Goings on on Christmas Island October 7, 2008

October 7, 2008

We have been so busy the last couple of weeks that we haven’t had the time to write on the blog. I better repent and catch up.
The air service from Air Pacific is still in limbo. The latest information that we have is that Australia and New Zealand are willing to kick in to help Kiribati upgrade the runway here on Christmas Island. I don’t forsee Air Pacific landing here any time in the near future. I noticed big bags of cold asphalt being unloaded from the boat from Tarawa but the people here have neither the expertise or the equipment to accomplish much. One thing that we have learned while living in the islands is that you shouldn’t get your expectations up for anything because you will most likely be disappointed.
Our meetings on Sunday have been steadily increasing over the past while. We now routinely get nearly 300 out every Sunday. I have been going out into the villages and picking up the old, infirm and the pregnant women and bringing them to church. I pick up one man in his 40’s who is in a wheel chair. He loved the Aaronic Priesthood to bring him the sacrament. I visited him and said we weren’t going to bring him the sacrament anymore. We would pick him up instead. He is so happy to be in church on Sunday. I also pick up “grandma” who is probably younger than I am. She has a wonderful go-tee and is very proud of it. I pull up to her house and yell “grandma, let’s go” while I’m opening the door of the van. She grumbles and moans and tells me how bad her knees hurt and then I tell her about my knees and she looks at me and then winks. The rules say that we probably aren’t supposed to ride people in the church van but I figure we’ve got six months left and I can’t think of any more of a remote place that they could send us.
We have been blessed with lots of less active people coming back to church. We visited a village policeman recently and invited him back to church. He said he graduated from Moroni High School and was baptized then never came to church again. He has become very faithful and asked us yesterday how he could receive the Aaronic Priesthood. We will help him.
The boat is here from Tarawa and has brought cargo for Fanning Island so it will be transferred onto the smaller boat and we may go to Fanning this week. Nothing is scheduled and it doesn’t bother anyone. From what I understand the people in Fanning are awaiting our arrival so they can request full time missionaries and petition the Church to build a school here on Christmas so their kids can go to “Mormon” school. It will be my job to break their bubble and tell them the Church is not in the school building business anymore. By the time I handle the other problems there I hope I don’t end up in a pot especially reserved to cook “white meat”
With our four missionaries and us we are stirring up the island some. The Catholics are now having special classes and letters being sent out telling their people about the “bad” Mormons. The interesting thing is that we continue to love the priests and nuns and greet them with a wave and a big smile and offer to give them a ride to town. All of the fuss just gets more people to ask questions and gives the missionaries a chance to answer their questions. We had a wonderful family join the Church recently. Golden contacts. The father was baptized two weeks ago, received the Aaronic Priesthood and baptized his wife last Saturday. He will be a leader here in a short time.
The branch is in as good a shape as we have seen it since we’ve been here. Almost fully staffed with good people. The training is geared to their abilities. We have really had to use the KISS method in our training. If we keep it simple they do great. If we don’t they get frustrated and can’t handle it.
Our little island paradise is not without it’s problems. One of our 20 year old girls ran away with a 17 year old boy a few weeks ago. Sister Patten visited with her last week and she is thinking that the honeymoon may be over and now she also has a little 17 year old boy to raise. We advised her to marry him legally or leave him and whatever she decides, to talk to the branch president and start the repentance processing, We had high hopes for her. I guess the excitement of cooking over a fire and hauling water for the rest of her life was just to compelling a call. Besides that, we think she’s probably pregnant. We of course asked if he would receive the missionaries, she didn’t know, which is one more reason why this is Kiribati marriage is not a good thing. She is giving away all that she has believed in and living in a situation that the Lord frowns on.
Another wonderful sweet YSA came to us last week and told us she is pregnant. She came from Tarawa on the ship in July and was seduced by one of the sailors who told her he was in love with her but neglected to tell her that he was already married and his wife just had a baby last month. We love this girl so much that it about broke our hearts. We were working on getting her to BYU Hawaii and out of here to a better life. She is so repentant and remorseful. Her family supports her and will help her. She is ready to do what she needs to do to come back.
A family that went to the temple in Fiji when we first came here is in disarray already.
He has found a new “wife” who is pregnant. Of course no divorce from the old one and no legal marriage with the new one. Following the last two temple trips we have had disciplinary problems fairly soon after making commitments in the temple. Maybe some of them do not fully understand the commitment they are making. There will not be any temple trips any time soon again on Christmas Island. We will have disciplinary councils when I return from Fanning.
Our friend Maiaa from Fanning Island who has been here for a couple of weeks brought us fresh loin of tuna a couple of days ago and some fresh grouper today. He is a great fisherman and has brought us the best fresh fish that I have ever tasted. I think he’s getting me ready for food on Fanning while I am there.
All in all the work is progressing and we are enjoying the experience. Sometimes we feel a little isolated and discouraged but we are able to get up the next day and go forward. Some back home tell us we are getting trunky. Our release date is April 8, 2009 and if you check it out that’s six months from tomorrow. We are committed to work hard until we get on the airplane. We will then turn our hearts and minds toward having a wonderful week in Hawaii with some or all of the kids before we return home.
I think I may have a photo or two to include and will do so tonight or tomorrow.
We love missionary work and have firm testimonies of the truthfulness of the Gospel.