Open Day

Wearing of the cultural tibuta (sibuta or blouse)

Friday, Aug. 30 (Yes, I'm behind in blogging.) was the last day of the second term and it is customary to have a huge celebration.  The students showed their parents around the campus and in the cultural hall students and teachers danced and performed some skits.  They also auctioned some of the items the students had made in Kiribati studies like fish nets, hammocks, and woven baskets.  After lunch each house team (Brigham Young, Joseph Smith, etc.) marched and sang for everyone.  They had sack races, coconut husking and shredding contests, tug-a-war, and wrestling contests, and of course the displaying of the local foods.  It was a fun day.  I love watching the faculty and kids have so much fun with such simple pleasures of life.

Cultural dances and singing



Auctioning a student made fish net
 



Sack races

Manners Dinner - Youth Conference

Relay - Setting a table

During a Family Home Evening we met with the students from Moroni and taught them how to use a knife, fork, spoon, and napkin.  They usually just sit on the ground and each with their hands. After the teaching we had a relay between the girls and the boys to see which group could get the place setting correct the fastest.  It was a fun evening in preparation for their manners dinner a few days later and youth conference the next week.  On the evening of the dinner, the Priests and the Laurels paired up and enjoyed a nice dinner prepared by the cafeteria cooks.  After dinner they enjoyed some dancing of Cha Cha and Swing taught to them by Elder and Sister Bush.





Manners Dinner

 



The next week was Youth Conference.  It consisted of both stakes  held on campus. It involved about 200-250 kids from Tarawa and the outer islands. Since this last week was the off week for students between terms it was an ideal venue for a youth conference. All the young girls stayed in the dorms and the young men stayed in various class rooms. It began on Wednesday and lasted until Saturday about noonish.It started every morning at 5:00 on the basketball court just outside our flat with morning aerobics.  One morning I decided just to join them instead of doing our typical morning walk.                    



 

Sitting on the ground, eating with hands

We were asked again to help with table manners and how to use a knife and fork and how to set up enough school desks and chairs and place settings for 90 Priests and Laurels. Well, over 100 showed up. The kitchen staff ran out of plates and had to use tin foil for plates. Plus, they actually did run out of food. There were lots of games and activities, like coconut husking and shredding contests. It was a fun week filled with activities and classes for all.

Morning Aerobics

Morning Aerobics

Coconut husking

Coconut Shredding

DJs playing loud music outside our door ALL four days!!!!

Classrooms were turned into sleeping quarters for the boys.

 

 

Songfest

Moroni Ward youth

On Friday, October 5 (Almost caught up) was the Tarawa East Stake Song Festival.  Each ward sang a hymn and a fun song.  Moroni Ward sang “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and a rendition of Country Roads, Take Me Home”, except that Elder and Sister Bush changed the words to “Ocean Waves, Take Me Home,” and referred to blue lagoons and all of the outer islands.   They took first place in the hymn and the Temwaiku Ward took first in the fun song.  It was a great evening. Rich ended up being one of the judges and seem to have a really good time.  I love watching these people have fun.  Their lives are so simple they find pure enjoyment out of such simple things. 

Sister Cassita, Elder Rasmussen, ???

 

Welcome, President and Sister Weir

President and Sister Shaw

In July we said good-bye to President and Sister Shaw and welcomed President and Sister Weir. Thank you President and Sister Shaw.  We've only met them a few times but were inspired by love of the mission and the missionaries and diligent service to us all. It's taken me three months to post a picture of them. Being on Kiribati, we are lucky if we get to see our mission president every few months.  I took some pictures the first time they came in July but they weren't very good, and was able to take some more a couple of weeks ago.  President and Sister Weir are from Salt Lake City and have 10 children.  His career was spent in the military, and since retiring he has sold helicopters for various companies, most recently for Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in the Middle East. They have lived in Middle East for the most part of the last 10 years.  President Weir speaks at least four languages that we are aware of; English, German, French and Farsi (Iraq), In the three months he has been here, his focus is on the outer islands and the island of Neru, which is another small island country in our mission. We can already see the results as traveling zone leaders, Elder Mikelsen and Elder Hossler, have been sent to the island Maiana.  Not only are they rescuing members already there but they are busy sharing the gospel with many others, besides the fact that they have to build  grass hut to live in.  Two more elders have also been sent who will stay for a longer period of time as the traveling zone leaders will move to another location. It's been reported that last Sunday in Maiana, 50 investigators came to Sacrament meeting and twelve have set their baptismal date. President Weir has a vision of strengthening and expanding the membership and priesthood in the Marshall Islands Majuro Mission.



