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Episode 14: Joey Powell - Kiribati - Tarawa, Tabiteuea, Nonouti, Abaiang
44 Plays10 days ago
Joey Powell served in Kiribati from 2015-2017 and he spent 9 months of those two years just on the outer island of Nonouti! Joey served on Tarawa, and the outer islands of Tabiteuea (Tab South), Nonouti, and Abaiang. After a tough start to the mission and dealing with some difficult circumstances on his first outer island, Joey fell in love with Kiribati on the island of Nonouti. Did the mission president forget that he was on Nonouti for so long, or was it meant to be? Probably a little bit of both...
#MarshallIslandsKiribatiMission #Kiribati #Tarawa #Tabiteuea #Nonouti #Abaiang #TheIslandsPodcast #theislands #PacificIslands #PacificIslanders #Micronesia #islandculture
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Transcript
Introduction & Joey's Background
00:00:00
Speaker
All right, we're on with another episode of the Island's Podcast. The first one filmed in person at my house. ah We got a great guest on today, Joey Powell.
00:00:12
Speaker
Lives down the street. um and uh joey just give a quick background where you're from and where you live now yeah so i'm from st george and uh right now actually live down the street in lehigh here and uh currently i'm i do videography full-time video and photo for outdoor brands things like that kind of which is why we're able to film here he's got all this set up it's And it's awesome.
00:00:39
Speaker
His videos are incredible. You should go check them out. Hunting video with your dad. Father-in-law. Or father-in-law. That was really cool. So we got to get you to Kitabus to go film some more stuff.
00:00:51
Speaker
So funny enough, you were actually like the first person I ever met when I went to Kitabus. ah Really? don't even remember that. You were the one to pick me up from the airport. And... Yeah, kind of crazy. We'll get to that point, but you served from 2015 to 2017. Correct.
00:01:09
Speaker
And let's start from very beginning. like When did you get your call and like were you just blown away? Yeah. So i got my call right after my senior year of high school.
00:01:20
Speaker
was during that summer. ah Had a bunch of friends over open it. And of course, everyone, Marshall Islands. And then it's like the Kiribati Mission region. i was like, no way.
Mission Call to Kiribati
00:01:30
Speaker
This is crazy. And Funny enough, when I was like filling out the mission papers, yeah you know, how I don't know if they still do this, but it has like the question of it's like, what's like, how likely or how much do you want to learn a new language kind of thing? Or it's like, go for it.
00:01:44
Speaker
And I remember I put like, It was like out of five. And I put like four because I was just like, you know, maybe a like, I don't know. And my brother like was like leaning over my shoulder. like, there's no way you're going go anywhere cool putting four.
00:01:59
Speaker
So I switched it to five. Anyways. No way. So yeah, I got my admission call to Kitabas. Marshall Islands. And crazy enough, one of my friends who was there, Maddie Blake, her grandparents, the Blakes, were mission presidents and kind of in the Marshall Islands before.
00:02:16
Speaker
So it's like, otherwise I would have had like no idea what was going on. But she's like oh, I went to the Marshall Islands to visit my grandparents. like it's This is where it's at. like She's like telling me all this stuff.
00:02:27
Speaker
And I mean, given that was Marshall Island, I find out it's like, oh, Kitabas is a completely different country. but The amount of people that have got their call to Kitabas and I see them take their mission pictures with the Marshall Islands flag is there's so many and it's so funny.
00:02:41
Speaker
And there was another, who's my friend, Elder Bowen, who his mom would send out his weekly email like, Elder Bowen and the Marshall Islands. And I was like, dude, you gotta tell your mom. It's a different country. You're in Kittabus, bro. Well, yeah, it was like Elder
Misunderstandings and Mission Name Changes
00:02:59
Speaker
Ellis. So my MTC companion, Elder Ellis, he's from the from New Zealand.
00:03:04
Speaker
And, like how like, he was in the MTC and still didn't realize he wasn't going to the Marshall Islands. Like, it was like, dude, we're going to Kitabiz. He's like, wait, what? Yeah, let's Kitabiz. I know, which is, I think, I don't know, you still on the mission when they got to change the Marshall Islands Kitabiz mission?
00:03:20
Speaker
Which was so smart. Like, President Larkin's like, all right, got to change this. All these kids are think they're going to Marshall Islands. Their parents think they're in the Marshall Islands. They're And they're in completely different country. Different language, culture, everything.
00:03:31
Speaker
Yeah. It'll be interesting when they start putting missionaries on Nauru.
MTC Experience and Cultural Adjustments
00:03:35
Speaker
Then you got to change it all. Marsh Islands, Kitabas, Nauru mission. um So did you go out that summer?
00:03:42
Speaker
So yeah. And then I left. So I left in, I want to say, beginning of September is when I went into the MTC. And it was, I think, potentially the biggest intake Kitabas had ever seen. Because it was... There was...
00:03:56
Speaker
12 of us, I want to say. Yeah. Which was like... At the time. At the time, it was... And I think there were bigger ones later on in my mission, but... Yeah. When it started growing more. Yeah. At that point, it was usually like a three or four or something like that. Yeah.
00:04:09
Speaker
And so, MTC was a blast just with all those people. I feel like I was a little bit of like a tightwad. That was That was me. In the MTC, and it's like I got out in the field and realized like that wasn't going to like...
00:04:22
Speaker
hold up with the Kitabas culture and everything going on. Like, using that water bottle with the filter, like, that wasn't going to happen. Did you actually use that? I mean, I used it for like, the first week and then i was like, okay, no, this isn't going work.
00:04:33
Speaker
Yeah, when I got there, they're like, the older elders like, give me that water bottle and they should be like, you don't need that. Quit using that. I was like, I mean, in Kitabas, like, you get every house and they give you the cub and you're like here here drink like every house you're getting a drink and it's not like hey let me just pour it into my water bottle really quick like you're just gonna get sick that's the nature of it um so big group elders or get some sisters we had some sisters so there's four sisters and then so maybe there's actually 14 of us because i think there was 10 elders
00:05:09
Speaker
I mean, I could try and name them all up, but I'm going to embarrass myself. were there any Were there any going to the Marshall Islands in like at the same time in the No,
First Impressions of Kiribati
00:05:18
Speaker
even the Marshallese speakers were going stateside.
00:05:21
Speaker
They were in our like district in the MTC. Right, yeah. but So all of us were going to Kiribati. So when you got to Kiribati, did you fly through Fiji? Yeah. Fiji and then to Tarawa?
00:05:35
Speaker
What was like the first impression that you had? Man, it was... I mean, I grew up in St. George, so I'm, like, warm-blooded. So I, like, walked off the plane and was kind of like, oh, yeah, like, this is... But it was still, like, the humidity. And it was actually the first, like, crazy enough, this was the first time I'd ever flown on a plane in my life. No way! Like... And it's, like, I'm very, like, much more well-traveled now, but, like, yeah growing up, like... I think I flew on a plane when I was, like, three years old. So it's, like, flying from... My first flight in my life was, like...
00:06:06
Speaker
Salt Lake to LA, LA to Fiji, Fiji to Kitabas. Like that was... Yeah, that's a big one. First experience on a plane and it was just like, wow, this is crazy. Flying over the ocean, you're like praying like, please don't let this plane go down.
00:06:19
Speaker
Luckily, i was on Tadawa for a while before I took another plane to an outer island. Otherwise, I might have like... pass out but so when you were when you look at the plane and you're landing you're like oh my gosh like yeah it's happening it's real yeah and
Integration into Kiribati Culture and Mission
00:06:35
Speaker
I mean and I've heard like stories about the runway being like this dinky thing but then you like see it in person that's the thing is like I got off and I was just like gung-ho just like way hyped excited um I mean, all the little kids peeking out, just like yelling at us, like just classic.
00:06:55
Speaker
um But I mean, as far as like first impressions as we were driving down the island, because we drove to Eta. And we were just, it was also crazy because I think we were sitting, actually no, I was in the van, but there was also a part of my group that was just sitting in the back of a truck. And I was like, wait, what?
00:07:12
Speaker
There's no way that's like valid admission rule. Yeah, let me tell why I am really quick. I don't see who says you can sit the back of the truck. Yeah, but I just remember like looking out and just being like, holy, there's like way more people here than thought because I mean, looking it up, you're seeing kind of Outer Island type stuff. that Yeah.
00:07:31
Speaker
like There's cars all over. The speed bumps were a nightmare. Construction. Because they were just kind of building the speed bumps on and those roads when I first got there. So it was just like... Those things are a nightmare.
00:07:43
Speaker
Yeah. Like when you guys picked me up... And I rode in your van with you and Ben Hoskins. And oh my gosh, I had the biggest headache from those speed bumps. It's not just like, you know, it's like boom, boom, boom. Like every time. like every 40 feet I saw. Yeah, I feel like that's the big thing like you, but people are flying.
