Transcript
Darin Tingey: All right, we're on with another episode of the islands podcast with Simone Lee today. I'm super excited. It's been in the works for a few months now, but finally get to record a podcast. So Simone, give a quick background on you.
Simone: Well, first of all, Kia ora. I'm really excited to be here just really grateful for you. don't know what to call you. i was going to be like, out of tingi. Like, Darren, might just call you tingi.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, I'll let you see Darren, is my first name.
Simone: might just call you tingi.
Darin Tingey: It's fine.
Simone: Yeah, just really excited to be here, really excited to share about my mission experience, especially in Kiribati. I think for those who have served in Kiribati, it's such a special place. You don't forget it at all. And so,
Simone: to be able to come on a platform like this and to share is so special. I'm just so grateful. so thank you for having me.
Darin Tingey: Yes, absolutely. And it's fun because we... You didn't remember at first, but we did meet on the mission.
Simone: I'm sorry.
Darin Tingey: It's okay, we met like for probably 30 minutes. um
Simone: love
Darin Tingey: When I was on Tarawa for like one of the few times i was on Tarawa, we met briefly.
Simone: you.
Simone: Yeah, because it was funny because when we were messaging and you're like, we've actually met, I was like, I feel so bad. And then I went and listened to your podcast because was like, how do I not remember him?
Simone: How do I not remember that he served in Kittabuz? But it makes sense because you were in Marshalls, then you come over and then you went back. Because i were you only in Kittabuz for six months? Is that right?
Darin Tingey: Less than that, it's like four and a half.
Simone: Oh, okay.
Darin Tingey: It was so quick.
Simone: Oh, right.
Darin Tingey: And it was mostly on Mayana.
Simone: Yeah. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: So I was on Tarawa, I think for a combined like five days total. um
Simone: Right. I i you remember from your episode, Atatui trained you. And I was like, oh my gosh, Atatui trained him, he's my brother.
Darin Tingey: That's right.
Simone: But i' I'll explain all of that in and the background, because I think it's really cool, my little like MTC story.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Darin Tingey: Okay. and And quickly, just like, where are you from? Where do you live now?
Simone: you know Yeah. So I'm from Auckland, New Zealand. I've grown up here, lived my whole life here, and I currently live here. um And yeah, Auckland, New Zealand.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: And so, yeah, let's, I guess, let's start from the beginning, like getting your mission call. You know, what was that like going into the MTC? What was that like?
Simone: Oh, okay. So i I've wanted to s serve a mission for a long time. I'm a convert. So I was baptized when I was 18. I had some friends who in high school that I was friends with and they were members and I kind of was introduced to the church through them.
Simone: um ended up loving it, gained a testimony, um and then I had this desire to serve a mission, but it took me quite a long time. So it wasn't until I was about 23 where I was able to submit my papers, um and when i received my mission call, I was so excited. Like, mean, it had been five years, right? Five years of me kind of working towards this goal, having it in the back of my mind with my this I can only describe it as like a burning, a burning desire to serve a mission.
Simone: And i really feel like it was divine. It was given by God. I had received a very strong confirmation to serve. And so I was just very, very um excited to finally receive my call and to know where I was going to be serving.
Simone: But I i mean, i have to say, like I never... I wanted to go to Salt Lake. you know want to go I wanted to be a temple school.
Darin Tingey: Temple square. Right.
Simone: Of course, of course. Of course I wanted to go there you know and have the American experience because in little old New Zealand, we especially within the church, America is such a a great place. We hear about it. We see the movies, this and that. And so naturally, out of curiosity, you want to experience that.
Darin Tingey: right
Simone: And so i had my call and i remember I had it at a um just one of the parks, the local parks in Auckland. And all of my friends and my family were there.
Simone: And I remember holding the envelope because it was an envelope.
Darin Tingey: Mm-hmm.
Simone: It was an envelope. And I remember holding the envelope and they were waiting for me to read it. And I looked down and I think it said, like, dear, dear, I forgot where how it goes, but it said dear sister something, something, something. And I just, my eyes automatically dropped to where I was going and all I saw was Marshall Islands Maduro mission.
Simone: And I just, I started crying because I was like, oh my goodness, like I couldn't believe it um that that was where I was going. And then I read Kitabas region.
Simone: And I was just kind of like, didn't know where that was, had no idea. It's in the Pacific, but had no idea. And it was just, it was unforgettable. Like I'll never forget the feelings that I felt when I opened my mission. and the the overwhelming joying. I think for me personally, just the spirit confirmed to me, like, this is this is where God needs me to be.
Simone: um Especially being a sister who was a lot older. I was 23 when I was
Darin Tingey: Right.
Simone: when I, you know, got my call in January, i think I got it or February and then I served in May. So very short time, three months.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: And then I was out, um but I was 23 and I was just ecstatic and super excited to serve in Kittabas and also super excited to go to Provo MTC.
Darin Tingey: ah Right.
Simone: was finally getting my American experience. So it was really cool.
Darin Tingey: Well, I'm sorry that Provo was your American experience. I don't think that people think of Provo when they're like, oh I'm going to go America.
Simone: Oh, that's so funny.
Darin Tingey: Um, but hopefully he loved it.
Simone: I loved it.
Darin Tingey: Um,
Simone: Well, I was very lucky because one of the elders who taught me, um he actually baptized me. There were three elders that I consider like my missionaries. He baptized me. His families live in, i want to say, Ogden.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, north north Utah or Orem, was he in Orem next to Europa?
Simone: Is that Ogden?
Simone: No, it was definitely Ogden. It was definitely Ogden. Yeah. Shout out to the Nipkos. um But I got to stay with um his mum, who I ah affectionately call my American mum. um I got to stay with her and then my American dad, Sherry and Tucker. And it was just so fun. They took me around to all the different temples. Like, it was really cool. They're just such lovely people. And I got to spend time with them before I went into the MTC.
Simone: So it was really cool.
Darin Tingey: Very cool. And what did what did your family think about you know you going on a mission, joining the church, going on a mission?
Simone: So my family, they've always been, I've been quite lucky because they've always kind of been like, You go do your own thing. Like in our family, when you turn 18, you're an adult, you know, because in New Zealand, 18 is the legal age um for a lot of things.
Simone: um So when I turned 18, they just kind of left me to go and live my life. They didn't, they were just kind like, oh, you know, that's cool. That's what you want to do. Some family members thought it was a phase joining the church.
Simone: um But when they saw years later, I was still going, they're like, oh, okay, like she's serious. It wasn't a big deal at all. I think they were just very excited for me because I was excited. So, yeah, very supportive. um They kept in touch all throughout my mission.
Simone: um But, no, they they were cool. They're a cool family.
Darin Tingey: yeah i mean like sending your your daughter your sister or whatever uh to the middle of the pacific you know you're like what what is she doing you know like what is this but i mean the church is pretty big in new zealand i'm sure they kind of understood you know
Simone: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Simone: Yep. yeah Yeah, well they're not religious at all so I think they they've always been kind of like, well she's always done what she's wanted to do, she's always made really good decisions. like Even before I joined the church, like I didn't really drink, I wasn't really like a party person.
Simone: I literally stayed at home and watched TV or like what did k crafts or was painting was or reading or doing something. So just it's a great fit, yeah.
Darin Tingey: ah Okay.
Darin Tingey: Okay. So get your call January, February, and then May MTC, you're going to America.
Simone: Yeah. yeah
Darin Tingey: You went there with the family, you walk into the MTC. Like what was the MTC experience for you?
Simone: i I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. When I arrived, I was like, I just want to go to cannabis already. Like, get me out of here. What am I doing here? But kind of loved it.
Simone: Oh, I have to talk about it. So that's where I met Sister Paku, right? We have to talk about Sister Paku. She's one of my best friends. So she was assigned as my MTC companion. But Sister Paku and Sister Fa'amaile, they were MTC companions and they were called to serve in the marshals.
Simone: um And it was just me and our intake who was going to Kiribati as a sister missionary. So I was then joined with Outer Jim and Outer Tui, who were um who were companion MTC companions and they were going to kiddos as well so it was really cool I didn't know you could do this but I could be on my own with either sister Paku and sister Whaa Maile or elder Jim or elder Tui um so in our class I could walk around with those two elders and no issues which I think was crazy didn't know you could do that but in classes it was just me as the only sister and then the two elders
Darin Tingey: right
Simone: um which I think was really cool. But basically going to the MTC was so fun. I loved the food. The food was so different. Like the bagels, we have to talk about the bagels, the MTC bagels, the blueberry ones.
Simone: Oh, so good. And then I think the BYU creamery ice cream was so good.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: What's the one? And it's graham crackers.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, the Graham Canyon. Graham Canyon.
Simone: Oh, great. Oh, I just, oh, that was delicious. And this is coming from someone in New Zealand who's very spoiled for choice when it comes to dairy. Like, loved it.
Darin Tingey: Right.
