Sent Tues 11/04/2014
Hello all! I would like to start off by
saying I haven’t seen or talked to a white person in weeks (My companion is
full Korean and did a year of pre-med at Cal Berk before coming on the mission)
so it’s really hard trying to imagine all of you right now.
I am on an island called Marakei inside
the independent and sovereign republic of Kiribati with the only electricity
coming from solar power. And really only enough for a light to hang from the
buia (raised house made out of coconut branches and wood foundation and
leaves). Everything cooked over fire. Since coming here I have had … let me
think … raw fish, fish, lots of rice, eel, raw clam, breadfruit and coconut in
every possible way, crab, lobster, lobster poop (Elder Kinm tells me it’s not
but I watched him open the shell; it was definitely poop), papaya, etc. It’s
pretty consistent with being drenched by either rain or sweat at all times.
During the day there are lots of flies and night mosquitos. But it is so
beautiful. We bike here on these crappy bikes that are like tanks along the
dirt road that circles the island, takes 1½ - 2 hours to bike around island if
you don’t stop. We are the only missionaries here and we sleep on the floor on
mats called kie’s. All of our water we drink/shower with comes from rain water.
We wash our clothes with well water. Our house is pretty nice given we live in
chapel house. We have fans that work for 1-2 hours then die. Lizards and
cockroaches and sometimes spiders and flying things of all kinds are a constant
presence. Our shower is pressurized, but it takes drinking water so we take
short showers. We have desks and a roof and walls so life is good.
OK, now hopefully I don’t bore you by
listing all of that off. I tried to think of stuff you might want to know about
lifestyle. But anyways, I love the people. The mission has literally been the
most humbling experience. Everyone here has so little, and I kid you not they
would starve rather than not feed us. We have done lots of service for people
here too, helping scrape out coconut meat, helping refloor people’s buias when
it goes rotten by finding, skinning and tying the branches together a certain
way. It’s hard to write really cool, long experiences because I don’t have a
ton of time right now (got to go bike and facilitate FHE a few villages away),
but watching people change through the gospel is the most beautiful thing. The
language is way faster here, but I understand a lot of what people are saying.
Unless it’s a bunch of kids yelling all at once or a really anyone talking
really loud. My conversational is slow but alright. My lesson speech is way
better. I am constantly praying for God to help our investigators and a great amount
of my time is spent thinking about how I can help our investigators more.
That’s why I like Elder Kim, because he likes to form a relationship by
actually talking to them.
The work has really picked up here ever
since I got here – that’s what Elder Kim said. We had 25 lessons last week,
which is a ton for an outer island I hear. I had my first baptism on Saturday –
5 people, 1 19-year-old daughter of a Catholic missionary, and a group of
really smart kids as far as Kiribati is concerned. 8-12 who are always asking
me questions, which getting a Kiribati person to ask anything ever is
impossible. So they are my favorite and when we are in their village for
service, FHE lessons, I work really hard with them that they understand and
live the gospel, which they really already do. They have read a ton of
scriptures, but there is a problem with less actives here and I don’t want that
to happen to them. I am working so hard trying to do the best I can with all
our investigators, but especially them. We had to walk like 1/8 – ¼ of a mile
into the lagoon to do the baptism dodging sea urchins as we walked out there.
And it rained that day and we were a little late, and the sun was going down.
Something about sunset here – THE greatest thing. They are absolutely gorgeous.
They are National Geographic, or like a Billabong t-shirt. I love watching
sunsets, and you all know how much I love movies and I say this out of a 100%
sober and sound mind. The night of the baptism I saw the most beautiful set of
scenery I have every seen in my entire life as I turned to look back
once we got to the deep enough part of the lagoon. The tender mercies of the
Lord are simple and profound. No words could sufficiently describe. And after a
long day of work we bike along the really big dirt runway for the plane and
turn out our flashlights and just look up and witness the grandeur of God’s
creations. The stars shine ever so bright and the moonlight ever so tenderly
lights the coconut trees and is truly remarkable.
I go home exhausted every night.
I love my mission. I love the people, and I have yet to have a bad day.
Roughish moments, but 3 biggest regrets of those reflecting on one’s life. 1) I
wish I would have spent more time with those I loved. 2) Wish I would have
lived up to my potential. 3) Wish I would’ve let myself be happier. Happiness
is right now. It’s in the tender mercies of the Lord. It’s realizing that there
is something higher than self. “In contrast to the institutions of the world to
know something, the Gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something.”
–Dallin H. Oaks- I challenge you all to find your own happiness, but I testify
that through the gospel you will find true happiness. I love you all. Because
of you, yes you, I find myself the whitest person on a very primitive island
sharing the gospel and loving it. Happiness is right now. Find yours.
Elder Buhler
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