Pictures & Christmas phone call stories

Our baptism from the last area. Her twin sister and friend were also baptized :)

 View from our chapel...:)

Fun story from this week. I forget that I even brought makeup, but we pulled it out the other day..and my two cute companions were going CRAZY over the makeup! They just wanted pictures and pictures of themselves...they were darling. 

These are old pictures i never sent because it took too long, but I figured out how to do it, and i've got to send you all the pictures! This is from the plane! Isn't the view gorgoues!?

 feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeast!

This is my little district that I came with, and no ALL The elders from my zone are on outer islands...literally EVERYONE is gone! Sis McD and Eld are on Christmas, and all 

the seven elders are on outers. 

Christmas Day!!! Our skype session with Sister Johnson :)

Lizzie shared with us some wonderful stories on our Christmas call. Here are two favorites:

The people are Polynesian and so Lizzie sticks out with her fair skin. She is the only white sister missionary on the island. Lizzie is usually amazing with children but she has to be careful because many children have never seen a white person before. She told us that she recently saw a beautiful baby and smiled and started to talk to her. The baby started crying and then Lizzie realized she might have scared her. She told the mother, “I am  so sorry – I forgot I was white!”

Life is very primitive on the island. They have no transportation so they walk about 2 hours a day to get to all their appointments. In their current house, they pump their own water, they hand wash their clothes, manually flush their toilets and have limited electricity. Recently, Lizzie had to fill out some reports one night and had no light. She used a belt and strapped her cell phone to her head and wrote by the light of the phone. Every time the light went off she had to hit her head to turn it on again.

One day, as she was carrying buckets of water to do the laundry, she said in frustration to Heavenly Father, “I sure hope I get extra blessings for this!” She heard the Spirit whisper back to her – “The blessing is that you know any different.” She asked us to be grateful for all the comforts of life that we are privileged to enjoy.

Lizzie asked us to thank everyone for their love, prayers, packages and letters! Her mission is very hard and she is buoyed up by the love and strength she has recieved from everyone back home. Thank you all for your support. Merry Christmas!!!

I did it

 seriously is this not Sarah Jane Johnson in a Kiribati version? I swear I've seen you make this face before Sarah! I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this week we taught on the top of one of our investigators roof..images i will never forget.

 my little kids in my ward, THEY LOVE ME AND I LOVE THEM. seriously..i'm gettin smushed in this picture.

I'm totally from Kiribati because I MADE THIS MAT! Don't believe me? No it's for reals. I watched the man cut the branch from the coconut tree, and I weaved it up all nice. 

Family. I did it.

Remember last week I was feeling all dreary? I fought it, and GREW!

On Sunday we were walking to church and I was feeling a little blue. Heavenly Father is really teaching me about patience -- and right now it is evident by everything that I would want, I don't have. I will never taste a ham sandwich, or feel carpet under my feet. I will never get goosebumps, or stop sweating for another year...I was getting all down about all the things I didn't have..and THEN I changed...it was when we sang the opening hymn..

We were sitting in the front row because our investigator was receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost that day..and the sweet people - remember how they have no pianos? So sometimes the tune is a little, or a lot, off...and these saints started to sing..and their voices all combined off tune, on tune, ah, but it didn't matter because EVERYONE was singing with their WHOLE voice. I seriously couldn't hear myself singing so I started to sing louder, and louder and I really couldn't even hear myself..and I thought, you know what Sister J? Yes, there is a lot of things I don't have..but something I do have is being able to sing in church and not even hear my own voice.

Second experience.

I was sitting in church and my sweet investigator put her head on my shoulder..as touching as it was, I knew she had lice, and was starting to feel a little worried about myself, and if I would get lice too..so on so forth and then I thought, and why am I thinking about myself? So what if I get lice? And so I fought the urge to be concerned about myself and I stroked her hair and gave her all the love in the world.
 