Simone: um So, no i actually, I love the MTC. I love the people who were in our district. I made such amazing friends. It was cool seeing other Kiwis who were in Provo MTC. You just kind of band together. if they If you found out that you were from New Zealand or Australia even,
Simone: because with the minority at the MTC in Provo, you're just automatic friends.
Darin Tingey: Mm-hmm. Right.
Darin Tingey: right
Simone: Like, it was so cool. And it's funny because I have to tell you this. So one of the elders who was serving in the Philippines, I think he's Elo Elo, I don't know, I forgot.
Simone: Elder Simpson. I kind of loosely knew him from new Zealand, didn't really know him he's a bit younger than me, but instant friends, we went to the MTC. um And he knew Sister Hayley Maungothonga Fowler, who later became my daughter in the mission, so I trained her.
Simone: And so they they're married, actually.
Darin Tingey: Oh, no way.
Simone: So was so fun to see, like, the connections throughout, right from the MTC experience, like, right from the MTC experience.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: um So that was really cool. But no, like, MTC was great. um I did find towards the end of, I think, my six weeks there, I didn't want to leave. I was getting a bit nervous about heading out into the real world, the real mission where the real work is going to start.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Simone: And I remember talking to President Willis. um who was the district president my love oh the district or branch i forget what it's called branch i think um but he was just the loveliest man like so lovely amazing man um and i remember him asking me he's like how do you feel about gonna you know you you're you're almost leaving soon how do you feel and i just remember saying to him i don't like getting sweaty like don't know
Darin Tingey: ah Oh, you're in for a long mission.
Simone: You're telling me. was like, I don't really like being sweaty. And he just kind of laughed and he's like, oh, well, you're going to have to get over that. And I was like, hu because I didn't really like getting dirty. I hated it. I couldn't stand it. Like I was just like, oh, yuck.
Simone: um But it was so funny. Yeah. And then so,
Darin Tingey: So what year was this?
Simone: yes.
Darin Tingey: Was this 2016?
Simone: 26th, May, 2016.
Darin Tingey: sixteen
Simone: yes twenty six may twenty sixteen Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Okay, because I, yeah, I remember I went into MTC September 2016. So I was, you know, just, yeah, not too far behind.
Simone: Oh, you're not too far behind me. that's
Darin Tingey: Yeah, yeah.
Simone: crazy. Wait, can I ask how old you are?
Darin Tingey: I'm 27. Yeah, almost 28.
Simone: eastern
Darin Tingey: So I grew up.
Simone: so but Did you go when you were 18?
Darin Tingey: Yeah, so I graduated high school that right when you went into MTC is when I graduated high school. And then I went in September.
Simone: Wow.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, yeah.
Simone: Wow, that's so cool. Okay, cool. just had to figure out the timeline a little bit.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, it's funny. like When you come into the mission, like you don't really know like how many transverse people are ahead of you.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: So like i I came in thinking Paki has been there for a year, but she'd only been there for a few transverse before me.
Simone: Yeah.
Simone: Yeah. A few months.
Darin Tingey: Anyway, kind of fun.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: But anyway, I cut you off.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: so So you're you're you're worried about getting hot and dirty, egg kid of this, and it's like, oh, it's... So here we go.
Simone: Eww.
Darin Tingey: God's got a plan for you. um And so you guys head to Kitabas.
Simone: Are you really?
Darin Tingey: Like, ah what was it like for you, like, getting to Kitabas and just that first initial Kitabas experience?
Simone: Yes.
Simone: and
Simone: o So was a bit of a culture shock. It was really rough, if I'm being honest. like um I got to Kitabas and i was i I was hit with the heat. Like the heat is crazy, as you would know. Like it's so hot.
Simone: And it just kind of like hits you in the face and stays with you. Like you're constantly sweating.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: you're constantly feeling like you're oppressed or something but no so I get there the thing is the plane lands then you have to they're unloading the luggage you have to like sort through everyone's luggage to like pull your bags out that's what I was kind of doing it was me and out of gym at the time because out of two he didn't come until a bit later because I think he had an injury
Darin Tingey: yeah
Simone: um So he was flying out like a month or two later. it was just us two. Then the zone leaders pick us up. My trainer picks us up. And then we all go back to the nurse's house. I forget who the nurse was at the time.
Simone: But we go back to her house and I'm just kind of sitting there. I'm just kind of like, okay, this is the mission. Like, okay, like, I'm here. And then I see these elders, right? I see these elders and they've got like rolled up pants.
Simone: They're wearing like sandals or like what you call flip-flops.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: They look, they look hoary as heck. Like, I'm just like, wait, what's going on?
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: Like, exactly.
Darin Tingey: Where am I? Where? I just came from the MTC. Everyone's wearing suits. These aren't missionaries out here.
Simone: Exactly. And also the mission president at the time, I forgot his name, but he was literally just finishing up. He only had a week or two max left in the mission before President Larkin came in.
Simone: So he was kind of... I got the vibe... um, he was, in my mind at least, he was kind of already checked out, like, he was like, oh, welcome, welcome, you'll be fine, i'm I'm about to leave, kind of thing, so it was a bit overwhelming, if I'm being honest, and then we go back to the flat, and I think anyone who serves with me would know was crazy, like, I was so pedantic, and just, like, very, very, like, stickler for the rules, like, and especially in kiddo-biz culture, ah we'll get to that, we'll get to that, but yeah, like, it
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: It was a bit very overwhelming for me anyways. So we get to the flat and it's so disgusting. It's disgusting. Like it's so bad. And it's one of the flats that are on like the chapel grounds. It's in Bairiki.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Simone: That was my first area.
Darin Tingey: First everybody, Dikki. Got it.
Simone: it was so bad like they literally had for the rubbish bin they had an old cardboard box and they were dumping the rubbish in the cardboard box and again remember this is coming from someone who doesn't like i don't like dirt and i'm i'm like borderline ocd with cleanliness and the house and things like that um so it was a shock but i was like
Darin Tingey: Was your companion Islander, American?
Simone: She was Tongan, Sister Tuiloto Laba. She was lovely. Very, very lovely. Very patient. I feel so bad, actually.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Simone: I feel so bad. And I just want to say sorry to her because I was a bit, what's the word? like how would you say it?
Simone: Like, I think I just thought I knew better. Do you know what i mean?
Darin Tingey: Sure, totally.
Simone: Like, especially being a bit older. If I'm being honest, yeah. If I'm being honest, I think I just thought I knew better. And i I wish I had allowed her to lead more, um especially being so brand new, but I was just so overwhelmed in...
Darin Tingey: Was that hard for you being like an older, you know, than a lot of the other missionaries? Did you feel that way of like, hey, I'm older, you know, or like a you didn't, especially like a district leader who's like 18, 19, you're like, all right, you know, Elder Tingy, you know?
Simone: Honestly, no, it didn't bother me at all. i think what bothered me was when we didn't stick to the rules. Like, for example, if we went to a dinner appointment and we had to be in bed by 10, so you have to be home by like 9 or whatever the rules were, and if it was 9 o'clock, I would be like, um,
Simone: um we need to go, you know, like looking at my watch, like we need to go. And then I think sister Toulita Lava was like, no, like it's a bit rude. I'm like, I don't care. um Let's go. You know what I mean? Like just kind of that attitude, not really respecting her as the, I guess, trainer and trying to teach me about culture.
Simone: Because in my mind, i was like, God is number one. You know, God's going to, whatever he says goes kind of thing, which I think I could be more flexible on. But by the end of my mission, I was all good.
Darin Tingey: yeah Yeah, you were you were telling the train and trainee, yo hey, this is how it is.
Simone: yes
Darin Tingey: Exactly.
Darin Tingey: So quickly, just run me through your areas and we'll start it by new key.
Simone: yes so i was born in bairiki um then i think i spent about six months there so i was trained and follow-up trained there um And then I went to Arereke and I forget if it was first or second ward, I forget.
Simone: um I think I was only there for one and a half transfers. I trained my child there. um My beautiful daughter, love her so much. um And then I went to Christmas Island um and I think I was only there for one transfer as well.
Simone: And then after that, I finished in Aether. And I was there for the rest of my mission.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Simone: But I forget how long that was. Time is blurring, but yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, that's some solid areas though.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: That's it's a great mission.
Simone: I only had four areas. I didn't have that many companions in comparison to a lot of other missionaries who serve. And they kind of have either a lot of areas, a lot of different companions cycling through. But no, I really, i think I was definitely where I needed to be and served with who I needed to serve with.
Simone: for my own refiner's fire, I guess you could say.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. So, okay. I want you to give a quick background Bayadiki, what it's like, because I actually had a mom today message me that her son just is getting to Kiribati and he's going to Bayadiki and she wanted to know what the area was like.
Simone: Yes.
Simone: Oh.
Darin Tingey: So I was texting her about it, but I want to hear it from the source because i never really was there in Bayadiki.
Simone: Sure. Okay, and this information, just disclaimer, this information could be a little bit outdated. It has been
Darin Tingey: It's almost 10 years. Yeah.
Simone: We'll say nine years.
Darin Tingey: so
Simone: But yeah, it's been ah it's been a long time.
