Matangare, super ship to Tarawa

This is our friend Maiaa and his son from Fanning Island. He used to live on Christmas Island. He sent his son to school here on Christmas but the young man wasn't being to serious so Maiaa came and got him and took him home. Maiaa is a fisherman and he brought us the finest fresh tuna that we have ever eaten. It was so good raw with a little soya sauce and vinegar that I could hardly bear to cook it.
This is Belle. Her father worked on Christmas Island and retired here. The family is now moving back to the fathers outer island in Tarawa. Belle has been so faithful since we have been here. The island where she is moving has no Church. The KPC (Kiribati Protestant Church) made an agreement with the island's old men to not allow any other churches so she will probably never be able to go to our church again. She doesn't have the ability or capability to leave the island and will probably spend the rest of her life there.
This is the Matangare, the super ship to Tarawa. We watched about 200 board her. Find somewhere to sit wherever you can, no restrooms, the ship cooks rice and the people bring dried fish for the fifteen day trip back to Tarawa. They were going to Fanning to pick up more people and then on to Tarawa.
This is MweMwe who helped build our house here. He has been waiting for two months for our solar water heater on the roof to come. It came on the Matangare and he installed it and is now taking the boat home to Tarawa and his family.
The solar water heater is wonderful. Water so hot you can't leave your hand under the faucet.

baptisms and boils

This is a picture of one of our new missionaries, Elder Anderson from Austrailia on the left and Elder Rererieta
from Kiribati on the right. Elder Anderson is about funny as, as he would say and we really get a kick out of him. If you can notice his baptismal lava lava. He is so proud of his lava lava that he struts around on baptismal day and makes sure he has so come up front and confer with me before the service starts so he can walk back down the isle to show off his fine lava lava. Elder Rererieta on the right tested positive for hepatitis B we think. The medical people here on Christmas couldn't agree if he had A or B. Hepatitis is common in the Pacific. Of course Elder Anderson brushed his teeth with Elder Rererieta's tooth brush a couple of weeks before we found out as a joke.
We have all had vaccinations before we came so we don't anticipate any problems. We don't know what the final disposition for him will be.
A big problem out here is boils. Sister Patten and I have not experienced them as of yet but this is one on the back of Elder Tupou's neck. He had six of them under one arm pit and two on his neck. He was a miserable elder for about ten days.

Fanning transport, telephone work, Apsaloma marriage

Well the Fanning ship is getting ready to take it's run. It seemed like a good time to do a little checking and we didn't like what we found. The old tub doesn't have an operating bilge pump, no fire extinguishers, and the life rafts have big holes in them. I am somewhat adventurous but after thinking about it I decided that two of the missionaries mothers probably wanted to see their sons again. One of the members who was going with us couldn't see the problems, "that boat goes up there quite often" We really live in two different worlds. We actually found an imatong who owns a beautiful sail boat and is going up in two weeks. It sleeps 10 and is certified to U.S. Coast Guard specifications. We will have to stay for two weeks but it is more our style.
Our telephone, internet line kept kicking off so tskl ,the phone line provider came and fixed our line the other day. They spliced the end and I said "Don't you think you should cover the end?" He said it was the dry season and it wasn't going to rain for awhile. We finally agreed to enclose the wires. I went in the house and forgot about it. Later I took a look and he had taken a cookie wrapper and enclosed the bare wires. We still had trouble so they finally came back and installed a new line. The Internet doesn't kick off and have to be restarted all the time now.

This is Apsaloma and his wife. They were married by President Henry in the top picture. Talk about a golden couple. He was baptised first, given the Aaronic priesthood and then baptised his wife the next week. He was called last week as the Sunday School President. I'm trying to get the prior Sunday School President to teach him what to do. When we first came out here we didn't think much training had been done. We then realized that the training had been done but when someone was released from a calling they didn't teach the new person what to do. That and the fact that the attention span out here is just a little weak.

