humble and friendly people

Hey!! Thanks for the info, news, testimony! Haha, no i don't really
sharpen my knife that often, or even use it. People here use knives a
ton for the different types of work in Kiribati, my main use is
opening packages, letters ;) sometimes shaving sticks, etc. Any way,
nice testimony! yeah I've been reading a lot out of the new testament
recently, which talks a lot about that. Like how we're all fallen and
stuff. But that through Him and faith on Him we can serve the good and
we can overcome the natural man. Yeah it's really good, you should
check it out, it's all throughout Acts and Romans.
Thanks for the packages! Yeah sorry I haven't exactly been helping out
with following the one package a quarter rule, but if you need to send
out my birthday package later, that's fine!!
So this week has been good. I've been pretty tired recently, pretty
sore as well. Because we've been helping Bontekai build his buia on
some mornings, and basically what we've been doing is filling rice
bags with gravel (like 40 to 70 pounds I'd say, not exactly sure),
nine bags on the wagon, sometimes 10. And then grab the handles of the
wagon (fortunately I've got work gloves) and haul it on this dirt path
through the woods for 10 or maybe 15 minutes until we finally get to
his house, and then load them off and do it twice more. And then we've
got the 30 mile bike ride on Sundays, so I've been kind of sore in the
mornings when I wake up. It's a good sore though, not of the injury
causing nature. It's actually been a great experience, and workout ;)
being able to do that work. Finally the rocks are all done though, we
had kind of a picnic of sorts on it to celebrate once we'd spread all
the rocks out. The basic kiribati food: rice, fish, pumpkin(I ate a
ton of it, it was way good), and then I was also able to try te
mwakauro (the hermit crab), which was pretty tasty. We've had some
good lessons this week. Me and Elder H have been doing a lot of
finding. Which is way awesome and exciting. It's way awesome to see
the spirit work on the people. We've meet some really humble and
friendly people recently, which has been way fun. Seriously, it's way
awesome to be able to interact with people who are just way open to
the message and who aren't hard-hearted. Any way, love you all. I know
the church is true. I know prayer is real. I know it can bring peace
and guidance. I know humility is real, and that we should continue to
strive to be like Christ. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God
and that reading it with faith will bring lots of growth. In the name
of Jesus Christ, amen.
Happy birthday J!! Love you all!! - Elder Seffker
P.S. The next time you send a package if it's possible that would be
awesome if you could include a light jacket style rain poncho with a
hood. Not heavy and thick, but not the kind that rips and then you
throw it away(we used to have one that N would use that was gray
with neon yellow paracord around the hood). If you don't find one,
don't worry about it(or send a throw away style one). Just don't send
a big thick one cause I won't have room to bring it any where. Apart
from that I'm pretty much good, not sure I have any other needs apart
from that. I really appreciate all the support!!!!!!! Feel free to
send that package later on if we need to wait a little bit! Thanks for
the prayers!! Love ya!!

building the buia

Re: Letter from mom

JS

Jared Scott Seffker <jared.seffker@myldsmail.net>

 

|

Yesterday, 7:10 PM

You

  

Hey thanks for the skype!!!! It's wayyyyyy nice to hear from you guys
all together!!!! Haha, any way, have a good day!!! I'm gonna try to
send some pictures, you can witness for yourself I've gained a wee bit
of weight indeed. Any way, one of them it's me having just opened a
metal can with a spoon. (It's a talent I've learned here). There's
also me sharpening my knife while reading scriptures. (don't worry,
the technique I use is totally safe. People here some times do it
while watching movies haha). A kiribati kid(we helped him with his
homework). And a guys from the house we're building the buia at. (he
kind of reminds me of dad haha). Any way, thanks for the support.
Thanks mom for all those needs!! It's nice to hear you're voice! You
guys all look wayyyyyyyyyyy sharp!! Did you get that shirt from the
MTC???? Love ya! - ELder SEffker

