modi guy from a really cool part of the world. And this skinny kid from doesn't know anything from, you know, from Washington and, and grew up in the church, you know, and supported, like i you know, get emails and messages and packages. And like, you know, my family was just super supportive and super happy with what I was doing. And, And his parents would, you know, i remember maybe he would get a letter here and there, you know, he would get emails, but you know, like I think his family definitely supported him, but was not to like, it was not to the same degree because his family wasn't members of the church. He was converted by a really good friend of him from his, from what I remember. And he was just, man, he was just a,
Ken: He went through a lot that, you know, I don't know if I could have gone through that, you know, without that kind of same kind of support that I had. And so when you look and he was just, he would grind and grind and he just, yeah, it was, I was so grateful to be with him because he, he didn't, he would put his foot to the, you know, foot to the ground and just go. And it was funny. He was more of a,
Ken: not like he was more of a brother where a brother is there to like an older brother that wants to lead you the hard way because he loves you. Like he wants you to succeed, but he doesn't want to, he doesn't want to sugarcoat anything.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: He wants to be straight with you. And he, you know, he's doing it because he, because he loves you. So he's going to be hard on you because he loves you. i remember he would, we would go to dinners.
Ken: I remember my first, and first little bit and, you know, and he would tell people before, Hey, get all the stuff that, you know, don't cause Christmas was, you know, you elders that were serving, they were pretty fortunate to have cargo and have certain types of foods.
Darin Tingey: Right?
Ken: you know good meals, but you know, Petey wanted me to kind of get, he didn't want me to get comfortable. You know, he was always, that was his favorite saying is like, I remember coming up in the morning and we get done with something right before we get out the door.
Ken: He's like, you ready to be uncomfortable today? was like, Oh, great. Yep. I'm ready.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: Let's go. And he had just, he was, that was his favorite saying, like, that was more, we're going to get, get ready to be uncomfortable today. And so he would just, he loved doing that. And so what he would do is he would go to all the members' homes and and I have no idea what's going on.
Ken: I can't speak a lick of kid of this. right and and He would tell them all the food that I need to get comfortable and you get used to eating.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: right and so We would go around and eat. and then It's like, oh, dude, that was that was rough. you know and He would tell me, hey, how was how was the food? it's like, oh, I'm not a big fan of this, this, or this. you know just you know He's just kind of, and I didn't think, you know and he's taking that and going back to the family's homes and saying, hey, make sure next time you feed him this, this, and this.
Darin Tingey: More of this.
Ken: Because he's telling me, because we would go over the fuck couple times, and he's like, oh, did you like, oh that food was great. i was Let's do that again. he's like, so he's oh, I'm going to tell the families, make sure you're good. I'm like, nope. Did he do that?
Ken: Nope. No, he got me used to it, and and you know i actually really appreciated that. But yeah I remember him doing that and him telling me out. you know And then eventually, right, you start picking up on stuff, and you're like, wait, no, you're not you're not telling them the things I like.
Ken: You're telling them the things i hate and and all that fun stuff.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: But it was fun.
Darin Tingey: It really sounded like it really set the tone for your mission. Do you feel like that feel that way?
Ken: Yeah. Yeah. you know he Yeah. And I was with him for, I was in Christmas for about little over six months and I was with him for a vast majority of it.
Darin Tingey: Wow.
Ken: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: That's a long time.
Ken: i was with him for yeah close to, I want to say, yeah, I was in Christmas for a good amount time and I was with him for easy four or five months. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ken: So it it was really weird when i went when i when he got called to, cause he got called after that to go become the AP right after he was with me.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Darin Tingey: That's right. That's right.
Ken: and And I remember it was it was a tough goodbye because he he was a tough goodbye. it was funny. We had our – I remember – It was funny, man.
Ken: Oh, I'm going to be, this is going take a long time. I have like all these stories and things I want to talk about, but he, i remember this one time we were going and, and I wanted to, he was going and he was talking about, Oh man, let me think about it.
Darin Tingey: This is great.
Ken: He, we were going and he would, uh, you know, he would, what man, now I'm blanking on what it is. The, the, where you get together and you, as a companionship after, after, uh,
Ken: Like the one-on-one basically, you know I'm saying?
Darin Tingey: and Yeah, yeah, yeah. That compares to inventory. inventory complete Inventory.
Ken: Companionship inventory, okay?
Darin Tingey: Is that right? Yeah, it
Ken: Well, I feel bad that I didn't know that. Yes, yes. So we're getting together and I remember it's of our first companionship and inventory, right? And he's going, he's like, so is there anything that's that's that's bothering you that I'm doing?
Ken: And I, and I'm like, he looked at me just very menacing. Right. Just, is there anything, what, what, is anything I'm doing? It was like, Oh no, no.
Darin Tingey: yeah not at all.
Ken: He's like, well, have nothing with you. So we're good. And that was, that was it. Like, like two seconds. That was the companionship inventory. No, like not this. And, you know, and obviously the, you know, the, the reason behind it's not to just start grilling each other.
Ken: Right. But just to, if there's things, you know, and so I didn't know that initially he just didn't want to, he was not a very touchy feely, you know, dude.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: Right. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yep.
Ken: And I was a total mama's boy. Right. So I'm all about, you know, talking about like, what's going on the honey here? Hey, can I, can I help you with this? Or am i bothering you with this? Or, you know, and he's just like, just dude, shut up. We're working, we're grinding, we're baptizing.
Ken: We're, you know, and it was great for me to kind of be with him. But I remember one time there was a few things. Like I remember we had this little crappy Nokia phone, right?
Darin Tingey: Yep.
Ken: And he would, we'd go on lessons and stuff and he'd put these a little alarms or whatever in, and it would just go off like in the middle of lessons and all these other things. And it drove me crazy, drove me absolutely crazy. Cause it was like, dude, why do you have this on?
Ken: It's, it interrupts things.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: it it's It's just, you know, and I remember bringing that up to him one time during our, uh, during the companionship inventory that i wanted to have after we initially went and i remember i brought up this i brought up that he wouldn't fill the back tire up on my bike and so i would just you know i'd try and fill all these like well i'm filling it up for it but he wouldn't fill it up so just this so i i'm just throwing myself on this bike the phone all these other things and i remember we get back to the house it's raining one day it's just a rough day and and i come up to him was like and this is when we had we initially were in
Ken: in a stick house. There was like the stick house that was there on Christmas. And then we we moved over to like an actual house. And I remember we go in there, but after i don't know how many months in the steakhouse, we transfer over to the other house. And I think it was the sister's old house.
Ken: And when we're there, all of a sudden, I'm kind of, I'm starting like just grilling into him. So I'm just, it was one thing after another, i'm just super upset. And I just, in in my feelings, and all of a sudden the lights just turn off, just, you know, just shut off. And it's just the dark between this this this guy and me. And then I was like, you know, it didn't, you know, and then all of a sudden it was funny how just after that,
Ken: you know everything i was saying and then he kind of talked with me back and and and we had a great discussion and and realized you know how crazy i was being over these dumb things that he had a reason for everything he was going over everything but yeah mean i i really loved working with with other p he taught me so much and he helped open my eyes to what's really important and and really honestly a big thing was you know obviously get used to setting the tone for being uncomfortable and and and um
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: And also just, you know, forget yourself and get to work, you know, not, you know, he but he would take a little bit of time to email home and stuff like that.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: But I wanted to take, you know, Matt bought this whole time to email because I missed my family and everything. And he just went short and sweet and he just kind of kept it short and sweet and would go. And, you know, I just, yeah, I appreciate everything that he was.
Darin Tingey: what
Ken: He was a great guy.
Darin Tingey: What was the alarms for? I'm curious. did he they ever tell you?
Ken: Yeah, he would, yeah, he would, yeah. Now he would do these alarms and, and The alarm was for, it was it was honestly for his personal thing when he would, I remember from, I'm trying to remember correctly, of when he would, because it would be at random times of the day.
Ken: Sometimes it'd be at a lesson, sometimes it'd be just while we're biking. And he said it would be times for him to stop and like ponder on what the day is are going and and forget about himself and say a quick little prayer, like in his heart, you know, and just, and just,
Darin Tingey: Wow.