00:08:03
Speaker
Like regardless of the fact that there's speed bumps. like Yeah. you You know, we get a little bit of air every once in a while going over the, we call them the tabletops. Yeah. Yeah. So you get the eighth president where at the time, right? Yeah. Was he there when you got to Kiribati? I don't think he was. i think he was like flying in the next day or something like that.
00:08:25
Speaker
Okay. So he was he came pretty soon after we got there. But I don't remember him being there immediately when we got there. But we like they let us like send an email to our families from Moroni.
00:08:36
Speaker
Cool. And then they shipped us off to our areas. And so, don't know you want me to go through. Yeah, let's just quick quick shoot me your areas and we'll start from the beginning. Okay, so I started out on Tomaiku. Then I went to Tabithuwea Mayek.
00:08:50
Speaker
Then Nonos. And then... back to Tarawa and I was in Vota but it was also Tarawayeta, Abato and Tabithuea on Tarawayeta and then Abayang and then I came full circle and ended my mission back in Tamaiku which was just super awesome yeah that's so cool especially like starting out you're
Cultural Experiences and Lessons Learned
00:09:12
Speaker
terrible at the language you don't know the culture and then to finish there and be like yo like I know Kitabas now yeah and it was i'm sure they will and even just seeing some of like
00:09:22
Speaker
even investigators or people that we had like started teaching. Yeah. Or even like their kids that we started teaching. And then I came back at the end of my mission. It's like their parents are like fully active members of the branch presidents. Like it was just like, this is way cool to see. that but Yeah. The full circle.
00:09:41
Speaker
So cool. So, um, where is Tamayaku on Darawa? So Tamayaku's, it's like on the very far, I always say right because for some reason that's just how it falls in my head, but I actually don't know. Like close to the airport? Yeah.
00:09:54
Speaker
So my area actually was also Bonjiki, which was the airport. And so like it's called the Bight. That's one of the names for Tamaiku. like I think that's kind of almost what it translates to.
00:10:08
Speaker
That's what one of my companions told me anyways. Could be wrong. Who knows if it's Elder Young's the oldest.
00:10:15
Speaker
But because it's kind of like Tarawa, it kind of goes out into like a two branches where Tarawayeta and then Tarawa. And so it's kind of that, the hinge.
00:10:26
Speaker
Yeah. The mouth. Yeah, it looks like a shark's mouth, I guess. Yeah. Yeah, it's at where the mouth meets, I guess. At the corner, yeah. Like tucked away, right? Yeah. Back in there.
00:10:37
Speaker
And that's great because it the main road to the airport kind of cuts off to Maiku, so it's kind of out there. on its own little chunk area and there's lots of it's like nana like there's lots of ponds and stuff out there and it's other than like water i feel like on the main island like it's very much more ibuki feeling right more rural yeah rural a little bit more and Not in a city.
00:11:06
Speaker
Yeah. Not in a city, but yeah, I got you. Okay, okay. little more space, little more more coconut trees, whatever. Yeah, yeah. Did you have a you have any that culture shock, or were you kind of prepared for that?
00:11:17
Speaker
No, not at... Like said, I mean, that was the first time on a plane, so you can imagine. I didn't have a lot of like experience with outside cultures, and so just I remember...
00:11:30
Speaker
Like I said, I was gung-ho, excited to like just dive right into it. remember the very first dinner, we go, we're sitting down, and I'm just like, I'm going to load up my plate. like I'm excited to try all these new foods, like just super excited.
00:11:46
Speaker
And I, but the the funny thing is I remember literally like the pot of rice was on the stove and this just mangy cat, like missing an eye.
00:11:56
Speaker
I think its tail was gone. Like just super gross looking cat just like hobbles up onto the rice and like starts eating it. And I was like, oh crap, that's probably our rice.
00:12:07
Speaker
And the thing is, is like luckily someone noticed, two and nine they noticed and she like, you know, swats the cat away. Right. But then, of course, she just starts dishing the rice up into the bowl anyway. Didn't even carve up the top. Yeah, like, just didn't even care. Like, it was just like, oh, that's the cat. The cat got to it. It's whatever. you know, dishing it up.
00:12:27
Speaker
And I just remember that being, like, my first meal. And being like, oh. And then, of course, I was like, oh, well I guess that's just how it is. Still loaded up my plate and regretted that as I began eating. But, like...
00:12:40
Speaker
Anyways, yeah, that was just kind of culture shock there and of itself where it's like, oh, this is just way different. And then, of course, going to sleep that night, walking into our are house that had a hose sticking through the window from the pump that we would use to make shower with. Did you sleep on the ground or did you guys have a bed in that one?
00:13:03
Speaker
uh we i just i slept on the ground yeah and so i feel like that all i was like sometimes you had a bed sometimes not and i remember when i i stayed that night in both of with you guys yeah and there was a ton of us elders there like yeah so many such a blast it was so fun but you guys like all right good night and i'm like where am i sleeping you know like like pick your spot it's like oh okay yeah like we're all like sleeping all next to each other like sardines on the ground but and that's just how it was i feel like mean i've been in the marshall islands little bit and slept on the ground marshall little bit but just wasn't used like so many elders in one house and i feel like if you came straight to kiddo this and like that just like all right good night you know it's like oh i'm gonna sleep right here like on the ground all right here we go you know this is the next two years yeah and i feel like that was like the big thing too just like sleeping on the ground i remember just like laying there that night being like
00:13:56
Speaker
Oh, two years. That's a long time. That's a long time. Like, just kind of all hits you all at once. It's just... Yeah. Jeez. Anyways. So, how long were you Tomayaku for?
00:14:09
Speaker
So, I was in Tomayaku for, want to say, three months. About two transfers. Did you have your trainer the whole time? So, no. So, I had Elder Vula, whose full name...
00:14:21
Speaker
was Elder Nangonevula Vula, but he just went by Elder Vula, but then his full, full name was Puasa Verde Vecadro Nangonevula Vula. Oh my gosh. I'm surprised you remember that. I remember i remembered it because it was like something that like, that's crazy. Right. I memorized it. He was from Fiji. Okay.
00:14:38
Speaker
So, but he spoke English incredibly well. Okay. So, sometimes I wonder though if maybe I thought he spoke it better than he actually did. But he... Meaning that like I feel like I just talk to him like regular and sometimes I'm thinking back now knowing what I know. i was like maybe He didn't understand that. He didn't understand some of the stuff I would say, but he he still spoke English phenomenally, which was a huge blessing. Right.
00:15:02
Speaker
right just Of course, figuring out the language and being able to talk to your companion and actually have a conversation is amazing. Yeah, especially at the beginning of your mission. It's like so tough if you don't. That was me for first three weeks and then was emergency transfer.
00:15:18
Speaker
Start for another time. But yeah, my my trainer didn't speak any English and i was like, dude, this is tough. yeah Luckily, there was other missionaries like other Americans. That was easy. yeah it was just me and him, that was really hard. So I'll bless up to those missionaries that they're blessed to, if they can like with like, handle it, you know, like, especially at the beginning, like, you're trying, like, is fiji if he spoke Fijian, not into English, it's like, okay, I'm trying to learn Kitabas through this guy who doesn't speak in English, and Kitabas is not his first language either. Yeah.
00:15:50
Speaker
It's just crazy. um So to Mike, what would you say, would you describe to Mike? Are you a rural, a lot of members? Yeah, there's definitely quite a few members.
00:16:01
Speaker
and it's i mean there is as When it was at the beginning of my mission, it was kind of hard for me to... like understand what was going on, things like that. but they have, like, a chapel out there.
00:16:12
Speaker
Like, it's it's really nice. um But, yeah, definitely a little bit more rural than, like, because and I never actually served on, like, Tarawa is in like Beiso or Tjerereki or up there. yeah Other than like maybe for like a couple days in between transfers and things like that. Yeah.
00:16:31
Speaker
And so I never really got to experience that. So I don't really know what to compare this to exactly. Because that's kind of all I got from Tarawa was kind of the Buota, Tamaiku, Tarawayeta kind of. Yeah, like still like countryside yeah feel, which I feel like.
00:16:50
Speaker
I would have liked to spend my whole time on the countryside if I could have. Which, honestly, I think it's a huge blessing because when I did go to those other areas, although it was, like, really fun because it was just like, holy cow, there's so many people right out here. Like, you're just constantly surrounded.
00:17:05
Speaker
But I feel like at the same time, it would get a little bit tiring sometimes to just constantly be just chaos. Yeah, and I feel like, you know, hearing about the mission, like you said, you kind of hear about the Outer Island experience.
00:17:19
Speaker
You don't really hear about, like, the main islands necessarily. Like, you're kind of shocked how many cars there are. Yeah. How many... Stores there are. Stores. i actually never made it up to Basso, but, like, i like there's a mall. Yeah. Like...
00:17:33
Speaker
mean, I don't know how nice the mall is, but still, there is one, right? It's definitely not like U.S. mall. It's like it exists, and it's like, oh. Yeah, you hear about the outer islands, which is totally different. But mean, I don't So I feel like knowing that about the main islands, my expectations probably have been little bit different from my initial experience in the mission.
