Called to Serve: From Kiribati to Legazpi

 Hello!  Kamusta po kayong mga kapatid sa pananampalataya,      The work here in Polangui is on fire and we had a good time in finding potential members and friends missionaries that served here before the lock down.  The good thing is that we found some of them and it so inspiring to hear from them how they are really striving in this period of quarantine.  My companion and I try to relate our teachings to their concerns.  We are focusing on our key indicators so that we would have names behind the numbers.        I have a highlight from this week. Last Saturday, when we were trying to knock on a door but we hear "isang tatay" which means "I don't care for what you are saying" so we continue slowly on to find the others.  The successful thing is that we found a couple who are married non-members and we shared only about the importance of the family in God's plan as the central unit in the Gospel of Jesus Christ....

 Hello everyone!        I'm just wanting to share some awesome experiences from here in Polangui.  Well!  The work here is on fire and the youth are so awesome.  They are willing to work and engage in missionary work.  The good news is we have two friends who are attended church last Sunday.  Besides, Randy Family or tatay Randy is progressing.  His two daughters seemed weird because they always run away when we visit them.         We have set a goal to visit all the Priesthood here and we are so happy that we were able to meet some of them.  Although we weren't able to visit some of the others but we will try to set appointments with them this week.  The in person church here just started last Sunday and I was so happy to see about 55 people in attendance and to share my testimony with four of the missionaries in our district.  There are no sisters here because they have been pulled out ...

     Hello everyone!  I am so grateful that I was able to email you all and update you about the work and where I am now.  I am in Polangui, my 6th area.  So Sunday which is my first day in Polangui.  I was able to visit some of the members here and my companion and I were helping them for a special Sacrament meeting.  We also had time to visit the YSA.  They were so nice and they joined us visiting the members sharing messages and inspiring them.  After that, we had a meeting with some auxiliary and at the end of the meeting one Relief Society sister asked us if she could join in the lesson or fellowship one family that we will be visiting.  That really impressed me because she could have gone home but she said that she had extra time to wait for her transport.  As well, the other missionaries in my district were not present because they had an appointment.        Although there's no church in this are...

 Hello everyone:)      I'm so happy to write to you all to share some awesome experiences I had during the past couple months and the last two weeks of typhoon.  It has been a long time I never write to you all.  I am so sorry and hopefully you hindi po kayo nakakalit sakin po.  Sa una po, Nung bagyou ay so brang natakot po ako kasi alam ko po I have 2 choices if I will die or not but so brang nagpapasalamat po ako dahil ay hindi ako mamatay ahahaha!!  So brang nakakatakot peru ayoslang po any buhay ng missionary po.  Alam mo ba sa loob ang apartment po namin ay basa lahat at laging kami malinis mopping, brooming and etc.  Yung yero po any apartment po namin ay nawala pp sya kaya nga kapag umulan laging nabasa pery ayoslang po kasi ngayon po ay so brang magaling na po ako na maglinis kahit anoman yung mga bagay nakita po ako sa apartment namin laging ako maglinis lahat hehehe wala bang!! bang!!  Yung work here syempre patuloy din po...

 Kumusta,        This week has been rough because on Tuesday and Wednesday we have been out to Tabaco for my companion.  We are so grateful that he was able to get his medicine and have a check up by the doctor.  He seems much better now than before and he keep using his medicines.  The only thing is that I think he's ok.      So on Thursday, I was able to know some of the members through calling and Messenger by sending a video clip introducing myself.  I am still looking forward to talking to more of our friends and members here in the Tiwi Branch.  The thing here is that most of the members are busy each day and so we were trying to get them at night or on the weekend like Sunday.  Sometimes if we are able to contact them, we send some messages to them and always try to talk to each one of them.        Although it was a rough week, we are so grateful that we are able to make it to this new ...

 Magandang araw po so inyo/Good day to your all,      I just want to say thank you to my Heavenly Father and my new area assignment.  I will be moving to the Tiwi area with Elder Baui.  He is awesome.  He will be training me as a zone leader.  Being in Libon has had many good impacts on me especially being in the apartment calling the peoples there each day.  I could see what the future hold in Libon area and I pray that the people who had accepted the gospel in their lives would continue on enjoying in living in the gospel and find joy in their journey being a disciple of Jesus Christ.      I am looking forward here in Tiwi area.  I am praying that my companion and I will help move the work here as we continue to obey and keep the standards we have.  I just wanted to share one of my reading in Alma Chapter 11.  Eto po nung time Alma nakipagtalo si Zeezrom patungkol ng kalligtasan comes from Jesus Christ the Son ...

 Kumusta,       This week we have been traveling to one of our fellow missionaries.  We had exchanges in virtual call and it was so cool to see the other areas in my district still progressing.  They had 2 baptisms last week and this week as well.  We are still praying that Sister Zairah will be able to answer our calls this week so we could be able to still review her lessons.  For this new September we will baptize her.  The work here is really slow.         It was really cool seeing the devotional last week with my fellow missionaries, especially Elder and Sister Wakolo from the Area Presidency.  I learn I have a lot to learn from them.  One thing that I learn is that we will become master teachers if we focus our study in the Preach My Gospel and the Book of Mormon, memorize scriptures from the Book of Mormon and from the Bible that relate to our lessons we have been teaching from the gospel of Jesu...