Darin Tingey: and
Simone: But I will say Pairiki, first and foremost, is the capital of Tarawa. I really loved the members. Like they were just, it was a really great place to be born.
Simone: It's quite a large area, in my opinion. um It's one of the more urban areas that you'd serve your mission in, in Kiribati in general. And then on Tarawa, obviously everywhere is urban except for northern Tarawa.
Simone: um or Bota but no I really loved it I thought the members were great you have the mall well the mall with quotation marks you have a lot of markets so on Pira you're able to access things that you need like ban bananas or donuts of course um and then they also have the sports grounds and Baireki will always be such a special area for me because that's where I met one of the closest families that I've
Darin Tingey: Yeah, the mall, right, right.
Simone: that I ended up teaching, and then um towards the end my mission, they got baptized, but we can talk about that later, it's such a special story, but um yeah, and Bairiki, sorry, they also have the wharf, so we did spend a little bit of time, um because we had some investigators near the wharf area, so it's quite a hub, I would say, Bairiki is, and it's a great area to start your mission in, a lot happened,
Darin Tingey: Not bad.
Darin Tingey: And is there just one ward there Okay.
Simone: Yes, sorry. Yeah, just the one ward. Well, it was.
Darin Tingey: Uh-huh.
Simone: Sorry. No. do you know what's funny? I don't know if she wants to know this, but Baeriki is also where the prison is. And the prison is right next to the chapel.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: And on the chapel is where we stayed. So do with that what you but you will.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: But it was safe as, I mean, we used to buy, the prisoners would make like combs. You know, the kid of his combs.
Darin Tingey: ah hot yeah yeah
Simone: They'd make those from old pipes and stuff, PVC pipes, and would buy it off them. Like, yeah.
Darin Tingey: But I mean, like people are in prison in Kitabas, like its it's like you got drunk or something like that.
Simone: It's, yeah.
Darin Tingey: and you Or i don't know, something crazy.
Simone: Yeah. Well, I don't know.
Darin Tingey: Every once in a while you hear of someone like killing someone, but that's kind of rare.
Simone: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. No, yeah, you're right, actually. That is kind of I haven't heard of any kind of serious crimes, but... um Sorry to that mum though.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Simone: don't know we're giving her more anxiety or not.
Darin Tingey: Hey, that's pretty funny that that's next to the prison.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Okay, so, so, by the age six months, that's a long time.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Give me give me some, give me some background on that.
Simone: That's a long time. Yeah. Okay, so I was with Sister Tui Lota Lava for two transfers and then she went to Beso, I think. um But yeah, it was it was a good time.
Simone: taught a lot of... um Now that I look back, we taught a lot of like kids and um not very many families.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: It's just like people were like, yeah, teach my kid, you know, like go and teach them. And then we had like um some teenagers who I love, who I loved teaching them. They were so cool.
Simone: And just like we became really good friends with them. um But... After Sister Toilota Lava was transferred out, I stayed Sister, Sister Tutuila, don't know if you've met her, you have met her?
Darin Tingey: I don't think so. Yeah.
Simone: Oh, she's a vibe. She's Tongan as well, which is funny because I had a Tongan mum, a Tongan dad, and then a Tongan daughter. Like, it's so funny. um But she's from California.
Simone: She's from Oakland. I want to say she's from Oakland. um But she was my dad. She trained me for two two transfers as well, I'm pretty sure. And it was just, it was fun. It was a fun time. That's all I remember it just having a lot of fun.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Simone: Like we'll obviously do the work, but I think you can make it fun as well. Like and enjoy kind of joking around with the members or the people that you're teaching um or just if you have to go tracking, like I hated tracking. I hated it so much.
Simone: But um let's be real. No one likes tracking. Like it's the worst like task that you have to do.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: And you only do it if you've got no other appointments or if they fell through, you know. But we made it fun and would just kind of be like, you know what, we'll do it Heavenly Father is going to bless us. And he really did.
Simone: The next day after we went tracting, like we'd find people. Just somehow it would just happen, um which I thought was one of the ah very special memories. But can I talk to you about a family that we met in Bairiki?
Darin Tingey: Absolutely.
Simone: Okay, so we had we first met, when I first went to Bairiki, and I was with my trainer. She was already teaching um one of the girls um that, I think her name was Kaya. my memory's so bad.
Simone: Oh my gosh, Don't be like me. Don't be like me, our sisters. um should he um So we were teaching her, ora, Kia ora, Kia ora, Kia ora.
Darin Tingey: There we go.
Simone: That's her name. Yeah, got it. So we were teaching her And then she was lovely. Her family weren't kind of interested in the lessons, but they were like, no, teach our daughter. And then we taught her, her brother was ah of two years younger, Aki Sino.
Simone: um So we're teaching them. They ended up getting baptized. And then they had a cousin. So I think they were family friends who lived on the other side of where they lived. So they lived quite close to the ah shore and we were kind of to the left of them.
Simone: And then their cousins lived on the other side of the chapel, like a little bit far away. um So Imakurite was their their cousin um and we started teaching her.
Simone: And then we'd always kind of invite... um na double and gidipa um sorry that one gettdiba would invite them to participate less but they're like no no no and he smoked as well so smoking if you don't know is a very common um like thing in cannabis everyone smokes
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: um as they would always kind of deny our lessons and so that was okay. Imaakurite ended up getting baptised and so did Keowa and Aukisino. They all got baptised and then I left the area.
Simone: But it was so cool because right throughout my mission I would always get updates from the sisters because they're predominantly sisters serving in Bairiki. I'd always get updates from the sisters about Taubo and Geriba because they eventually started taking lessons from the missionaries.
Simone: um and then it was really cool because at the end of my mission, um President Larkin let me attend their baptism, so they ended up getting baptized, and it was it was so cool to be a part of their story, and I had always felt like before I served my mission and while i was on my mission that I was planting seeds and I know a lot of people, some people have different philosophies about how you serve and how your mission goes. But my personally for me, I knew i was just planting a lot of seeds. And so it was really cool to see kind of the seed that I had planted during my first area.
Simone: sprouted and blossomed and bloomed into something really beautiful and wonderful for that family in the end. um So that was really, really cool to see and why Bayeriki has such a special place in my heart.
Simone: um
Darin Tingey: Those are my favorite stories, especially when you get to see it on your mission at the end, right?
Simone: Yeah.
Simone: Yeah. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: ah and And also to think like your first area where you probably didn't know the language very well, but but they probably felt that your love, right?
Simone: money Not at all.
Darin Tingey: And that you cared genuinely about them.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: It's like, here's this girl from New Zealand who's come across the Pacific and is...
Simone: Yeah.
Simone: Yeah. Nature.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, need my tongue, come teach my kids and spend time with my kids every day.
Simone: a
Darin Tingey: And that probably was just like a thought in their head that probably softened their heart to eventually lead them to accept the gospel in Christ.
Simone: man
Simone: yeah
Darin Tingey: and And I'm so glad you got to see that. Like, those are just the coolest things.
Simone: need to
Darin Tingey: You're like, this is why I'm a missionary.
Simone: hey No, really, like it was the most beautiful way to finish my mission and to wrap up my time in Kiribati and to go home knowing that at least at least I had this, you know, because we had a lot of baptisms, but the retention is so difficult.
Simone: don't know about you guys, retention is hard.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: It's really hard. But I will say, just going back to that experience I just shared, it's also a testament to me about the power of I guess, um like collaboration within your mission with other missionaries and continuing on their work. It's all part of this bigger picture, this bigger cycle. Because I think when you're in your area, you can get quite...
Simone: um like isolated or like like have tunnel vision in terms of it's your mission, what you're supposed to achieve to have a good mission, quotation marks, good mission.
Simone: um But really you're you're part of a bigger picture. You're contributing to the work. You're contributing to the efforts of the missionaries that have come before you. and the And you're contributing to the success of the missionaries who come after you.
Simone: So everyone's part of this bigger picture and everyone um has an impact. of the, in the area.
Darin Tingey: Absolutely. Absolutely. I, as you said that I'm thinking about this guy that I saw get baptized recently, uh, in the islands and I had taught him, I had taught him a lesson like 10 years ago and it was such a powerful lesson, but nothing ever came of it.
Simone: Wow.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: And i was kind of bumped, but then here I see 10 years later, him getting baptized.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: And i was like, boom, that's awesome. Uh, I got to be a part of that.
Simone: the
Darin Tingey: And that is the beautiful thing.
Simone: yes And then so who's to say that your one lesson didn't stay with him?
Darin Tingey: Um,
Simone: You know, that your one lesson didn't impact him in some way. um I think and it's like what you were talking about before. It's all about making and having a meaningful connection or experience with the people that you're interacting with and or teaching.
Darin Tingey: here Absolutely. and And luckily the Kiribus people are so easy to love, you know, ah so fun.
Simone: Lovely. Yeah. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Like you said, you have so much, you think of Ayurik, you think of fun.
Simone: yeah
Darin Tingey: When I think of Kiribus, I think of fun.
Simone: yeah
Darin Tingey: So...