Ken: and figure out what he, know, and think about what he can do better. And it was kind of just a physical like reminder for him too. That's what he would just kind of do at random parts of the day. And it was, yeah, it was something that I've known no one else that I work with ever kind of did anything like that.
Darin Tingey: That's pretty cool.
Darin Tingey: You're like, fine, I'll let that slide. All right, you can keep doing that in the lessons.
Ken: Yeah. Yeah. yeah and And just realizing like all these petty things that I was just being petty when had all these, you know, that's the cool thing when, you know, it really helped teaches you to kind of get over yourself when you're with a companionship, you know, and there's things that, you know, might, might annoy you, but when you actually sit down and, and are transparent, have a good, honest conversation.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: And when you you know truly love each other, you know, then you're, you're going get things figured out. So.
Darin Tingey: With, with a, a big group of elders on Christmas, did you guys get together every P day and like do some fun stuff? You guys go fishing or anything?
Ken: Yeah, we, yeah. PDAs on Christmas were a blast. Yeah, we, every, sometimes what we would do is every once in a while, I can't remember it exactly, but I remember we had a van and I remember Afatasi would just haul that thing, right?
Ken: And we would go on Sunday night and I don't know if we were supposed to do this. So, President Alarkin, I hope you're not listening to this.
Darin Tingey: A little P-Day Eve. A little P-Day Eve.
Ken: <unk> and and every once in a while they'd get all the all the others together and we'd either stay over in like Tabakea or stay it was mainly Tabakea or over in like or over in in London and kind of, yeah, like once a month or once every so often and kind of have just like a fun, fun P-Day with everybody.
Ken: Because a lot of the times it was mainly, for the most part, you know, Tabakia together, right? So a lot of it would be like me, Afatasi, Barons, and then P-Day, right?
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: and then And then the other elders. But every once in while get together. But yeah, we had a and we had a blast. we There was a number of members out there because fishing is huge over there in Christmas, right? So
Darin Tingey: Oh yeah. Big time.
Ken: we We had a lot of lot of people love to go out fishing. And even President Weir came out one time, I remember. And we went out fishing with President Weir, which was just a blast.
Darin Tingey: So cool.
Ken: And had these pictures of these just these massive fishing you know fishing rods. I'm not the biggest, you know I'm not an angler, right? I'm not a big fisherman, but...
Ken: know, never, the only fishing I've really done was out there in Kitabas. And, and I mean, the thing weighed as much as me, it felt like, I mean, I'm just trying to get there. And I remember we caught a shark. I have this picture with this big old shark, you know, and just holding it.
Ken: I mean, it's just, wild stuff. And it was a, yeah, we had a blast.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: Yeah. PDAs were, and there's a really cool bird sanctuary. I remember it out there, was way far away. And i remember we did it a couple of times and we went out there and there's this on this park because Christmas is pretty big.
Ken: Like I didn't realize how big Christmas is until you kind of look at them, you know, until you're there and then you're actually driving around and doing a bunch of stuff.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: And, and it's a, it's a pretty big outtone. So we got to every once a while we would do is we would do some pretty cool exploring all together and try and do that in the the morning. Cause Petey was all of it.
Ken: He was not about, staying at the house or, you know, just chilling like you. And that's when I was g glad because I was kind of the same way. I kind of wanted to go and try and do something fun, know, especially you know she since it's such a cool place.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: Right. i mean, when am I ever going to go to Kitabas again? So we wanted to, you know, really kind of live it while we could, you know, so we wanted to enjoy every moment, but it was a blast.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, that's some one thing i regret from my first Outer Island experience, which is funny. My first Outer Island was actually in Kittlebiss, even though I started in the Marshalls. And then my second Outer Island was in the Marshalls. And in Kittlebiss, I honestly didn't go fishing that much. And I totally regretted it. And so when I went out to my second Outer Island, I went i did a ton of fishing. I was like, this is a once in a lifetime experience. Like,
Darin Tingey: like you said, when am I going to be in Kitabas again and the Marshalls again like for this amount of time my life? i just You got to experience it. and
Ken: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: like Obviously, you want to keep mission rules and whatnot, but at the same time, it's like, hey, like this is a this is a once in a lifetime. like I'm not anything crazy. I think it's okay. you know i' Sorry, mission presidents, but honestly, like that I think any anywhere you go on your mission, like you should – take advantage of being there in a good way.
Darin Tingey: but like experience it, right? Like if you're just sitting around, like that's a terrible experience. It's a miserable experience. and I think people like, I think they, they want you to, as soon as like where was a little bit more on board of that, of like experiencing kid of this, let's go fishing, right?
Darin Tingey: Like Larkin didn't really do that that much, at least not with me or I never saw it, but,
Ken: Mm-hmm.
Darin Tingey: I think he was more okay with it. it was like outer island. like If you're on an outer island or like Christmas, like little more okay on Tarawa or Maduro, like main islands. I feel like it was a little more like, okay, you probably shouldn't do that because someone might see you or whatever.
Darin Tingey: But anyway, that's my tangent.
Ken: Mm-hmm.
Darin Tingey: Did you guys have a lot of success on Christmas?
Ken: Yeah, we did. we had we had a good amount of, yeah there was a lot of cool work to be done. And I heard this one, we have this one story where I was actually, because Petey was, he was big on just, you know like I said before, just grinding and and, you know, talking to everybody.
Ken: You know, he was, that was the cool thing about him is he never shied away from any conversation.
Darin Tingey: Thank you.
Ken: You know, he see anybody you You know, he was super confident and super nice and and so funny and just had the coolest laugh. And I'd love to – after this, I really – after talking about all these different things, I'd love to get on the phone with him and talk with me it because it's been years since I've reached out. and be But, yeah, he was just such a cool guy. And and so we'd go out and – and I think that was a big reason why we saw success was ultimately just because of him.
Ken: know, he just – he – You know, he didn't shy away from any, didn't feel embarrassed, didn't care, you know, because the cool thing is he was a convert, right? So a lot of, you know, a lot of, a lot of rejection or a lot of, you know, things that would come our way, you know, he would just blow right off.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: Like, like I did the same thing and I'm doing this. So let's, let's do it.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: And he was very direct. and That's one thing that I appreciate it because I'm not a very, you I was not a very direct, you know, I'm definitely kind of being around the bush a little bit and doing this and, oh yeah, would you like to come to church after talking with him for, i don't know, I feel like for how many months finally I get to the question, he would just go right and do it, right?
Ken: And so he he was great with that.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: And I remember talking to, we were going and a cool, uh, cool story we have from her name was Addis and she was this this older gal and and they're in Kitabas and we initially when we were we were just biking and remember we were biking back from the house and and she gave him a hard time she flagged him down and she's like man, why are you biking so fast? Just take it easy. Just slow down. Enjoy life. You know, you're only here for so often because it was, you know, and he comes back and and and we're going back and we're talking with her. and And she's like, just off the bat, you know, you can come in my home.
Ken: I have no interest in what you guys talk. I've seen you come around for years and nothing. You see that church over there, kamisu? That's what I'm a part of. you're You're not changing anything here, right?
Ken: and and and and then we started you know visiting and he loved it because he he just he was all about just the challenge right so he would go in and he's like oh we'll see we'll see and you know come in and set these little things know these little seeds here and there and come by and do some service and because he's i mean the guy's built like a tank right you need to lift anything build anything do anything you know you call pd he'd be right there right so we're going and anything you need come by and
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: And I'm over there, you know, I remember. But yeah, so we initially were there and and we and she visited a lot of the times we were visiting and without anything necessarily in return. Right. Like, no, we're not going to give any kind of lesson.
Ken: We'll, you know, he'll just do some service, you know, say that and do things and then kind of just dip and we'll go to the next thing.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: He was very much like kind of a. And so we were doing that and and over time, she was just you know just more and more curious, wanted to know a little bit more about us. She, after a couple of months and then and she's like, you know what, my son is a struggling with a few things.
Ken: and uh i would you know you guys are pretty good examples you guys are on the same age it'd be pretty cool for you know him to i don't know i'd be i'd be curious to see what you have to say and but uh so we were teaching him and she'd be kind of in the background right she'd be kind of the back of the house and and okay in this and then that and and eventually you know and we're going there and
Darin Tingey: Yeah. yeah
Ken: And then eventually we we baptized her son and he was coming out and, you know, he had, it was just amazing. Baptized his son and he's coming out and he's going on on splits with us, with other members of the you know priesthood and and and just a stalwart member.