00:17:54
Speaker
But yeah, Tamaku was great. So I had Elder Vula and then I had Elder Young, Australian. Okay. Loved Elder Young. He's like surfer, surfer boy he kind of vibes. Cool. That's Elder Young.
00:18:05
Speaker
He was super great. And also just culturally with your companions, it's just like sometimes hard to like make those connections with Islander companions. would just like have those like almost like outlet discussions where it's like, dude, this is tough. And like talking to someone about that where it's like. Yeah.
00:18:23
Speaker
With an Islander, it's like, they don't quite relate. yeah you're I'm talking with Elder Young and all a sudden it was like, he's like, dude, like I cannot stand these drinks. And I was like, thank you. by What a relief.
00:18:38
Speaker
So from Tamayla, you get called to go to Mount Island. Yeah. And you're going to Tab Sound. Yes. i've done the egg Which is like, again, the most book out of Ireland that we've talked about was out Ireland, out Ireland in the in-kidabas.
00:18:51
Speaker
So I've heard. I didn't get it. But I mean we've had a few people on the podcast talking about Tab South. And so it it just seems like it was like just physically tough. The people seemed a little more tough. Is that kind of the experience that you had? Yeah, I call it my like refining fire experience because I went out there.
00:19:09
Speaker
And my companion was Kitabas, other tech on we great guy, but also like when you aren't super great at Kitabas, you have a Kitabas companion. yeah And then we were also, we didn't have our own house.
00:19:22
Speaker
We were living with a Kitabas family. Okay. And so what culturally and everything, that's where I feel like like crap actually hit the fan for me, where it was just like, oh gosh, also no internet. So it's not like I was able to communicate with my family. And then half the time the radio was out.
00:19:39
Speaker
So we couldn't even communicate with the main island. So it was just like me and him. And the thing that's crazy is I was only there for one transfer. Oh, dang. Which, like, i feel like Outer Island, that doesn't ever happen. Yeah, usually I have at least three, normally.
00:19:53
Speaker
And I feel like, i don't know, hasn't been super talked about on this podcast, I don't think, but, like, I had severe depression. Like, straight up, like, waking up every morning, just, like, and it didn't help that, this is kind of funny story, but, like, one of the lessons whatever, someone, like, comes up to us and like, Elders, did you hear that the U.S. got...
00:20:16
Speaker
And like, we didn't have radio, no internet. So like, for me, it was just like, ah almost like to some degree, like came to like, accept the fact that like my whole entire family could be dead. it's Like sitting here on this island in the South Pacific and have no idea what's going on. And I don't know, but just like that sort of Yeah. Mindset where I kind of just, which it was super helpful for the remainder of my mission because I kind of had to like almost disconnect from my home life and just like, be like I'm here, right.
00:20:44
Speaker
I'm going to, you know, I'm going to serve the Lord. I'm going to, there's no reason to be like constantly thinking about home and help me kind of break off that like homesickness type thing.
00:20:56
Speaker
Post Tab South, but while I was there, like man, miserable, it was tough. And I mean, like a lot of other people have said, like the work was tough. Um, having a kid of his companion just culturally was kind of tough. And Tha Gung Wee was an absolute animal on biking.
00:21:13
Speaker
Like, I don't know how, like his chain would fall off while we're like biking to a lesson. He's like cruising, like full speed. Yeah. He would stay on his bike and put the chain back on while the bike is still moving and keep, and then just like keep going. No way.
00:21:29
Speaker
like and he Anyways, but like that was like my entire experience there was essentially me just like chasing him, trying to stay caught up with him because he was just... Just cruising.
00:21:40
Speaker
And it's like, I mean, I ran cross country. like It's not like I'm out of shape or anything like that. one a not You're not like a big guy. No. You're not a big guy. But like he would just... Yeah, he just would go. and it was yeah But missionary work was tough, but also I feel like the language on Tab South because I was with a kid of his family. yeah With the Kitabas Companion, like it just forced me to learn Kitabas a lot quicker, which Elder Ellis, who was my MTC Companion, he started on Tab South with Taekangui. So those three months I was on Tarawa, he was there.
00:22:13
Speaker
um I'm just like, I have no idea how you did that. like I would not... I've been able to do that. Yeah. I mean, like you're pairing the, the physical hardness with the no outside connection with learning a new language and culture with a companion who doesn't have the same cultural background as you. Yeah. And he was telling me, and that was another thing culturally, because we were living with a kid of his family. Like I would, we didn't have a lot of meals because we were on tab South with like members or anything like that. Yeah.
00:22:43
Speaker
I would get hungry all the time. And he would tell me, it's like, you can't buy stuff from the store and bring it back to the family unless you're going to share it with everybody. Yeah. And i was and so like just like stuff like that was tough culturally where I didn't understand where I was like, okay, but why not hungry? Yeah. I need to eat other... Yeah.
00:23:04
Speaker
That is an interesting cultural thing. Yeah, because they share everything. Yeah. And so, yeah, you're expected... Which I feel like was helpful to learn that more towards the beginning of my mission to though where it was, you know, going forward, it was like whenever I if I had food or things like that, it was especially just Islanders in general, but even kid of us people, it's like I need to, if I have something I need to share kind of thing versus You know, I would buy a jar of peanut butter and sit there and hide underneath the booyah and eat it all.
00:23:34
Speaker
Please let me eat this peanut butter. No, dude. living We didn't live with a kiddo's family. Well, they were our hosts, but we are our house was like separate.
00:23:46
Speaker
Like living in the same... Did you guys sleep the same booyah as them? or like the I had my own little booyah. Okay. Yeah, we had our own our own little boo, yeah, but it was it was the same vicinity, the same like bathroom, the same, which that was another thing. its like have Just like showering and all of the, just knowing the Kittabas for culture things surrounding bathroom and flushing and showering and just it's just a lot different to learn those things than when i was you know with elder kennedy and no knows where it's just like we would live however we want to do because nobody's sitting there judging us i guess yeah especially the uh depression thing i feel like
00:24:39
Speaker
On outer islands, I wouldn't say I'd go crazy necessarily, but I would like sit, like can like maybe like so sunset, and I'd like go sit on the beach. Like my companion would just be like a little bit further away, and I'd just be talking to my family, like,
00:24:55
Speaker
Like, out. As if they were there. I'm like, what's up, mom? Like, how are you doing? Like, how's this thing going? Like, oh, Nate, how's it going, bro? Like, miss you, dude. Like, what this is what I've been up to. Like, yeah it's like, if someone was, like, there, like, on the side, like, watching me, this guy's nuts. He lost his mind. But, like, on the island, when you don't have, like, the contact, you just...
00:25:18
Speaker
They kind of have to like these weird things like get you through it. Yeah. And ah just you saying and that reminded me of one time on Tab South. I remember I had like ah dream where I was back home like in high school.
00:25:30
Speaker
i want to say like I was like playing soccer with friends or something like that. And just like that feeling when you woke up and you're just like, oh gosh, I'm like, that is not where I, like just, you feel so comfortable and like, you know, all sudden you wake up and you're like, I've got to go diarrhea right now. This is not, but even then, just like, i feel like I would do similar sort of things where it's just like, almost like go like in my brain, go, go home for a second. Yeah. Like, haven't like talk to family or do those things just to,
00:26:05
Speaker
almost reground myself to just that comfort type. Absolutely. There's so much discomfort out there, which is awesome. Cause I love one of my favorite quotes. I think it's in preach. My gospel is like, there's no growth in a comfort zone yeah and there's no comfort in a growth zone.
00:26:20
Speaker
And so like with that in tab South, like, I was growing like crazy, but there was not a whole comfort at all. Yeah, no. And were you were you writing letters home at all or just writing your journal? Yeah, so I was writing letters home. And like I said, I was only there for a transfer, so I actually never got to send them until I went to... you went to Until went to No-Nos. Oh, okay.
00:26:42
Speaker
Because I went straight from... They hired a charter, actually. You didn't even go back Tarawa. I didn't go back to Tarawa. I just went straight to No-Nos. But... And I think because Taekwon I mean, he's from Kitabus, so it's like I feel like he just didn't understand that like...
00:26:58
Speaker
I want to communicate with my family. Yeah. And like, I want to like write these and it's like, is there any way we could figure if there's internet? Like, and he was just like, nah, it's fine. Don't worry about it. Like sort of just like brushing it off. where I'm just sitting there like dying. Like, is my family alive? I just got told the U.S. got nuked. Which I didn't actually like seriously believe that, but it was like something like in the back of my head where.
00:27:23
Speaker
You start thinking like, oh, like maybe that a story, but like something happened to my family don't know. but Yeah, which it totally could have happened since I had not heard from the mission president or anyone in weeks.
00:27:35
Speaker
So what was the situation with, like, okay, hey, you're rolling on TAPS South for one transfer. Now you're going to anyone else. We're sending you there. i know Honestly, that was just, I feel like to some degree, an answer to prayer. Because, like, when I was in TAPS South struggling, like, praying super hard, just, like, please, Heavenly Father, like, help me to just, like...
