Whatta week..what..a...WEEK! Oh my word. Okay, here I go trying to
compose an email...
This week was FULL of laughter. Laughter, laughter, laughter...and it
was a miracle from Heavenly Father because it was honestly the only
way to get through this work.
There is a lot of things I wish I could explain about this strange
little island..that I guess just wouldn't make sense if you didn't see
them..but I'll do my best to give you an image, a little idea of
what's it's like to be here. I think one of the hardest things about
this island is the heat..it is all encompassing..literally suffocating
at times because of the HUMIDITY of this island. It's so thick it's
almost visible and with the direct rays of the sun screaming down from
the sky...it has a tendency to kinda zap your energy. We stay
hydrated, and the Lord does bless us..but I think yesterday was the
hottest day of my life.
It was Sunday yesterday and we set out to church..I got to teach
primary (which was the best!) and then we headed off to lessons...the
heat was piercing..but we kept moving from lesson to lesson...but
nobody seemed to be home. We biked from one village to the next..and
everyone had gone for the weekend. Out of the four hours of bicycling
here and there we found two investigators out of the seven we had
planned. I was really tired...and the sun seemed unusually
annoying..as we biked and biked and biked..I was getting pretty
discouraged. My bike's seat is broken..and it slants downward..so
every three or four pushes on the bike and you've slipped off the seat
..sit back on it..and four or fives pedal pushes later..your back off
it.. Biking on sandy trails feels more like the intensity of mountain
biking -- because you really got to push just to stay moving.
As I was biking thinking, "Man I feel kainanno.." which is a funny
remix of Kiribati and English just meaning...I feel like I'm a little
tired/suffering a bit. A little thought came into my head the My
Savior has suffered more. We kept going.
We finally got into a home of one of our investigators. His wife is a
member, he is not. He has had lessons with missionaries for over a year.
He has never been baptized because he has never come to church. I
really prayed for the Spirit..to help us know what to say..we gave a
thought about the purpose of this life..and then Sister Itioa handed the
discussion over to me. "Binoka," I said, "You weren't able to come to church
today..was there a reason?" He said..."I feel really embarrassed to
come to church because I know all the members are going to look at me, and
judge me for all the things I do wrong.."
..and maybe it was a accumulation of all my tiredness, but I'd like to
think it was the Spirit..when I teared up and told him.."Who are you
more scared of:.the members from Bikibeu First Ward..or God?" His head
hung down..and I continued to talk. "Binoka..I left my family, I left
America. I left everything I knew to come on a mission. To come to
serve you and your family..and to tell you and help prepare you to
meet God. (see Alma 34:32) When it comes the time of the
judgment..it's not going to be you and all the people from Bikienbeu
Ward...when it is the time of Judgement..it is you..and your God. So
what are you going to do in this life to get you ready for that day?"
Binoka quickly apologized for not keeping his commitments and told his
wife, "We are going to church on Sunday.." the wife replied, "I have
always told you that it's up to you, I will never force you..it's up
to you." Binoka replied, "I'm going to church."
Keep him in your prayers this week as he can keep his commitment to
come to church...
There was some other really cool spiritual experiences this week..but
maybe that was the only one I really needed to share this week...but
like I said..I got through this week with laughter..
I though of my little Goose, Sarah Jane, this week..because really
everything was SO funny. Maybe you had to be there..and maybe this
heat is getting to my head..but top five funnies of this week:
..okay truth..I just typed them out..and they were not really
funny..hahahaha! Basically it boils down to this: a bird pooped on me,
our investigator ran away from us..but not just run..i Mean he ran for
his LIFE away from us....our Recent covert tried to teach me to dance
in Kiribati (HA!) and our bathroom has no door on it. Hahahahahaha. OH
THIS LIFE!
Well, I sure love you guys. I love this work..I am definitely being
tested..but I love these people so gosh darn much I couldn't leave
them if you made me.
your daughter, friend, and coconut girl,
sister johnson
These pictures were sent to us from a young woman that got to go visit her parents on
Christmas Island. That was the last area Lizzie served in. We just got them this week.
doing laundry!!
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