Banana Island

Mauri!

This past week, I had the opportunity to go on splits with Elder Bataua to visit the elders serving on the island of Butaritari -- which is known for having a great amount of bananas.  Elder Bataua has family on that island and they gave him three bunches of bananas.  So delicious.  Bananas here are small and delicious! :) It was great.  It also rained there almost the entire time.  It was nice and cool.  Elder Bordinko is one of the elders serving there, he kept saying that "we can learn something new everyday" and he worked very hard.  I liked his thought that we can all learn something new everyday.  Elder Pugliani is the other elder serving there.  I was impressed that as our dinner appointment time was coming up, he used up every moment of time to work.  As we were walking, he said, "Three more houses, that's my goal." I like that he set goals and strove to accomplish them.  That's what I learned from them.

One of our investigators is nei Teoti.  She is great.  We tracted her at her store on the way home from a dinner appointment (our dinners are at about 8:00, so they are our last appointment) and she accepted lessons.  Her husband is a less active.  We plan to teach her the Plan of Salvation tonight. 

This week in my study, I realized that I need to be a closer friend with Christ.  My companion, Elder Morphonios, is amazing and is a great friend.  Having him as my friend is great, and I realized that I want to develop a stronger friendship with Christ.  In the hymn, "I Know that My Redeemer Lives," Christ is described as our friend.  I know He is a friend to me, but I want to be a better friend to him. 

Life is great.  The church is real.  I know that Christ lives.  

Have a spectacular week!

Hurrah for Israel!

Elder Weenig 

Sunset on Butaritari Island

BANANAS!!!

Elder Bataua and I on the airplane from Butaritari to Tarawa

Dinner at a recent convert's house with Elder Morphonios

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Howdy!

Hope you all had a fantastic Fourth of July.  We had a pretty great one.  We had a dinner with the senior couple, the Hansens, that live in our compound.  It was fun.  America is the best. :)  (I say that in a very non-comparative, non-competitive way... :)  )

Life here is going great.  People are great.

We started lessoning with a Fijian woman, Alberta, who lives in our compound.  It is great. She has lessoned with sisters before, when she lived in Vanuatu (another Pacific island). She is interested in finding the truth.  She has a friend, nei Kabwearuru, who brought her to church and helped during our first lesson with her.  It is amazing how much nei Kabwearuru helps to allow for her friend to receive lessons.  It is awesome!  It is a good lesson in member missionary work.  Helping our friends receive the restored gospel is the best thing that we can do for them.

Well, I have been reading talks from the past General Conference this past week.  The talks are all amazing!  I love them.  I read one about sacrifice and that sacrifice makes things sacred.  It makes things important. Heavenly Father sacrificed His Son so that we can return to live with Him again.  It must, therefore, be an extraordinarily sacred and important thing that we strive to live to return to Him, as He gave such an extraordinary sacrifice.

I love you all.  Hope that all is well with you!  Happy Fourth of July. Freedom isn't free - I hope we don't forget the men that died for that, and more importantly, that we don't forget the Man that died for that.  "For men are free to choose... liberty and eternal life through (Christ)" (2 Nephi 2:27)

Have an amazing week!
Hurrah for Israel!
Elder Weenig

Service with Elder Morphonios (From North Carolina) -- we cleared bushes for an investigator.

Sea Worms... They dry them and chew them like gum...

Elder Morphonios and I on Tabiteuea North

This is the hospital... We visited one the of the elders who was sick.
Apparently, while he was sleeping a dog came and licked his foot.... Kinda funny. :)

With Elder Seffker and Elder Jubeck

The American Flag, flown outside of Moroni High School
(Elder Belshe, one of the senior missionaries, asked permission to fly it on the 4th of July. :) )

That hanging thing is a giant shell fish. We saw it at a member's house on Tabiteuea North.  Kinda cool, eh?
(and no, I did not eat it... But I have eaten it cooked before.... when I was in Abemama)

Zone Conference

With Elder Otto inside a bunker in Betio

Our district (Ambo) on a cannon in Betio

Mauri oh!

Mauri!

I am doing great.  I have great internet service now, so I figured I would send a quick update.

I got to work in Temaiku 1st Branch these past two weeks. This past Sunday, we took five minutes at the beginning of Sunday School in both the adult class and the Youth/YSA class and gave each member a restoration pamphlet. We challenged them to read the pamphlet, pray for the truth of it, and then share their testimony with someone (and to give that person the pamphlet). The members are excited and I believe that work with the members will be going great. We have been working on connecting our investigators to fellowshipping. I am excited to see the work in Temaiku continue to grow. There is a great deal of potential in the Temaiku 1st Branch. 

I am now working with Elder Morphonios, from North Carolina.  He is great.  I am serving in Banraeaba -- an area that I have served before.  It is going to be a great transfer!

Life is going great!  Life is amazing!  So, I studied patience this past week -- as it is one of the Christlike Attributes found in Preach My Gospel, chapter 6.  I am trying to develop Christlike Attributes so that I can minister better to the people that I come in contact with.  I learned that patience is more than I previously had thought.  It is the ability to not become anxious, angry, or frustrated through the D.O.T.S. (Delays, Opposition, Troubles, and Sufferings) of life.  I am grateful that the D.O.T.S. of life are just small dots, fleeting and small.  In Moroni 9, Mormon tells us to focus on Christ and to let that lift us up.  I hope that we can all focus a bit more on Christ so that we can make it though whatever "dot" the Lord sees fit for us to pass through.  He can have hope through Christ enough to develop the patience to pass through our trials.  This life is a great, precious gift from our Heavenly Father.  It really is up to us if we see it that way.  I hope I can develop the patience to always see it that way.

