Called to Serve: From Kiribati to Legazpi

 Message from President and Sister Markus:      Lautoka Zone Conference today.  We were able to be with the wonderful Elders and Sisters in the Lautoka Zone.  We were taught about Christlike attributes and sang many Christmas songs.  We are all blessed to serve in the Fiji Suva Mission.     I am heading to Suva now where our flat stands nearby the temple.  I will be staying there for a few weeks until January.  They say we are going to Kiribati on January 17th.  I am so excited to meet my best friend whom we were good friends when we were not members.  We will meet again and we are missionaries.

      I was supposed to go outside today and be finished with my quarantine but I'm not.  They say I will be going out tomorrow.  I have been Covid tested the first time and I got a negative test result.  Then the second test was yesterday but the results will be going out this evening so the mission president called me because they were at the reception area to pick me up but he told me I can't go out until tomorrow.  This evening I will get the second results.  The zone leader that will pick me up is from Tarawaieta where I lived!  So I'm so shocked that he is serving here.  They will pick me up tomorrow.        I am going to the church building today to take my language test for BYU Pathways.  I am nervous because I have been through many languages and English is getting older.  I will set my test in the afternoon after our baptismal interview with some of the missionaries who will get baptized this ...

      I'm so tired of quarantine but I use my time in calling my family and friends.  I have received an email that there would be chance or another way that I can apply in the enrollment to BYU-Pathways.  Here is what GWilliam responded to me.   Elder Bateiti,       Yes, you do need to take the English Test online.  Is it possible that the quarantine facility can provide you a computer for a few hours with Internet connection?  Then you can register and take the test so you don't miss the deadline of December 15th.  I've copied President Markus on this as well, in case he knows if that is possible.    If not, then we'll contact the Area Manager and ask her to allow a late application.  I would suggest that we get the application started up to the point where you take the test.  You should be able to do this on your phone.  Use this link and select apply now.  Then choose the yellow color...

 My travel itinerary begins on Thursday, December 2nd.  I will travel from Zagreb, Croatia to Dubai on Emirates Flight EK2013.  It departs at 2:30 pm and will take 5 hours and 30 mins. Flight Itinerary to New Zealand At the airport in Croatia - one last call to my Imatang Mum   I have arrived here now in Dubai.  It's so crowded but I am waiting for my new flight.  It's huge in here and the people look tired.  I am hungry and don't know where to find food.  I messaged my Imatang mum to so how to exchange my Kuna Croatian money with Dubai money.  The exchange rate was 2 Kuna for 1 Dubai money.  I was able to use my mission credit card and buy water and choco bread.  The next leg of my flight will be 18 hours to New Zealand. Waiting at my gate for my flight to Auckland, New Zealand.  Nobody in the Dubai airport at night. I stayed all night in the airport waiting for my flight. Flight Information My plane to fly to Auckland, New Ze...

      Good day to you everyone.  Here are some updates from the beginning of my time here in Croatia.  I have had many cool moments on how the Lord really needs each and every one of us.  Sometimes we might think that we have done nothing during this period of lockdown but I tell you many things I have done here in Croatia.      When I first arrived here, the field here in Croatia is already white and ready to harvest.  Me and some missionaries that I have been working with have found many friends.  Although some of them are Croatian, I am grateful that we were able to talk with Filipinos and one of them was a returning member.  Jenn has been attending church and we have some other times that we met her as well as her friends.  We have been talking with as many people as we could.        The funny thing I observed here is that when you talk to people, they won't respond to you.  It is so weird...

      I am freezing here even though I have cold weather clothing.  It just gets colder and colder.  I will probably be here until November 30th.  I was able to talk with Elder Gutierrez and he looks great.  We were so happy to catch up and he was able to talk with my companion which is the man who performed by baptism while Elder Gutierrez was in Kiribati.  His name is Elder Lebinoka.  He was one of the YSA in Abaokoro during the time Elder Gutierrez worked in Abaokoro.        The good thing is I keep using these shoes here in Croatia.  They are the black ones that you bought.  It is my only shoes that I have been using in traveling.  Thank you again for the shoes. Elder Bateiti and Elder Lebinoka - YSA that baptized Elder Bateiti in Abaokoro, Kiribati now both missionaries serving in Croatia awaiting a flight to Kiribati.

      Here are some of my adventures on the Island of Cadantuanes which was a 4 hour ride on a ship.  The purpose of our visit there was to try to check on some apartments on this island that had been left by the missionaries during lockdown.  They had 6 apartments left behind and the good thing is that some of the missionaries from the mainland still had baptisms here while teaching virtually.        We were grateful to see all the members as we arrived there.  We had a one night devotional with them as well as President Abraham and Sister Abraham.  We were so grateful to have the opportunity to listen from the recent converts on how they got to know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church on this earth and that Joseph Smith is the prophet of the restoration.  We were so grateful to listen to their testimonies as well as the leaders and YSA that have a desire to serve a mission.  One t...

 Hello everyone!  This week was a very special week for me and my companion because we have been finding some new people and we have been doing some successful tasks.  This Sunday we were so grateful that we were able to visit the Lunas family.  If you remember Brother Jerly and his son, Jonel, they were there as we were able to share a lesson with them.  We were so happy that Brother Lunas' mother, Lilia, was also abel to listen and gave of her time to listen to the gospel of Jesus Christ lesson.  She is a Catholic and willing to listen to us because she had an experience with the missionaries when she was 18 years old.  We are so grateful for the help and fellowship of the Cervantes family and Sister Angela as they joined us in our discussion.  After the discussion, we invited them to read the Book of Mormon and Brother Jerly couldn't wait to read as he kept looking down and reading the introduction of his new Book of Mormon while we were almost...

 Hello and Mauri everyone,      This week was another fast week and there are some up and down experiences that we have had in our area followed by tender mercies yesterday.  Let's go . . . .     Yesterday we visited some of the members who have been living high up on the highway and we found out that she left for work just a few minutes before we arrived.  Her neighbor told us that and so we were trying to explain ourselves to him and his cousin.  We found out that her sister is a member.  He introduced himself to us and we found out that he is a Eglesia in Cristo and his name was Kyle.  He was 17 years old.  I forgot his cousins name but he was 15 years old.  We had some HTBT to them and got to know them better.  We set up a time that we could come back again on Saturday.  They said yes which really makes us excited for this coming Saturday.         This Sunday we could see many members...

 Hello po sa inyo magandang araw po sa inyo.      This week has been interesting for us because we have been working with the members little by little.  The biggest highlight of the week is that last Sunday we worked with two Melchizedek Priesthood brothers with ministering.  Brother Joseph and his wife with Brother Mike and his cousin took us to one inactive members home.  It was really helpful for this lady because she is in need of God's words because she has been inactive for almost one year.  We tried to share with her about the 5 principles of the gospel and asked her some inspired questions.  Whereby we reminded her of her covenant which is the third principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We invited her to pray and to attend church.  She has been endowed and she was willing to come to church but she needs extra strength and prayers so she will be able to act upon the commitment that God has given her.     ...