The Beautiful Island and People of Tabiteuea

Tabiteuea

This is my view of the world morning and evening

Above map from wikipedia

A Final Testimony before Coming Home

June 5, 2016

Mauri,

Sadly this will be my last week here on Tabiteuea. This Thursday I

will fly back to Tarawa and await my flight home. The work on tab was going great. I'm going to miss the people here. They were amazing friends and they care so much for the missionaries. Elder Ellis and i worked really hard these past few weeks and we will have a baptism this week. Tiikoro one of our new investigators has found her testimony and wants to be baptized, so we will do that before we leave.

This past Sunday our branch president shared a great story and I wanted to share it this week in my email. He said that each of us in our life are called to carry crosses on the roads of life. Some people's crosses are shorter then others and some are heavier, but each was made for us. We will all be called to carry it to the end of our lives. At that time we will find that the crosses that weighed us down in this life will become the bridge that we can use to cross the great divide to eternal happiness. If we give up and cut bits of the cross off it won't be long enough to make it across, and if we abandon it for worldly lusts we will one day sadly find that we don't have anyway to heaven and it will be too late to go back and grab it. The part that I liked most was that he said at the times that it feels to heavy and we can't go another step we can give it to He who carried THE cross for all mankind. To Him that carried our sins to his death, and then on the third day gained power over the grave. In our hardest times he will take the weight from us and give us rest.

I don't know it I will send another mass email when I get to Tarawa so if I don't let this be my final testimony. That this is the work of

God and it will not be stopped by any man. I know that this is the

Church of Jesus Christ restored in these latter-days and He lead this

church and will continue to lead this church through Prophets until

he comes himself to this earth. n aran Iesu Kristo, Amen.

-Elder S. Johnson

It doesn't get fresher than this!

May 29, 2016

Mauri,

So this week has gone well. not much to report. We are teaching one girl named Tikoro. She came to church and asked us for lessons. She lives across the street with member and she is going to school at the High school here. She has been praying for the truth and she says she is starting to fell the truth of the lessons. She has agreed to be baptized next week.

That really it from us. Tab is great and I love the members here.

That's it from me. 

Peace.

-Elder S. Johnson

May 22, 2016
Tab Thug Life

Mauri,

First off don't think I've gone bad because of the title. There's a

story behind it. This week we had service with a member. For service we burned palm frans that where old and starting to brown. We were short on time and we were stopping in for an hour before moving north so we didn't even change to service cloths. We were cutting old palm frans with knifes and I saw some funny picture opportunities. 

Hence the pictures.

We also had the blessing of watching conference this Sunday. It was translated and it was a huge blessing for our investigators to hear the voice of the prophet even if it was short. I've realized over time how important conference is. As a kid I would get board, but now it's like second Christmas! 

Well family and friend I love you all ton and wish the you all the best weeks.

-Elder S. Johnson

May 15, 2016

Mauri,

This has been kind of a crazy week. Ellis and I are working in

overdrive to do all we can before the end of this month. This Sunday we started church in a new village, Buota, and also went to 3 other villages for church. One of the happy moments this week was starting lessons with Temoaniti. She is the daughter of Abera and Atinta. She is the only one in her family to have not joined the church. Back almost 2 years ago I started teaching that family in Aranuka and one by one they have all joined in my time. It was only their daughter Tekenna. Now they and 6 of there 7 children have joined. Temoaniti is the last. She's a little shy about lessons, because she is "boarding" and there is most likely a lot of people making fun of her for taking lessons and I think it's getting to her. I've been praying a lot for her, but we will have to see what happens. 

Hope you have great weeks.

Thank you for all the prayers and support that comes from from home.

That's all this week. 

Tiabo.

-Elder S Johnson

May 1, 2016

Elder Johnson sent pictures!

Elder Ellis and I and a family in Tab North

More Beach Worms

April 17, 2016
Mauri,

Everything is going well here in the north. It is a very big island.

Lots of biking, but soon I will have calves of steel. A lot of our

work is here in Utiroa. We have 4 people very close to baptism. They just need to come to church. Two of them will be ready by next week. 

One is a little girl named Karibwaiti, the other is a young lady named Terabo. They both haven't missed a Sunday sense we have been here. The work here is great. Because the area is so big there is a lot of things to see on bike rides. This week has been crazy though because of the rain. We have had crazy down pores. It has rain every day this past week making the week hard to get out to people. But still with all the rain we taught 30 lesson. 

Well that is it from me.

Have a great weeks everyone.

-Elder Johnson

April 3, 2016 
Happy Easter...

Mauri,

First of the title has nothing to do with this email. We didn't do

much for Easter. This week has been great. We are finding a lot of

elder old (past) investigators and are teaching them. There are a lot of great investigators here. One is named Terabo. She is 18 and got through all of 1st Nephi in 2 days. She says she feels that it is true. She has been to church every week and she came to rescue to help the branch with reactivation.

This past 2 weeks we have had 4 baptisms they where all people who had the lessons done in the past and where just waiting for us. This is a great area. It's huge and takes a ton of biking but it's awesome! 

Well love you all.

-Elder S. Johnson

This house is where we stayed in Tab South

    
The people in our unit in Tabiteuea South

March 20, 2016

Mauri au utu,

So I am in Tabiteuea now! I flew in on Saturday with my new companion Elder Ellis. We hired a Charter plane and flew to "Tab" South then Tab North. There was a party for the Relief Society so we followed and got to know the Branch. 

The work is great we have 3 people that are ready for baptism here and they are really great people. I'm so happy to be here! 

I love you all and with you a great week.

-Elder Johnson