00:27:56
Speaker
Find some sort of comfort, whether that's like get having a transfer and having like someone else come out here or having me transfer off, whatever it was. And I want to say because I actually went out there a little bit later, I want to say it wasn't even a full transfer. I want to say it was like five weeks. Like it was really close to a full transfer, but not quite.
00:28:15
Speaker
And I just got transferred off. Did someone replace you on Tav South? Yeah. So we actually did whitewash. They transferred both of us off okay and sent two brand new elders out there. and And I mean, even with that, we still had a few baptisms when I was in Tav South.
00:28:31
Speaker
And I mean, which we definitely were teaching some lessons and yeah doing some things. But it was also really interesting to see it from going from like the Maiku with Elder Young to like a Kitabas companion where it's like he very much knew like Kitabas culture. And I feel like sometimes as missionaries, we kind of like...
00:28:50
Speaker
through the culture to the wind to get the Lord's work done. Right. Which, I mean, um we heed, I feel like, some of the bigger things to make sure that we're not like offending people, but like yeah we're just a little bit more maybe forward and blunt with people.
00:29:06
Speaker
For better or for worse. Yeah, for better for worse. And I feel like that's why a lot of times there's just a lot of people that were pity-taking lessons for us because... We're sitting there pushing it versus like if I feel like maybe we were a little bit more like I was with Tecangui, it would just be a little bit more soft, soft serve.
00:29:28
Speaker
Yeah. Here's the gospel. Yeah. Yeah. He could probably tell when people were like, you know. Yeah. Whereas like he just like wouldn't push it where You know, the white door-to-door sales bros are just sitting there shoving it down their throat. Yeah, exactly.
00:29:45
Speaker
I can tell you're interested, but we're still going to talk to you. Yeah. So you can turn to something else. Was Elder Kennedy out there currently? Yeah. So Elder Kennedy was out there. he your intake?
00:29:56
Speaker
So he wasn't in my intake, but he... So he served in the other area in Tamiku with me. Okay, cool. And so I knew him, and me and Elder Kennedy were like... and we're so We still are. like boys He's are like yeah one of my best friends. like Even to this day, like we we go on trips all the time and do stuff. Yeah, he's the man. He's so funny. He's so great.
00:30:17
Speaker
He's so awesome. Honestly, when they like they told us the transfers and told me I was transferring off, they were sending a charter plane out. like It was like the next day and i was just like... oh my gosh, like and and then like you're with Elder Kennedy, and was just like, oh, yeah just like i was like I was so excited, because like I had already spent time with Elder Kennedy and Tamayku, and we like got along really well and had lot of fun, and just but also, like he's also like a workhorse, like yeah none other, and so I was just like super excited to just kind of get this fresh start, so charter but then Charter Plane comes into Tab South,
00:30:56
Speaker
And it's like a storm. And also, weirdest thing, for some reason, when I was in Tav South, like it just rained the entire time. There was maybe like two sunny days the entire time I was there. That's surprising.
00:31:07
Speaker
feel like the South normally doesn't get as much rain. And that's like, it was just like, to some degree, I'm like, this is just like Heavenly Father being like, this is rough. You gotta like feel it. in Yeah. Because then like literally like it's super stormy.
00:31:21
Speaker
Plane like goes over the runway like three or four times and doesn't land because they can't see the runway because it's like rainy and stuff. But it's a charter plane. So they're like, oh, we've got to do this. Yeah.
00:31:33
Speaker
They eventually land, ah get on the plane. But then as we pull up into No-No's, it's just sunny. i stuff I was just like, this is it. and then So anyways, yeah.
00:31:47
Speaker
Land in No-No's. And I remember we get to our house. and one it's kind It's like probably an hour bike ride from the airport. But I think I just rode on the back of someone's motorcycle or something like that. But yeah first thing we do is like, Elder Kennedy's like, let's say a prayer. and I was like,
00:32:04
Speaker
wow this is crazy and then all of sudden he says the prayer in english and it's like i haven't like been praying in english since like mtc sort of thing but he says a prayer english and i just remember like breaking down crying just like out of pure like joy where i just like i understand what he's saying like this is awesome anyways thank heavens i got a cool elder that i get along with speak english like Yeah, that's really Also, like, even, it was just like, he was like, let's let's pray and then we'll do our, like, studies. And I was just like, oh, heck yes. Like, I don't know. So we were just, like, super great, obedient, just...
00:32:41
Speaker
worked super hard and it just made Nonos incredible. and so What was Nonos like? Give me lay-in because we haven't had anyone that served Nonos yet on the podcast. Yeah, so Nonos, it's right above Tab.
00:32:54
Speaker
So Tapatoya and Tapatoya Mayak and then Nonos is above that. I want to say it's this other than Tab, but that's including Tab, Tapatoya and Tapatoya Mayak combined.
00:33:05
Speaker
Nonos is the longest of the islands, I believe. okay I could be wrong. I think Abamehameh might be close. Abamehameh is pretty long too, yeah. But it was just a ton of Viking.
00:33:19
Speaker
Okay, so you guys were the only elders on Nonos. Yeah, we were the only elders on Nonos. Where did you guys live? Did you guys live in the center? Yeah, it was more towards the center, which was kind of nice.
00:33:30
Speaker
um We lived right outside of the main village, which I can't remember for the life of me. But...
00:33:40
Speaker
Matang, that's what it was. yeah It was right outside Matang. And it was, i want to say it was about four hours both ways biking. Oh my gosh. So on Sundays we would bike like eight hours pretty consistently.
00:33:53
Speaker
How many villages did you search in? We did church. It varied, honestly. like What was the church like? Did they have a branch? or were you so There wasn't a branch established yet. I think a branch was established honestly like right after I left, which was kind of a bummer.
00:34:08
Speaker
cause i was ah so I was on No Nose for nine months. Oh my gosh. That's so cool. You might find someone who's served longer in an area than Outer Island. That's the longest I've ever heard of anyone serving on an Outer Island. I was there for nine months.
00:34:24
Speaker
Wow. That's long. Yeah, it was like three months short of a year. Like, just... That's so cool. And so it was way cool because I feel like I just got to know some of those members so well.
00:34:37
Speaker
And just, man, I love them so much. Like the Cebu, like the old or grandmas on the island that were members that just like took me and Elder Kennedy in.
00:34:49
Speaker
netabu te abbi like oh They were just like cream of the crop, just the best people. And they were just like... love us and feed us and just like, it's just, I felt like we were like going over to our grandma's house and spending like a late night sitting there chatting, eating dinner and just like hanging out and her telling us stories about when the Peace Corps was there, you know, just like,
00:35:10
Speaker
the the so fun the grandmas were always so fun to hang out yeah and and and they like would try and help you with the language or at least for me to have the language yeah always a feed us every time yeah even though they've had nothing you know they yeah feed you and then also just whoop your butt and kid a this Yeah, dude.
00:35:30
Speaker
I don't understand how they can count cards like none other. yeah It's impressive. yeah They can all count cards. Yeah, and so that's what every P-Day on No-Nos, me and Elder Kennedy would go with either like Dan Hoppy or some of the...
00:35:45
Speaker
um nine siboo yeah siurra our grandma's on the island and we would just go play like kid with sorry all p day long and just do you ever play checkers no and there was like a checkers in the minyebe in the village that i'd play some old guys they'd always beat me they'd always just so good i don't get i mean i guess they had nothing else to do all day besides like play sorry and play checkers and Yeah, Kumbha Sorry with was one of my all-time favorite take-home things. what an interesting game they yeah that they take Sorry. Like, the board game Sorry, How in America, the way they put cards.
00:36:22
Speaker
Yeah. And it's a little different, but like... I mean, it's like the same all the same. I played Sorry the other regular Sorry. i was like, this is super boring. But it's like the same... like concept but they just like throw a couple things in there and it just makes like 10 times more interesting yeah I just don't know I want to know the story of like how Sorry became the game in Kingdom of the Kingdom you know like who brought it over there and like it's blown up I feel like Sorry Bingo and Checkers play or like the board games or whatever yeah it's so funny but anyway so yeah No-Nos that's kind of way of land super long okay
00:37:01
Speaker
Lots. I mean, and that's the crazy thing. Like I said, Tab South, when I was there, like maybe two not rainy days. When I was in No-Nos, there was maybe like, was there for like nine months, and there was maybe like...
00:37:12
Speaker
I don't know, like two weeks in total where it rained. Okay. So you're drinking well water the whole time then? Yeah, well water the whole time. Super, super dry. What was your house like? Were you a kitabas? We were in a kind of traditional kitabas house.
00:37:27
Speaker
Like, ah did you have a wall? Did you actually have walls? Or it was a traditional booyah? Just booyah. Dude, that's so sick. Yeah. I just think up, but like, it was like, it wasn't as traditional. it was like the... There like still like stick wall around it. Yeah.
00:37:40
Speaker
But I was like, man, I want a booyah. Yeah. we had a And the thing is we had so we had the booyah to sleep on and then we had like our bags and like would change in like a house.
