Letter No 1 - 3 days in...

Well, I am in Tabiteuea North with my new companion, Elder Kidder. He's really cool. He's from Indiana, USA. I love being here and I'm glad for it to just be me, my companion, the Church and The Lord. This is the way missionary work should be :) . This place is amazing.. I wish I could film a 24 hour movie of this place.

Mum, I want to tell you something... we do have internet here but it's expensive and my companion and I want to have good experiences out here and we would like to write to our families and President. I guess we are working extra hard to not focus on worldly distractions and we feel this sacrifice will help us. I promise.. I am 100% committed to writing to you and President EVERY Monday. I hope it's okay... but it's just different out here, it's unbelievable.

I've only been here for three days and the people here are awesome and so friendly. They've really welcomed us. I'm glad I have a cool companion and the people seem to like us a lot and are willing to do anything.

We were in a village called Kabuna for Sunday and I had to lead church and me and my companion had to talk in Sacrament. When I taught it just all came to me and I felt like the Spirit was just guiding my thoughts and giving me words to say. I've really come to understand teaching by the Spirit while I've been out.

Please give my love to everyone Mum and even though I am only really writing letters to you... let them know I love them and think of them all the time.

Email No 79 - Well... It's all happening now!

Hey Mum,
I'm leaving tomorow at 8am.... it's all happening now.... I don't think I have enough time to send off that package cz President is here and there's so much to do so yeah... I'll definitely send it when I get back and before I get home :)

I hope thats okay... I love yous all heaps and i hope that the lord will be in your lives always and that you will all lead your lives so that you are close to him,..

I know this work is true and I'm gonna try my hardest to convert the island:)

Tia boo Mama I love you and DAD.... tell him I love him. xoxx

Email No 78 - One more big effort :)

Mauri mauri,

Elder Green will be a great Zone Leader... I mean I trained him! Haha jks... Nah he’s a really good missionary… he’s very cool as and we get along well.

I’m really looking forward to this transfer. I can’t wait for this week to be over cz this week is Zone Conference and we just do a lot of running around and don’t get time to spend with the people we should be teaching… I just wanna go already! haha... I have promised myself I‘ll put in one more big effort and then I won’t have to do it again :) I must sound really ungrateful/ sick of my calling but you gotta understand... I need to go to outies!! So I can baptise the whole island!!!! Haha

Everyone sounds healthy :) that’s good... Thanks for letting me hear about all of them... and tell them all that I love them... I dunnno how the letter writing thing is gonna go out in outies but I’ll try my best to send you a letter every week. But I dunno if I’ll be able to hear from you... But that’s okay... I trust that the Lord will look after you all.

I love you mum and thank you for everything you do for me... you’re the best. Tell Dad I love him and I hope everything is well with him...
Lots of Love,
Elder Nye

Email No 77 - I’ve noticed how much easier everything is when you just obey the commandments!

Mauri-o,

Mum how’s it going? It seems like a while since we've spoken.... 7 days even!

Yeah you're right I've had a lot of companions in the past little bit.... Elder Van Dyken left and then I got Elder Morton for a couple of weeks... And then I had Elder Lowry for like a month and then Elder Pearson for a week and now Elder Green… Maybe I stink.

Elder Green and I are getting along.. it takes a little bit of time to get used to a new companion… but we are all good... He’s a cool guy. The work is moving forward.

Yeah I kind of agree.. I feel like I have matured a bit. After all this Zone Leader time you'd think I would have grown a little! lol You will be happy to know I’m not scared to make a phone call anymore :) lol Do you remember when I’d always get someone else to call for me… lol… well I’ve overcome that fear now haha.

I’ve noticed how much easier everything is when you just obey the commandments you are given... It’s so much beter lol. I think the hardest thing to do in life is to set aside the natural man inside of you and to realise what you can become... Yeah you get told that you can become like God but you can’t fully comprehend what that will be like.

Right now I’m setting aside the natural man... I still think you give a bit too much credit Mumma but I guess that’s just how I am :) It’s gonna be cool to come back and talk with you guys :) just chill and talk.

