May 12, 2008 and later

May 12, 2008 Monday
I know it is Sunday, Mothers Day for all of you and I hope all you Mothers have a great day. It has been raining and raining and raining and the water table is high and so the water is coming up in our drains when we shower or use the washing machine. Elder Patten is going to see what can be done. Its not like you can call a plumber or anything, but maybe he will have to get someone to dig a trench or a large hole full of coral to absorb the water and drain it away from our home. This means that the missionaries will have to wash their clothes by hand in a bucket because our bathroom floods if too much water is used. Somehow it will be taken care of – the Lord always has the answer. Insenawa, the harbor master here, is the second counselor in our Branch and he said that he would look at it with Elder Patten today and see what needs to be done. Insenawa is just a wonderful man, he speaks English very well and knows about everything on this island. What a blessing it is to have him in the church. He and his wife Susana have adopted 3 children and have one of their own. The youngest is about 6 years old, a little boy, who is blind, deaf and can’t walk. They just love him and take care of him so well. One of the adopted daughters, kamboa, was on a mission in Tarawa but had to come home because she has leprosy , she has been home for 6 months and wanted to go back to finish her mission but after talking to Insenawa and Pres. Bleak, Elder Patten felt impressed to tell her that it would not be good for her to return. She was okay with that decision, maybe a little relieved. We discovered that the stress and required work and activity of a missionary life aggravates leprosy and she would probably not be able to handle it and have to return home again.
We may have mentioned Keketea, a policeman from Tarawa. I became friends with his wife Meria, she was our librarian and she told me a couple of months ago that Keketea, was a member of a Bishopric when they lived in Tarawa and is a returned missionary but had started drinking a little and smoking when they were transferred to Christmas Island. Elder Patten and I went to visit them in their home and talked to him. We told him he was needed back in the church and he said he wanted to come back but his cigarettes were a problem. So Elder Patten talked to Pres. Henry and decided to call him into the Elders Quorum Pres. – he accepted and Elder Patter set him apart. He hasn’t smoked since and yesterday bore his testimony in Priesthood and spoke in Sacrament meeting and did a wonderful job. When you look into his face you can see the light has returned and he and Meria are so happy with their little family, what a blessing for them. They are preparing to go to the temple and have their family sealed. We need to start a temple class soon. There are many more like Keketeia that we need to visit and talk to and doing that as fast as we can. Another RM has returned to church also and I noticed he spoke up in Sunday school yesterday answering questions. He also speaks English well and we have visited him and his family, we have decided that he needs a calling as well and so we asked the Branch Pres. what he thought of Teacon becoming the assistant mission leader in the branch, he thought that would be great so that will take place very soon. Teacon was the first missionary in all of Kitibati to leave on a mission, he knows a lot about the gospel and needs to return and teach others. We took a white shirt and some pants to an inactive member (husband of a faithful woman here her name is Francis). We urged him to come to church, he said he would but didn’t show up the first week but came the 2nd all decked out with his white shirt, and pants, he didn’t have a tie so Elder Patter gave him one of his. I asked Francis (his wife) while he was standing there, “who is this good looking man you have with you” “ she laughed and said “My husband with a big smile on her face”. I told him he looked so handsome he needed to come to church each week just to decorate the building. He said, “yes, yes, I will be here.” I know he is a good man and I pray that he will continue to come. We will continue to visit him and find a calling for him.
Last week we saw an Imatong (white person) riding on a scooter and so we pulled over and talked to him. He is a young man from Colorado, actually Brookes age, a free lance photographer here taking pictures and trying to get a story hoping to sell it to a magazine. We told him we were LDS Missionaries and invited him over. He came for dinner and brought all his Pictures of Christmas Island and the people and stayed for a while and told us of all his adventures. He is catholic but told us that he has been around Mormons and has found them to be wonderful people. We felt that we had made a friend and maybe he will remember another couple of Mormons with no horns and had one wife.
I get bit here a lot by mosquitoes and yesterday found a little sore on my leg that has now blistered and is a little red around it. We are watching it today, we have found out that the people use the papaya fruit to heal a lot of things. So I am going to get Nautau to climb our papaya tree and put some of it on my leg and see what happens. I’ll let you know. Elder Patten thinks it might be our ticket to Hawaii if it doesn’t get better. So now I am wondering just what he is praying for……. to have it get better or go to Hawaii if it doesn’t. There are certainly no doctors on this island that I would go to. Well, today the sore got worse and is pretty ugly but our phone line isn’t working and so we can’t use the internet or call the Pres. There is no communication today on this island. There is an infection in this sore but I think it is just an island thing and that in time it will get better but will leave a scar. Elder Patten took a picture of it to send to Majuro for the nurse to look at or even the doctor in Hawaii but no way to get to them today.
SEVERAL DAYS LATER – Well the sore got worse and we were finally able to get to the Pres. and he got to the doctor in Hawaii and he called us. He said “ Sister Patten today is Tuesday and tomorrow is the last chance you have to leave the island if you think you need medical attention.” We decided to send the Dr. a picture of it to see what he thought and we all decided to go with the antibiotics and wait it out and I am glad I did because it is now getting better – one week later- still an open sore but smaller and better. Now if we could just get our plumbing fixed we would be in good shape. When the washer has to drain we stop it and let it drain in a bucket and then dump it in the toilet. We have ordered a “snake” from New Zealand and hopefully it will get here by Wed. – if that doesn’t work we are not sure what else to do. We have a lot of people to visit this week. Elder Patten is with Arebonto, 1st Counselor, visiting all the places necessary to get permission to have the new kit house placed on our land. The kit house is on the boat as we speak and when it comes, a builder from the church will come as well and oversee the construction of the house. We may move from this one into that one if it gets done in time. It will be new and have new appliances. Things move very slowly with the church and the island so it could be next year before it is completed.