The better half October 11,2008

October 11, 2008

Hi kids and friends, Elder Patten wrote on the blog a few days ago but I have some time to sit and write to you now. It is Saturday, no baptisms are scheduled for today but the youth are here weaving mats for the class rooms and playing table tennis. The YW are working on their New Beginnings which will be presented on the 9th of November. They don’t seem to think they have done one before and are excited to put it together. All auxiliaries are trained but function on the level that they can, its not like the Wasatch Front and Olympus 1st Ward. But they are trying. On Friday evening they meet together under the moneaba sing and have prayer and announcements and then play volleyball on the sand in back of the church. The girls are breaking off from that each Friday and want to do things separate from the boys once in a while and that is good. Some projects like scripture holders, it takes ¼ of a yard of material and it works just fine out here. The primary sacrament meeting program needs to get going, I will have to spend some time teaching the songs they should be singing because they sing the same songs each Sunday and are not learning what they need to sing for the program. They will get it though and it will be fine.
Our solar panel water heater finally came and was installed the same day the Pres. said we were be transferred. Go figure! I can’t believe how nice it is to take a shower with hot water, I never want to get out. It also helps with the dishes as well, I don’t have to heat water anymore. It is so nice and I am so grateful for hot water. It’s strange how I never even thought of that when I was home and now it is like heaven.
I met with the YS adult girls last Sunday and spoke to them about what it means to be a LDS Kiribati woman. What are they options. It is not like there are a lot of priesthood men on the island to marry. Ten years from now it will be much better. We talked about being faithful even if they will never get to a temple in this life, it can be done after earth life. Marriage is a problem but I urged them to choose wisely and see if the future man will listen to the missionary lessons and join the church. That being best option. There are many men here who want to marry but also want to tell his future wife what church she will go to. I warned them about that and about the “traditions of their fathers” here that are wrong. It is only the Lords culture that they need to adhere to. I think they are starting to get it. We also eased into our little sister’s pregnancy and how we should handle that, love her and not listen to any gossip. Let her repent and support her.
We have not heard any more about the transfer and probably will not hear until Pres. Bleak gets back into Majuro. He is famous for changing his mind and either way we will do what we do. We would be happy to stay here and finish our mission. We know the routine and it is rolling along but if a change is made then so be it.
The time is coming to choose students for attending Moroni HS in Tarawa. We have been getting a lot of girls of other faiths wanting to attend our English class, or come to church or listen to the missionaries. They are urged to do so by their non member families who only want them to join the church so that they can go to Moroni which is the best school around. Then when they have gotten their education and come home the parents will not allow them to go to the LDS church anymore. They only wanted the education for their children. That will change from now on. Elder Patten will see that the LDS children get first choice even if they are not the smartest. This is confirmed by Pres. Bleak and it will give the LDS youth a change to get their education and a firm testimony by the time their graduate. We have talked to people who are graduates of Moroni but don’t come to church anymore. They say yes, we know it is true but my family says I have to be KPC or Catholic or whatever and they do it because of the culture. I hope we are here when the testing begins and we have a change to see that many of the wonderful young people we love will have the change to go to Moroni.
Last week we were able to watch conference at a members home who has satellite and it was a wonderful experience. I looked around the room with some of the faithful members sitting on the floor, taking notes and feeling the spirit. There we were looking at the conference in a humble home, feeling like Salt Lake was close to us yet so far away. As I watched I though of all of you watching what I was watching only at a different time of day. The spirit was strong and I am so grateful for the speakers and the guidance and direction we received. It is a wonderful thing to go on a mission, sometimes hard but in the scheme of things the hard times will be remembered with fondness and the people will never be forgotten. Even with our desire to see you all again be where people really understand what we say, it will be hard to leave all of this. It is something that goes straight to your heart and stays there. It is so gratifying to see people return to church and be happy to do so. Our prayer is that they will stay even after we are gone. Another couple will come and they will be wonderful and will love and help the people and so life moves on.
The economy seems to be in trouble at home and Obama seems pretty scary to me, I hope the Lord will have his land on this election and the right thing will happen. As we read in the Book of Mormon this morning. People only change when they have hardships, in the good times they think they are self sufficient and don’t need the Lord. I pray that America will be humble and prayerful enough to vote right in spite of the media, and those who only want power, money and control. I guess it is the same old story.
We have trouble with our little computer, the on/off button is ready to die and it doesn’t look like we are going to Hawaii anytime soon. If we get transferred then we will probably get a new one and Ryan said he would help us. Until then we are limping along and have the church computer. Both computers have trouble staying on the internet but that is the story of Christmas Island internet service.
We had a wonderful family get baptized last week, and I believe they will stay active. I think they will make him Sunday school president this week. He has a short wave radio and will be able to get a message to me from Fanning when John is there and so that helps. Going to Fanning will be a “trip” for him and he is brave to do it. I think I will pass on that one – he is better at eating whatever is offered than I am and sleeping on whatever there is to sleep on. The trip over in the boat will be interesting as well – but he will do it and try to get Fanning organized.
Well, there you have it for the week. We pray for all of you each day and love you dearly. Until next time be safe and say your prayers. Love from us.

