February 26, 2017

Mauri!

Sorry I didn't get to email last week. Internet was down.

I've had a great time these past two weeks. Our baptism got rescheduled to this Saturday because of complications with people being gone, but this one should be for certain. The work is coming along well here in Butaritari. Hopefully some more baptisms in the near future.

I had my first try as a cook this past Saturday. I had the idea of making fried bananas, so without a recipe to follow or any experience making them before, I got what was needed and made them. I attached a picture of them. They turned out well. Taiketi, a young boy in the family we had dinner with, really liked them. I think the parents were hesitant to try them haha.

I also had a really interesting experience this past week. After a lesson with some of our investigators, they gave us some peppers from their pepper bushes. I didn't realize they were giving them to use for our dinner that night, so I popped three of them into my mouth. Having eaten some peppers at a previous dinner and not being that spicy, I thought these were the same kind. Boy was I wrong. My eyes immediately started watering and I was soon overcome with the hiccups. They were obviously shocked by me eating the peppers and asked if I wanted a drink. Me trying to be manly, I said I was fine. Let me tell you I'm not doing that again. Everyone now knows that I like spicy foods, though, so dinners taste even better now.

Not much else to share as of now. Thank you for all your love and support! I tangiringkami!

Elder Schoeny

Pictures

 A weird building on the coast of Butaritari that I'm guessing is from WWII

 Just a weekly selfie. If you look closely you can see my sunglasses tan.

The fried bananas I made. They turned out really well

Very quick week

This week went by really fast. We've got two baptisms coming up this
Saturday, which I'm really excited about. We also have been setting
aside more time for tracting and have been able to get several new
investigators.

It's been amazing to see just how much my language has improved since
coming here. It's always fun when someone asks Elder Bataua if I
understand Kiribati, and then I respond instead. My listening is
coming along very well. Speaking can still be a challenge, but it's a
lot better than it used to be. I know, however, that if I continue to
work hard and strive to have the companionship of the Spirit, I'll
continue to improve.

Time flies when you're serving the Lord. It's crazy to think that I'm
already about 1/4 through my mission. Not much to report on for this
week, though. It's been cool seeing the influence of the Spirit as we
pray where to tract, especially when Elder Bataua and I both feel like
going to the same place.

I tangiringkami! Thank you for everything!

Elder Schoeny

Pictures

 Me with a kite that made. It has yet to actually fly...

 A little boy name Junior who absolutely loves the Elders

My attempt at cutting my own hair

Great Experience with APs

Let me just say you can learn a lot from missionaries who have been out longer than you. It was a great week, especially being able to spend time with the APs and learn from them. It was also nice not being the only white person in Butaritari for a few days. The main reason the APs came was to check up with Elder Bataua and I on how we were doing. They didn't actually organize the branch, but helped us get towards having it organized. The two days they were here, we went on companion exchanges. I personally learned how important it is to always be listening for the Spirit, even when biking from lesson to lesson. With the help of the APs we were able to get 10 new investigators, which is pretty awesome. I've also gained a renewed energy for my service as a missionary.

Other than that, not much has changed here. We're still working hard and serving the Lord. There was apparently a missionary broadcast with changes to the missionary schedule and such, but Elder Bataua and I weren't able to watch it just because of where we are.

I also just got many of your cards from Christmas. Thank you! It was nice to hear from you and see your smiling faces.

Thank you for all your love and support! I tangiringkami!

Elder Schoeny

Pictures

Our new bathroom with an actual toilet! No flushing mechanism, but it's nice to have a more comfortable seat

Elder Bataua and I with the APs (Elder Christensen on left and Elder Hunter on right)

Some Kiribati sea birds flying lower than usual