A Kie and A Bae

(Dallin and Sister LavuLavu before she was transferred.  He titled it Elder Flowerhead.)

Dear Mom, Dad, Cami and Taylor,

So good to hear from all of you! I am glad that you're all having some really fun weeks and that school and life and work and everything is going well. I can't believe how normal ife sounds so remarkably exciting to me right now. I am so grateful to have my perspective so flipped, and I think I'll be much happier for it in the years to come. 

I will admit right off the bat that I am exhausted this morning, and thus ask for your forgiveness for however this letter turns out. Last night it stormed hard, and when it really storms, the wind gets gusty and blows the rain DIRECTLY THROUGH the walls of our stick house. So I was soaking wet and cold last night, and I didn't get much sleep.

The good news is, that was about the only bad thing that happened all week! We had a really really good week for lessons, and for learning individually. I felt like I made lots of improvements in my studies and in my teaching skills, and I'm really working on my Kiribati grammar more. Elder Raika is an ace teacher and he has the best language skills in the mission, so I am so grateful to be working with him right now and learning from him. 

We got to attend a marriage this week! Our investigator Mweretaka and his girlfriend Rawenta just got married so that he can be baptized this saturday. We have another marriage today, our investigators Kareobwa and Kabure will be married today and then baptized on Satrday as well. They're all great investigators and we're so grateful for the progress they've made. It's been a long time coming, and we're glad they've finally made it to baptism.

We had an awesome district meeting on Thursday. Elder Raika gave our training, and we decided as a district to study a Christlike attribute together. We picked obedience. As a part of my personal studies, I really focused on trying to study about obedience, and I read the story of Abraham and Isaac. It really hit me that obedience is nothing more than a choice. People always talk it up, especially among missionaries where there's lots of rules and such. The main thing is, we choose whether or not we want to follow our own will or God's will more. When you simplify it down like that, it seems a whole lot easier to choose to be obedient, even in the little things, and especially in the big things.

Cool and random unrelated news, I bought a kie and a bae, as souvenirs from Christmas Island. The kie is like, this traditional woven mat thing. I actually sleep on 3 of them right now on top of my stick bed. But I bought a fancy thick one to take home, and it's got a cool pattern on it. I also bought a bae, which is essentially this big piece of fabric stamped with a cool picture on the bottom that you tie into a skirt type thing. Basically, it is an excuse to not wear pants because it's hot outside. And I'm surprised how okay with that I am. Anyways, I wear my bae and sit on my kie and feel super Kiribati. Lots and lots of fun.

I'm genuinely sorry I don't have more letter-writing stamina right now. Just know that this was a great week! we worked hard and I am very tired, and I plan on napping after the marriage today. I love you all, and I'm so grateful for your prayers and support!

Love, Dal