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.

Gulfstream G-19/Castaways

This is the Gulfstream G-19 that came yesterday from Hawaii. We wanted a little action so we went out and took a look. It was a very nice looking airplane with two RollsRoyce engines. It will take four and a half hours to fly to Hawaii but you would ride in comfort. As we were leaving the airport the postmistress and relief society president said that she heard over radio Kiribati before she came to the airport that Taiwan had given the government $3,000,000 and that Air Pacific would resume flights shortly. If that is true then I guess the runway may not have been the problem. The government not paying their bill is more likely. Oh well, it's something to talk about.
We are still here. Alive, well and still liking it. It appears that I will have to go to Fanning Island to do some training so the area office can get quarterly reports, tithing reports, etc. from the branch that was organized on Fanning and then through a series of circumstances it has been very difficult to give them the support that they need. It appears that the second counselor in the branch presidency on Fanning has decided that the Word of Wisdom doesn't apply to him and that his smoking and making and selling the local alcoholic beverage is just fine. We will have to have a little talk about that. 20 plus hours in a converted WWll landing craft up there and then half again that long coming back against the current. Sister Patten has declined my invitation for an ocean voyage so I will take a set of missionaries and the first counselor in the Christmas branch presidency. The first counselor from Fanning came last week to get parts for his truck. (one of eight vehicles on Fanning island) His name is Maiaa and is an amazing man. 60 years old and looks like Charles Atlas. We had a nice visit about Fanning's needs. One good thing is that I can bring back some island bananas which we love. Maiaa brought us a couple of fresh fish this morning. Sister Patten was so excited she sent me right outside to clean and prepare them for lunch. (NOT) Maiaa says that I'll have to eat fish, fish, fish, and then more fish when I get up there. Also breadfruit, papaya and bananas. The island bananas are the little ones and are so good.