And this is what I've learned. We don't trust enough the promise that the Lord gives to us, "If you lose your life, you will find it." Lose your opinions, your desires, your habits, lose your perception that you are something great, or something little...just lose it all and trust that Heavenly Father will take better care of us then we could ourselves. So this is my commitment to you back at home and to our Father in Heaven. Trust the promise. 

More news: This week was a lot lot better than last week. It wasn't any easier..it was just that I used my spritual workout muscles and got a little stronger. Often times I think, "If i quit when I'm tired, I will only stay at the same level..but if I push just a little more...yepp that's when the muscles come." weird, but true. We hit 42 lessons this week. FORTY TWO. Do you know how much work that is?! Mercy!!!!!!! I am so tired today! My senior companion is SUCH a hard worker, and I am so happy to follow her in her decisions -- to go to one more backup lesson before heading home, to have spontaneous lessons - just all these things that require discipline and work. Sometimes I get intimidated by the Sacred calling of being a missionary..but after almost six months, I'm starting to get it. I spent so much time being down on myself...but I think I'm finally starting to look up :)

And man alive...talk about simplyfiing Christmas...it is SIMPLE here. True story. I sang a solo at the ward christmas party. True story. For christmas all the members were given a roll of dental floss...and mercy how they loved it. That was their christmas..a roll of dental floss..man I love these people. I love how simple. there isn't any fancy foods, fancy decorations, fancy anything..but just Christmas. It's SO WEIRD that it's Christmas..it really doesn't feel like Christmas..hahaha it was so funny, I suggested we cut out snowflakes to decorate our house..and my Kiribati companion was like, "What's snowflakes?" Hahaha!

Love you All,
Sister Johnson

Heart Carve

Bishop told a true story in fast and testimony meeting a couple months ago that I have fallen in love with ever since. Background to this story: very few people own cars.

This bishop was fortunate enough to purchase a car. No doubt with a loan, a lot of hard work, and even more pennies pinched (to work for the church you get paid $1.00/hour and that's a good job) He was so excited he drove his car home to his family. A couple days later he heard a noise -- one that he had never heard before -- a loud scratching noise. He wasn't bothered by it and kept about his doings..but the noise didn't stop. He went to find the source and found his son scratching into the side of his newly purchased car. Furiated, he started to yell at his son. All his hard work, and even more the car wasn't even payed off yet. He spanked him and sent his crying son into the house. Only after his anger he surveyed the damage. To his astonishment, the son had carved into the car, "Dad, I love you." (Ngai I tangiriko Tamau)

He was humbled. His son only wanted him to forever remind him that he was loved.

This is just about my feelings with my mission right now. Heavenly Father has taken me and carved into my heart that He loves me. But it's come with a little pain, a little disfiguration, and I've often felt like that Bishop who's first reaction was to be angry. In all honesty this mission is really hard. I laughed when I read Alex Morris's letter to me, "Most people are pretty surprised how hard missions are.." complimented with Dad's statement, "the increasing gap between what you thought a mission would be and what you are actually experiencing only grows." Aaaamen.

I guess what I'm trying to get at..is that we don't know the meaning of all things...or why we change..or why anything else. But I know from 3 Nephi 10 that before the Savior came..the land was changed..not just rearranged, but changed. Permanently. So great was the change that, "the land became deformed" and "great was the change of the land" and only then were the people prepared to be greeted by the Savior. But it's those moments right before the Savior comes..the destruction, and the deformation, the "carvings" that's hard to see the meanings for...but there is meaning.

Anyway. Thanks for listening as I work to figure out who I am as a missionary, and why hard things happen, and all those others things that I question and wrestle with. I don't have it all figured out, but writing home helps me see that I'm getting there because I share a little of what I've learned. So thanks for listening fam-bam. You all mean the world to me.

Yours Forever,
Sister J

Bikibeu news...

As for your questions. How am I? So good. Right now I'm on my 6th companion -- (four real companions) but I'm in a trio right now. Sister Tarie and Sister Alafoki, but Sister Alafoki is working in a different area temporarily. Just a transfer that lasted really long. But it's so good! I keep getting changed, but I think I'm finally in the area I'm going to stay in for a while. 