We had a good week this week. I should be leaving somewhere around the 10th of September so I’m looking forward to that :)

Mum I love you and I love Dad and all the other gremlins...
Elder Nye xox

Email No 76 - I still have so much I need to do... what if I'm not ready

15/8/11
Mauri Mum,
Yeah I should be leaving this area around the 10th... but I don’t even know yet for sure. But that’s what it looks like.

I'm really happy to get going. I love my ward right now and the works good but I just can’t wait to go. I like it when it’s just me and my companion and we can work and we aren’t focussed on everything else we have to do and we are not surrounded by everyone else... by the way… I got another new companion. Elder Green from Utah. Elder Pearson went and worked in the other zone… I’m sad because I was really getting along with Elder Pearson :) But now I have someone new to get used to... but I am sure I will love Elder Green too.

Elder Morton left today... He’s gone home to Melbourne... He'll be speaking in the Braeside Stake Conference on Sunday…. we all made fun of him cz he's really nervous cz we suck at speaking English here lol!
I was sad to see Elder Morton go cz he’s my friend… but when I said goodbye today it was just like “Well, see you in 5 months” haha! So it is cool... but I’m still sad to see him go... I’m having less and less close friends with me here... you get along more with the older Elders so now there’s not too many that are older than me… and Elder Mortensen is leaving on Thursday... I dunno if you remember him but I worked with him in Bonriki for a month... He’s the man and he’s from Colorado and I’m gonna miss him so much! He’s actually sitting next to me right now... If I ever go to America again then I have to go see him in Colorado... Lol… we always talk about it... I’m gonna be sad to see him go ay... it’s weird... I’ve had a really great week this week, but I’m like all sad right now... When I saw the plane take off today I was like wow... It’s getting closer and closer... I’m not trunky or anything but I’m just feeling it a little right now. It’s getting near the end and I still have so much I need to do and so much more I want to do… what if I’m not ready.

I'm interested to see who I can do missionary work to when I get back home... Just cz it talks about it in my Patriarchal Blessing.

Thanks for being there Mumma I love you and Dad heaps... I love everyone at home and say hi to them for me!!
Tia boo tinau.
Elder Nye

Email No 75 - One more transfer... Outies in September!

Mauri Mumma..

So with transfers... I thought I was going out to outies soon but turns out I can’t and I have to stay for one more transfer to train Elder Pearson(new companion) and then next transfer I’ll be gone… so in September sometime lol... That’s the best I can do.

So yeah I got a new comp... Elder Pearson... He’s from Utah and he’s a cool guy... He’s a really good missionary and it’s good to work with him. The work is going well now... the ward is working well with us... we're getting referrals and help from the ward and going to activities and its really fun.

My toe is fine now... No problems it’s just missing half a toe nail haha

I met a girl a couple of weeks ago that will be going to the Melbourne mission :) that’s sweet as ay... I don’t know her but when I get back we’ll look after her :) We have to take care of the Kiribati people!

Mumm I love ya... Thanks for everything... I hope you're healthy and everything is going sweet in your job... Thanks for all the love and support... Let everyone know that I love them and say hi to Dad for me.

Love Elder Nye xoxoxx

Email No 74 - I will have to use my charm... It's a Beamer

I did get my package!! Thank you for the Clouds… yumm… and the snakes and the creams stuff... it should be good till the end of my mission now.

The new cars look mean as!! Man I have to borrow Dads car at least one time!!??! Come on…that’s a Beamer that’s the cars I’ve wanted for ages!! I’ll have to use my charm when I get home and try get a test drive. Plus I’m like pretty much a professional driver right now cz of the driving conditions in Kiribati so I can handle it and I’ll be safe cz I know that if I’m not then I’ll get fined and I don’t have any money to get fined with when I get home!!!! haha

This week was good but pretty much nothing happened.... Not so fun but I’m sure next week will be okay... I only have 2 mins left and I really can’t think of anything to say.... sorry I ran out of time cz I wrote to President about some stuff... and it took up all of my time.

But know that I love you and Dad and all the fams.... I hope you all have a good week and good luck with starting your new job!!

Love you Mumma!!