Darin Tingey: Wow.
Ken: and then And then he was really drilling his mom and and he's like, come on, like, you know, what what's the worst they can do? And and she was really hung up on. on the comments who right next door, right? Cause the comments, they were you knowm always, cause that's the one thing I also don't really understand with kid of this is just absolutely zero privacy, right?
Ken: It's something I just never, I mean, we're talking about here, Western, right? You have your home, you drive your car, like, you know, you're, you're secluded, you have conversations and you know, you go, whatever, everything's just open.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Yeah.
Ken: Right. And it was not something I was ever used to.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: and And so she was really, you know, really, you know, man about that and did not want anyone to know that she was, you know, and ever going to change religions, right, because, you know, her family died as kind of Sue or all this other things. And I'm going to, you know, going to do the same thing kind of thing. And, and but eventually, we were going in and and and but this is the cool part was this wasn't just like a it was a slow you know a small seed right and eventually started to grow and grow and grow and and then right before i left on my out christmas she goes and she's like you know you're gonna it's so funny we're biking this and by this time i'm with other paris i'm with a whole new companionship and the pair is like you are gonna baptize you're gonna baptize me and then going in and it's like you know and we're bringing and we're At this point in time, we're doing way more lessons. and and everybody no You're going to baptize me. This is going to happen. and You're going baptize me like today. Let's go. and She's running to the water. it's like let's let Let's go. thats get we got A few things we've got to...
Ken: tighten up right now right and then but no it was yeah she was amazing and she i think at that point after she was i got it was cool because in kitabas you know when after i serve on christmas you know she would give letters to other missionaries right that's how you know and they give them the missionary would then keep that letter on you know and then The thing is, right, we're talking, you're talking snail mail.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: This is snail mail, right?
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: When am I going see this other sister or this other elder, you know, months and months and months later, I ran into them in a random split or a random day before I go on another flight.
Darin Tingey: yeah Yes.
Ken: And then I would get these letters and it was just, it was cool. And I found out later that she was the Relief Society president and she was just killing it. And yeah, it was so much cool stuff over there on Christmas.
Ken: I was,
Darin Tingey: That's incredible. That's an incredible story that like you got to see from this lady who said, I'm not interested in what you getting baptized before you leave to she's sending you
Ken: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: letters. That's how you know it's like awesome, strong convert. Those are almost the better ones. The ones that take way longer because that's how you know they're truly converted.
Ken: Oh yeah.
Darin Tingey: They like really are interested in what you have to say.
Ken: No, it was.
Ken: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: And that's awesome.
Ken: Yeah. No, shest she's, she's.
Darin Tingey: So you go from Christmas to Makin, right? So you go Christmas to Outer Island.
Ken: Yes, yes. we I remember I was with, because when I was with, so right before I left, I was with Perry, Eric Perry, who's just the man, right?
Darin Tingey: Okay. Yeah.
Ken: And and he was in Ono Toa before he came to Christmas, right?
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: So I remember he had... you know, he was racking and raking in the dough, right? Cause he's, he can't buy anything, anything on Onotoa, right? So he has all this cash. So I remember he's coming, he's looking like a drug dealer. like, I got stacks, dude.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: Let's go hit up J and B's and just go crazy. Right? So I remember we're going in and I remember when I got the call, you know, and, when I got the call that we're goingnna I'm getting transferred Makin, we're flipping gold together.
Ken: you know he he calls pancakes gold, and we're flipping gold together. And he's like, dude, we got you're going to have a blast and in Makin and go to experience your first Outer Island. So i was i was excited.
Ken: Obviously, you know Christmas had a really big part of my heart, especially since I was there for such a good amount of time and and great memories.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: But I was excited for that that transition. And and and go kind of experience her first the first island. and And it was very you know very different up north.
Ken: you know, tabunia, right? Very much kind of, you know, black magic and, and you know, and and ghosts and all this fun stuff, right?
Darin Tingey: Mark in.
Ken: And, and and man, I thought that Christmas every once a while, like, you know, rain for the, mean, now that i'm thinking, I don't, it did, I remember a number of times it did rain, but nothing like makin and butaretare.
Darin Tingey: Hmm.
Ken: I mean, it was all all the time, all the time. And so, and I wasn't, you know, was very different over there. And, you know, I remember at the time and i was out with Elder Nauer.
Ken: Elder Nauer was my comp, and and man, was he just the man. And I was with him for a short stint, and and he was, when you talk about, you know,
Ken: Yeah, I was with him for a short period. I was with him from – now I've got to look through my thing because I'm curious as to how many months I was. I wasn't with him for too, too long, but he was he was a really cool guy. And, and yeah, Makin was great.
Ken: There was a lot of – Very different though. The one thing that was different, obviously it was a, it was a very small, at the time. Uh, and when I was, the church was, yeah, church was not nearly as, as strong and mucking as it was on Christmas.
Darin Tingey: The church.
Ken: And so that was definitely a big shock. Also, another big shock was just the outer Island itself, right? Not, you know, and I was used to write P day, right? You get together with your boys, right.
Ken: And, you know, you're hanging out doing, doing, you know, doing, doing, um,
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: P-Day and lot of great members and just a lot of things to do. You know, in Maquin, it was, you know, myself and my companion, the family that we lived with, you know, we lived with a family. We were right there on the water though which was pretty cool. We were right there on the ocean. We had a beautiful place.
Ken: And, But a lot of the days that Naur liked was hanging out, which we did and in Christmas, but it's just a little different. We would hang out with like a few key families because there's only so many families that were pretty, you know, still were like active members of the church.
Ken: And so he was really big on on kind of maintaining those relationships and cultivating those relationships, keeping them strong.
Darin Tingey: Sure.
Ken: And, you know, because we didn't teach too, too many lessons. We were kind of, we were we were, a lot of it was, a lesson here, a lesson there, but Naur was a little bit different than Petey, you know, like just grinding and just talking to every single person.
Ken: Naur was there for a good amount of time. He was like, yeah, that person, know, they have nothing they don't want anything to do with us and this, and you learn the culture from different people in different ways. And so, but yeah, I kind of, the word and kind of, it kind of slowed down a little bit when I was a mock-in.
Ken: feel like at that time,
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: you know, Elder Naur, he'd go out and do Koro Karebe. So he'd wake up really early and had me wake up and do like kind of, it was my time to kind of go and do some more culture side of Kiribis rather, so was little, that was, I appreciated that. And then after Naur, you know, then I was with Elder Karirik and he was a Kiribis elder from,
Darin Tingey: Oh,
Ken: man, where was he from?
Ken: beou He was from Badu. And yeah, he was he was a cool guy. And, but yeah, and
Darin Tingey: How was that for some, some McKin small islands, lot of Catholics.
Ken: small island.
Darin Tingey: If I, I remember correctly. Yeah.
Ken: Yeah, lot a lot of Catholic. That was a little transition too. Yeah, what a lot of Catholic.
Darin Tingey: yeah Cause Christmas sounds like there wasn't very many Catholics, mostly Protestants.
Ken: It's kind a mix, right? Like a healthy mix.
Darin Tingey: Okay. Okay.
Ken: I feel like lots of different kind of, you know, more of a mix, definitely. Not so much concentrated in one religion, like how Makan and Bhutataitari were.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, very, very Catholic. Yeah, a lot of rain, so probably lot a lot greener than the rest of Kitabas.
Ken: Oh, beautiful, beautiful island, yeah.
Darin Tingey: you got a little glimpse of what the marshals look like right there because that's what the marshals...
Ken: Oh, really? Yeah.
Ken: Yeah.
Ken: Yeah, we were biking. Yeah, we were biking and not...
Darin Tingey: OK.
Ken: Yeah, there was a decent amount. I remember it got to a point where eventually we started actually going off of Tekebu, which was kind of of a little islet north of Mak'in.
Ken: And we wanted to kind of...
Darin Tingey: up there.
Ken: Yeah, a little... We wanted to go over there and... and try to not necessarily like reopen because it was already kind of open, but just trying to do a little bit more work here and there every, every so often. So we would go out there myself and, and now we're in a little bit more with me and, and other Carderican, and, yeah, and then definitely a lot more with when I was with other, other current, but, yeah, not too many towns, not too many little, it was, it was more, of a yeah, kind a smaller little, little, Island, but I remember a lot of big,
Ken: A lot of big, grand Catholic churches. And very, yeah, it was a lot different than the churches that I saw over in Christmas.