Simone: ah
Darin Tingey: okay
Simone: Your you a little holiday from the marshals.
Darin Tingey: Exactly, exactly. And I hit it perfect timing too. I got this, the suit, I i got everything.
Simone: um
Darin Tingey: So it was awesome.
Simone: Yeah. but
Darin Tingey: um So if you were in Baideki for six months, let's see, were you there during Christmas?
Simone: Yeah.
Simone: Oh my gosh. No, I had just been transferred to the Aureike. I just been transferred.
Darin Tingey: Should we talk about this?
Simone: Let's talk about Christmas.
Darin Tingey: ah
Simone: absolutely not christmas i've been i've been who did you have on out of weaning and he did not talk about it that much i know i could hear it yeah
Darin Tingey: I know I tried to bait him a little bit. I tried to bait him to try and get some details about Christmas. And then you messaged me and I was like, we're for sure talking about this.
Simone: yeah okay let's talk about christmas right so christmas 2016
Simone: coincided with um the mission, what do they call it, like a massive mission conference.
Darin Tingey: Tour, mission tour.
Simone: Yeah, yeah, mission tour and President Hallock was coming to visit the mission. um so President Luckin pulled all the missionaries from all the different islands off their islands and put them on to Tarawa, right?
Simone: Like, so you have however many missionaries, what, like a hundred and something on this tiny, me tiny island.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: Now, at this point I had just moved to Te Aure Reke. I was very depressed to leave Bairiki and to leave my nice clean house. um we Not only that, we moved to Te Aure Reke and there are like seven sisters, like something crazy, like six or seven sisters living in this tiny flat. Have you been to the chapel flats?
Simone: chapel flat
Darin Tingey: and not the i Not the one in Saturday, I don't think. But yes, in general, I've seen them. They're they're tiny. They're small.
Simone: They're tiny. They're tiny.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: I don't know what you'd kind of convert the ratio is, but it's like this, not even, you couldn't even call it one bedroom. i don't think a bed could fit in there. Like, it's not even a single bed.
Simone: You know what i mean? We were sleeping on the floor um on a mattress.
Darin Tingey: Okay, yeah.
Simone: So it's small. So you have six sisters in there, our six or seven sisters. um We're supposed to be, like, kind of covering this area. And wait, how honest do you want me to be?
Simone: Do want be, like, honest or, like?
Darin Tingey: Yes, yes, i want to hear it all
Simone: Oh, okay. Okay. Well, I was a little bit trunky. Okay. track I I was very depressed about leaving the area.
Darin Tingey: it all.
Simone: I was like, oh my gosh, like this house is a mess. It's crazy. I can't clean it the way I want to clean it because there are all these sisters here. I was a little bit, I was little bit trunky and I just did not have, if I'm being honest.
Simone: I didn't have the motivation to leave. This is over the course of a week.
Darin Tingey: Okay.
Simone: But I'd force myself out every day, me and Sister Henny, because Henny was a bit trunky as well. Shout out to Henny. and We would go and we'd just kind of do some tracking or whatever, because all the sisters in the area got split up and we'd take different areas. And i don't know what was happening, but...
Simone: Um, that's at the same time as well, a new arrival of missionaries came and I was getting a child. So I was training. So she comes in here and this is Sister Mongatonga Fowler who married out of Simpson.
Simone: So just connecting the dots. So she comes in, she's like, oh my gosh, I've got the worst trainer. She told me this stuff. She's like, oh my gosh, got the worst trainer. She's trunky. Like, cause everyone had told her, oh my gosh, going to be, going to see Sister Lee. Sister Lee's great. Blah, blah, blah. She's like, what the heck? Where am I?
Darin Tingey: yeah
Simone: um So she arrives and I'm like, oh, don't worry, it's just for a week. I'll be good after this week. I just need, like, I'm just a bit overwhelmed, but just a bit trunky, okay? Just this week, give me one week. So she's like, yeah, yeah, yeah, sure.
Simone: um So anyways, and all the missionaries are on, so we get to see our friends. Like, you'd never get to do that in this type of mission because you literally arrive to Kiribati and you don't know if you're ever going to see these people again, like the elders in particular who serve on the outer islands because you could you're like ships in the night passing each other throughout your mission.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Yeah.
Simone: Sometimes you don't see each other. So it was so exciting for me, at least, to see my brothers out Jim and out of Tui
Darin Tingey: yeah
Simone: to see um some of the other friends I made, like Sister Baldwin was coming off from Christmas Island. I was really good friends with her. Elder Behrens was another great friend. Just all the missionaries, all them the New Zealand missionaries as well, like Sister Mawai, Elder and to Alice, Elder Petey,
Simone: um um I can only think of his, Jaden. Jaden, what's his surname?
Darin Tingey: McCartney, McCartney.
Simone: Yes, McCarthy. Yes, I forgot his surname.
Darin Tingey: McCarthy, yeah, McCarthy.
Simone: Yeah, to see him, like all of our friends. And it was, and out of Sakea, he'll be like, hey, you don't message me. Mention me. um And to see them. So it was really, really cool. And I was so excited. But this is during the week of Christmas, right? So then,
Simone: we also, apart from the mission tour, we also get invited to the mission president's home. And I think this was for New Year's. This was for New Year's if I'm...
Darin Tingey: ah Mission president the Kitabas president?
Simone: Was it... The kid of his present.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, yeah, you said the man.
Simone: Was that New Year's? Oh, sorry, sorry.
Darin Tingey: I don't know, i wasn't there.
Simone: um life I'm like, tell me.
Darin Tingey: I was on the Marshall side.
Simone: Okay, was either for New Year's or Christmas. Oh, no, I'm pretty sure it was for New Year's. We get invited to the president of Kittabas' home. And he invites all the missionaries. And they have, like, their formality their formal welcoming. And we're all sitting down behind President Larkin.
Simone: And all can remember is this lady is kind of talking. And then I think he talks. And then all you hear is like, okay we're going to dance now. We're going to dance. And like no one moves. Literally, we're kind of like looking around like, um what do we do?
Simone: And then President Larkin stands up and he looks behind him ah looks behind him at us. And he's like, all right, come on, stand up. So like, oh, okay, like we can dance. Like this kind of cool.
Simone: But mind you, I had been on my mission at six months by then. So i didn't know how to dance. I forgot how to dance. Like I'm not even trying to be like cute and funny. Like I'm not, I literally don't know how to dance. um So they're playing the music and I'm just with the sisters and I'm just kind of like clapping along like this is actually kind of fun, but you don't also don't know how far to take it, right?
Darin Tingey: Right.
Simone: Like you're still a missionary, you still need to be appropriate, well at least for me, um but i everyone was kind of like recording. Everyone was like secretly recording, like, because it's just such a fun memory, taking photos, recording.
Simone: um And then all of a sudden the APs go around and they're telling us, hey, President Larkin said, do not send these photos home. Like, don't send any of that stuff. Don't say anything about what's happening here, okay?
Simone: And I get it because... who At first glance, you'll see this and you'll think, what disobedient missionaries on this mission? of But they don't understand that culturally, like it was very appropriate to accept this invitation to dance.
Simone: um But honestly,
Darin Tingey: was How was Larkin's moves? wait Were they are they great?
Simone: oh I want to say they're great. ah To be honest, I can't remember, but I want to say that they're great. But I love the Larkins. They're an amazing, amazing couple.
Darin Tingey: So did you, did you know, they had all the missionaries dance, you know, presidents dancing, all the missionaries dancing.
Simone: Yeah. Yeah. yeah
Darin Tingey: Did they have a bunch of kiddos people there dancing? Were there government officials there that also were like dancing with you guys or no?
Simone: not Not that i can remember. Nah, I don't remember dancing with anyone. um I mean, even if they tried to dance with me, I'm really awkward anyways. I'd probably just, like, be like, hu and then, like, because I'm just an awkward person in general.
Simone: um I just remember dancing with my friends, like, the sisters, and just, like, loving it and just feeling like, I think I can only remember the feeling at the time was more like, this is one of the best nights of my life, like, because it's,
Simone: one ah One is like you're with people that you never thought you'd see again. And two, like what an experience on your mission. You're invited to the president's house. Then you get to do like dance and have fun and just forget that you're a missionary. Well, not Philippa, you know what i mean?
Simone: but Like forget a little bit that you're a missionary and just like enjoy yourself for once instead of like thinking about your your investigators. And I think it was just a break.
Darin Tingey: Right.
Simone: It was just a break that needed.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, and and tell me this, did you guys get home before 10?
Simone: Oh, I don't think so. yeah i don't think so.
Darin Tingey: ah
Simone: I can guarantee that we didn't. But we had the time of our lives. And remember, it by this stage, I didn't really care. I think I gave up on that.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, but I'm just laughing because I know, I'm sure Larkin was probably like, we got to stay here for the party, for the time.
Simone: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: But that's probably good for him to to learn the culture a little bit there.
Simone: And especially because she... yeah Well, and especially for him as a new mission president as well, I think he did such an amazing job at balancing that culture and also fulfilling his responsibility as a mission president, right?