they've finally been able to be baptized

This last week has been good! Not sure if you guys did indeed get my
email, but in case you didn't, last week I talked about one of our
investigator families. The husband is named T, the wife
K, and the daughter, K. They got baptized this week after
all!! After years of waiting, they've finally been able to be
baptized! And they were way ready! It was such a priviledge being able
to teach them!! Well, any way, apart from that, not too much happened
this week. The people here are way nice. This one lady gave me my
first kie the other day. (grass mat people sit and sleep on here). I
asked here the price, cause usually people buy them, but she was just
like "no price. You can carry it from place to place, and when you get
home you can tell your parents that it was a gift from your kiribati
parents. Any way, yeah the people here are wayyyyy nice. It's also
part of the culture here, like if a person walks past your buia you
invite them to sit down. Any way. Things are going good here.
Yesterday we had to bike 32.5 miles(according to my companion),
because apparently motorcycles are in fact not yet approved, as is
contrary to what we thought. Just taking sacrament to people, and
running churches. It was really good though, surprisingly it wasn't
actually that big of deal (which ought to explain something about how
much biking we actually do here in Kiribati). Well any way. I got the
package with the chex mix and blueberry biscuits. Unfortunately the
rats had gotten to the chex mix, but I ate it any way (just kidding,
maybe). But the biscuits were unscathed, which were way delicious!!!
That was a taste I hadn't tasted in a long time! Any way, love y'all!
Hope this email goes through! - ELder SEffker

one of the reasons we needed to leave Him

Hey!
This week:
Yeah it's definitely been a great experience so far! It's been a
really interesting experience so far! We've had a lot of
responsibility this week, there is a family of three we're preparing
to be baptized right now. So me and my companion have been pretty busy
there trying to make sure they're ready. We've been meeting with them
every day, and plan to be until they're baptized hopefully this
Saturday. Their names are ......    They're way
awesome. They have such a great desire to be baptized!! Apart from
that, President Iotua Tune came and visited Butaritari. We were on
internet alot this week communicating with the AP's about his flight
and stuff. It was actually a miracle that it all worked out. Because
we didn't get a lot of information about his plan, and the internet
was way slow so communication was rough. We were at a members house
early thursday morning at 9 am ish talking about the plan. At around
9:30 we heard a plan overhead, it was way early. Fortunately we had
just got the car scheduled, and it pulled up just in time. We got one
and got to the airport just as he had descended from the plane with
his wife. Fortunately there was also another member who hoped onto the
car with us I'm not sure for what reason, and they directed us to a
place where there were rooms for rent. So he had a room for the night.
Any way, it was way awesome to be here while he was. A lot of the
members commented that he was really good at explaining things (he
talked a lot about faith). While he was here, we had a party of sorts.
The day before it, me and my companion rode around on our bikes
telling all the ward members and investigators to come and stuff. Tons
of people showed up! It was way awesome. We had sort of a family home
evening with the ward at the bootaki (party), We sang, were taught a
lesson by President Tune, had an activity, and ate dinner. It was way
awesome!! Everyone learned so much, president Tune's testimony is so
strong!!! Everyone who came was definitely strengthened. Haha, some
people commented that he made them just want to sit and keep
listening. The family that was about to get baptized came as well. It
was sooooo awesome, they have so much faith! THe things were working
with them now on is the knowledge and baptismal questions, so that
they're totally prepared and understand the importance of the
commandments and the covenant of baptism. Me and my companion feel
really good about them. ANy way, the husband commented after that he
felt something inside him!! He totally described to us the fruits of
the spirit!!! He was like: "I knew it was true"!!!! It's so exciting
for them to finally be able to be baptized!! THey've been waiting for
a long time!!
ANy way, apart from that, nothing too much is new. Me and my companion
are getting along really well. He's way awesome. He's way focused on
the work. He has a really strong testimony. He's told me a lot of
stories about his missionary work so far. A lot of examples that he
wants to emulate, and some examples that he commited not to emulate.
We have a lot of progress.
Also, the bathrooms here are another degree toward third world from
tabiteuea, and from tarawa. Tarawa pretty sanitary compared to here.
Tabiteuea is just a little bit more unsanitary. Here we've got a water
well, and a bucket for our shower. And then we just use a cup to
splash the water on us. Our only mirror here is a shattered car mirror
taped to the wall which is pretty much good for nothing. My razor
seems to have broken, but we don't have electricity any way so I just
use the ones that don't run off electricity. Apparently there are
scorpions here as well, but I've only seen small ones, and they hang
out in our bathroom. Also crabs.
For misquitos we just use muntaika(as they're called here) it's a
spiral thing you light and the smoke it emits repels them, they work
way well.
Well, I know the church is true. One of the things that hit me that
president Tune said was that if we didn't leave our Heavenly Father
our faith couldn't have developed, because we could see Him. Which is
one of the reasons we needed to leave Him in order to be able to
develop.
Well, have a good week! Love you!!