Darin Tingey: Oh
Ken: And a very ornate and very, lot of cool things. And I remember the Catholic, you know, the catechists and stuff over there were, you know, pretty hardcore, right? I remember talking to a few people and they would immediately come and talk with them after saying, you better not talk with those guys.
Ken: And it was it was just a different vibe.
Darin Tingey: my gosh.
Ken: People over in Christmas weren't as intense. as it was over there in Makin and Butari Tari. It was a lot, yeah a lot of more people not really sure if they want to talk with us. And and it was yeah was it was it was challenging in that aspect for sure.
Darin Tingey: Did you guys get invited to a lot of botakis, a lot of parties?
Ken: Yeah, more so from not so much from the community that I remember, but a lot from like members, like from a few member families that were there.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ken: But nothing is crazy. Like I got, him we got invited a lot more when I was in Putaritari,
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ken: which is a little different.
Darin Tingey: and what
Ken: So
Darin Tingey: What was it? there Were there other missionaries on Butaritari when you were on Maken?
Ken: yeah, there were, and I'm trying to, and I can't, I can't remember where there
Darin Tingey: Okay, because I know sometimes at some point, like sometimes missionaries on Butaratari would like go up to Makin and then come back. Like they were covering both.
Ken: Yeah, yeah.
Darin Tingey: But it sounds like you or guys were just solely focused on Makin.
Ken: Yeah.
Ken: Yep, solely focused on Markkane and solely focused on Bhutari-tari.
Darin Tingey: What was it like having Kitabas elder with you on the Outer Island? where Did people respect him as a missionary or not really?
Ken: Yeah, there were there was. There you could there was a definite a definite difference when we would go around and visit with people. and And it was cool. i got to I got a lot of time to really kind of sit back and be somewhat of a fly on the wall with that because i would i would I would try to notice. i started kind of getting over time, you know, try to notice lot of the all the little things that they do, you know, try to notice like, you know, their mannerisms and, and their little, you know, kind of,
Ken: I would just try to, I would try to mimic a little bit more, you know, at that point in time, I'm trying to copy a lot of things that they would do.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: And, and, you know, and in, in, you know, te te mean like they have different sayings and makin and butari-tari compared to, you know, other, other same with kind of te-te-meyak, right? So it was a little, little different.
Ken: And so i' catch on on a few things and they loved it, right? When you talk in the different, you know, different, you know, cause I'm trying to remember when, you know, when you go to bed, right? When you, when you sleep, I'm trying remember the, the,
Ken: version but kobu or like if if you're full you know kobu instead of you know different things like that so they would and uh but yeah it was it was they had a good time and it was it was fun kind of working and seeing those yeah they did and they did
Darin Tingey: Oh yeah. Uh huh.
Darin Tingey: In a good way or bad way that did they?
Ken: i would say I would say in a good way. Yeah, I didn't see too many.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ken: i didn't I didn't catch any negativity or things like that. I know that, yeah, I didn't catch any kind of negativity from that, no.
Darin Tingey: Were there any cultural things that you did that he would just be like, no, Elder, we can't do that?
Ken: name
Darin Tingey: Or that
Ken: That I would do or that he would do?
Darin Tingey: yeah that that you would do? And you were and he's like, no no no, no, like totally against the culture or like that.
Ken: Yeah. A big thing was i would, like when it would rain, like hard hardcore rain, he would not want to go into people's homes.
Ken: and And so I just, so the thing is though, and mo in Mach-In, it rains all the time. i just felt like we're just doing nothing, right?
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: So we would get there or he would do a lot of like, kind of combust, like he would, he would, you know, do a lot of small talk to like, you know, or a lot of just,
Ken: you know getting with them and chatting up a storm and really chatting it up where it like, okay, we got to go. Let's pick this up little bit, especially since was with Petey for so long.
Ken: We're not wasting any time. Same with Perry. We're not wasting any time. We just got to be direct and go for it. He took things a lot slower, which I wasn't used to.
Darin Tingey: Mm-hmm.
Ken: And then and especially yeah the the rain thing because you know that was something I never got used to. So I remember getting a rain jacket because before it was it's so hot and muggy that i sometimes I didn't really want to wear anything, right? Because you just want to, you know, just so hot. and But I would try and wear things to...
Ken: you know, so I wouldn't be wet. So I could have the excuse to then go in people's poems, right? Put on my little hood and go in there, but he would not have that. So it didn't kind of defeated the purpose. I stopped doing it. But I do remember at times in, in Makin and Butari Tari, it would get cold at night.
Ken: Like i remember it was actually nice. That's something i never got used to was just sleeping. I would just be being so hot, you know, sweating your eyes and just, you know, and sleeping like that.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: I, I never got used to that, but in luck yeah, I actually got better sleep. It was, it was a lot cooler temperature over there.
Darin Tingey: did you have a Did you like so staying with the family, like a host family?
Ken: Yeah, we didn't yeah we we weren't like in we were kind of a separate. It was so funny. Both homes, we were across like a street, across a little path.
Darin Tingey: Okay. All right.
Ken: So we weren't all together like in the same little unit, but we were kind of, we were, i mean, really close. you know right You're right there. You're walking distance and you're you're an earshot away from them. But...
Ken: Yeah, it was it was nice. We helped kind of helped with the culture a little bit. And and and yeah, i it was it was good for, yeah, I enjoyed it.
Darin Tingey: that was That was how it was in Mayanna. i We lived with a family, but across this across the the path is where our house was. So they'd have us over for dinner all the time.
Darin Tingey: it was kind of funky. They were partially, like some of the family came to church, some of them not. Yeah. When Yosua Tune came, they all they all came to church.
Darin Tingey: you know I'm sure he was like, I got to show up so I can get my paycheck for this rent.
Ken: yes Yeah.
Ken: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: But it was fun. They fed us a ton. and it was it was I really enjoyed like being a part of their family because you got to experience just a lot more cultural things that that you wouldn't have if if if you weren't with a family.
Ken: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: How long were you on McKinn?
Darin Tingey: Okay, yeah, that's a while.
Ken: So it was it was it was a good amount of time in Makan. I wasn't in Butaritari for as long. I was in Butaritari for just two or three months.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ken: But, yeah.
Darin Tingey: Which island did you like did you like better? Yeah,
Ken: That's a good question. i I enjoyed... I really like Bhutatytari.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: Yeah, I really like Bhutatytari.
Darin Tingey: why
Ken: I felt like there was... i don't know. The people were a little... Yeah, I don't know. that's like It's just... It was a different...
Ken: It didn't feel as people were more welcoming, I felt like. People were more open to you coming in and speaking with them.
Darin Tingey: yo
Ken: People were more, there wasn't, like, I remember it was really sad. Like, when i was in Ma Khen, remember biking down, and it was during Sudai. And I remember, you know, going biking, because you know all the kids, right?
Ken: They all want shit all high five, right? I remember going high five and and practicing without using your your hands and on the bike and being, you know, that that goofy white kid, right.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: in emmaung And Ima Thang and kid of us. And so I'm doing that and high five on all the hands. And I remember this, this, this cut the case went in and he hit all those kids hands for touching my hand.
Darin Tingey: No way.
Ken: No. And, and, and, and, those kids, you know, coming down there and just, just nasty.
Darin Tingey: That's crazy.
Ken: Right. And, you know, i'm I'm not going and trying to, you know, do anything negative. I'm just trying to be, you know, happy, nice guy. And so it, I just, that's something, that's something kind of took a little bit of a toll on me.
Ken: And Bhuttharitari, we actually had you know we had a bat we had a couple, the work was a little bit better with baptisms and the members were a little just a little bit different. and and And so, and the cool thing with Bhuttharitari, you know, there's a funny story we have.
Ken: i was So I was training Elder Shaney and Elder Shaney is the man.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, I know, Shani.
Ken: it's really funny. So Elder Shaney, he, so my wife served her mission at in their ward.
Darin Tingey: Oh, no way.
Ken: And yeah, my wife served. It's so funny how small the church is in that way. But yeah, she was serving her mission in Virginia. He's from Virginia. And I remember she got invited to, I think he was the word mission leader, her dad, his dad, Shanie's dad, I want to say.