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Oh man, I wish I was there for Christmas. Us on the Marshall side, I actually didn't, I kind of heard about it, but i really heard about it when I got transferred to Kitabas and then everyone told me, you know, we have.
Simone: yeah
Simone: Well, isn't that like a testament to everyone keeping it like quite quiet, you know, like no scandals?
Darin Tingey: Yeah, but that's why it was like such an interesting topic when I got to Kitabas because it was like, we had this party, we weren't supposed to tell anybody.
Simone: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah? Yeah.
Darin Tingey: I was like, what? yeah
Simone: Like, what do you mean? That's literally the first thing I tell people when they ask me about my mission.
Darin Tingey: and
Simone: I was like, oh, my gosh, let me tell you. Like, it's just such a – I wish I could remember the details. It's just so long ago that I've forgotten a little bit about the finer details.
Simone: But it was fun. it was a fun night.
Darin Tingey: i I didn't get to go to that, but I did get to meet the president of Kitabas. He came to Mayanna when I was there, him and his wife.
Simone: Oh, wow.
Darin Tingey: It was really fun. I got to meet them, and and they came to a big Mayanna party, so it was super fun.
Simone: Were
Darin Tingey: I got my fill. I wasn't at the party, but i got I got that fill, so I felt good.
Simone: you home by 10?
Darin Tingey: and No, no, most the time not.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: but
Simone: Especially on outer islands. I think i think on outer islands you would have to very much go with the flow because I've heard some crazy stories about kind of culture on outer islands and it being very strong. And if you a offend the community, there's serious consequences.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, yeah, like, you need to attend parties, and you need to be there basically till the end.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: They, yeah like you said, the culture is very strong. And if you want to be able to teach in that village, you got to earn the respect of the village.
Simone: yeah yeah Yeah.
Darin Tingey: um
Simone: yeah
Darin Tingey: That was a little bit different, a little bit more leaning on that.
Simone: yeah Yeah.
Darin Tingey: But anyway, so
Simone: That's probably that's probably why I never got caught to an out island because I'd get us banned.
Darin Tingey: ah guess so yeah
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: That's good. Okay, so you trained, right? As that was happening, I'm sure that girl was like, wow, we're having parties.
Simone: yep yeah exactly yeah
Darin Tingey: This is awesome. um ah How was training? How was chatereke?
Simone: loved my time in Te Aurereke and I loved being a trainer I was very fortunate to be with who I was with I think it's just like I said I was already trunky I think I was a bit homesick as well like I had never kind of spent time away from home um And I mean, at 23, you'd be like, huh?
Simone: But yeah, it was very I was quite sheltered. Like I had quite a sheltered early 20s, I must say. um But she was she was a blessing. She was a big blessing for me.
Simone: i mean, she was she was from New Zealand as well. We had similar humor. she would She was so cool. She would tell me stories every night. Like, she'd tell me a bedtime story.
Simone: But she'd kakarak or, like, um kind of explain movies that I had missed. So she'd tell me the plot of a movie, and it was so fun to listen to.
Darin Tingey: All right, cool.
Simone: and she's such a great storyteller as well. So she'd tell me those. um And then training her was really cool. I felt like I was – I tried really hard to be, in my mind – a good trainer, to teach her what I could, to give her best practices.
Simone: um Our lessons were always amazing. like I was really able to step into my role as a trainer and kind of structure our lessons um so that we were obviously teaching the points of the lesson, but that we but she had an opportunity to um teach and to have what I would call like a flow in our lesson, like a natural, as much as you can make it a natural flow.
Simone: um But I really took pride in in in my in teaching my daughter, yeah. I really loved it. And Te Aure Reku was a fun place to teach. We had really interesting investigators.
Simone: um I can remember, i talked to her the other day and I was like, man, I wonder what Richard, one of the investigators we had, I wonder what he's up to now, because he was a constant headache. but he was the sweetest dude. I think he was about 20 at the time, but he would teach him about like swanthi sakhal or the law of chastity. He'd be like, okay, Richard, like your commitment is please keep the law of chastity, okay? And he's like, yes, sisters.
Simone: Yes, yes, yes. I'll keep it. See him the next lesson. Richard, how did it go? Oh, I broke it. Sorry.
Darin Tingey: you
Simone: I'm like, Richard, you're supposed to get baptized next week. Like, what are you doing?
Darin Tingey: and At least he was honest.
Simone: But exactly.
Darin Tingey: At least he was honest about it.
Simone: I mean, you can't fault him, right? He was honest with us at least. But just him. And we made really good friends with one of the members, Nghebi.
Simone: Nghebi Simon and his mom and his beautiful nephew. He must be old now. He must be at least 10 or 13, I think. But he was about three at the time. And he's just like the cutest little boy. But made really good friends with them. And that's where I tried turtle.
Simone: That was my first time trying turtle. So Nabi had gone out to like fishing or something. He was like, sisters, like, hey, I got like a turtle for you. Come have a look. so Because i literally live right next to the chapel. So would go and like, I was so sad when I saw saw the turtle. Like, I was like, oh, my gosh, Nabi, what going to do with it?
Simone: Because it's like lying there like this. You know, like.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, on its back, yeah, yeah.
Simone: yeah it's not dead like it's like literally just waiting to die and I was like Nabi what are you goingnna do with it and he's like he's like oh we're just gonna leave it here till we're ready to eat it and I was like Nabi that's so sad like and he's like oh you know like this this email thang what does she know this is our way of life you know so we go home and then I think a few hours later knocks on the door and he's like, sisters, here, here's the turtle. And he had like, his mom had killed, they'd killed it and his mom had made, like cooked it.
Simone: And I was literally crying. i was like, so sad. but I mean, that didn't last long. Of course I needed to try the turtle. So I tried it and it was the most delicious meat I've ever tasted. The way she cooked it was amazing.
Simone: Like really deliciously cooked. I loved it
Darin Tingey: Yes, sea turtle's so good. It's so good.
Simone: It's so good. But in saying that though, because I did, and we're jumping a little bit, but when I was in Christmas Island, one of the other members made it and it wasn't that nice.
Simone: i was like, oh, it's not as nice as Nghiebi's mum's turtle. But yeah.
Darin Tingey: Did she like boil it or fry it or how?
Simone: I think she tried to make a curry or something, like the lady on Christmas, but Nghiebi's mum must have fried it because it was so good.
Darin Tingey: Oh.
Simone: It was so good.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, it's when you when it's done right, you can't beat sea turtle and you feel so guilty, you know, being a Westerner, like, I'm not supposed to eat this and I'm not supposed to like it, but I do.
Simone: Yeah.
Simone: Yeah.
Simone: Yeah. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: ah
Simone: yeah Like all the animal rights people will be appalled. But, you know, it's survival. Like at the end of the day, you you eat this or you go hungry. like And I'm sure you can attest there were many days of being hungry on the mission, especially in these islands. Like they're not they're not Western islands. They're very um third world. It's very poor.
Simone: You know, and you eat what you can eat and that's just, it is what it is.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: And you, you, you just got to take what you, you, sorry. You've just got to take what you can get.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. And I mean, Darroa is not like a super luscious island either. You know, it's pretty dusty and also super just jam-packed people.
Simone: Exactly.
Darin Tingey: So it's not like a lot of stuff growing there.
Simone: Yeah. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: It's not like, oh we're having pineapples and mangoes every day.
Simone: exactly
Simone: yeah
Darin Tingey: know, I wish. That would have been so awesome.
Simone: yeah I don't think I ever, I only ever had like fresh fruit, I think on Christmas Island. And that was like once, like the whole mission.
Simone: i was like, my body, my hair was so brittle. My skin was really bad. I had like yellow eyes from like lack of nutrients. Like it was just a very, very bad. And I think people need to remember when you go to these islands, like it's rough, even on Tarawa.
Simone: Like even on Tarawa where it's more urban, um it's it's very, you're just surviving on like the worst foods possible.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, lots of ramen, lots of rice, canned meat that's very salty.
Simone: like Yeah. Yeah.
Simone: Yes.
Darin Tingey: ah And then, you know, the fish, ah which is great.
Simone: No.
Darin Tingey: ah But yeah, you don't have a wide variety of food.
Simone: No. Yeah. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Although I will say, like, I did enjoy in Kitabas that when you go to dinner, they would have a bunch of different bowls of food, different types of food, which was amazing because me coming from the Marshall side, they handed you a plate and it was usually just like,
Simone: Oh my gosh, yes, yes, yeah.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: a couple things. Usually just like lot of just like rice and meat or maybe there would be some breadfruit as well. But like there wouldn't be several different bowls of different things to pick and choose from.
Darin Tingey: So Kiribus, I really appreciated that. And I know that wasn't every house in Kiribus, but they really tried, at least they tried to like make it that way.
Simone: yeah in i
Simone: I will say that sisters were very, very blessed um on Tarawa. And just in general, the mission, we i don't think i ever i don't think there it was ever a day where we didn't have a dinner appointment.
