The Islands Podcast

FIRST SISTER MISSIONARY ON THE POD!!! Nakitta Faupula Ellis served in Kiribati from November 2014 - May 2016. Nakitta had a rare experience to serve on the outer island of Marakei! Not often do you hear of sisters serving on outer islands, but for Nakitta, it was her "refiner's fire" moment after telling her mission president that outer islands were not for her. Nakitta knew she was headed to a th...

Joey Powell served in Kiribati from 2015-2017 and he spent 9 months of those two years just on the outer island of Nonouti! Joey served on Tarawa, and the outer islands of Tabiteuea (Tab South), Nonouti, and Abaiang. After a tough start to the mission and dealing with some difficult circumstances on his first outer island, Joey fell in love with Kiribati on the island of Nonouti. Did the mission p...

Tereua Oliphant is our first guest that was not a full-time missionary in the mission, but an even better guest because she is from Kiribati! To be exact, Tereua is Banaban/Fijian/Kiribati and was born on Rabi Island in Fiji where the Banaban people were displaced while the British mined for phosphate on Banaba Island (250 miles west of the nearest Gilbert Islands). After a long and faith-led jour...

Hayden Weenig served in the Marshall Islands Kiribati Mission from 2016-2018 and might have been the most well liked elder in the mission. Hayden served on 3 outer islands, Abemama, Tabiteuea (Tab South), Abaiang along with serving on Tarawa. During his time on Tarawa Hayden was able to see some full circle conversions as well as serve as AP. If you haven’t tried sea worms yet, Hayden has a recipe...

Christian Mcalister served in the Marshall Islands Kiribati Mission from 2016 - 2018. Christian was adopted from the Marshall Islands when he was an infant and was able to return to his home country and people as a missionary of Christ. When he landed in the islands he felt as if he was home with his people. Learning his language and culture was very special to Christian, but most of all was findi...

Hands down the coolest mission! Canon Weaver served in the Marshall Islands Kiribati Mission from 2022 - 2024 and was one of the very first missionaries back to the Marshall Islands post covid. Building a mission from the ground up as part of the "pioneer group" had its ups and downs, but the biggest bonus of it all was Canon's special assignment. For 3 months Canon was told to visit all the outer...

Taylor Everett served in the Marshall Islands Majuro Mission, Kiribati region from 2010 - 2012. Before leaving the MTC after no language training at all, they told Taylor he was going to the Kiribati side of the mission where he would start on Tarawa. After time on Tarawa, Taylor went to the coveted northern island of Makin where he fell in love with the people and island. A unique disagreement be...

Mason Ross served in the Marshall Islands Kiribati Mission from 2016 - 2018. Mason had an incredible mission and served in both the Marshall Islands and Kiribati! Every elder was jealous of the areas that Mason served in because he not only served on 3 outer islands and Ebeye but also hit both countries in the mission! Mason started in the Marshall Islands, headed to an outer island in Kiribati, a...

Damon Swain served in the Marshall Islands Majuro Mission from 2012-2014. When Damon received his mission call it said he was going to be speaking English, but boy was that wrong. Damon served his entire mission in the Marshall Islands side of the mission, serving on the islands of Majuro, Ebeye, a quick jambo to Arno, and then finishing on  the outer island of Ailinglaplap where he spent ove...

Tate Dale served in the Marshall Islands Kiribati Mission from 2016-2018. Tate is our first guest that served his entire mission in Kiribati. Tate served on Kiritimati, Abemama, Tabiteuea (Tab South), and Tarawa. After a few curve balls in the beginning of his mission Tate finally reached the islands of Kiribati and spent the first 18 months away from the main island of Tarawa. Tate has a deep lov...

Matthew Thiel served in the Marshall Islands Kiribati Mission from 2016-2018. Matt served on Ebeye, Majuro, and the outer island of Mili. After spending the majority of his mission in leadership and eventually AP, Matt had the once in a lifetime opportunity to reopen an outer island that hadn't had missionaries on it for years, Mili Atoll! Matt had crazy success of bringing the people of Mili unto...

Caleb Peterson served his mission in the Marshall Islands Kiribati Mission from 2016-2018. He is another Elder that served on both sides of the mission. Areas in order: Uliga (Majuro) -> Ajeltake (Majuro) -> Transferred to Kiribati -> Tabiteuea Maiaki (Tab South) -> Eita (Tarawa) -> Transferred back to the Marshall Islands -> Long Island (Majuro). Caleb served on one of the tough...

Cameron Kendrick served in the Marshall Islands/Kiribati Mission from 2016-2018. He served on the islands of Majuro, Ailinglaplap, Ebeye, and Mili. In this episode we talk about Cameron's experience as a missionary in the Marshall Islands and most of all his incredible experience of building a brand new church building on the beautiful outer islands of Mili! #MarshallIslands/KiribatiMission #Marsh...

Stephen Sheffield served in the Marshall Islands/Kiribati mission from 2016-2018. He had a rare experience and served in both the Marshall Islands and Kiribati. Stephen served on the islands in this order: Wotje -> Majuro -> Onotoa -> Tarawa ->  Butaritari & Makin -> Tarawa -> Majuro. In this episode we talk about the outer islands of Wotje, Butaritari, and Makin as well...

Iawke & Mauri! Welcome to the Islands Podcast. I, Darin Tingey, am your host and this episode is to give you a brief intro of what this podcast is about and who I am. This is a passion project where I bring on former missionaries that served in the Marshall Islands and Kiribati, two tiny island countries in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. We are going to talk island life, mission life, langua...