00:37:51
Speaker
Okay. We kind of called it like our shed. Sure. Because that's kind of what it was where we just like put all of our junk in there. um What about shower, bathroom? Do you a shower outside? So we just showered outside, yeah which i mean, it's a one weird concept. It's like a weird concept. Yeah. You just like put the bay around you. you just yeah get the well water and just dump it over your head and just do it right there. And it was always like, I just remember one time specifically, we'd done like service.
00:38:18
Speaker
or something like that that morning. And so we were like showering a little bit later. And of course, like the JSS bus, like, is boosting right I'm sitting there showering, you know, and there's all these like middle schoolers whistling at me. Yeah. I feel like that's almost like a classic, like,
00:38:35
Speaker
missionary experience at some point in time though right absolutely it is yeah the i always i forgot about the buses picking up the kids the buses right yeah the trucks the trucks um that's so funny remember like uh when i got to kiddo bus and stayed with you guys and it was um oh he just got released his ap forgetting his name Anyway.
00:38:58
Speaker
Parrish? No, not Parrish. He was with... Oh, AP. He was with Ellis a as AP and then he got released. i'm blanking on his name anyway this poor guy we're gonna have you on because i you've got it was amazing i kid of this language and everyone always shocked by oh christianson christianson thank you yes ben ben yeah uh i remember we get there and like next morning like i'm gonna go shower outside i'm like what shower outside like do you mean shower outside elder like we can't do that What are you doing? You know?
00:39:32
Speaker
But then I saw him put the bin on and then when i went to my inn I was like, oh, everyone just showered outside. Like, yeah it's just totally normal. Yeah. And then I actually, when I went back to the Marshall Islands I went to the Marshall Islands.
00:39:44
Speaker
We didn't, we had like a little place to shower in our house but it was pretty bad and i was like, I just wanna shower outside. Like I just yeah i just want it. And so i I couldn't shower outside like did in Kiribati because culturally they would just be like, what are you doing? you know but i like made like I put a bunch of palms the trees around and made a little like little enclosure and all these little kids tried to peek through it.
00:40:09
Speaker
while I'm showering. Luckily, I had my base from Kitabas and I was just showering that way, but still so funny. But like, Kitabas is like, yeah, it's totally normal. Yeah, you just put the bayon and just shower right there. I always feel so uncomfortable. Sometimes you'd see the Unimani and they just wouldn't even have the bayon. They were showering right there. Yeah, they're just all naked right there. just remember feeling so uncomfortable one time. I invited this girl to church And she's like middle of showering. Like talking to you? Yeah, with her bail. And I was like, I don't know. I feel like I should go. Like we're having a church here soon though. So she's kind of like, all right.
00:40:42
Speaker
Okay. Totally normal. Totally normal. Yeah, totally. so So you guys live in Anabouya, that's so cool. And then, so since the island was so long, right? I'm assuming you guys probably passed a bunch of villages. Like you probably didn't even teach in all the villages, right?
00:41:01
Speaker
Or did you teach? I mean, some of like the very far north and very far south, we didn't hit up a whole lot. Yeah. But we would still teach there, just not. It's like we had to like split up our days where we'd be like, this day we're going up to the very far north.
00:41:15
Speaker
here And that was like always a pain because it's like, end your studies, you bike four hours, teach for like three hours and then bike four hours back. And it's like, seriously? Yeah. Not four hours. It was probably two hours. Now I'm thinking about... Because it's two hours... It was eight hours for church, two hours up, two hours back, two hours down, two hours back again.
00:41:35
Speaker
But, yeah, so it was... we But we I feel like we had investigators in most of the villagers villages, which was... That's impressive. Really awesome. And I feel like we Yeah, missionary work was super fun, especially working with Elder Kennedy, because we would just...
00:41:55
Speaker
work courses. Like we would just go and go and go I want to say like one week. No, that was actually in Tamiku where he had like a hundred lessons in a week. Like that's... Oh my gosh! Yeah. So that's Elder Kennedy's work work ethic for you. Where it's like, that's kind of like what we brought to No-No's where we were just going, teaching.
00:42:13
Speaker
And the thing that's like sad is honestly like, our kid of this was probably not that great. Hey. Which, the cool, sort I guess, to demonstrate that. we had a lesson with Yeram Yassabai, who is the very first president of Kitabas.
00:42:30
Speaker
No way. He was living on Nonos. Okay. So we were teaching like one of his descendants, Takaye, and his daughter or whatever. But he was visiting.
00:42:42
Speaker
And so we're like, oh, let's like... Cody, of course, is like, dude, this is the president of Kitabas. We've got to like... let's Let's give it a shot. So he's like, hey, can we like have like a lesson with you? like Chat with you? And he was like...
00:42:53
Speaker
Yes, you can, like in English. And we're like, crap. So it's like we go, we sit down with him. We do like the whole like first lesson and we're kind of just, you know, pausing every once in a while, getting like input, but we're like talking and kid a bit to him.
00:43:10
Speaker
We kind of like get done with like the first little section we're like, do you have like any questions? He's like, well, I didn't really understand a whole lot of it. And we're just like, oh. like And he said that to us in English. Well, I didn't understand a whole lot of it. And it was just like, oh, crap. like we're We've probably been teaching so many people and they're just being kiddivous and just being nice to us, being like, oh, yeah, no, we're good. We understand it Yeah, totally.
00:43:34
Speaker
Yota. Yota. Yeah, exactly. but And so it was just like one of those like moments where I was just like just ah humbling experience. Because we had been working super hard teaching a ton of lessons. yeah But just like a humbling experience where he was just like, yeah, i didn't really super understand a lot of it. But like I do have some questions about this, this, and this. And all sudden starts going into like these political discussions about...
00:43:59
Speaker
LDS people having big families and how that helps the Kitabits economy, if that's like something that helped. And it was just like way over our heads. We were just like... Was he speaking to you in English? Yeah, he was speaking to us in English the entire Kind of like, hey, my English is better than you guys' Kitabits. Let's just do this in in English. right Exactly.
00:44:19
Speaker
But either way, it was a cool, and I mean, we ended on like super, like it wasn't like it was like he was like bashing us or anything. It was just like, oh yeah, those are like good thoughts. Like, i I don't know, we'll have to like think about it or whatever. But I feel like either way, it was just like that experience where it's like I taught the first lesson to the very first president of Kitabas. I think George Washington yeah of the US, but like Kitabas. That's so cool.
00:44:46
Speaker
Which it was just like, man, that's, yeah. I thought it was cool when got to shake Donald's hand. yeah He came to my hand and was like, need to press it. I'm kidding, this is so sick, you know?
00:44:58
Speaker
Which is way cool, just like all that stuff. But yeah, just one of those things where it's like, when I was on No-No, so our language wasn't the greatest, but we were working hard and I feel like It just kind of like goes to show the gift of tongues to some degree, where yeah there were people that had incredible testimonies. some of i mean Some of them I know now have even gone to the temple. like Just super cool yeah experience, just knowing that it's like maybe my language isn't the best, but they're still understanding and gaining testimonies of Jesus Christ, which is just...
00:45:32
Speaker
Yeah, the gift of tongues and the gift of like understanding tongues, whatever it is. It probably works both ways, right? Us speaking a language, but then understanding what our message is. yeah So sounds like you guys like worked hard and played hard. like yeah like what What are like some of the highlights from the notes?
00:45:54
Speaker
Oh, man. I feel like there's so many. I feel like... So when we first got there, Elder Kennedy, forgive me for telling this story, but I'm just going to tell it anyways. um So Elder Pettingill was who I replaced, and Elder Pettingill was kind of sick.
00:46:13
Speaker
unknown us and so they weren't doing a whole lot of work and elder pettingill and elder larson had gotten a dog for some reason you know you're not supposed to get dogs but yeah it's sometimes it just happens especially when elder pettingill was sick and so they couldn't work and so they're just sitting there and elder larson's probably bored out of his mind they get old puppy But I show up and all of a sudden we're just like gone all the time. So this dog is just not getting taken care of, sadly enough.
00:46:42
Speaker
But also, like I feel like people have to understand like dogs in Kitabas are like not dogs in America. it's totally different. Totally different. Yeah. But anyway, so this dog's health just declined significantly pretty quickly when I got there.
00:46:59
Speaker
And so we get home Saturday night, one night after a long day of lessons and things like that. It was really late. And we like walk into our our our shed for changing, and it just smelled absolutely horrendous. And we're just like, oh, gosh, what is that?
00:47:17
Speaker
And we look like we had this like pile of trash that we would every once in while dig a hole and empty it into the hole like we're doing kid abuse, you know? And the dog is legit just laying in the trash. This little... Yeah, we'll just call it a dog. It did not look like a dog. Because it had gotten like kinakanaka. Like it just had like scabs all over its body. Like it was just not a dog. Like it didn't look like a dog. It looked like something you'd see out like a horror film, honestly. Like just ah really kind gross.