Simone: like everyone they really looked after us and like you said you'd go to their home and just for context for the people listening if they haven't surfed in Kitabas um like it's so poor it's incredibly poor like people are living in like tin like tin shacks basically or like wooden ah open wooden you couldn't even call it a home it's just the open wooden shack like it's very poor um
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Yeah.
Simone: But they just, they gave everything, you know, they gave everything to feed the missionaries. And like you said, there'd be at least three to four to five dishes of different things. so Soy chicken or um like breadfruit. love the breadfruit.
Simone: Breadfruit or like chicken.
Darin Tingey: good
Simone: Like they would spend their money on chicken. You know what i mean? Like that's a luxury food for them. And they would spend it on on the missionaries. Like just very generous people.
Darin Tingey: you know
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Yeah. They did just just give everything and they were happy too.
Simone: I did.
Darin Tingey: You know, they didn't think twice.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: It was just, it was just who they are and, and life was simple and, and happy.
Simone: No.
Darin Tingey: And they, they value that and recognize that a lot more than, than probably we do.
Simone: Yeah.
Simone: Yeah, for sure.
Darin Tingey: I miss that. I miss the simple life a little bit.
Simone: Yeah. No, I...
Darin Tingey: It's harder.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: We don't really, can't really, I shouldn't say we can't, but like, It's different living on an island, living the simple life than it is here.
Simone: yeah
Darin Tingey: Like, I can't just go outside my house and catch a fish on the street, but they can there.
Simone: yeah yeah yeah i i also think just to add on to what you were saying i also think it's it's more accepted to live a simple life there where i think if you try to live a simple life here i i don't know if you could because like you said like culturally it's just very different but i totally agree with you like i i got home from my mission thinking i hate it here
Darin Tingey: Anyway, but they are very poor. We're, you know...
Simone: Like, I hate it.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, right.
Simone: Get me out of here. Everyone's so superficial.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, no, exactly, exactly.
Simone: digress. We digress.
Darin Tingey: um Okay, so, Chattahake to Christmas?
Simone: Yes, I do want to touch, and I think this is important um for my time in Te Arereke.
Darin Tingey: Yeah?
Simone: I did develop depression during during my time in Te Arereke. um I had experienced depression before, but um So I kind of knew the signs a little bit. But i have we had a zone conference. And then i President Larkin and Sister Larkin had come over.
Simone: And Sister Larkin gave me a letter from Sister Paku. And I remember, I was so excited. And I remember reading it, sitting at the back of the chapel, waiting for all the mission, the zone conference start.
Simone: And I was reading it. And Sister Paku was talking about just her, I could feel her joy through the letter that she had written me. And she was talking about um kind of her successes and just, I read it and I was like, I went to the bathroom. I took my companion to the bathroom and I just started crying. And I was like, I don't feel like that.
Simone: You know, I don't feel that joy. I feel like I'm not good enough. I feel like I'm not doing enough. We're not meeting our numbers. And I've always been a very harsh critic of myself and always had very high standards. And when I don't achieve them,
Simone: I can get very critical of myself. So that of that leads into depression. So President Larkin being a counsellor, like ah that by profession, by trade, he really guided me through this kind of the next couple weeks of that time.
Simone: um And he was talking to me. He put me with a the Pacific area counsellor. They helped me through it. They helped me understand that i had depression And he asked me, he's like, do you want to take some medication? And I was like, oh, I don't know. and And then the other option was, do you want to go home?
Simone: And then I was like, I don't, I don't want to go home, but I don't know if I can stay. um So it was a ah little bit of work to work through. This happened in the space of about two weeks. um
Darin Tingey: Not bad.
Simone: But I think I had prayed about it and I just felt like, I don't want to leave. I want to try and finish. I was just wanted to finish my mission. So I remember meeting with President, because this leads into Christmas. I remember meeting with President and he's like, okay, how are you?
Simone: Went through that and I was like, I'm okay. I felt like I could do I felt like I could finish my mission. Like I was very lucky that I had the support and that I wanted to stay and they were very supportive of that.
Simone: And it wasn't bad enough yet where I needed to go home.
Darin Tingey: Mm-hmm.
Simone: um So President's like, well, what what's the next steps for you? And I said, because at this stage, um Sister Mangatonga had gone to Tarawaieta. She had been transferred out. And so I was with someone else for a little bit until they could figure out what to do with me.
Simone: um And then President Larkin's like, well, what do you want to do And you know, for those who don't know, Christmas Island, it's like the dream destination.
Simone: Everyone who serves in cannabis, they just want to go to Christmas. So throughout my whole mission at this stage, seven and a half months at this point, all I've heard about was stories of Christmas Island and how magical it was and how amazing it was.
Simone: So I cheekily said to President Larkin, oh, like, oh, can, you know, maybe you can send me to Christmas.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: And he's like, He like looks at me he's like, Christmas. He's like, oh, didn't know you wanted to go there. And was like, oh, didn't know was an option. And he's like, oh, i was thinking about putting you as STL. And it's such a compliment, you know, like when you even thought of for leadership roles, it's it's a compliment, you know, like it's it really is. But at that point, I was like, I have no desire to be in that role. I want to go to Christmas.
Darin Tingey: and yeah That's awesome.
Simone: Oh my gosh.
Darin Tingey: That is awesome.
Simone: I was like on cloud nine. I was like, yes, cool. And so I think flew by myself. I have to tell you about my time flying. So I'm the only one going to Christmas Island.
Simone: They took me on the plane, right? I'm traveling through Fiji because you have to go from Darawa to Fiji. um And then from Fiji to Christmas Island. So I'm in Fiji overnight.
Simone: I'm in Fiji overnight by myself in the hotel. I was so exhausted and the food was amazing. But I was in this hotel and I was really lonely. i was like, this is so weird not having a companion.
Simone: I just can't sleep. Like there's there's no, this like I need some company. So I did turn on the TV. I didn't watch it. I just turned it on for the, company will think what you will about me but i don't care like i was so lonely so i chucked it on and i think the next day i um the next day i was like oh my gosh i'm gonna go to like the town center you know like i'm gonna have go to the towns to look at the market oh my gosh i jump on this one dollar bus that takes you to the market to the center of the town from the airport
Darin Tingey: That's awesome. That's awesome.
Simone: And um that was fine. And then I get to the market and like little sheltered 23 year old sister lee doesn't, has only two brain cells. I'm looking around the market, they're haggling hard. And I'm like, I have no money. I'm a missionary. Like I literally am here to buy something that cost $2 to take as a souvenir.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: um So they're haggling me. And then like this man comes up to me and he's like, hey, hey, hey, come here, come with me. I'll take you to the store. And I'm like, ah and then luckily one of the members was there who must have seen me. And he's like, hey, come like leave her alone kind of thing.
Simone: I don't know where he was going to tag me. i don't know what was going to happen, but
Darin Tingey: Gosh.
Simone: let that member saved me. i was like, oh my gosh, thank you so much. She's like, that's fine, sister, like, just be safe, blah, blah, blah. I don't know what he was thinking, but um he kind of let me go my way. I went straight back to the hotel. I was too scared after that. i was like, you silly little girl, get back to the hotel and stay there.
Simone: um But that's kind of my my little story to any kind of missionaries who are thinking of being disobedient in any way.
Darin Tingey: um
Simone: Don't do it you don't know You don't know what's around the corner. um but
Darin Tingey: I feel like that would be so hard for me as far as like leaving Kiribati to go to Fiji and you're like laying down in and the nice hotel and you're like,
Simone: Yeah.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: man
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Like I love Kiribati, but like, this is nice. Like, do I have to go back? You know, like, do I have to go back? I think that'd be kind of hard for me.
Simone: Mm.
Darin Tingey: um Just like, I love Kiribati.
Simone: Mm.
Darin Tingey: I love the Marsh Islands. It was just like, the mission is difficult. Like, and and to just quickly touch on the depression part, like Joey Powell talked about this on his podcast as well, that he experienced depression as well.
Simone: Mm.
Darin Tingey: Especially being on the islands, and any mission in general, but like on the islands, you can feel very lonely.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: As a missionary, you feel lonely. You're also overwhelmed, like thinking about your investigators constantly and their progression, and you feel the weight of that on you.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: And you knowt you're not with your family. we couldn't call our families every week like they can do now.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: like just so much. And I feel like a lot of missionaries experience it at one point in their mission, whether it's talked about or not.
Simone: yeah
Darin Tingey: um But I think it's, it's, it is a, it's a big deal, but it don't feel alone in it too, you know?
Simone: That's
Darin Tingey: But I just remember being like, especially on Outer Islands for me, I would just sit and talk to my family via, like, I'd talk to the sun setting. Like I would sit there on the beach I'd just be like, Hey mom, like, how are you?
Simone: yeah
Darin Tingey: You know, like just, it is, it's so crazy.
Simone: a little bit crazy, Anna Tiggie. Yeah. oh
Darin Tingey: It's so crazy. I know I was going insane. i was going insane, but that's what I would do. And it was just like, I was lonely and was hard.