 Kumusta,       So the last two weeks we have been in quarantine and the work seemed slow.  We have been trying to find people working with members and gratefully they have given us referrals each week.  That is so cool to us because it helps the work move forward.  My companion and I have been trying to pray most of the time everyday.  We have been making the names of those who needs extra prayers in a small container.  If you need extra prayers, we as God's servants are so happy to pray for you by name.  We are happy to pray for all of my brothers and sisters around the world.        I just really wanted to share what I learned from my reading last Sunday in Helaman Chapter 1 which in an account of the Nephites when they started to become wicked and war with the Lamanites.  We see here how the Lamanites converted from their wickedness and that the Nephites started to become wicked.  The lesson I ...

     This week was fast and amazing!  So last Saturday, we are able to go outside and visited some of the members.  We are so happy that we are able to meet with Zairah Odonio magulang nya to explain and discuss their daughter's desire to be baptized.  We explained how important it is to her and her family, etc.  They are so happy to hear from us and how we described her commitment and attitude.  We will still contact her mum anytime.              We still wanted to know more members and are waiting for people to respond.  Hopefully we will be able to contact each of them.  Our concern in this area is that we are unable to reach some of the people.  We were so happy that we found some of them last Saturday during our visits because some area signals are weak.  Besides that, we were able to meet the parents of Sister Sarah and were able to talk to them outside their house.  They were ...

 Well!  The work here in Libon Branch is still moving forward.  Each day was like WOW!  I am grateful for my new companion, Elder Villar.  We are doing good in the work.  Each and every day we are always excited and when the night comes our heads hit the pillow dreaming of our friends here in Libon with the members.  We can call it a sweet dream.        Regarding the work here in Libon Branch nagpapasalamat dahil.  We were able to go outside yesterday visiting members of the Libon Branch.  With the technology, we get to introduce some of our friends to members who are always with us in the work. Some of them have the opportunity to teach each other for a long time.  Ako din po at ang aking kasarmanay so brang masaya dahil maging kaibigan sila sa work naito habang tinuturuan namin sila po.        Yesterday we were so happy to meet with the leaders and have a small meeting in discussing abo...

 Kumusta,       Hi everyone!  Kumusta po sa inyo?  So this week was cool and fun to see how people here in Libon celebrate the Fiesta.  We could see how they really love their families in celebrating the Fiesta.  It really strengthens each individual and family.        We have been working the same as last week inside our apartment calling our friends.  It is so interesting how they can adjust in this pandemic Covid-19.  On Sunday, we were invited by our landlord to have a lunch with them celebrating the Fiesta.  I know it's more different than their past Fiesta experience before lockdown but it's so cool seeing their humility and patience at this time.  In the morning, we had a very delicious fried red fish (ika ni bong) that is what we call it in Kiribati.   We were so happy that we could share a simple message from our hymn book entitled, "I Need Thee Every Hour" on page 98.  They...

 Kumusta,        Hello everyone!  I am so happy to share some of my highlights this week.  So let's go!!  We had a cleaning up in front of the meeting house.  I can say that is was successful.  The yard trees are much more beautiful then before and the decorative plants were beautiful.  So I thought I was going to die because we didn't know that the plant leaves make us itchy and so we all got very itchy.        We got some people to teach and my companion and I plan to have 5 new referrals.  As we were teaching, we sang a song and then we asked if they have any friends there.  We were so happy that we got to teach some.        I just wanted to share some of my readings from this week.  A quick thought that I have shared before but can be super helpful in times especially like today.  It's in 3 Nephi 19:  25 & 30: "(25) And it came to pass that Jesus bles...

 Kumusta,       Hello Everyone!  The work is good and we are so happy that we could find people to teach through the calling digital cellphone and share the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The week was busier than last week.  I just wanted to share my testimony that The Book of Mormon is the word of God and that Joseph Smith is a prophet that restored the gospel through the power of the Holy Ghost.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's kingdom on Earth.  Just keep pressing forward and if you want to know more about this church you can ask for a copy of the Book of Mormon from the missionaries.  They are 2 young men or 2 young ladies who are always ready to help you.  I love you everyone and keep doing what is right by following God's commandments and help each other by lifting each other up. Elder Bateiti

 Kumusta,       The work is solid but I am so grateful that we were able to teach 2-3 people this week.  We didn't get any new people to teach this week.  The other contacts are our friends and members.  I just wanted to share my testimony that God really loves us and understands each one of us.  He wants us to learn and to be happy in this life that's why He sent His son to die for our sins.  If we focus our life on Jesus Christ, we will be happy and find peace in Him but only if we keep His commandments and follow His ways.        I would like to share one of my favorite texts found in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life".  I love you everyone and I hope that you are doing good.  See you next Monday. Elder Bateiti

 Kumusta,       Mauri from Libon.  This week was awesome because we had a baptism on Saturday!  Everything went well even if it was really difficult to get to the other side.  It was good but the way is so far and risky because we travel the highway and the road is circling side by side and it's steep up and down.  I am kind of scared of the way the vehicles passed.  But thanks to Heavenly Father and His guidance during this time.  Everything was good.  We have a baptism in the sea and the members and leaders were able to come.  We were able to get all the permit papers to have a baptism.        We had a delicious lunch after the baptism.  I really miss this fish because I used to eat it in Kiribati.  Usually we always eat chicken, pig, and eggs everyday so I didn't think I was going to like it but right now I am getting used to liking it.  We also had a soup of eggplant.  Here ...