Ken: I can't remember exactly, but you know she went over, my wife went over there often. And just so funny how everything would kind of went full circle. But I was with Shanie and in Bhutari Tari, I don't know in the middle, like in late November, like around Thanksgiving time, they
Darin Tingey: That is crazy.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ken: theyre They celebrate, you know, from World War II, they celebrate when the Marines came in and took out the Japanese from the garrison, japanese the Japanese garrison during World wo War II. And i remember it was during that time and everyone was, there was this, you know, big botak, big botak over in on this in this huge manyebe on Butari-Tari. And we're we're biking and and know i am and I'm very, I'm clueless. I didn't know this was going on.
Ken: You know, we just got to the island. You know, I was only there for just a short amount of time. And like, oh, you guys go into the boat? Let's go. was like, okay. It's like, because everyone we're teaching, everyone everyone's just at this, everyone's there.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: Like, okay, we're going to go. And we get there. And there's this older couple that's sitting right now. It's you should go sit by the white people. Like, what white? There's a white people? here so I'm the only white person here. No, there was this older white couple.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: and And they were from Australia. And they had this yacht. out in the lagoon.
Darin Tingey: Oh, cool.
Ken: And they were there specifically. So they were traveling throughout the Pacific and they went to Tarawa and said, what are all the different islands? What are some cool celebrations that are going on different times of the year? Like, oh, you guys definitely got to go up to Botaritari. They have this crazy botak for when, you know, when the the Marines liberated the Kitabas people from the Japanese. And so it was a huge thing.
Ken: So we're sitting down. it was like It was a really cool experience. And so, and the Kitabas people just love Americans, right? Especially over there in Botaritari.
Darin Tingey: Oh, yeah.
Ken: They're like, you know, you saved our people. And I was like, I didn't do anything. i'm from canada and uh yeah and and all this fun stuff and i do i do have my citizenship so i i do i am american okay so you can't can't give me too much of a hard time but we're going and it's just so funny right and they're you know praising us for not you know i'm not doing anything right and and we're going and you go she'll sit next to this couple so we sit next this couple and we're chatting and then they're like hey
Darin Tingey: All right. All
Darin Tingey: right. and
Ken: do you want to come out for dinner after this? Like for, you know, one of these days we're here for a couple of days. do you want to come over to dinner tomorrow? And I was like, yeah, like, let's go, you know? And I'm telling Shaney.
Darin Tingey: That's so cool.
Ken: And so we go in and we go on this like sailboat yacht, but it's like a big boat. Right. And they come up and they pick us up. And I remember was the first time I had like ice water and vegetables and like ever.
Darin Tingey: Oh, yeah.
Ken: No, we had some vegetables, some
Darin Tingey: The feeling in your mouth of ice cold water, weirdest thing ever.
Ken: Oh my, oh my goodness.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: I haven't had ice water, Because by this time, you know, was in Bhutat, I thought I was in Ma Khin for, you know, a long time. a de i mean, not a crazy amount but a decent amount time. So, you know, and so we're going, this is about November, you know, and and we're there.
Ken: And and so we're going and and it it was it was fun. I mean, we they had dessert. We even we haven shared a lesson. It was my first time sharing a lesson in English. It was like the most bizarre backwards thing.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: And we're going and we took some pictures with them and took a picture of the boat and, And it was just this really cool thing didn't last really long and then got back. And then I remember, I think it was Elder Shaney, and it was right when we were getting ready to go back for the the Christmas party that all the missionaries are going from all the islands to go back to Tarawa, right?
Darin Tingey: Hmm.
Ken: so we're going and elder shaney's going over all these cool experiences we're riding motorcycles for church we're doing all these things and other osborne's just doing this and he's just you know and then all of a sudden he's like oh yeah another osborne took us out we took all and went on this boat on this young and president's like what president larkin's like what did what did he do and he grabs me it's like elder osborne never do that again never well on a stranger's boat ever again and and you know because and then he started going in all these things right we're talking about kidnapping middle the pacific no one's here you know all these stories right and i thought about it after i was like i put shaney in it i put myself and shaney in a terrible situation if something went bad but obviously everything went everything worked out it was everything but yeah he said next time elder osborne
Darin Tingey: Hmm. Yeah. yeah
Ken: never go onto another person's boat in the middle of the, in the middle of the lagoon and get that.
Darin Tingey: That is hilarious. Oh my gosh. that I mean, how cool though. You got to have dinner with them. like I remember being on Outer Island in the Marshalls and we had multiple people come on their on their yacht.
Ken: Oh.
Darin Tingey: They're just sailing the world. you know That's what they're doing.
Ken: Yeah.
Ken: Oh, wow.
Darin Tingey: they were having The church was having like a fireside that night and like a little birthday party. And so they came. And they had just...
Ken: Oh, wow.
Darin Tingey: It obviously just come from Kiribati because the woman was decked out in her Sibuta.
Ken: Oh, yeah, i yeah. Yes, yes.
Darin Tingey: Like, oh, we're Kiribati here.
Ken: yeah yep
Darin Tingey: And I was like, oh, that's awesome. But it's just so fun. that that How cool. that it's like They went to Tarawa and they said, where are the cool cultural celebrations? Oh, Butaretari.
Darin Tingey: And then you got to see them...
Ken: yes yes
Darin Tingey: probably an insane botaki and then have, have dinner with them. Also, did you tell Shani like, bro, what the heck? Why are you telling president all this stuff? Like, let's keep it on the low, low, you know?
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: No, I never did. i never did. it i It was really funny because he was going over all these fun things that we were doing. you know, Grant, I'm not, you know, we're not doing anything crazy, right? But it's just funny that he brings this up and, you know, brought that up.
Darin Tingey: Right. Yeah.
Ken: And he's like, oh, man, Elder Osborne, we had the craziest dinner when with this, you know, and and then he's just going, what? What? What? Say that again? What did you guys do?
Ken: And yeah, it was super fun and we had a blast. Yeah, Elder Shaney was just the man. He was a very quiet but soft-spoken, kind dude, just a kind-hearted dude and super into like apps, like designing apps and creating games and super smart, like super smart kid and doing all these cool things.
Darin Tingey: Huh.
Ken: And yeah, he was i really enjoyed I really enjoyed working with him.
Darin Tingey: did you Did you have any mangoes on putaritari or
Ken: it's it It's funny. i never did, but I heard about it, but I never got to experience the glorious mangoes from from the north. i never I never got to do that.
Darin Tingey: What about, I always ask every missionary that served on Buttaritari, but are the women actually as beautiful as the the rest of Kitabas says? Interesting.
Ken: they definitely like to like They definitely show it off a little bit more. Let's just say that. They they definitely are you know dancing and doing the Botox and you know doing all the fun stuff.
Darin Tingey: Interesting.
Ken: But yeah it's it's it was it was funny. we had to there like i remember only on Butari Tari did I ever have any anyone... ask me like with their with their i remember we were we had there was this one family they were like so when you go back like you can you you want to take take my wife as as you know take my daughter as your wife that kind of thing never had that before except for when i was there it was just it was it was a funny i was it was a fun time
Darin Tingey: daughter yeah yeah
Darin Tingey: it is funny because like you hear the stories that be like it probably like doesn't actually happen and then it happens to you and you're like oh they're like legit like like they're being serious you know
Ken: Well, I, yeah, I, yeah, you know, luckily, and right, it only happened, you know, like that, just that time when I was there in Pottery Tuddy, but yeah, just, I mean, and I'm such an awkward dude that I just, was like, I just was, wait, what, what, what are we, what?
Ken: No.
Darin Tingey: a
Ken: And, but you don't want obviously, right you don't want to come across as, right, you want to be respectful and fun, but it was, it was a a lot of fun moments over there.
Darin Tingey: That's so good.
Darin Tingey: you Sounds like you had a little bit more success on Butaridari than you did Makian as far as church...
Ken: We did. Yep. As far as church goes, yeah, we had we a little bit more, little bit more success over there.
Darin Tingey: So getting, okay, so after but buttaridari you go back to Tarawa, right? This is when you serve in Eita.
Ken: And Atha. Yep.
Darin Tingey: I mean, this is crazy because it's like a year and a half-ish into your mission. And is that right? a year and a half-ish and you're finally serving serving on Tarawa?