President and Sister Weir

Tide's Out

When the tide goes out so do the people and the dogs.  They go hunting for shell fish and whatever else they can find to eat. The dogs seem to be quite the fisherdogs. We counted 11 dogs the day we took this picture.  

Haze Lasika (student) enjoying the surf behind our flat.

Watermelon & Bananas

Elder Rasmussen and Elder Bush with the prize watermelon

We are so grateful for food on this small atoll in the middle of the Pacific.  Once in a while we get blessed to have a watermelon grow, and when it matures and ripens we celebrate.  It tastes soooooo...... good.

Looks good enough to eat!



Elder Osborne enjoying every drop.

 

A few weeks ago there were no bananas to be found on the island.  So Rich and Elder Bush decided to raid the banana pit on campus behind the dorms.  We had enough bananas for all of the seniors for a couple of weeks.

 


                                                                                                Hanging the bananas to ripen

General Authorities' Visit

We were blessed to have three general authorities visit for the recent stake conferences for both the Tarawa East and West stakes:  Elder and Sister Haleck, Elder Wakolo, and Elder Tarati.  Elder Haleck is from American Samoa and is the new second counselor in the Pacific Area Presidency so is now residing in New Zealand.  Elder Wacolo is from Fiji and Elder Tarati is from Tahiti. It was a treat to be spiritually fed by these great men. The first evening they were here we were able to have dinner with all of the senior missionaries and the general authorities.  What a treat. 

Sister Uncunibaravi (from Fiji), Elder Haleck, Sister Talitaina (from Samoa), Sister Haleck
Sister Talitaina has known Elder and Sister Haleck for many years and has been a translator
for many general authorities as they have visited Samoa.

 Elder Haleck told us that there is enough membership on this small island to create a third and maybe a fourth stake, however the Priesthood leadership and membership in general is so new maintaining activity is extremely difficult. He gave the missionaries the opportunities to share their concerns for investigators, new members, and those whom they are reactivating thru the rescue program.  He said all of the struggles the church is facing here is very common for a church that is really in its infancy compared to the rest of the world.  The church is so young here they are just beginning to send out their second generation of missionaries.  Most of the first generation are the current priesthood leaders. Our Stake Presidency is young in their thirties.  The second counselor has only been a member for six years and he is also the assistant principal here at Moroni. Many of our Bishops are converts who are return missionaries who have been home long enough to marry and just beginning to settle down.  They are trying so hard to guide and direct the church here with little to no training. It is just growing faster than the leadership can keep up with it.   Thus the reason for sending out Senior couples with church leadership experience and assigning all of us to different wards. Elder Haleck and Elder Wakolo spent their time reorganizing the stake presidency in the Tarawa West Stake.  The new president is Ioram, a very young man who has been a Bishop and currently teaches here at the school. His first counselor, Tebakaro, only 29, was also a Bishop and also teaches here at the school.  They are so very young but great leaders at the school and on the island. One evening we had the opportunity of listening to Elder Tarati speak to the youth.  What a choice man he is. Being from Tahiti he speaks broken English with a French accent and of course there was a translator to translate into Kiribati. He spoke on the power of fasting.  He told the story of when he was a stake president and a young man came in for an interview and to talk to him about going on a mission.  He asked all of the normal questions about prayer, scripture reading, church attendance, etc. but then he asked him about fasting.  The young man was honest and told him he had never truly participated in a fast except to go without food and water a couple meals.  He said he could not recommend any missionary who does not understand the power of fasting. Without the power of fasting the evil one will catch you.  With the power of fasting you can cast out all evil spirits.  He told him to go home and fast two 24-hour periods twice a month and to come see him in three months. He never thought the young man would come back, but he did in three months.  He told us miracles will happen when we begin to understand the power of fasting.

From rt to left: Elder Wakolo, Elder Tarati, President and Sister Tekeiaki (Tarawa East Stake)

Sister and Elder Haleck