Happy New Years!

Mauri n te ririki ae boou!

I hope everyone is enjoying their last few hours of 2017. We're enjoying 2018 on this side of the world. Not too much has changed. All the members in our ward are having a campout to celebrate Christmas and New Years. They started Friday night and are going until Tuesday. We've been able to stop in here and there and see how everyone's doing. They're having a lot of fun it seems like with lots of food and games.

This past week was amazing. We just had a baptism on Saturday. Maiango, and her daughter Augustina got baptized. They are so awesome and have such strong testimonies in the gospel. I love them so much. Maiango shared with us what really changed her. She told us how she always hated the Mormons and was really strong in the Kiribati Protestant Church. Her first husband passed away just after getting baptized many years ago, and she was distraught. For many years she wouldn't have anything to do with the LDS Church. Her son, Tiibeti, a member, told his mom that they could be sealed in the temple for eternity with her past husband, but she didn't believe him. Tiibeti later left on a mission for England and came back earlier this year. He was eventually able to convince his mom to start taking lessons. They were in Eita when they started taking lessons and Tiibeti was very proactive about making sure they got fellowshipped there. After their first lesson they moved to Ambo. They were so busy with stuff in the Eita ward that we didn't really get to start lessoning with them until a few weeks ago. They were solid from the start. Maiango said her heart really changed when she received a confirmation that she could see her husband again. They continued no problems with lessons, Tiibeti helping Maiango and Augustina to really know the material and make sure they were reading and such. It was such a blessing to be able to see them change so much in just a few weeks. They radiate now with so much joy. I'm so happy to have seen them get baptized. I love them so much and am so happy for them.

It such a blessing to be able to preach a truth that no other church in the world can claim: that families can be together forever. I know with all my heart that I can see my family again after this life and that we can be together for eternity. I'm especially grateful to be able to share that message with the people of Kiribati.

I tatangiringkami! Have a happy New Years!

Elder Schoeny

Pictures

 Pretend lesson with Maiango and Augustina (taken by Tiibeti)

 A Christmas party for our dinner

 A double layer devil's chocolate cake that Elder Dale and I made for the baptismal service. It was sooo good, and I'm sure it was the best thing Kiribati people have ever tasted

Elder Dale and I with Maiango and Augustina at their baptism

Merry Christmas!!

Mauri everyone and Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has had a nice Christmas! Things have been going great out here. Elder Dale and I have been keeping extremely busy working in our area. We have two baptisms coming up this Saturday, M'aiango and her daughter Augustina. They are way solid and I've really enjoyed teaching them. It's practically been like teaching members since M'aiango's son is a return-missionary. They know the gospel so well and have such a strong testimony in it. I love them so much and am continually impressed by the progress they've made.

I was also impressed with an investigator we have named Bieeta. He's currently working on quitting smoking and really wants to get baptized. Out of the blue, he told us that he set a goal for himself to quit smoking by January 1st and has been praying for help to meet that goal. Most people have to be given a goal, so I found that extremely impressive. It also reminded me of the importance of goal setting and how God will help us achieve those goals if we ask Him. As missionaries, we are constantly setting goals for new investigators and such. It's easy to forget that God can help us reach our goals, even if it seems like we have no control. I've really enjoyed working with Bieeta. He loves lessoning with us.

I had a great Christmas. We all came out to Moroni High School and were blessed to have the senior couples prepare an amazing lunch for us. I was also privileged to Skype my family today and I was so happy to see them. It was hard keeping myself from using Kiribati words they didn't understand haha.

Hope everyone is enjoying their Christmas! I tatangiringkami! Remember the true meaning of Christmas!

Elder Schoeny

Pictures

 We got some major flooding this past from a ton of rain overnight

 A pig peeking over it's stall

 A rat stuck in the bottom of our truck. Not sure how it got there...

Cinnamon rolls we made for breakfast at our house

Busy Christmas Season

Mauri kain abau! Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season. Even though I'm a missionary working 24/7, I can still feel the Christmas spirit. It's such a wonderful time of year. So much joy and thanksgiving. I'm especially grateful to be able to spend this Christmas season bringing others closer to Christ, the true spirit of Christmas.