Well, the house smells a little fishy, not too bad. Actually he had just caught the fish and so they were very fresh. I really am not a fish eater, at least not the fish here but Elder Patten enjoys them and so he gets to eat them. We wrote a long dissertation last weekend for the blog and copied and cut and then lost it somewhere. So we will just tell you what is new and hope we remember all the important news. If the Pres. gives the okay, Elder Patten will go to Fanning Island with the people he mentioned above. I am not looking forward to having him gone for at least 10 days (if the boat goes and comes on some kind is schedule) because there will be no communication. No email, of course, no telephone so I will just have to pray that he gets there safely and gets back before too long. I will be okay, two of our missionaries will be here and there are plenty of people around. The young single adults come over often and visit with us. I enjoy being with them, especially Lisa who is a RM. She went to California San Bernardino mission, she speaks English well and is Americanized. She told me she didn't want to come home from her mission. She is coming over tomorrow and we are going to teach her how to bake bread. She is trying to get into BYU Hawaii for winter semester and so we hope to see her again while we are all in Hawaii, if that is the part of Hawaii we are in. You all would love her a lot and feel right at home with her. The nights will be long but there is no fear on this island of crime. The missionaries are within 15 feet of our home, I will just try to stay busy and will probably do a lot of writing to all of you. How do you like our little kitchen? Pretty cute huh! We had written all about the culture here in the blog that we lost. It is so different from what we are used to. They carry the traditions of their Fathers down and down through the generations. Some are so unnecessary and cause problems. We have tried to teach them about the Lord's culture and some get it and some get half of it but hang on to what they have been taught and then get all mixed up. Our sister RM that came home a few months ago has made some bad choices. We were with her in Marjuro and so hoped that when she got home to Kiritimati Island she would be a strong influence with the young people here. Her Mother is strong Catholic and has complete control over our little sister's life. We have spent time with her warning her of how Satan will work on her a step at a time until he gets her away from the church. She looked like she was listening but then little by little she did as her Mother wanted her to do. First she was moved to her Uncles home ( a catholic missionary) which is in London and away from where we live. She used to be able to walk to our house and see us. Then her Mother saw that she got a job at the St.Francis high school teaching ( know that she has only had a high school education and at Moroni high school of course.) Now that put her in a position to attend mass and participate in all the catholic rituals again. Next we heard that she was engaged to a catholic teacher who is 12 years older that she is. Needless to say, we don't see her at church much any more. We have talked to many Mormon women on the island who married Catholic men and are not allowed to attend church anymore, "If I come to church, there will be problems in our home." Part of the culture here is that the weaker people simply can't or won't stand up to their parents and say "I am a member of the LDS church now and that is the church I will go to" They are afraid of what people will say about them and that their family will disown them. Until the people learn to let go of the old traditions and culture of the people here, many may join the church but not remain in it. Our little sister missionary's mother is strong in the catholic church and carries a lot of power. She was more than happy to let the church educate her daughter and send her on a mission so she would be trained enough to be of help in the catholic church. Elder Patten has a strong belief that while he is here and has the authority, he will not send children to Moroni H.S. who do not come from LDS families or from families who won't support them in their beliefs. Pres. Bleak is behind him 100% and so even if some of the kids don't score as high as others on the entrance exam., all things must be considered and the ones who will have a chance to remain strong and build the kingdom here on Christmas Island will have the opportunity to be educated at Moroni. You may remember that we had a reunion of Moroni Graduates a few months ago and out of all of the people that came, only about 10 or 15 were still active in the church, including returned missionaries. When we get home we will tell you of all the traditions that we have learned about. We have respect for their ways but some of them really get in our way.
Monday evening, we went with the missionaries to the home of some investigators, a great family that will soon be baptised. He called us because he said that "bad things are happening in his home" he felt that Satan was trying to scare him and keep him from joining the church. There is a lot of black magic live and well on this island. We blessed his home and bore our testimony to him and as soon as we can get them married they will be baptised. He teaches at the elementary school here and speaks English well. He will be a great asset to the Branch. There is a lot of anti-Mormon literature and movies on the island that the KPC and Catholic church are showing to their youth and we get some hateful looks from some of the people. They have said that we are the "evil church". We think the adversary is working really hard here because we now have 4 missionaries out in full force and our sister branch missionaries are out there too working hard. Another thing we are doing here is to make sure that we don't send out missionaries that are not trained from Kiritimati Island. Every Thursday evening our missionaries meet with them and train them from the Preach My Gospel manual. They are working two by two through out the island and people have noticed them and have mentioned that "there is something different about those girls." They call them "super" girls.
All in all its all good. As our New Zealand and Australian missionaries would say "no worries". Elder Patten and I go with Pres. Henry and Sister Henry each week to visit less actives and invite them to church. We pick them up on Sundays in the van because many live too far to walk. We have had good success with them and pray that they will come long enough to remain active. There is a little grandma who is probably not too much older than I am but looks very old. She has a go-tee on her chin and Elder Patten says its her badge of honor. She is all bent over but will come with us to church and partake of the Sacrament. We have been told that when an imatong (white person) comes to visit them, it is an honor and so we need to visit as many as we can and get them back to church.
Our missionaries are so faithful and dedicated and work hard for the Lord and will have success because they carry the spirit with them. They have decided they need to "work out" so they made bar-bells by pouring cement into a bucket with a pvc pipe in the center of it and then hooking it onto another pipe. They are really proud of themselves and it works for them, that is until one end of the barbell falls on their foot and we have to charter a plane to remove them from the island. Elder Patten tells me occasionally that he knows right where a rusty nail is that he can step on anytime he wants to leave.
Well, we love you all and will write more later. Take care and say your prayers.

Service/runway/our friend

Elder reireita with his fine door that he made for a widow and her three children. He's handy and he likes to do things for others. He has so many good qualities. He used a piece of exterior siding left over from our new home and put it on a frame. Now Ten can lock her front door and also lock the inside door that opens to an area where other people are.
I couldn't get much altitude but this is a picture of the runway that we've been talking about. When I took my spin from one end of the runway to the other I wanted to rotate and do a fly around but the van didn't cooperate.
This is a patch job on the side of the runway. All in all this runway looks pretty good for being almost 60 years old.
This is the 8 years old daughter of our Relief Society president. She has figured out that we're not all that bad and has now let us be her proxy grandparents.