Temple Ground Breaking

 What a privilege it was to be a part of the temple ground breaking here in Kiribati!  We spent most of the day before helping to set up. The senior missionaries were assigned to be ushers, so we were able to be there in person. Most of the young missionaries and other members of the church  watched from the chapels.  There were 3 local speakers: primary age, youth age and a young single adult. They did an amazing job. Then the President of Kiribati spoke. He is not a member of our faith, but he spoke about his visit to Utah and his visit with President Nelson.  He asked for 3 things: (1) A university to help with the education of Kiribati, (2) a temple to be built in Kiribati, (3) a priesthood blessing.  He got 2/3 of his requests.  He spoke about how the temple would be a blessing to his people and about what a spiritual experience the priesthood blessing was.  I later heard that his daughter and her family have already converted to the church. Elder Jaggi gave the dedicatory prayer. The field is white, already to harvest.  Really good things are going to happen here over the next few years. And humanitarian aid is just a part of the preparation for Kiribati to blossom. 

The wheelchairs are in port now.  Remember the whole long process it took to get the prosthetic oven out of customs?  Well, we are doing it again.  Ugh!!  

Nabeina is an islet in Northern Tarawa.  There is a Kiribati Missionary Senior Couple serving in the branch there.  They asked if we could get the village a fishing boat.  We put in the project under "healthcare" saying the boat would help them catch more fish that they could then sell which would give them greater access to a more variety of food.  I didn't know how well that would go over. Guess what?  It got approved!  They said it was a "sweet" project.  Now we are working on getting the legal paperwork done.  


E/S Duke (Dentist), E/S Redmond (Humanitarian) E/S Birati (MLS) E/S Bennett (Auditors) E/S Stoddard (MLS) President and Sister Kendall (Mission Leadership) E/S Tawita (Young Service Missionaries) 




Families came to help pick up trash off the temple lot.
  Note the housing in the background. 


Just Kidding- I didn't speak


Helping to set up

Choir practicing at night


The decorating committee


Painting of Kiribati Temple




The earth turning shovels Kiribati style.





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