00:47:45
Speaker
And so we're like, oh gosh, we... hold our breasts, carry it out, and, like, set it outside. And we're like, if it's not dead by morning, we'll, like, put it out of its misery. And so, wake up the next morning, and unfortunately enough, it was still alive. And so, okay, we've got to put this thing out of its misery. Like, this poor dog was just, like, not enjoying its existence and so of course we draw straws for who's you I draw the short end of the stick worse worst okay so the worst thing about it though is it's like what are we going to kill this dog with like a stick this like and that's it so it's like we have this wrench for fixing our bikes I was like okay I just give it a nice solid thwack on the head like they'll be gone right
00:48:34
Speaker
So I drew the short end of the stick. No vets on the Outer Islands to help you out with this stuff. Yeah. Like there's... They kill dogs to eat them. So... yeah If you need to cut this out, like... No, we're keeping it in.
00:48:51
Speaker
Worst or best part of all of it. It's like the dog's yelping, you know, all a sudden it's like, you know, we did we did the job. Poor dog was put out of its misery. This was a blessing for the dog. for Yeah. like There was no coming back yeah from that. From where it was at.
00:49:07
Speaker
and But then we look over and all the neighbor kids are just like legit like standing in a line staring ah at us with their jaws dropped. Like they're just like, like it was just like straight out of like a movie where it's just like,
00:49:23
Speaker
fast pan over to the kids with their mouths wide open like oh my gosh what are the elders doing oh my gosh that is a wild story which come to find out too it's like it's not helpful for our case it's like later that day like legit I was like talking to some other members and being like hey like like it's been a tough day. Like we had to like put our dog down and they're like asking them, it's like, and they're like kid of his culture. Is that like something that you guys do is like put animals out of their misery. And so so they do not, like that is not ah something they do in their culture. And so it's like,
00:49:58
Speaker
So that it probably looked even worse to them. Right. but and And it's interesting because in Kitabas culture, it's like doing sea turtles. Yeah. It's like when they catch the sea turtles, they just flip them on their back and wait for them to die. Right. don't kill them.
00:50:11
Speaker
Or it's like one of the families, when I was in Tabitha, I remember they had a... they caught like a seabird of some kind and it was just like super sick.
00:50:24
Speaker
Like you could tell it was like on its way out. yeah They're like sitting there just like they wouldn't kill it And it was just like in my head, it's like this seems like suffering big time. Like, yeah but culturally that's just like not something they do, which is, I don't know, it was just something interesting to me.
00:50:37
Speaker
I wonder, which is funny because they'll eat dog. like I've seen them yeah chase down a dog and like beat it to death. feel like they'll kill things and eat them for food. But even then, it's like the sea turtles. It's like, why do they just yeah flip them over and wait for him to die instead of just... Yeah.
00:50:55
Speaker
I mean, the weirdest one of it all is the rats, right? Yeah. They don't kill the rats. They don't kill the rats. They feed the rats. Yeah. I'm like, what's going on here? You know? Yeah. is I can't remember. Did they believe in like reincarnation and type of deal? or it's i i feel like I was told like three different stories, but it's like the rat. There was like in Titibus mythology, almost. Folklore.
00:51:23
Speaker
is like I can't remember the whole story, but essentially it was like the rat is like a god that... ah Or like a person that had been transformed into like this animal kind of thing. And so it's like when you kill the rat, you're killing Nick. He was like, that's so like ancestors or something like that. Maybe that's like way off the mark. I could be way off, but it was like something along those lines where it's just,
00:51:51
Speaker
It's like rats, why don't we choose something else? don't know why I had rats. I mean, I could tell stories about rats, but just there was one area I was in where we did kill one rat sudden the rats got like 50 times worse.
00:52:03
Speaker
So it's like to some degree, I'm like, maybe there's some yeah there's so truth to it. Oh my gosh, I know. There's so many stories of like an elder killing a rat. And then them, like, getting bit that night by a ton of rats.
00:52:16
Speaker
It's like, all right, I'm not going to touch it. But we have it in our house. Every night I go to bed, just hear like, scurrying around up in the pandanus leaves on the roof. And I'm like, oh, my gosh.
00:52:29
Speaker
yeah So you couldn't even keep any food at the house ever. Like, you just have to like continue to go back to the store to get food because for some reason their setup was better than ours. But yeah that was, like...
00:52:41
Speaker
Ants were getting into your food. Yeah. Maggots, flies. Oh, gosh. All sorts of stuff getting into your food. So nine months on Nonos. Nonos probably has like a ah like ah big part of your heart.
00:52:53
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. It's like if I ever go back to Kittabas and I don't go to Nonos, like, oh, that just hurt me. Yeah. did They have a branch now, though, you said, you think? Yeah. I'm not sure post-COVID what it looks like, but I know that when I left, they had established a branch there. And it was really cool because Konono, I think, was one of the branch presidents.
00:53:15
Speaker
He might even be the branch president, but he was someone who had just recently been baptized when I got to Nonos. Yeah. And he was just super solid guy. He was a wrestler. He was a wrestler. but But he's also kind of like a quiet, but like just super mellow, way awesome guy.
00:53:31
Speaker
of my favorite pictures of you and Cody Kennedy on the mission is like the picture you guys on the motorcycle. On the cosplay. On the cosplay. guys are just like posting it up. i was like, that's an iconic picture. Yeah. Which that was, so because No Notes was so long, we actually got permission from president to ride motorcycles on Sundays, which some Sundays it worked out, some Sundays it didn't just as cause far as like renting it. And right there was a few instances where we may or may not have crashed the motorcycles, but, but no injuries. We were safe. We were all, it was all good. And it wasn't like anything crazy, but yeah,
00:54:16
Speaker
There was a few times as well. Cody was not great at keeping his bike in good working condition. he i think he went like an entire month without a bike pedal.
00:54:27
Speaker
Oh my gosh. He one bike pedal and was biking six hours a day with one bike pedal. Yeah. Oh my gosh. And then we nicknamed one of our other bikes the Saks snipper. Yeah.
00:54:38
Speaker
Because the seat, the seat went like this. Oh my gosh, I had one of those too. It was the worst. But I mean, so like motorcycles were a huge blessing on those Sundays. And it just allowed us to like actually do all the churches and then afterwards go and like have some lessons. Yeah.
00:54:56
Speaker
Man, it's like fast Sunday when you're fasting and biking eight hours a day. Oh, goodness. yeah we yeah we didn't ask for permission we just asked for forgiveness i believe we were riding with motorcycles for a while yeah and then i was like i was like we should probably confirm with president that this is okay yeah i think he probably president mark and probably knew yeah elders were doing it so that's why he was like you know thanks for asking let's say go ahead and keep doing it until I find out otherwise from someone higher up. Yeah. That's kind of what he said. I was like, okay, good. Which I think eventually happened because they like called and I was like, no more motorcycles. Like, yeah.
00:55:40
Speaker
Okay, sure. You know, like... this island's huge you know like the amount of work it takes but to to do all that yeah okay so you go from the nose you go back to tarawa yeah you go to bota which is the countryside and you became zone leader yeah right okay how long were you bota That's a good question. I want... I don't feel like it was super long. i want to say maybe like four months.
00:56:10
Speaker
Three or four months. Which maybe that sounds long to some it. After I was just nine months on no nose, I could felt like... Yes. No fast. What would you describe both of them? mean, we can kind of cruise through both them, but... Vota, a lot like Tamayku, except for we also, because our area also went out into Tarawayeta. Yeah.
00:56:27
Speaker
And went to Abatho and Tabithue, which was actually way sick as being on Tarawa, because it's like we would put our bikes on our shoulders and walk across when, like, the tide was low. Yeah. Or throw or our bikes in the back of a ah canoe and go across if the tide was high. But, like...
00:56:44
Speaker
Especially even, like, being zone leaders, just being able to still, like, have, like, this, like, cool outer island type experience where we're going out there. And then there's also this super rickety causeway that we'd ride our bikes across. I think there's a picture of me just, like, standing on it, but it looks like it's just, but you'd ride up one side and then down the other. Like, it's just, like, yeah all over the place, but, like, it was super fun.
00:57:06
Speaker
Cool. And so that was Buota. And that's where you guys came in. Because I think when I came in, it was for Christmas. And that's when I started. And that's like right when you came? or No, we came April.
00:57:20
Speaker
So probably the end of Buota time. Oh, okay. Because we came April because... President was like, we're losing 20 missionaries in July. And think you were part of that group. I was the next or the next group. Well, I guess July. Yeah, July and August. It's like, we're losing a ton of missionaries. yeah So we're bringing 60 over.
00:57:36
Speaker
Like, i guess I'm curious to hear your side of it. Like, yeah what did President say to you guys? Like, hey, we're bringing... I feel like it was just kind of like, hey, we're getting some, like, Marshallese elders coming over here since, and I do remember him saying it's like, because of these two big intakes, we've got to, like, kind of fill in some holes here in Kitabas.