I moved to Bikibeu, and the food here is really good! So I'm grateful. 

The ward is KILLER. I am in love with every single one of them. The people are good too, and I know I've got to be patient with them. In our last area, everyone progressed so fast!!  I know in this area I will need to use my patience if they don't progress as fast. 

Yesterday at church, I seriously couldn't believe that it was December..it is just HOT here and doesn't feel like Christmas AT ALL AT ALL! Hahaha, but that's okay. Wanna know something? If everything works out like I think it will, I will be coming home around December 14, 2014..so almost one year from two weeks. So I try to serve my best. One more year momma! 

Our families membership in the church means everything to me. To be able to say, "au utu ni kabane, kain te aro" (all my family is from my religion) when we introduce ourselves means so much. In fact, I could produce a visa credit card ad about all the "priceless things" I've learned on my mission..but one that I treasure the most is my family's activity in the church. I am so grateful that your faith is continuing to increase...and moving forward.

Thanks for the emails, and packages and love! 

I love you with nanou ni kabane. (all my heart)
From your little girl, who is just about to grow up!
Sister Johnson.  

Gratitude

Andrew sent the following to Lizzie as part of his letter to her this week:

"This thanksgiving season I express gratitude for the things that are most important to me: my six F's:
Faith, Family, Fitness, Freedom, Finances & Friends.

• If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of the world.
• If you have money in the bank, your wallet, and some spare change you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy.
• If you woke up this morning with more health than illness you are more blessed than the million people who will not survive this week.
• If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the agony of imprisonment or torture, or the horrible pangs of starvation you are luckier than 500 million people alive and suffering.
• If you can read this message you are more fortunate than 3 billion people in the world who cannot read it at all."

This was Lizzie's reply:

After this email, I just started to cry because of that statement -- one that I have heard so many times before -- but it means something different now living here. The first, "If you have food in your fridge,"...because of the expense of electricity no one HAS fridges here, so of course there is no food in them...They have more like wooden dressers that they keep their food in (if they have food). "Clothes on your back"...oh the sweet people here! They will wear their clothes until they are rags...and they will wear rags until they are nothing more than a patch of fabric with rips and tears. I know I will hate looking at my closet of clothes when I come back! And lastly "A roof over your head"...I can't remember if I told you, or sent it in a weekly letter home, but I had an investigator whose roof was help up by two crutches dug into the ground. And this thanksgiving I have never had so much to be thankful for in my life. My greatest blessing is you Dad. Thank you so much for being the head of our house. Every single prayer I say, I always thank for my family...and I ALWAYS start with the head of our house, you Dad. So thank you thank you. I sure love you.

Always and Forever,
Sister Liz

life is simple...

Some fun stories about me. in the house I live in, it's truly a Kiribati house. I have to pump my water, do my wash by hand, manually flush the toilet...everything you could dream of, isn't it? hahahaa :) but there is no other option -- I think maybe that's the luxury back at home i'm realizing I don't have...options. haha :) other than that, I really am doing so good. Learning to serve God with all my heart...

One thing that I learned this week was how to be happy with what time it is. I guess I was guilty of just wanting time to pass, so I could go home...but if I live my mission like that, it is a waste of time..so I started to really live in EVERY day. just take one day like it was the only day I have. I've done it for a week, to just live in the day and it's been the fastest week I've had!!

This week was fantastic -  I almost taught 40 lessons, mom I THREW myself in the work. And life here is so simple...we arrived early to our dinner appointment and they weren't ready (no one has a clock here, who  would be ready?) and I got to sit and watch the sunset for forty minutes as our rice cooked. just me, cause my companion fell asleep (something that is totally fine to do, sleep anywhere, anytime, on anyone's hammock ;) and was just so grateful that life is so simple for me right now. I truly love missionary work, and it really is work :) I'm teaching most of the lessons, and then my companion cleans up all the things I forgot or didn't make sense..I can't believe i'm actually speaking in another language..it blows my mind..I know Heavenly Father has helped me so much with this language. 