Simone: help
Simone: no lonely
Darin Tingey: Anyway, so I would, if I was going to Fiji, man, i would have been like, Ooh, this is kind of nice.
Simone: yeah
Simone: The real question for you though is did the sunset talk back? Because if it did, we would have got
Darin Tingey: No.
Darin Tingey: No comment. No comment.
Simone: issues.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Simone: Can neither confirm nor deny.
Darin Tingey: Exactly. Exactly. Yeah.
Simone: oh No, honestly, being in Fiji, it was, I think, because i always knew it was only temporary. i Obviously, part of me did want, I just wanted the food. I was just so hungry.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. well
Simone: Just so hungry. But it was also lonely in the sense where that you're with a companion 24-7. All of a sudden, you don't have a companion. It was the weirdest feeling, and I just wanted someone with me.
Simone: And I think that was probably the hardest thing.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: Yeah. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: um So then you get to then you get to Christmas Island.
Simone: yeah
Simone: Yes.
Darin Tingey: Was it everything you had dreamed of, at least initially?
Simone: Honestly, absolutely, yes. Like, it's it's magical for a reason. I don't know what it is about that island, but it's special. Like, first of all, it's this massive island. Like, hardly anyone lives there. I think, what, 2,000 people? I'm making numbers up. Don't quote me. I'm fact check this, but it's a huge island, way bigger than Darawa. Like,
Simone: I don't know however many times bigger than Tarawa, but it's huge.
Darin Tingey: Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Simone: And it's, like, very, very sparsely populated. um To get from the airport to where I was in Daba Kea, that's my, that's my, where I served, it took, like, what, like, an hour maybe?
Simone: Like, it was, it was a long ways away, but,
Darin Tingey: here
Simone: eight And island at that point, eight missionaries, six or eight missionaries and one senior couple. And we lived, the sisters, I was with Sister Boss um and we, yeah, do you have you met Sister Boss?
Darin Tingey: Nice.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, Haley Boss, right?
Simone: Oh, yeah. Yes, yes. So we were together. It was so fun. Like our bikes, we're trying ride our bikes, right? And that break almost every single day.
Simone: And at that point, I had never changed a tire. Like it was just this funny thing that I had kept up. Like I never changed a tire because the elders always did it for us. They spoiled us, right?
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: And then so my tire breaks and sister box's boss is like, are you going to fix it? And I was like, I actually don't know how, like I've never changed a tire. And she's like, what? You need to change it. You to learn.
Simone: I was like, oh, I'd really rather not. Like rather not.
Darin Tingey: Thank you.
Simone: So then, you know, we can continue this thing. So She changes the tire for me almost every day. And then, but it just keeps breaking. So obviously we go out, we literally, the tire breaks, we have to walk at home.
Simone: Then we have to walk like 40 minutes to our appointment, right? We only ended up really having like one appointment a day because after you study, you go out, you try to find people. If you do have an appointment, you have to walk there, walk back.
Simone: There's no one around, like no one to teach, no one around. Like it's so different to that hour. But, I, um, there was one lady that do want to mention, like, she's, like, my heart, um, Nei Aris, she's from Kitabas, oh, no, sorry, Christmas Island, um, and she was the sweetest lady, like, so crack up, so unhinged, this lady, um but she was just so kind to us, like, she'd weave, um, mats for us, and just always talked to us, always gave us her time, like, she was very, very lovely, so i feel like
Simone: That was part of the magic of Christmas. um And also we, like just the missionaries that were there, because there were only eight of us, you just, you have no one else, you know, you have to have to kind of band together.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, you bond.
Simone: Yeah, you do, you bond. P-Day, we spend it all together. There's nothing to do there apart from maybe driving out to different parts of the island to see like, The bush or like, for example, I'll tell you what we did.
Simone: One P-Day and shout out to Adalat as well. um Adalat was zone leader. One P-Day he took us. this is He was so fun. He's like, guys, I've got an activity for you. He literally drives us to this abandoned like water tower or something dangerous.
Simone: And he's like, let's climb it.
Simone: So we all climb this freaking rickety tower that looks like it's going to break at any point. We're climbing up this. And then he's like, he looks at us. He's like, see, I'm a good zone leader, eh?
Simone: And we're like, oh, my gosh.
Darin Tingey: ah
Simone: He was hilarious. He was hilarious.
Darin Tingey: his He's a crack up.
Simone: um
Darin Tingey: I really liked him.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: He's a good dude.
Simone: um
Darin Tingey: is this the same Is this the same story of the picture you had sent me?
Simone: Yeah.
Simone: no No, it's not. I'm getting there. um
Simone: So one P-Day, this was kind of close to before I got transferred off off the island, but one P-Day, the Pilkingtons, and I love the Pilkingtons. They came to my wedding, but they're so lovely. But um they they were like, okay, we're almost like a lot of us are going leave this island, so let's do something together.
Simone: So they drove us. They took their four-wheel drive truck. And then we had the van, the Zone Leaders van. So all of us are going and into this, um on this little road trip.
Simone: So they take us to different spots around the island. Like there was like a shipwrecked ship. There was like this, supposed to be this really beautiful beach. And it was, it was so beautiful, like picturesque.
Simone: Think like sandy white beaches, beautiful blue water. and like we're on the beach and like, As you know, 18, 19 year olds do. They're creeping their way towards the shore of the edge of the water.
Darin Tingey: That's right.
Simone: And they're like, we're up to our knees at this point. And Outer Pilkington's like, whatever you do, don't fall in. Okay, just do not fall in. And Outer Pilkington's from Australia. Yeah.
Simone: so of course who falls in outer lutz he falls quotation marks in um but it was just so fun because but they're also in saying that that beach was the tide was so strong like it was pulling us out like it was very actually quite a dangerous beach um so they took us there and then they took us to like the shipwreck and we like took photos and stuff it was so fun and they also had like
Darin Tingey: yeah ra
Darin Tingey: and's right
Simone: like the salt flats. It's like, I don't know what they did, but they like collected salt or something.
Darin Tingey: yeah
Simone: There like a bunch of salt in this like shed thing. um But there was like rocks and we like stacked the rocks and oh, it's just so many memories. But then they take us to this one place and to get there, you have to kind of cross at low tide.
Simone: So you have to cross at low tide and then we're like, it's going to be all good because we're going to come back in time. The tide won't be an issue. So we go over it
Darin Tingey: That's just, oh, we'll be back in time.
Simone: Yeah, yeah, it'll be fine. Don't worry, there's heaps of time. No, it was not fine. It was not fine at all. We come back and then out of Pilkington's car ends up getting like stuck in the sand because at this point the tie had the tide had already come in.
Simone: And so the thing is, it's not it's not that deep, right? The tide wasn't that deep. The issue was you going at low tide, you could see which road to take.
Simone: But obviously with the water on the ground already, you can't see where to go. So ends up going into like a soft part of the beach or the sand area, which is why he got stuck. Um, and like the vans tried to pull it out. It couldn't, nothing's working.
Simone: actually don't remember how he got out. I think one of the, one of the members must have come and helped from somewhere. i think someone had like had to walk down the road or something like, like walk like to the nearest whatever house or whatever and ask them for help. And I think that's where they brought their like truck and help to get it out.
Simone: um but it was so funny like just the context of that photo was so funny and because we're sitting there for a good hour hour and a half at least just kind of like twiddling our thumbs we're at least at least an hour and a half maybe two hours maybe an hour and a half away from our home like no way to get back home it's getting cold like it's a this island has no shelter like it's ah totally open no kind of the forests are like coconut tree forests that are like miles away it's we're out in the open so it was like a little bit dangerous you know like um you
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, I'm looking at the photo and I'm like, ooh, I'm looking at it right now.
Simone: evening
Darin Tingey: like, that yeah, that truck is in deep. And like you said, like wherever you are on Christmas, like Christmas is huge. So like getting around the island is not easy.
Simone: yeah
Simone: no no
Darin Tingey: It wasn't like you were just, oh, well, just walk home.
Simone: Exactly, exactly. And like no food at this stage, no food, like no, no warmth. Cause we're dressed in like t-shirts and shorts for the hot weather, you know, like it was, it was hectic, but I think, and of all things for that to happen, you know what mean?
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: Like on this remote Island where there's no such thing as like a digger to dig you out of like any kind of situation. But that was one of the best stories I think from, from my time on Christmas Island.
Darin Tingey: So, and and you only stayed there for like a transfer, you said?
Simone: Yeah, I wasn't there for long. It was just a transfer, unfortunately. I wanted to die there. I wanted to i was hoping President would let me die, but didn't. He brought me back and I was gutted.
Darin Tingey: It's hope you had fun. Hope you had fun with your answer.
Simone: yeah Yeah, yeah, like, okay, back work.
Simone: Back to reality now, sis.
Darin Tingey: Exactly. But you guys you get to Ata, right?
Simone: Hmm.
Darin Tingey: I mean, Ata is a great area.
Simone: Yes.