00:57:54
Speaker
Yeah. And I was like, man, these guys are in for, like, a rude awakening. Because from serving in Kitabas, when you hear about the Marshall Islands, it's like. Way nicer. Way nicer. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:58:05
Speaker
It's like, they've got McDonald's. totalized Total life, no fast food. Well, I guess on the quaj, but you don't get to beat in there. And so it's like just like from that perspective, though, it's like, oh, these guys. like and so I don't remember specifically picking you guys at the airport, but I do remember you guys staying with us. Yeah.
00:58:25
Speaker
With Elder Hoskins and i And just, to some degree, just like seeing like your first experience and just being like, oh, yeah, these guys. because i had If anything, to me, it was like confirmation. It's like, okay, Marshall Islands is nicer than Kitabas.
00:58:42
Speaker
Yeah. Because I remember you just kind of like... Because who was with you? It was me, Sheffield, and Peterson that stayed with you guys. Oh, good, yeah. There was three others.
00:58:52
Speaker
Hanson, Mahonga, and... Ross who didn't stay with us but yeah us we stay with you guys uh Peterson went to top south Sheffield went to Onotoa and went to Miami okay yeah I remember like you and Hoskins picking us up and then like hearing you guys like talk to people in Kittabas and like joke with them and all stuff I was like man these guys really know Kittabas like dang these guys are good Because I feel like... And that's what... Hoskins was incredible at Kitabas. Like, I had multiple people when I was with Hoskins yeah that would, like, turn to me and be like, why is... Why does he sound like a native Kitabas speaker? Yeah, yeah.
00:59:32
Speaker
And it was, like, kind of a little bit insulting to me because they were like, they never said that about me. Right. But they would be like, he's like... And we see... Like, he's like... Yeah. Speaking super quickly. like he was He did speak really fast. And so he yeah so Hoskins was like incredible at Kitabas. And I feel like he also knew a lot of Tete Nikolai, the old-fashioned speaking. And so he'd do that to impress people. and and then i was just kind of there but it's always like you know it's so bad for the others it's like you've been out a long time and they're like oh you'll pick it up over and you're like what like i'm on month 18 right now yeah i had a companion and like he was like out further along mission and i like turned in like you'll pick it up i'm like
01:00:18
Speaker
oh that's rough you know like don't say that to him yeah usually they're pretty good like wow you're so good the language yeah even if like you said like one word like wow yeah um but to your point of marshall is nicer madro way nicer than taro like as long as everything works what i mean by that is like if the water works or the power works like your apartment's me nicer Again, if the water's out and the power and the powers doesn't work, it gets bad real quick. yeah cause You almost wish you had a kid with his house. yeah and like
01:00:54
Speaker
It was more culturally okay to go to the bathroom, other places, the house. You're sitting there essentially in like a garage. It's just glass and hot. I don't experience crazy.
01:01:07
Speaker
just quick stories like, my end, I live in Stick Hut, but I had internet and like phones. I out email. But like Marshall Islands, I lived like a nicer, outer island in the Marshall Islands, had nicer house, but like no internet.
01:01:19
Speaker
not some of those The food boat didn't come as much. The plane didn't come as much. So was like, it was super weird to like fill my, Okay, i mean I'm living in a stick hub. Everyone has a smartphone. What is this? you like like The priorities are just totally different.
01:01:32
Speaker
yeah That's what it felt like. Yeah, which was actually way crazy for my mission as far as just like technology and things like that. Because I remember when I was first there, no smartphones, no nothing.
01:01:43
Speaker
When I left, everyone had a smartphone. Yeah, crazy. like Just the development, how quickly it went from like... almost stone age to like smartphones yeah it's just like whoa like what is happening totally stone age like they're very they were still like very well like put together but just kind of that living in stick huts to yeah it made no sense yeah it made no sense stick up where a iphone or an iphone but a nice or just like a big flat screen tv sitting in the booyah you're like
01:02:14
Speaker
Kids playing Nintendo 64. What's going on here? um Okay, cool. So, Buelta, and then you go Abayam. Abayam, yeah. yeah And were you there when they had, like, multiple sets of missionaries? um No, so it was just, which was honestly, like, for me, going, having served in Nonos, like, I feel like it would have been way fun to have another set of missionaries there.
01:02:37
Speaker
But it was just Elder Sagada. And we would have the whole island, which was like fun, but it was also really hard to manage. I don't know why it was like easier to manage with Kennedy on No Nose, but like, I feel like it was because there's a lot more people in half a.m.
01:02:53
Speaker
Okay. And I feel like that had a lot to do with it where... In Nonos, and I'm just coming up with this now, so I don't know this is totally true, but it feels like this, thinking back to it, where it's like Nonos, I feel like the villages were a little bit more spread out.
01:03:07
Speaker
There weren't as many people in each village, where it's like Abayanga, it was like, you're biking along like the whole island, and there's like houses up and down like the entire island. Gotcha. Okay. Because it is like right close to Padua. Yeah, the proximity probably helps out a lot. Yeah, because you go to Tabon Tabique in...
01:03:23
Speaker
ah and And you can see the base of lights at night. ah you can see So it's like it's close enough that people would take boats back and forth. yeah Not that it was, I wouldn't wish that upon anyone. but yeah What was your experience? on like What were some of your favorite memories from Abbey Young?
01:03:42
Speaker
Abbey Young was super It's like weird. feel like it feels like its own little like microcosm of my mission. where It was because I feel like No Nose was like my mission almost. And then like Abbey Young was like, oh, I went to Abbey Young for a little bit. And sometimes I'm like, I forgot about that. Like that happened. just yeah i feel like I was only there for.
01:04:06
Speaker
Three transfers? Yeah, it was at the end of your mission. Yeah, it was like, it was my last area except for the very last transfer of my mission I went back to Tamayku. And so, in Abbeyang, I was with Sagada for a while. The work was great, the members were awesome. And that's like the difference too, is like the church was like decently well established on the main village in Abbeyang.
01:04:29
Speaker
And so it's like, there was like a branch presidency. They do, I think they did all like three hours of church. Cause that was back when there was like three hours of church, which, or maybe they just did two. Now I'm thinking about it. We did two hours of church before it was cool.
01:04:43
Speaker
All my mission, I feel. yeah i think yeah most of it just like an hour or like on the outer islands it just like sacrament yeah go to the next one but so yeah and and they did it all themselves which was why so nice because we would we would just go down to the southern village and we would hold church there while they're holding church in this middle village and then We'd bike all the way up to the far north one and do another one. And we just did like two sacrament meetings.
01:05:10
Speaker
That's probably going to feel like a little bit relief. Yeah, definitely. From like doing like four or five day. Yeah, and it was just also to some degree just... But it was weird because the Southern Village actually has like a chapel down there too.
01:05:24
Speaker
Oh, wow. Like, I mean, the pavilion chapel, not like a full on. Yeah, yeah. But there's a specific location versus somebody's house that you're that. Yeah, which remember someone, I think it was when he was talking about how they like everyone down there has been a member at some point in time or another. yeah Which is interesting because when I was there, it's like I feel like i didn't I wasn't there long enough to like catch on to that.
01:05:50
Speaker
yeah So hearing that, i was like, actually, that makes a lot of sense. because Because the few people that we did run into were like teach down there.
Community Dynamics and Personal Reflections
01:05:58
Speaker
like There's like just this weird feeling about it where it was like there's...
01:06:05
Speaker
It's like there's so much like history between different people who like had problems with the church. Okay. Which I feel like was largely because everyone had been a member of the church at some point in time. And so it's like just almost like it was almost like neighborhood drama versus like church drama that was keeping them out of the church kind of thing.
01:06:25
Speaker
Yeah. Which... It's like hearing Wenig talk about it, I was like, oh, that makes sense why there was so much like weird stuff going on there. And the interesting thing, those villages are so small. You're out you're out and about all the time.
01:06:41
Speaker
Versus in America, you know like you don't like your neighbor, like you don't have to go see them. usually in their house all the time. like yeah There, it's like everyone's out and about. yeah Which on Abayam, too, it was fun scene hearing Wenig's, too, because In the post, he had a picture of one of the people that I was teaching.
01:06:57
Speaker
Eswes was his name, and he didn't have any legs. Oh, wow. And so he was he was a super cool guy talking to him, teaching to him. And he was going to be like my last baptism before I like headed out, and I was super excited. And we go and do the baptism interview with him.
01:07:12
Speaker
And it's like, so like, do you have a testimony of like Joseph Smith and the restored gospel? And he's like, yeah, I prayed to Joseph Smith. And I was like, oh, yeah. thing that you were i pray in oh it not what we want yeah So needless to say, it's good to see that he did get baptized eventually. Probably had to get some corrections and made me question if my language was at the end of my mission. still but I thought we were pretty clear on that. But one of my coolest, I guess not coolest because it was actually super sad, but also just like a testimony building experience for me on Abbey Young is we were just like walking through the village and and once again, going back to the idea that everyone there's a member, but not everyone's necessarily active. Yeah.