(Lizzie found out that her uncle, Robin's brother Dan, passed away this morning)

Having faith in Heavenly Father is the only thing I have here mom...and I just have faith that everything is as it should be. I know you must be feeling so much right now..I had a little moment today when I thought of you -- I asked the little neighbor boy to go buy some -- it's called, 'te ice' here -- anyway I asked him to go buy me one and buy one for himself...but mercy I thought it would save me time but I ended him watching him the whole way there and back (the little shop was in sight) I thought, "mercy, heaven help sister Johnson as a parent because I can't even let the neighbor boy go 50 yards without watching him the whole way." and how this ALL ties into each other...is that right now mom you have to have more faith then you ever had before. your daughter is not in your sight and neither is your brother. but are we still here? yes. Yes mom, I'm just as much here as Uncle Dan is. But all you've got is your faith to see us. Growing hurts, doesn't it? It definitely stings, but I just want you to know that everyday, or about everyday I teach about the Plan of Salvation..and the Plan of Salvation is what holds our family together at this time momma.

I love you!!!!!!!!!

liz

PS. Please thank kris and jane for the packages! This week I lost my ATM card, and so it was PERFECT timing, because I had all the food they sent! Thank you thank you to them. 



 

fish

I think Dad and Devan are the only ones that know this...maybe Mom and Sarah too if you guys are really studying PMG like you say you are ;) But guess what? Missionaries do service once a week! It's the coolest thing in the world! President Weir has set apart the appointed day of Thursday that we do service. Sometimes is lasts one hour, sometimes the whole morning...but this last week was pretty memorable. 

We got to Unia's house and asked if there was anything we could do to help. We were all dressed in grunge clothes ready to work. Unia -- and the people here -- are really shy to let foreigners help them because it's definitely outside of their culture. They have strict traditions that girls can only do girl chores and guys can only do guy chores but when we come - we come to work. She said she really had nothing for us to do, and just then her three daughters came back from their morning bath in the ocean with all sorts of fish they had caught (talk about multi-tasking..) So we started the daily routine of the people of Kiribati. We gutted the fish (and I almost threw up..but I held my white self together) salted the fish..then walked all over the islands to find fire wood. We found some, and started a fire with stones. Just kidding..but sometimes I think I wouldn't be surprised if we did. We started a fire, and then placed a sheet of metal on top of two large rocks with the fire in the middle and cooked the fish. After all this was done and the fresh fish was cooked..we ate the fish. I actually ate the fish...but only two bites, hahaha. I always have to explain to everyone, "Nanou, e kain Kiribati; ma biratou, e tiaki kain Kiribati" My heart is from Kiribati, but my stomach isn't from Kiribati. And that concluded our service...but as I thought about it as we were walking home..I was seriously so impressed with the skills of these people..yeah no one has a solid education -- but they have got street smarts like nobody's business. With only an empty bag of rice as a net they can catch a whole meal of fish..and keep the fish in the bag, and still catch more fish..and take a bath, and...MAN! And then - as most things on this island do -- it turned into a spiritual lesson for me.

I thought about when Jesus asked his apostles to leave their nets. And that scripture story clicked for me. It clicked because their nets are EVERYTHING to these people. Nobody has jobs here--the economy is literally non existent..so all they do for fun and for work is fish. And when Jesus asked them to leave their nets..He was asking them to leave the lives they knew. The kids here - from the time they are old enough to walk, bathe in the ocean and learn how to fish. Fishing is their life. They fish to LIVE, but Jesus asked the people to leave their nets..leave your life behind and come follow Him. I can understand why after Jesus died they went back to fishing -- because they had been doing that their WHOLE life long. They did not have the spiritual food that they were used to with the presence of Jesus, so they turned to physical food - to fishing. 

Maybe this was just an "ah-ha" moment for me, and it won't make sense to anyone else..but man, this mission is teaching me so much about the life of Jesus Christ.

love you to the moon and back,
sis j