Simone: Oh, it's a fantastic area. Like, it's such a great area. I think I was just, at this point, I didn't have long line mission. I would say, what, four months? Something like that.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: but wasn't long. And i if I'm being honest, I was starting to get tired. Like, I was starting to get really tired. i had followed I had follow-up trained Sister Lutui.
Simone: I um was just getting really, really tired. And I i don't know if anyone else can relate, but... I think when you give when ye give your all, like the way I was trying to, you you burn out, you know? Like you just, by the end of my mission, I wanted to go home so bad. Like I was just exhausted and was like, you know what? I've had a great time, but I'm also just, I just want to go to sleep, okay?
Simone: Like, please, please.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, this has been fun. This has been great.
Simone: Yeah, this has been fun.
Darin Tingey: so
Simone: It's been real and it's been fun, but get me off now. But no, so Aether was great. Again, like powerhouses of wards. Like they're so strong because you have Moroni, then you have like Aether, forget if they're first or second. I'm so sad.
Simone: But you have like these great leaders, strong membership as well. Very, very strong membership. The members are fantastic. We got to work with a lot of the students as well.
Simone: And they're such a great time. I think young people and youth, they're fantastic. They're so vibrant and very kind and very happy and joyful. Like they were awesome to work with. And yeah, I did i did have some struggles in terms of um my companionships. and I don't know anyone talks about this, but that was probably one of my hardest, harder companionships that I was experiencing.
Simone: um But I think I think it really taught me a lot, um I guess, about myself and about, like, how people are different. And this is where I think companionship inventory really helps you.
Simone: And, of course, and, I mean, I'm saying this, and I know that I was likely a difficult companion for some people. You know, let's be honest.
Darin Tingey: Sure.
Simone: yeah well not everyone's cup tea you know and I was very a certain type way but so I say that you know and I do recognize I'm not perfect I have lots of weaknesses and character defects but yeah that was where I experienced one of my harder companionships and it took a lot out of me and I think towards the end of my mission was like I'm just done like I just I'm so tired I'm done done with this companionship I'm done just want to get out of here
Darin Tingey: right
Darin Tingey: And that was that your last companion?
Simone: yeah that was my last companion yeah that was me yeah yeah yeah
Darin Tingey: No way. what What a companionship to end on. were like, see ya, I'm outta here.
Simone: yeah and she you know you know i don't want to talk i don't want to talk badly because it wasn't her i think it's it's me and how i chose to deal with certain behaviors right
Darin Tingey: Sure, it's a companionship. It's two ways there.
Simone: Yeah, yes, sure, yeah, but it was, it and I don't know, think for me, we were just very different, and I didn't know how to handle that difference, because I didn't say this, but up until then, I liked all of my companions, you know, like, I really liked all of my companions, and I thought, oh, this is, like, easy, you know, everyone has kind of companion horror stories, I i didn't, like,
Simone: I had really good companions.
Darin Tingey: Thank
Simone: I got along with them well. We had fun. So this was kind of like my time to really have to learn how to communicate, learn how to resolve conflict, learn what what I should let go and what I should do.
Simone: you know, like, kind of have to sort out in terms of our companionship. But, yeah. We were also living in a house of four sisters as well. So, eighth house has four sisters. So, it was a a lot of us. And then, um yeah.
Darin Tingey: The Ada house was Oceanside, right? Where the waves were crashing. I think this is the house that I met you at.
Simone: I think...
Darin Tingey: it was Because I had come off in August of
Simone: online
Darin Tingey: from Mayana. So I think that's where I had met you.
Simone: oh right right right and if you would yes yeah oh i i have to talk about arda peterson now that you mentioned because he was the loveliest missionary like like always smiling always smiling and i was a bit cheeky i like like to play this game of guessing like everyone's first names
Darin Tingey: thirty eight Peterson was in Ada at that time. Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: um As you do, because you have to make your own fun. Oh my gosh, you can't do anything. This is like what I did for fun, you know, like sue me. um So we'd like, once I found out his name, I be like, Caleb. And he's like, Sister Lee.
Darin Tingey: ah
Simone: He was so funny. But he, I know you talked to him in his episode, but I have to, I have to attest and testify. His baking was amazing.
Simone: I don't know how he baked what he did from the little ingredients available on the island. Like, oh, my gosh. Incredible baker.
Darin Tingey: I know he, uh, I got to be in one area with him for a transfer.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: and weren't companions, but we lived together for a little bit and it was awesome.
Simone: anne
Darin Tingey: It was so great.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: I ate so well and he's just the nicest guy. ah
Simone: Genuinely so nice. Genuinely so nice.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, ah he's he's the man. I mean, him and Wannick.
Simone: Mmm.
Darin Tingey: Wannick is also similar. you know I don't know how much interaction you had with him.
Simone: Mmm.
Darin Tingey: Those two guys were awesome.
Simone: Mmm.
Darin Tingey: I mean, there's so many great missionaries in our mission.
Simone: Yes, yes, yes.
Darin Tingey: ah So many awesome ones.
Simone: i I did want to, there was, I wanted to talk a little bit about, um if I can, you're like, um and if I can, there was, I just wanted to mention some of the missionaries who I really admired, like I thought they were really, like didn't get called to high positions of leadership, and I think sometimes, especially in the minds of 18, 19 year olds, leadership is everything, and it can seem like it's everything, but
Darin Tingey: Yeah, please.
Simone: Like there were missionaries that I served with, particularly elders who gave everything and they were never in high positions of leadership, but you could see how much they loved the people, how much they loved the work just by the way they carried themselves, by the way they interacted with others.
Simone: And I think Elder Osborne, don't, have you met Elder Osborne?
Darin Tingey: Yeah, he's the man.
Simone: He was, he was one of those, one of those missionaries, like and incredible, incredible, and incredible missionary. Um, And also, i think I don't know if you ever met Outer Grant. I don't think you would have met Outer Grant. He finished before.
Simone: Outer Grant, he's from Australia and also Outer Barons. He was one of my good friends. They just worked so hard and I always admired them and their work ethic and their genuine love for what they were doing.
Simone: um And that's not to say there wasn't anyone else. It was just the missionaries that I had interacted with and that I was close with. Yeah. So I guess I just wanted to bring it up just to highlight to ennie anyone serving any mission that it's not about numbers. It's not about like what position of leadership you may serve. And it's it's definitely to it's definitely about like how you serve, how you choose to serve, what you choose to do with the time that you've been given as a missionary and what you're going to make of it.
Simone: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Yeah, and they obviously made ah and impact on you, you know, not just the kiddos people, but on you.
Simone: Yeah. Like, ten years later, I still think of them as, like, incredible missionaries, you know?
Darin Tingey: ah
Darin Tingey: Yeah, no, absolutely. And that's, um, and that's the fun part about this podcast is you get to hear everyone's story and get a little bit more insight into each person's mission and how it shaped them, how it shaped, uh, know, the people of Kiribati and the mission in general.
Simone: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Simone: Mm.
Darin Tingey: So, um, I guess coming up on the end here, feel free if you have any other stories to butt in, but you know the the typical questions that I ask everybody, right?
Simone: yeah
Darin Tingey: It's your favorite.
Simone: Wait, but before you ask the questions, do you want to hear about, I shared about our success story, but do you want to hear about our failure story?
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Darin Tingey: Let's hear it. Let's hear it
Simone: look I don't know if you can edit this or circle back, however, but, so do you remember my first area of Paireki?
Simone: So when I was talking about that my very first investigator that I met, her name was Keowa, and she got baptized.
Simone: So she got baptized and then we asked her to help us teach another um another teenage boy. And she was like, yeah, yeah. I forgot his name, but she helped us teach him, right? We'd take her to his house.
Simone: And then you're laughing already. I feel like you can see where this is going.
Simone: So we end up taking her to be our fellow shabba. I think she fellowshiped too hard and she like ended up having a baby together.
Darin Tingey: right yeah
Simone: ended up having a baby together and then I think I had left the area by the time she got pregnant, but So she gets pregnant and she has a baby. So we go to see her in the hospital in Bikini Bill.
Simone: And this is a note. You don't ever want to end up in that hospital. Like you do not. It's not what you'd think of, especially if you're in the Western world. It's not a place you ever want to end up. It's like the last place you want to go, basically.
Simone: um It's very, look like something out of like a World War Two movie. Like it's
Darin Tingey: Yeah.
Simone: It's so old, run down, paint's peeling from the walls, there's like half broken beds that the patients are on, it's crazy. So we go to visit her and it's really nice but normally try to visit her dad like a few months later when I was in the area, he was not happy, a like he was just not happy with us, which was such a shame.
Simone: Because we had built this great relationship. And it wasn't our fault she slept with him and had a kid, you know. but also and from a parent's perspective, I can see how that may have appeared and how he could have chosen to blame us.
Simone: But um yeah, so not every story has a heavy ending as a missionary, but that's okay. That's okay.
Darin Tingey: that is so funny uh
Simone: I have to share it because there'll be highs and there'll be lows.
Darin Tingey: fellowshipping little too much that is so good yeah
Simone: too hard and in one ear and out the other with these kids my goodness
Darin Tingey: That's right.