Hey there:
We had a branch picnic last Saturday. We had over 200 people on hand for the fun and games. The kids swam in the lagoon, the young adults played volley ball, three men played guitar and ukulele and sang all afternoon. They caught a bunch of milk fish when we first got there and they were ready to cook. Some of the younger ones and a few adults couldn’t wait and pulled the heads off and ate them raw. Actually it didn’t seem all that unusual. I guess we’ve been out here to long. Raw fish actually has a pleasant flavor but I’m not quite up to eating one like an ice cream cone. They cooked most of them on a grill. The whole thing and it’s up to you to get down to the meat.
I am happy to report that I went fishing and caught two bone fish and a trevallie on my little Wal Mart fishing pole. Fishermen come from all over the world to fly fish for the bone fish and although I didn’t use a fly fishing outfit I caught a couple with a little fresh bait. They are about four pounds and fight like crazy. When they are worn out you reel them in and very gently remove the hook, kiss their head and let them go. I also caught two big birds as I was casting and they grabbed the bait right out of the air.
Elder Lortz has been here about 11 months and will be replaced when the plane comes next Wednesday. He is being replaced by an Elder Tupou from New Zealand. The President says he is the best missionary in Tarawa. We are expecting big things from him. We have pretty much gone along with the way things were when we came but will shake it up a little when the new elder arrives.
I have made friends with a man who is a RM and attended BYU-Hawaii. He has taught me some good pointers regarding fishing. His only problem is that he doesn’t attend church. I had an extra pair of water shoes that I wanted to give him. Sister Patten and I went to his house the other day and I put one of the shoes in a plastic and went into his house. We talked and I told him I had a pair of shoes for him to wear fishing. I handed him the one shoe and he looked it all over and tried it on. He would look at me and at the shoe and finally he said “why are you giving me shoes?” I said “because you are my friend.” He said “why are you only giving me one shoe?” I said “Oh the other shoe will be in the church next Sunday and I want you to come to church and get it.” He looked at me for a minute and then got this big smile on his face and said, “I can do that, I can do that”
I can’t explain how I really feel about these people. Sometimes I get frustrated with them because getting things done in a timely manner just doesn’t compute. Time is not an issue to them. It is really almost immaterial. They are such a gentle, kind, obedient, giving, loving people and will do anything in the world for you. I truly love them and Sister Patten and I have a great desire to serve them.
They had a birthday party for Sister Patten last Monday evening after a family home evening. Food and drink. Two sisters made dresses for her and she will need to wear them so they won’t get their feelings hurt. I don’t know how to explain what they look like but she needs to let me know when she is wearing them so I can take a picture. I don’t think I will find Brooke Dana or Carrie in one of them. They have introduced is to “Korben” It is the juice of the coconut boiled and reduced down to a syrupy substance. Tastes a little burned. Mixed with canned milk and water and sugar. Kamboa offered me a cup and I said “ Oh Kamboa, I can’t take this, I don’t drink coffee.” She didn’t get it for a minute then thought I was funny. I can’t help myself and tease them constantly. Sometimes they get it and sometimes they don’t have a clue what the old Imatong is talking about.
Yesterday we went out to Banana and picked up a members mother from his sister. They will care for the mother and father for a time. Driving out we found that the mother and father are members of the church for over 35 years. The son has been active but over the years has stopped coming to church. As we talked Sister Patten turned around in the seat of the van, looked Oosimawa in the eye and said “shame of you, you are a good man and we need you in this branch. I want to see you on Sunday. He said “Ok Ok, I’ll be there.” They are old and don’t go any longer. When we picked up the mother she stopped and looked at us and recognized us as missionaries. She took Sister Patten’s face in her hands and kissed her on the cheek. I couldn’t keep the tears from flowing. Her belongings consisted of a woven sleeping mat, a pillow and a little bag.
The couple before us put down coral on the front of the church and along the sides. The branch leadership came to me recently and asked if we could go back to grass. “We told the other couple that as soon as it rained the weeds would come but he thought he knew better and we wanted to be obedient.” Well the rain has come and we cannot keep up with the weeds. Sometimes us Imatongs really don’t know as much as we think we do.
I had to get a building permit for the new kit house that’s on it’s way from Tarawa. The government building committee said they had to have a special meeting to consider such a plan. Of course it had to be a special meeting and each of the members needed something to come and consider our proposal. $330.00 should about do it. When I went down there yesterday morning they met me at the door and said “We have to wait until Tarawa opens because we are quite sure that the price has increased to call this special meeting.” “Also, you must pay in cash.” I said “We pay by check and you can go to the bank and cash the check. I also will require a receipt.” “Why, they asked.” “So that I can verify that I have paid you for meeting to consider this building permit. As to the additional fees that you are quite sure we will have to pay when you contact Tarawa I will have to contact church headquarters and talk to them about it so we may not be able to have the committee meeting today.” “One moment please, they said” I went and sat down and visited with someone and soon the spokesman came out and said “Elder Patten the committee has decided to honor the former price for a special meeting . They request that you would buy them lunch instead.” “I will buy them lunch and tell them that I thank them for their kindness to us.” We do things just a little different out here in the middle of the Pacific. I might mention that when I was waiting for the committee to see just how far they could push us I worked a deal with the Protestant church who was there for a permit also to split the difference for the cost of the meeting.
This was a long one but I will try and put some pictures on this evening.