Ken: Yeah, it was
Ken: yeah was a good amount time. Yeah, it was a good amount time.
Darin Tingey: Like that's basically saying a sister a sister started with you and like you never saw them.
Ken: Yeah,
Darin Tingey: But I mean, besides like the mission reunion and stuff, but you by I probably just didn't see until they went home.
Ken: no, it was... No, it was it was different. I wasn't, you know, that was something, it was great to see, you know, besides all the barons, you know, I didn't really see anyone from, you know, my my intake. So it was it was a blast to kind of go back to the title. Plus, obviously, you know, seeing, you know, President Halleck and then, you know, going to President, you know, Mama's place for the whole dinner. And that that was just the coolest experience, but also just being able to have all the elders during Christmas and seeing them all and, you know, get together. And it was a, it was great.
Ken: So, and then they, and yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: And then they, they ended up, you know, once when I was there, that's when they then said, you're going to stay, you know, I thought I was going to go back to Bhutaritari with Shaney, but then Shaney ended up going back. And it was great for him to go back.
Ken: And, and it was, it was, it was hard because man, I didn't i just, I, like I said, I was only in Bhutaritari for just a short, you know, three months or so, two, three months. And I could have been there for longer. I had a blast. We had, the house was cool.
Ken: i don't know if you've ever heard about the house. Did anyone ever talk about what the house situation was like over there Bhutaritari? Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Is it the, is it taller house?
Ken: Yeah, it was like this, it was like this, yeah, it was this, yeah, it was like, a yeah, exactly.
Darin Tingey: don't know. A double decker.
Ken: it was like a double-decker, not like a Kitabas-style, like, you know, you know, you know, house, right? Like the, you know, but it was, yeah, it was, it was very much different kind of makeshift than they built it kind of like a little tree house where everything on the bottom was what you were, you know, your day-to-day kind of, your desk for that and little cooking things and things like that.
Ken: And you kind of climb up this thing and have this cool area right here. And it was just, yeah, it was awesome. And, And then we were right on the water and, you know, we had their little bathroom area and then, and our little stove, the little kerosene stove that smelled so bad.
Darin Tingey: Yep, yep, I ain't talking about.
Ken: And, the and, and yeah, no, it was, but it was, it was cool. And the cool thing was because, you know, obviously, you know, Makina and Butari Tari played a pretty pivotal part you know, in, well, obviously a lot of thought but just during that time in World War two you know, there was, there was like shipwrecked planes and shipwrecked, you know, a bunch of cool stuff that you could just go and walk around and when it was low tide and everything. And yeah, it was, yeah, but that I thought it was just a, it was a cool place.
Ken: It was a cool place.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, just a really cool island to explore.
Darin Tingey: Okay. you get transferred back to Tarawa, right? You go in for the Christmas celebration. You end up not going back out. You go to Eta again, like kind of your first time really serving on Tarawa.
Darin Tingey: Uh, was it a, an exciting adjustment are you kind of sad to just leave that you've been in outer Island for so long, you know?
Ken: Yeah.
Ken: Yeah, yeah. It was it was kind of a bittersweet, right? it was fun to, you know, i was I was excited to see the other elders and sisters and just other missionaries that I served with and and other just missionaries in general and kind of experience you know, experience, because before ma in buttatai right like we' we were kind of like the branch president, right?
Ken: So, you know, there was a very small units and and, you know, leading church and it was a grind. I mean, Sundays on Putari Tari, you know, we would go to all the different villages and we'd have to ride a, we'd have to rent a motorcycle because church would be all day long.
Ken: Like church was all day and Makian church was all day.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: So like it was a grind. and And so it was, part of me was a little, you know, the bad part of me, right. The, the flesh part of me was a little relieved to, you know, kind of experience what like a ward is like and be, be where, you know, the memory of where it's more organized and, and not have to play such a pivotal role potentially like in, in the organization of the church, but kind of just be a missionary, if that makes sense.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: You know? So I, that's something I was kind of a little leaning towards.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: and then when I get there, obviously was, but then, i you know, you bring back how it is such a cool, I mean, because Outer Islands and and living those experiences, you know, you really don't get those again. So I was, I knew that it was going to be tough to not necessarily have that, especially since I knew when I was coming out that I was, you know, potentially most likely going to finish my time off in eight or at least on you know title i didn't think i would ever go back so i was like it was it was kind of tough but but exciting and and you know wanted to experience then and then eight to first was some of the most success that surprisingly i've seen like we saw like we baptized
Darin Tingey: Hmm.
Ken: multiple families, like full families.
Darin Tingey: Really?
Ken: And, and, oh, it was amazing. Like a to it maybe we had a so much success when I was there with, I was there with Elder Otto and he was the man.
Ken: And I first was there with Elder Sangapolu just for a short time. And then, and then I was with Reind Elder Yosefa.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: And Yosefa was just the man. And Otto was the man. And Sangapola was just the man. Like, I just thought it was cool. We just, just great guys to kind of get together and and be with all of them. And yeah, a lot of good work. But no, I was also in the same house at the time with Elder Hunter and Elder Christensen.
Ken: And so it was just, yeah, it was just... it honestly, there was parts where, you know, we'd go to dinners together and sometimes, but it was weird to be, it was fun to kind of be with other elders when you get back to the house.
Ken: It kind of felt more like college in a way when you get back than it did, you know, i don't know, maybe that's not the right way to think about it, but it was kind of fun to kind of get together and, and talk about how your day was and also learn about the language because, you know, Christensen and other, and the little hunter, know, cause I was training at the time.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: So it was nice to kind of get their input on a couple things so i could help with other song pull up with other auto a little bit help with other yosefa and get some you know some feedback and we're able to be there at the house and and and um
Darin Tingey: were they APs at the time Hunter and Christensen yeah yeah that's
Ken: Yeah, it was it was cool. I remember ripping around and and President Larkin's Toyota career was at a Corolla or a Prius or something like that. And I remember we needed there were times where Elder elder Hunter and Elder Christians that needed us to help out with a few things like a little bit like administrative stuff with APs.
Ken: And so we would kind of be like the backups. And so whenever they call like, Hey, I need you to go quickly do this, this, and this. was like, dude, put the shades on just rip around or get in the, and again, the truck.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: Right. And just do that kind of fun. So there was, there was aspect of that. I thought that was, it was kind of fun and, you know, and rolling over those, those speed bumps and just put it back in third gear.
Darin Tingey: Oh my gosh, the speed bump is the worst.
Ken: You know, just, you know,
Ken: and you know elder auto just you know holding down putting the seat belt on i'm just going free you know it just it was fun so no but yeah the work was crazy lot of fun lot of families uh some of the some of my best memories uh with family convert baptisms were there in eta and and a lot of lessons taught a lot of just good lessons for me like to help me out as just as a missionary and as a person and and yeah a lot of great lot of great memories there
Darin Tingey: Did you teach any students from Rona high school?
Ken: Uh, no, not as many as like, no, not, I know that president was, we were, you know, really kind of focusing on not trying to, you know, necessarily teach a lot of teenagers and a lot of kids that were kind of trying to get in there.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: But, so we would, yeah, we would, big focus was on families, but it was pretty cool that we actually got to, you know, see that success with families.
Darin Tingey: Focus on families.
Ken: Cause we had a couple of kids that were in school, you know, like that we taught their, you know, the parents and, and they were there. And, but, uh, Yeah, it was, it was pretty cool.
Darin Tingey: So I came to Kiribis when you were in Ata.
Ken: Yes.
Darin Tingey: That's when I met you briefly.
Ken: Yes.
Darin Tingey: i think we had had a P day together at Moroni, which is where I i met you. Cause I came with five other elders kind of as like a in prep of your intake leaving and another big intake leaving that summer.
Ken: Yeah. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: And funny enough, we actually I had Otto as a companion eventually too. So we had...
Ken: Oh, i yeah, yeah. Dude, crazy artist.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Oh, insane. Yes. Very good.
Ken: Crazy artist.
Darin Tingey: he's a Yeah, he can draw...
Ken: Yeah. super talent Super talented.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, he it's funny. he So he came out. I had Elder Tui Kulavatu first.
Ken: Oh, two, yeah. Two is the man.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, Tui is the man. and he So he was with me on Mayanna for two months. and Then he got transferred off and Elder Otto came.
