christmas and the beat

December 28, 2007
I guess we had better start with the Christmas celebration. We all sang at the hospital and saw some brand new babies and a lot of sick people. That is a hospital that you probably wouldn’t pick to have your next baby or surgery at. That evening we served dinner to the missionaries at the Bleaks home – it was really nice. Good food and fun games. That evening the Marshallese band played for us outside the Bleaks home and they were really pretty good. Christmas day was the beat and let me tell you . . . . . . . AND THE BEAT GOES ON . . . . . AND ON . . . . . AND ON for twelve hours. All six branches have practiced for nearly a year and they make costumes and sing and dance and whistle and whistle and whistle. I can’t really explain what it is like but a cross between hip hop, marching, Polynesian dancing and something else thrown in. The whistle part is blown by the leader of the dance – he blows it to signal a change in the routine and by the end of the evening that whistle rings in your ears. Actually it is a great effort and the kids love it. We had a Christmas meeting in the chapel before the beat and all the boys and men were in white shirts and ties and then they moved to the cultural hall and it all began. They had a band on the stage and the women sang and danced and the youth were really into it. There are so many youth and they are so wonderful – its better to have them there then on the street. Sister Beckstand’s son came to visit and brought boxes and boxes of white shirts and ties donated by the people in the states and so we passed them out to those who didn’t have a white shirt and tie for church. So the boys danced in their white shirts and wiped the sweat off their faces with their ties. It was great!
Wednesday the 26th, we taught with the missionaries in the afternoon and I started to feel sick so we went home for the rest of the day. It was a little of the island gumbo. Thursday morning everything was good and so we went with the senior missionaries on a boat trip to a small atoll. We chartered a boat and went to a little island about 45 minutes away. The boat ride was nice and we stopped at a small resort and cooked hamburgers, explored the atoll a little and waded in the water. It was a sandy beach so it was very nice. I will let Elder Patten tell you about what he saw in the water. The water is so blue (many shades) clear and warm, lots of little shells with little creatures living in them. When we returned we had Josephine’s baptism and the 12 step meeting at the same time, so Elder P went to the baptism and I did the 12 step meeting. I was in the primary room and he was in the chapel about 20 feet away so we went back and forth a little. Josphine and Nemia are leaving for Naru in a few days so she will probably be very helpful in getting the church into that country. Today we went to district meeting and then out to Laura with another couple and went through piles and piles of books that had been donated. Some were good and could be used in the schools that teach English but there were many that were just thrown away. We just got home from an appointment with the sisters visiting a man (Migon) who is now ready to be baptized – but he needs to get married first. That will happen in January and then he and two of his children will be baptized together. His wife is coming along but slowly.
It’s been a good week. Notice the picture of the ww11 B-26 that we saw in the water. Kind of erie. We are ready for the holidays to be over so we can really get back to work. We have made appointments and had many of them cancel but have still been able to teach quite a few this week. We are loving the work and we know many people already. Today was our p-day and we were in town and have to be really aware of those around us. We seem to run into someone we know every time we turn around. Someone is always saying “ hello” to Elder and Sister Patten. Tomorrow is the Sabbath and it’s usually one of our busiest days. This Sunday will be Sister Patten’s last in primary for awhile. She has been spending all of her time there since we arrived. Both branches are doing well in that area now and its time for visit the R.S. and Y.W. We will take pictures of the two branch primaries tomorrow and send them to our home ward so they can see what primary looks like in Majuro. The children from Olympus 1st ward send us a card and signed it. We love you all. We had a chance to visit with Ryan and Mike and Michelle today on instant message and skype. It’s good to hear your voices. We’re going to try and finish out the year with a bang. Elder/Sister Patten