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!!

Father in Heaven hears our prayers and answers them

People keep quoting conference but I haven't even heard it yet! Can't
wait to read it. We get it when it comes out on the magazine.
Yeah the J are gonna be leaving soon :/ They were so awesome. They
were such a great support to the missionaries here. They were always
so friendly and welcoming in Tarawa. And on the outer island, they
always put such a high priority on getting our needs sent out
promptly. They were so awesome!
This week: sooooooo, yeah things were way good with Elder L. I
look back and am amazed at how much I was able to learn from him in
just 4 short weeks or so. Well, Wednesday morning we got a message
from the Js saying I'd be transfering the next day and that we
needed to confirm my plane ticket. We were way suprised, but it was
good and went well. I got on the plane the next day, flew to Tarawa,
slept there the night, and flew  to Butaritari the next morning. So
yeah, here I am in Butaritari now, haha. It's interesting because I
was on one of the most southern islands, Tabiteuea Meang, where it
hardly rained, and where the southern accent is really strong. Well
here it rains like every day almost, and often multiple times. Clouds
are constantly over head. This morning was actually the first time I
noticed that the sun rose to the right of how I sleep, and not at my
feet. I was disoriented. Also the road runs east to west here instead
of north to south, it's way disorienting. Any way, I'm with Elder
Hk here. He's one transfer older than me. So yeah, we're both
learning a lot. It's really good though. This past month my language
has really sky rocketed, it's way awesome, and a huge blessing. It was
awesome to be back in Tarawa, it's like a different place when you can
understand the people more. Any way, yeah. we're both learning a ton.
Elder H is awesome, and he's a great senior companion. He's able
to go at his own pace, and not get frustrated or discouraged, which is
a way good attribute to have in our companionship, because we both
have a lot of learning to do haha. Butaritari is awesome. It's
wayyyyyy green. Like I was way surprised at how green it here. Like
you get on the road and look forward and there's just so much green!
Any way, yeah it's way pretty, tons of awesome plants. There's almost
kind of like a japanese garden sort of feel to it. Just so much green.
The chickens here are different, haha. Some of them are small with
awesome patterns. Some are like straight sleek black, like a crow
almost. We sleep on a two story buia. It's literally like a tree
house. When we had church yesterday, the place where we taught the
primary literally was a tree house. We had to climb a tree to get into
it, it was way awesome. We got sort of a mini maneaba near our house,
my companion studies there, there's a hammock. I study in a buia that
hangs over the ocean. It's way awesome. There's like a little latter
to get up into it. Me and my companion are really attacking the
language, haha. Elder H is way awesome cause he's way focused on
the mission. We speak in the language whenever we can. Any way, yeah,
kind of a big change. There's also tons of mosquitos here, so we have
to sleep with a bangabanga (mosquito net), also we sleep on sticks, so
that's a big change as well. The floor for most buias is just tons of
palm leave stems lain parallel (the stems are way firm and made of
wood, but they're straight, unlike just any random stick), and tied
down. And then there's a grass mat that goes over the top of it and
that's what I sleep on, it's actually pretty comfortable. Also,
motorcycles are approved here, so we rode on one yesterday because we
hold sacrament at the other end of the island also, and it's takes
like four hours aparently to get there by bike, so yeah, we
motorbiked. I think we've got it figured out and stuff now, at first I
was super sketched out because we didn't seem to have the balance
figured out. But we've got it now and we were blessed to be safe. Any
way, prayer is definitely real. It can bring comfort and peace. I know
that our Father in Heaven hears our prayers and answers them. I know
it's important to pray and to ask for His help continually. Love you
all! - ELder Seffker

resistance to temptation isn't a skill, it's a choice

 It's always warm and sunny! It has
been raining quite a bit lately though, which has been kind of nice!
Something to do with the location of Kiribati: we hardly get strong
winds. Sometimes there's a breeze, but they don't have hurricanes or
cyclones or anything. We're right in the middle of a tectonic plate,
so yeah, they don't get earthquakes or tsunamis either. Which is
great! Interestingly enough, as you know, we're right in the middle of
the ocean, and yet somehow we're in somewhat of a drought :/
Any way, sounds like things are good back at home! Any construction going on? ;)
This week has been good. Definitely been helped through my trials and
seen miracles! Thanks a ton for the prayers!!! I'm seeing a lot of
growth! Any way, seriously though, thanks for the prayers. They really
do help! Let's see, yesterday we ate at Ms again, sea turtle
again as pretty much always. I think my stomach is building a
resistance to sea turtle!! ;) Because it doesn't seem to upset it so
much any more. We were waiting at one of our investigators houses,
T ha, and he pulled up on his
motorcycle with two sharks lain over the side! They were probably
about 5 to 6 feet long in my judgement. And like 200 pounds each. any
way, we ate them for lunch two days later. They've got a fishy flavor,
but they're really good with curry. We actually saw some big miracles
this week. haha, it's not so much a tradition in Kiribati to baptize
kids right as they turn eight, considering people don't really
remember their birthdays here. Well, we received two referrals. One
went something like this: "He hasn't been baptized yet (comes to
church every week). You haven't been baptized yet have you? Kid: no."
So yeah, we just need to teach them lessons and so forth. Well, any
way, have a good week! Here's a thought: resistance to temptation
isn't a skill, it's a choice, and it begins with choosing to read and
pray each day. I know that if we do our best to follow God's counsel,
we don't need to fear! Because all He asks is that we do our best each
day! Well, love you all, see ya!! - Elder Seffke

the power is in you to do good

So this week has been pretty good. My language is progressing which is
good. I'm working to listen closely to what they say and I've grown a
lot in actually understanding them. It's crazy how much language
learning has to do with just being exposed to it continually and
consistently. There are some missionaries here who don't even study
the language, and yet they've come to be pretty functional and can
understand people. Cause a lot of it is "behind the scenes" so to
speak, it has to do with your mind just subconsciously picking up bit
by bit. Any way, it's still very necessary and useful to study though,
because things like verb conjugations are easier to pick up if your
mind has a head start by seeing them on paper before you hear them
being applied by speakers.
Anyway, we've been blessed a lot this week. Me and my companion have
continued to see blessings, we've come to understand each other better
as well and become more unified.
Recently I've been thinking a lot about a talk I heard where a guy
talks about how a  spiritual confirmation can be, and is perhaps more
often, the absence of a No as opposed to a Yes. That goes right along
with a scripture in D&C that I think I've already shared here before:
something like: 'the power is in you to do good... a servant who has
to be compelled in all things is slothful... you should do many good
things of your own will...'. Any way, I love how there's so much good
we can do in this life, and so much we can do to continually improve
ourselves our situations and to help others. The possibilities are
limitless.
Any way, some other thing that's happened this week: Me and my
companion have had the opportunity to help teach someone english
recently. It's really great. We'll see how it goes though.
Yeah other than that. Those two kids are progessing nicely. We've got
some other investigators: Taba, and Ta who are progressing
towards baptism as well. We're still teaching them right now. We
taught T about the Holy Ghost a few days ago and he related this
story were he'd heard a voice guide him as well. He's really receptive
to the things we teach him, it's way awesome.
Well that's it for now, ti a bo!!! Thanks for all your prayers!!!
They're very appreciated!!! Love you all!!!
Ti a bo!!! - ELder Seffker