Ken: Okay.
Darin Tingey: And the first thing Elder Otto says to me, he goes, he like he got gets up the plane, Tui gets on, and Otto's like, I hate Outer Islands. And I was like...
Ken: yeah he was He was happy to be on Thudder with me.
Darin Tingey: yeah nine
Ken: I remember that.
Darin Tingey: yeah I was like, welcome to my Anna, bro. Like, or it's all right.
Ken: yes Yeah, yeah.
Darin Tingey: That's first thing you said. I'm make you love it. And I think by the end, I think he did end up loving it. But he was like, I hate Outer Island. So I was like, well, this is a great start.
Ken: Oh, that's so funny.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: Oh, that's funny. Yeah, I remember Eldorado. Yeah, he was... Yeah, I got along with Eldorado really well. And yeah, just a quirky, smart, super artistic. And yeah, was a funny guy.
Darin Tingey: Who was the
Darin Tingey: who was the Kitabas elder that – so when I came, there was a Kitabas elder with you. Elder Batawa?
Ken: Yeah, I'll tell him. Yep.
Darin Tingey: What is it?
Ken: Yep. el patel yep
Darin Tingey: That's right.
Ken: Yep. Pretty boy, but pretty boy, but Tawa like everyone had, you know, pretty boy Smith, you know, Canada Smith.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: Right. I call them pretty boy, but Tawa cause I had my book that I, you know, people sign in all the selfies were like, you know, he's doing all these faces and faces and the slicked hair and, and he's just, you know, just, you know, total skunks, right.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: you
Ken: That's what, that's what PD would call Mike. Cause that's the total skunks of an elder, and And, yeah, he was he was he was rad. He was super cool to be with. And he was yeah he was a vibe. Every time we'd do anything, he would yeah he was cool. I was only with him for a short amount of time, but it was fun being, know, were kind of in a trio.
Ken: For trio and then, yeah, you were kind of in a trio for just for a minute there.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, he... he's a pretty good looking kid of his kid of his guy. Oh yeah. He, pretty boy with that
Ken: Oh, man, yeah. All the girls wanted to talk to Elder Batao.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: Whenever we go to that, all like oh yeah, everyone wanted a piece of Batao.
Darin Tingey: Oh yeah. He, he actually eventually came to the marshals for like a week. He got sick or something. So he came when I was back in the marshals. It was fun to see him again, but yeah, he, uh,
Darin Tingey: He had some sickness and stuff, but yeah, yeah i remember him being a total stud. i remember you i you and him came to Moroni when I was there to like fix your tire or something like that.
Ken: yeah here's this time?
Darin Tingey: i don't that's It's crazy I remember that, but like that's my memory of you and Alder Potawa.
Ken: Oh, yeah?
Ken: Dude, I have bad luck with tires for some reason. I man i had issues in in Christmas.
Darin Tingey: It sounds like it.
Ken: I got bad luck with tires. I still do. I don't know what it is, but that's funny.
Darin Tingey: no Oh, that's too good. Okay, so you thought, you know, yeah you had a great success in Ata and you thought you were going to finish in Ata and then President throws you a curveball and says, you're going to finish on Tarawayeta.
Ken: Yep, that was pretty...
Ken: You're going to the same island that your dad opened. You know, because Petey opened.
Darin Tingey: Oh, cool. PD opened it, huh?
Ken: He opened kind of a, yep, yep. And, yeah, he just absolutely crushed it there. And I feel really bad. I know who his companion was.
Ken: Blonde, good-looking kid who's like a total stud.
Darin Tingey: Kitchens.
Ken: I know he has a bunch, not kitchens. He has a bunch of brothers. He was he was training that Elder Petey was training the elder.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ken: and And I feel really bad. He has a bunch of brothers. I follow him on social media. He's just a total stud. And he was out there training when when they opened it up. He's big into traveling. He's a super cool dude. Pick up the language really quick. And just, yeah, just a cool guy. But anyway, it was him and Petey.
Ken: And, they went, uh, and just absolutely crushed it, crushed, crushed it. I mean, they, know, it was very much similar kind of instances as Tui and Kitchens when they went to Taraina, right?
Ken: They're just, just, great work and, and, and, um,
Darin Tingey: Yep. yep
Ken: And people were, yeah. So it was it was cool. It was cool to kind of be there at that time, like post that and just witness the amazing work that that he did because you could tell that he put his blood and sweat and tears into Kainebe. I mean, when he was there and and and the way the missionaries, you know, the the way that the the members not only, the cool part that I loved about it is that they they didn't talk about Like they they obviously talked about him.
Ken: Don't get me wrong.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: They loved Petey, but it was more so, you know, like the gospel that they talked about. Like that was the part that I was like, you know, it wasn't because, you know, obviously you know this and a lot of missionaries know this, like, and it's something that you try to not necessarily – you know, make such an influence where the members, you know, they tie in their relationship or like the gospel with the missionary rather than like the gospel.
Ken: And sometimes there's sometimes there's like it needs to be like kind of a disconnect there.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: And, you know, because obviously PD is not going to be there forever. Right. And obviously all of us aren't going to be there forever. and And there's obviously going to be someone else. But and so that's something that that can be hard. And so knowing when I went there and that they were just solid to the core without him there, it just showed that how much work that he did to make that be super successful and and the foundation that he laid to make that successful rather than just, you know, being the cool guy that he is and getting baptisms and getting it. And then they all kind of flake away, know, like he he did everything right. He did the right way, the right way, him and him and his companions. So it was cool to be there at the at the tail end of that. And I was there with Elder Fafita and then Elder Haycock.
Ken: And yeah,
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ken: yeah and both both elders just for kind of a short period of time but haycock was he was the man and although fifita was the man it was cool to be with them for the tail end of of my mission and and it was cool to get really much of a like an ebook experience out there because you know
Ken: you know because i we actually you actually it was very much outer islands out there and kind of it which is kind of funny it wasn't like
Darin Tingey: Interesting. Yeah. You're like, I'm on Tarawa, but like not on Tarawa.
Ken: Yeah, it was it was it was very, very Outer Island out there.
Darin Tingey: Hmm.
Ken: it's like the most Outer Island experience I had for those you know those few months. which was which But it was also cool too, you know every once in a while, don't know, allowron to like maybe once or maybe once or twice, I can't remember exactly, but it was very limited, on get on the get on the on the wall you know and go out to and and travel over to like for a random p day or a random thing you know every everyone you know like i did a couple of times but i really wanted to you know because it was it was cool at least have that where you could very much be an outer island but then you know once every you know once a transfer or something you could like go out and still
Ken: you know, have a fun P day with the elders and then come back that same day kind of a thing. It was a, it was kind of a cool best of both worlds, but yeah, the work was great.
Darin Tingey: That's cool.
Ken: There wasn't a lot of, you know, work necessarily like baptism wise, cause I feel like everyone the island got baptized. So a lot, all I was,
Darin Tingey: Oh, really? Like that that much success, huh?
Ken: Well, crazy success. everyone was Everyone was either baptized or like a kathikis in their religion, it felt like, you know, like a higher up in their religion. Like there was only, don't know, there's only like 200 or so people on the island and it felt like everybody was a member.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Interesting. Wow.
Ken: And it was a small little small little island, up you know, part of there, but yeah, everyone was a member. So a lot of the work we were doing was mainly just, you know, revisiting the lessons from the, you know, recent convert lessons.
Ken: and a lot of service and a lot of visiting the families and kind getting there, but not a whole ton of actual lessons like what I was used to. Because what when I was over on Tarawa, Eta, it was just lessons all day. I mean, we were doing like 50 plus lessons that felt like a week, 50, 70 lessons a week. it was We were just crazy.
Ken: We were getting baptisms every week. i it was wild how busy we were. And, and it was, it was different to kind of go from that to something where there's not a whole lot of work necessarily that like investigator work, but so much work to keep this little community unit, like super strong because, you know, it could be, know, potentially like something could happen and, and it kind of all, all shatters, but they were there, but they were solid though. Like it was, it was cool to be, yeah, part of something like, and see the, see the work that he put into that. So it was, it was a cool experience.
Darin Tingey: That is cool. Yeah. See a different side of Tarawa, little Outer Island experience to finish it off with a little bit of so of a slowdown in your work.