01:08:00
Speaker
This random lady walks up to us and she's like, hey, elders, like my daughter is extremely sick. And, or my daughter's sick and like this, it's not looking good. Can you like give her a blessing?
01:08:13
Speaker
And was like, have no idea who this lady but like, she's willing to come up and like ask me for a blessing. Of course I'm like, yeah. Um, and I just remember as I was like giving the blessing, of the saddest part is it's just like, I felt like very strongly from like heavenly father, to like this, this baby's not going to make it. So this blessing is actually more of a blessing of peace for the mother.
01:08:32
Speaker
And sure enough, the next day we went down there and they were holding a funeral for the baby and it was super sad. But I just like, I don't know, the spirit that I felt while I was giving that blessing and even just like the spirit of just, and I remember teaching her about how it's like this little girl isn't even eight years old yet. Like she's be she's good. You're going to see her again, like for sure.
01:08:55
Speaker
And so just like, i don't know, just that experience, even though it's sad as I'll get out because she was probably year, year and a half, this little, said cute little baby. And it was just so sad to just like have that. But at the same time, and just an amazing experience as far as feeling the Holy Ghost and it's speaking words through me to comfort this lady.
01:09:20
Speaker
Yeah, I had an experience like that. A couple had just moved from couple of other members. They were like, can you bless our baby? It's so sick. and You could just tell. You like you just knew wasn't going to make it it. so sad.
01:09:34
Speaker
we had a funeral for them, too. but like They were very grateful that we were there and able to give a blessing. That brought a lot of peace, like you said. yeah but yeah It was just tough, but...
01:09:48
Speaker
Also, it's just like, that's there's a lot more of that going on in Kitabus that you don't even see. Yeah, totally. So, the last couple minutes here, you you go back to Tamayku, your very last transfer.
01:10:04
Speaker
Cool. like yeah Everyone's excited to see yeah you. Do people remember you? Yeah, there was definitely some people that remembered me. and like Once again, like my grandmas and Tamayku. Yeah.
01:10:16
Speaker
Like, oh, you can speak kid of this now? Right. This is awesome. So cool. Actually, like, talking to me. and And that was, like, one of the cool things, too, is, like, even just, like, investigators that were still going to church or, you know, were still there.
01:10:29
Speaker
Yeah. And seeing that it's, like, because there's so many less actives that it's, like, to some degree in some parts of my mission, i was, like, is this even, like... like am I doing anything good here yeah am I helping people kind of thing where it's just like they and I'm sure either way whether they're active or not it's helpful to learn about Christ and do those things but just to go back to Tamayiku and see those people and then also to be able to like talk to them and like actually understand and see that they gained a testimony versus like at the beginning of my mission I'm like I don't know what he's saying yeah I don't know what they're saying like I hope they're catching on to this right right
01:11:07
Speaker
But then being able to actually talk to them and just be like, oh, this is... And also it's just like at that the peak of your mission where it's sadly enough is like the last transfer of your mission where you can speak the language, you understand the culture, you can connect with people, you can joke with people. You're like actually having fun with the people you're teaching versus just like teaching them.
01:11:28
Speaker
And so just being able to go back to having that juxtaposition of like no idea what I'm doing to like... I'm here and I remember like one of my last lessons on my first time in Tamayku was with like these two little girls and it's like teaching, like, kids is kind of, to some degree, like, ah frowned upon. Yeah. It's like, they just want to get into Moroni. That's why their parents long to have lessons, whatever. And so, it's like, we were teaching those those two girls, and, like, their parents were, of course, like, sitting in the house, but, like, not necessarily, like, taking the lessons or whatever. Yeah.
01:12:06
Speaker
But... When I went back at the end, that's the one i was talking about earlier, where they were like in the branch presidency. like Their parents were. And it's like they were actually less active when we were teaching. it's like they'd already been baptized and stuff like that. But just seeing that was one of the ones that like got back those people little girls and like started that and then go back at the end of my mission and see how it reactivated their entire family. And now they're all...
01:12:34
Speaker
Super active and they're adults and like helpful members of the branch. It was just so cool. Yeah. Totally saw the fruits of your labor two years later. Yeah. Just so cool. At the end of your mission, you're like, wow, I did something great here. Yeah. And it was also fun because I was companions with other funn seka other fun, sexies. He went sexy. But was, he was so he was in Tamayaku, but he had just transferred off of Nonos.
01:13:05
Speaker
Okay. So it was just like a bunch of full circle things where it's like, we stayed up that first night, probably to like three or four in the morning talking about who how everyone on Nonos was doing. And then he had also been at Tamayaku for a while. So like, who are they teaching? What's going on? And it was just like, we should have been to bed at 1030, but there's no way that was happening after.
01:13:27
Speaker
and always happens at our transfer. Yeah. Talk to somebody like that. Oh, that's so cool. So, Quick fire questions in the last two minutes here. Favorite food, favorite area, and this is gonna be quick. What was your favorite thing about Kitabas or the mission?
01:13:45
Speaker
<unk> Okay, so first one, favorite food. actually I actually, don't know if you ever had the waddle? No. Mantis shrimp. Okay, haven't. and So, first off, they're just like a wild animal. Like, if you look up mantis shrimp on Google, like, absolutely insane.
01:14:02
Speaker
But it's kind of like a lobster. Is that white? It's white, yes. Oh, I did have this on my end up. I didn't what the name was. Yeah, and so... They're so... like it's Almost like it's like lobster, but just a little sweeter tasting, yeah in my opinion.
01:14:17
Speaker
They look kind
Unique Local Experiences and Connections
01:14:17
Speaker
of scary. Yeah, and they look like... Like a praying mantis lobster mix. Yeah, but looks like an alien. I remember the first time someone showed it to me. It was this kid of this... She's holding it up by one of its pincher things, and it's flopping around. I was just like, what is that? Yes, yes.
01:14:34
Speaker
I did have that. I actually... ah Yeah, I mean, I'm a big seafood guy. Like, I love lobster, crab, any type of fish, like, before my mission. So, like, this was awesome for me. Yep.
01:14:46
Speaker
But, like, I don't know what it was, but I remember the first time when I ate one of those, the mantis shrimp, it was, like... Oh, this so it is And it's tough because it's like not like they have them all the time. Because when I was in the sea turtle season, like we had sea turtle so much. Really? Which was so good. so I also love sea turtle.
01:15:07
Speaker
Can't complain about that at all. yeah But I would say probably my top would be the waddle. It's also, I feel like, partially just because it's like so unique. Yeah, very unique. Very unique.
01:15:19
Speaker
And the the reason I had it was some guy had like... that's in a couple of days, lost a baby, he'd come and thought, oh, and he knew how to, like, find them. Yeah, because it's scary, too, because, I mean, they they're, like, pincher things will, like, take your finger off. Yeah.
01:15:31
Speaker
And so, and so it's, like, they, they they like, dangle something, and something pinches them, and then they grab by the pincher, and it's, like, ah Pretty crazy. Anyways, so Wadow's favorite food, favorite area. Is that the next one? Yeah.
01:15:44
Speaker
I mean, it's hard to beat Nonos simply because I was there for so long. Yeah. versus By the end of those six months, it was like I knew all the like not all the people on the island, but it's like I remember when I was in Buota on Tarawa, it was like, oh, hey, ah I know you. You're from No-No's. And like people would even stop me, too. And they're like, hey, you're the elder that was on No-No's. No way. And so it was like cool to feel like almost to some degree like I was actually from a place where it's like I knew people out and about randomly yeah from there in Tarawa. Yeah.
01:16:23
Speaker
And then, yeah, it's mostly like your home. like it's Yeah. And what was your favorite thing about Kid Abyss or the mission? Honestly, just... It's hard to say because I feel like, of course, it's like preaching the gospel, having Christ, seeing all those blessings and feeling protected through it all.
01:16:43
Speaker
Because I'm not going lie, first when I got there, i was like, there's no way I'm lasting two years. Which makes feel like maybe I'm kind of like a wimp. But at the same time, like the adventure of Kitabas is just like, I feel like if I had to like sum it up into like one thing I just love about Kitabas, it's just...
01:17:03
Speaker
the the culture, the love, and the people, of course. Yeah. But then on top of that, just the environment of it. Like, it's just such a cool, cool place.
01:17:14
Speaker
Yeah. So unique. Yeah. Which is why I'd like love to like go back and... film and be able to capture not only like the love of the people and the kindness and the cultural aspects of just giving and being so selfless, but on top of that, just the beauty of the the place in and of itself. so Yeah.
01:17:33
Speaker
Kittabas amazing. people have never heard of it. Yeah. But it's one of those beautiful places on earth. Yeah. Yeah, it's amazing. Well, this has been an awesome podcast. Thank you for coming over. Thank you for having me.
01:17:48
Speaker
Three Outer Islands, like what a freaking cool mission, like full circle to Mayaku, serving Puerto Taraballeta, like you a very, very unique mission. So thanks again. And this has been another great episode of the Islands Podcast.
01:18:02
Speaker
Thanks.