My Christmas Gift

MERRRRRYYYY CHRISTMAS!!!!! I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas! We had our Christmas a whole day before you guys (since we are a whole day ahead of the US based on time). For the couple days leading up to Christmas, all of the church members here gathered in the main church building to celebrate. The rest of the Elders and I tried thinking of all the things we could do to bring the Christmas spirit to the locals. We tried thinking of music and decorations and all different things but then we realized.... their Christmas celebration blows ours out of the water. All the little boys and girls throw on skirts made of palm leaves and headbands made of flower, they blast the Kiribati music, and they do exactly what the lyrics say.... "Shake your bumbum!". Everyone just shakes their hips around and dance and laugh. They had the elders get up and I didn't know I could move like that... but I did! My dancing was honestly so bad but they didn't care. Everyone was laughing and clapping. It is such a happy welcoming place and I felt a Christmas spirit like no other.

One day we headed out on this giant scary dock that's on the island. Everything was pitch black except for a couple lights at the end of the dock. We walked out to the end and we looked down into the water and saw thousands of fish. There were eels, and puffer fish, and other fish I had never even seen before and the light reflected off each of them. It looked as if they were glowing in the dark.

Of all the crazy things that happened this week, there is nothing that beats our rat hunts. The rats here are nothing like in America... These things are huge! They look like squirrels with long thin tails. We always hear them running around our house at night and we finally we had enough. They were eating through all our food and I was not about to have them eat my feet while I slept. We set up a hugeee rat trap at night and we all laid in silence waiting. After like 15 minutes we hear it snap and there is a disgustingly huge rat in the trap. We went on to catch 3 more in the same night.... welcome to Kiribati.

When we went home for the night on Christmas Eve, I knelt down and said a prayer before going to bed. I asked if I could receive just one Christmas gift tomorrow. I didn't know what it would be and I didn't care. I just wanted to know if I could get something. I woke up the next morning and honestly I was pretty glum. There was no snow outside, no big breakfast, no Christmas music and no Christmas lights. Everyone got up and we strung a small strand of Christmas lights around our house. We turned on some music and sang. It still didn't feel like Christmas. I had cards from my family to open so I sat down and opened them. As I read through each letter from my family members, I felt such an amazing feeling. It was then that it finally felt like Christmas! That's when I realized I had gotten my one gift. I realized that it doesn't matter what the weather is like, what music is playing or where you even are! It is my family that makes Christmas... Christmas! I knew I couldn't be with them this Christmas time, but having that realization was literally the best gift I had ever gotten! Words can't express how thankful I am for my family.

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas! I'm so thankful for all the things my eyes have been opened to. I admired the locals and how they can find joy and happiness in the smallest things in life. I try to imagine what it would be like if everyone was like. Alright, it is time for me to sign out. Go tell your family you love them and give them a hug. OH... and check for rats before you go to sleep tonight! Tiabo Ngkami!

1) Nuggets, nuggets, and more nuggets

2) This one nugget requested that I take a picture with him and then he doesn't even smile haha

3) Another perfect sunset 

4) Scary dock that we explored

5) New favorite study spot