This week has gone very well. Work has been picking up in Ambo. We've got so many amazing investigators right now and I love them all so much. We've been working with the ward to get the truck to drive every Sunday picking people up from Ambo, so hopefully we'll start seeing more of our investigators at church. We have quite a few baptisms scheduled for the coming weeks, so here's hoping.

We have some amazing investigators, M'aiango and her 11-year old daughter Augstina, who I just love to teach. Not only is it because they have such an intense desire to learn, but M'aiango also has a return missionary son, Tiibeti, who helps as well. Tiibeti knows how the lessons work, so before our next visit, he prepares them so they basically know everything before we teach them. They are such great people and I can't wait to see them enter the waters of baptism.

Have a Merry Christmas season! I hope at least some of you get a white Christmas because I know I won't be getting one haha. I tatangiringkami!

Elder Schoeny

Pictures

 Korere's and Tekanuea's family that we had dinner with this past week

 Departing missionaries in our District

 A Tarawa sunset with its trashy beaches also visible

Elder Miller (he was an Assistant to the President who also stayed in our house) 

who just headed home today

Great Progress This Week

Mauri everyone!

Hope everyone has been enjoying the colder weather. Things have been going well out here in the middle of the pacific. We've been staying very busy and have seen some excellent progress lately.

Yesterday on Sunday, we found out the truck didn't drive down to Ambo to pick up members since the driver went to Marshall Islands for vacation. We were very disappointed, thinking we wouldn't have any investigators show up. You can imagine our surprise when we saw two of our investigators, a mother and her daughter, show up walking. Keep in mind Ambo it's about a 30 minute walk from the chapel and that's a long distance for Kiribati people. They are so awesome and we are looking forward to seeing them baptized in the coming weeks.

Hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season and remembering the true meaning of Christmas. Thank you all for everything! I tatangiringkami! Tekeraoi ami tai n te Kiritimati!

Elder Schoeny

Pictures

 The warnings for a chinese block stacking toy called "Wise Toy". Gotta love chinese translations

 A breadfruit tree next to our chapel that is overloaded with breadfruit

 The Tarawa West Stake Center where we meet for church every Sunday

The apartment we stay in. No one currently lives in the upper floor

Mini Zone Conference and New Companion

Mauri!

This week has been a great and busy (as always) week. We had a mini Zone Conference this past Wednesday, mainly so departing missionaries this transfer (6 weeks) would get a chance to bear their testimonies before leaving. We basically had a review of what we learned in the Mission Tour and how to apply it. Good things to remember. The Book of Mormon is the most important conversion tool we have and we should never be afraid to share it with anyone. The Assistants also presented a PowerPoint for Year-To-Date Totals which, because circumstances allowed, I was able to help make. I helped make the number for the total number of baptisms for the year come out of a Christmas present box. President Larkin was impressed. It felt good being able to help out again using my computer knowledge, which is something I don't get to use very much in this mission.

My companion, Elder Rowsell, flew out to Abemama this past Friday. Elder Dale is my new companion and also District Leader. He's from Arizona. This is his first time serving in Tarawa, so I'm helping him adjust to a more modern life.

Not much else to add. I've been reading in The Infinite Atonement lately, and excellent book discussing the power of Christ's Atonement. I recently read how His Atonement has to power to bring peace of mind. Many people sometimes fall into the trap of believing their sins will never be forgiven, or that we've gone just beyond the scope of Christ's reach, but when we truly understand the power of His Atonement, we can know that any sin can be forgiven if we turn our hearts to Him. He loves us infinitely and will always beckon us towards Him with outstretched arms.

Hope you all have a merry Christmas season! I tatangiringkami!

Elder Schoeny

Pictures

 Elder Rowsell and I wearing Captain America shirts, one of which he got from his girlfriend

 An old World War 2 artifact

 Cool sunset picture

Elder Dale and I waiting in the internet cafe