Hope you are all doing great!  Keep pressing on!  The church is real, President Nelson is the voice of the Lord on the earth today, ministering is real!  There is so much work to be done!  I am excited to go do it!  View general conference as a reference for what work we can be doing. I heard somewhere that general conference should be our walk and talk for the six months that lead up to the next general conference... Exciting, right?  We have plenty to walk and talk about. :) 

Love you all!

Today is the day - let's go seize it!

Hurrah for Israel!

Elder Weenig

Etuati's baptism in Abaiang

Helping a dentist do a fluoride treatment

Top of the Catholic tower, with Elder Sanft, and Sisters Robison & Sillito

A ball I made out of pandanus leaves.  The sister's name is Sister Robison --from Utah.

Elder Sanft cooked a pig for Sister Sillito's going away party on Abaiang

Elder Sanft and I on Abaiang (Tebunginako Village)

The STLs (Sister Training Leaders) came to pick up Sister Sillito

On the church owned speed boat -- the Riaona (the Liahona)

Leaving Abaiang (with Elder Butcher)

Titu and I -- He is a kid from a family that was baptized while I was in Temaiku 2nd last year.  I saw him at church.

Good bye Elder Farner (he was transferred to Christmas Island)

Working with Elder Scholle (my friend from Timpanogos High School) and Elder Davidson (he is awesome, he is from Springville).  Elder Davidson is hidden a bit by Elder Scholle

Good bye to Elder Dale (he's heading home), my second companion

Abaiang

Hello!

Long time no see. I have internet now, so woo hoo!

Last preparation day we went to an islet of Abaiang -- Terio Islet. It was so fun! We traveled in a boat. We shared a lesson with the lady that lives there. We met her while we were there helping a dentist. We gave her a Book of Mormon and she invited us to visit whenever. When we visited her, she said she had read the Book of Mormon and really liked it. It was hard to lesson with her, because she is mostly deaf, but we gave her pamphlets. It was fun. She and her husband run a hotel. Her name is Terine. Her husband is from Britain.

Nei Miita, one of our investigators, was baptized last Friday. It was great. She is so amazing! Last week she gave us a whole bunch of bananas -- so we are good with potassium!!!! Whoot! It was awesome. 

On Saturday, we had a combined branch bootaki (party). It was great. Long, but great. We had a few less actives come. Also missionaries from Tabuteuea came and so did nei Miita. It was awesome.

One thing that I have learned the past little bit is that life is what we make it. So we just need to press on with a smile and in the words of Gordon B Hinckley, "It will all work out". Life is great and really short, so we have got to make the most of it! 

It was a good week! Thanks for all you all do! Y'all are amazing!!!

Love you so much!!!

Hurrah for Israel!!!

Elder Weenig

"... How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace...." -- Romans 10:15

Elder Weenig now serves on an outer island -- Abaiang -- which has no internet.  It's been four weeks since we last heard from him, but we were blessed this week to receive a quick note and some pictures from one of the senior missionary couples  (Brother and Sister Hansen) who visited the island this past week.

"...How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace...."  Romans 10:15

Elders Weenig & Sanft with Brother & Sister Hansen, and Sisters Sallito & Robison (This is the first set of sister missionaries to serve on an outer island).  Sister Hansen said that the Elders biked for one and a half hours to meet them while carrying the cake to give to them.

With Elder Sanft

The Power of the Spirit

Howdy!!

Well, life is great!  We had a good week. This introduction is extraordinarily standard.... The lack of creativity is real.  But it really was a great week, so I will continue onward. :)

Firstly, we had some good lessons. One was with Ieremia -- a less active who is not a member of the KUC (Kiribati United Church).  Anyway, he said that he couldn't come back because he has a job in the KUC.... And yeah...  we didn't agree too much... so, we explained that he just needed to pray and read the scriptures sincerely and that it was all up to him.  I am not sure that he will return, but I am quite sure that he felt the spirit.  That is what is important. That is what I am realizing is our job, to make sure that everyone can feel the power of the spirit because then they will want to feel it more.  When we do things that invite that feeling -- prayer, reading the scriptures, coming to church, etc. -- we are converted.  Then we can be baptized, go to the temple, and quite literally live happily ever after.  Seeing as we live happily ever after this life. :)

Thanks for all that you do! Thanks for your examples!!!  Have a great a new year. Set new goals!  Go, fight, win!  You are all amazing!  Love you!

Hurrah for Israel!

Love you all!

Elder Weenig

In the office with Elder Sheffield

Preparation day --  Sister Moungatonga-Fowler and Elder Butcher

District Meeting in Betio District... We had a potluck breakfast. :)

Having a burger at the airport with Elder Sheffield while we wait for missionaries to come in from outer islands.

Happy New Year!

This week was great!  We had a great lesson with te Iotebwa.  He has tons of questions and refuses to believe the Book of Mormon.... Which makes no sense because he believes the priesthood holders handbook.... But anyway, he said he had prayed about the book and had not gotten an answer that it was right.  Anyway, tem Bore, a recent convert, came to the lesson and bore his testimony.  Iotebwa then said he got his answer! Whoot!  I suppose people just need to see that the gospel is not just something that weird, well-dressed young adults go around telling people.  People just need to see that it is real and that other people believe it too. (Subtle way to say to do member missionary work, hint hint.... cough cough... :) )

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Anyway, life is great!  Love you all so much!  You are the greatest! I love you all and pray for you all!  Hope that all is going well! Life is short, make the most of it!  Seize the day!  Today is the day!

Love you all!
Hurrah for Israel!
Elder Weenig

Caroling to Elder and Sister Hansen.  (Elders Dale, Schoeny, Weenig, Sheffield, Murri and Barker)

Christmas Dinner

Best Christmas gift -- Skyping with Elder Weenig