Ken: Yeah, yeah.
Darin Tingey: Well, it sounds like you had an incredible mission.
Ken: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: I always ask the the final three questions that I want to hear, but what what was your favorite food in Kiribati?
Ken: Favorite food? Good question. i would say like, obviously, Deca, but like, I love like half cooked over rice.
Darin Tingey: hmm
Ken: half week over ice with like a crispy Moemoto, like a Sprite Moemoto, know i'm talking about?
Darin Tingey: yeah yeah a little carbonation
Ken: Those things. and And that was, yeah. Exactly. And, and, was, that was my favorite, but yeah, anything like half cooked fish over rice was, didn't really care.
Ken: I was, I was all over that. I just tasted so good. Or, you know, like the, like there was some cool like turtle that I ate that I actually thought was actually pretty good.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, turtle. Yeah.
Ken: which, you know, i talked to, is so funny. Like I talked to my wife about that and she thinks I'm a terrible person. She's like, how dare you?
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Cool.
Ken: You, you are the worst. You know, she loves Hawaii.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Ken: We're there because we went to school. we both went after we got married. We, the day after we flew to Hawaii and and we were finishing, she finished up school and everything and graduated from BYU, Hawaii. And that was a cool experience in herself because our neighbors were from cannabis.
Darin Tingey: full
Ken: So that was cool. But I remember talking about stories and, went over this with her and, and are going over visiting our neighbors who were from Kitabas. And, and she's like, how, how could you, you were just terrible. And it's right when we get married, it's like, Hey, well, you already married me.
Ken: So you're, we're stuck.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: You can't, you know, no back in the middle.
Darin Tingey: Locked in.
Ken: And it was, it was pretty funny, but yeah, i would definitely say those two were definitely top, but I mean, that Aurora, like there's so many good foods out there. Yeah. It was, is it's good.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Yeah. i Side note, when I went to Tonga, I found some like the the breakfast crackers that I ate like every day on my Anna.
Ken: Well, punjas?
Darin Tingey: Yeah, I had punjas, bro. I brought some back.
Ken: Dude, punjas was some spam, dude, or whatever the the but one thing, i'll but I'll be honest, I don't know how some people like it.
Darin Tingey: Yes.
Ken: i was not a fan of Ox and Pong. Oh, man.
Darin Tingey: Dude, what?
Ken: no like i know i just i could not do it especially oh i could not i just never got around to it and i remember this one time we went to a house and this was on this was on but that it was a mackin i can't remember but they they really wanted to like show out for us right so they're like we got all the fixings and what was it it was oxen palm just not cooked just raw oxen palm and in
Darin Tingey: Cannabis delicacy.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yep. ra Yep.
Ken: canned goose like what it said in the and on the picture of it it said canned goose with bone and i took a picture like there's no way anyone's gonna believe me if i don't take a picture of this it was canned goose with bone oxen palm and rice and so man like the my proportion was like 10 oxen palm 90 rice i'm just mixing that in there acting like i'm you know eating it and it was brutal but
Darin Tingey: yeah
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: You know, I was not a fan of like canned, the canned foods out there.
Darin Tingey: Can't meet, yeah.
Ken: Not the biggest fan, but any kind of fish, like fresh fish cut.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: I don't care how you cook it. I don't care what you do with it.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: I'm all for it. Like just put it on a plate and serve it. And I'm happy. That was good. And that was always good for me.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, the the oxen palm, the corned beef, man, that's a delicacy and Kiribati. That is fancy stuff.
Ken: No, I, think I know, I know. And I was like, you know what? Call me a...
Darin Tingey: That's so funny.
Ken: Yeah, don't... Yeah, it was brutal. not Not a big fan.
Darin Tingey: All right, fair enough. Okay, fish, fresh fish. All right, sounds good. what What was your favorite area?
Ken: Yeah, that's... You know, it's so funny. i remember I was listening to a couple... and and and a number of your podcasts and, know, trying to prepare on which area I was going to say.
Ken: and i I couldn't come up with... You know, I couldn't come up with a great answer. i I'm going to say... I'm going to say Christmas just because it kind of was a little bit like foundational for me with, with other PD and kind of, I feel like set this tone, but then also, you know, going out and, and all that, I mean, every single place had a special place in my heart.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Ken: So I, I can't, I don't know if I can say like a specific definite answer, but yeah. i i was I was lucky enough to really, i feel like I talked to some people and they, you know, I feel like they would go and say that obviously, you know, obviously that you love your mission. Obviously you love the areas you're Obviously you you love your companions, but I genuinely like it.
Ken: I really did. every Every companion I had, every every, you know, you learn to love them. Every area had its cool, cool things. But anyway, it was super cool. I'm super grateful I got to go out there.
Ken: I'll say Chris, Matt. Okay.
Darin Tingey: And last question, you know, what what was your favorite thing about Kiribati?
Ken: Yeah. Good. That's a good question. I would i would say just their simplicity. i think that's just the simplicity. I think the simplicity in their faith the simplicity in their lifestyle, the simplicity in their desires.
Darin Tingey: Mm hmm.
Ken: you know they they They love their family, they love their faith, they love they loved God, and it's just simple. I think that's something I really appreciated because I'm a very simple dude,
Ken: And it was nice to go. And, you know, I remember it was funny. This is obviously a, you know, it's a tangent, but I got are the elders that we have, the sisters that we have in our, we yeah used to have an award here in Moses. They asked me and my wife to go on a lesson with them on a split. So we went and did a lesson with them and we taught this Ukrainian family.
Ken: And when umm when I say like knowing the Bible and knowing the verse and tying it in and, and you know, knowing everything inside and out, you know, it was, it was, if kind of felt like it was, you know, yeah, like it was, it was not at all kind that's one thing I loved about, you know, do you have a, you know, like with the God, you know, just simple with how we taught in Kitabas, do you believe in God?
Darin Tingey: Very cool.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: You know, do you, you know, we we believe that he loves you. It's like, oh yeah, yeah. Let's go. yeah it's just it's you know and and And so I think that's something that I really appreciated because I want to take complexity out of my life. And Kitibus, I think they took complexity.
Ken: They tried to make their lives less complex and try and make it simple and and live a simple life. Live in the same house that you lived in for generations. And it's perfect the way it is. It's kind of like a like a hammer, right?
Ken: You don't need to modify a hammer. It's perfect as a hammer, right?
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: And so I think that's something I appreciate that they are just able to. live their life and be simple and be with their family. i'm big and I'm big into family and love my family, love my friends. And and they're they're big into that. And I i appreciate the simplicity in their life.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, I think that's great. I totally agree. You know, the, we make things so complicated in the, in the West. but really like life is so much simpler if you think about it.
Darin Tingey: And they, like you said, they, they truly just keep it simple and they're very happy that way. Like they're the happiest people ever. And you're like, you might look at it and say, you're, you know, you're materially poor, but they're living life to the fullest.
Ken: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: You know, they love it.
Ken: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: They love life and it's simple and it's great.
Ken: Yeah. yeah I have two shirts, two shirt, you know, two shirts, two shorts, no car. And, you know, and I'm trying to figure out what I have for dinner tonight. and And they're just the happiest people. It's just, and it's you know, and that's what they, yeah, it's just, it's, and we're worried about so many, so much crap that just doesn't matter.
Ken: you know, worried about, Oh, what are we going to bring to the potluck?
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Ken: Or what are we going to, what am I going to wear to this? Or what am I going to, how am I going to impress this person with what do I say? And, and I need to, you know, do this and do that and keep up with this and keep up with that. And it's all about appearances and this.
Ken: And it's just cool that, yeah, I just appreciate their way of, of life and way of thinking and, I will be honest though, the privacy same thing was always always something I, know you know, even though they're very simple, they're also very complicated in how they get in everybody's business too.
Darin Tingey: of
Ken: You know, it's kind of funny how, you know, but besides that, it's nice to have a simple life.
Darin Tingey: That's fair.
Ken: And I want to try to replicate that and emulate that as I, as I would mind.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Well, like I said, you, you were a legend in the mission. a lot of people have spoke very highly of you and and working with you. You obviously had a successful mission and a very unique one serving in Kitabas. So super pumped you came on the podcast. Love to hear your stories. And this was another great episode of the islands podcast.
Ken: thank you.
