30 Aug - 6 Sep 2010

I thought I might start this weeks blog because it’s bound to get a lot busier next week. I was walking to our apartment on Monday when one of the workers at the house told me to come and look at it. So I turned on all the lights, the stove, the refrigerator and all of the air conditioners to see if they all work. Pointed out a few things to fix and so he told me it would be finished on Tuesday . So I packed and bagged a lot of our stuff so that it would be ready. Then we were told it would be Wednesday, so we were still prepared, but it still was not done. On Thursday I think for sure and go there and they had found water on the ceiling underneath where one of the upstairs bathroom is.! So they had to tear out the sheetrock in that area and find the leak! They found the leak and now one of the builders is telling me Saturday! They came and graded the property and are supposed to pick up all the garbage that is around the house. I am so itching to go and do it myself, but everyone tells me to let them do it because it is their job. No one except the domineering families here own their own property or house. Everyone rents which is what we will still be doing in the new house. So because we are renting they are responsible to clean up the grounds. So I wait not so patiently until they are finished . If we don’t get in by Monday I will have to put a lot of stuff back because that would mean that we would be feeding the Hamula’s from the Area Presidency here instead in the new house. The Marshall way of doing things is slow slow slow!

Tuesday we had and office meeting to help us all be organized. Then I went shopping to Ace hardware store to get a few things. Yes we have an Ace store here! I went to a few other stores which have certain products that are cheaper than the Payless store where we shop. They even have a Dollar store here which I have already checked out! Tom received a sad call from Fiji that day telling him that one of our Missionary’s Mom had passed away. She had been sick with cancer for about eight years. Tom had to call this dear Elder on the radio because he is on one of the outer islands. It was so hard to have to tell him about his Mom. He responded by telling Tom that he would just work even harder. What a valiant young man. We have not met him yet because he is on an outer Island but he will be coming in for Zone Conference on September 9th.

Wednesday was a pretty quiet day. We decided to go and get some Pizza. The place is called the Chit Chat. It is a little hold in the wall but the Pizza was super! You could see the ocean from where you sit and it is very pretty and relaxing.

Thursday we had two new Elders come to the Kiribati side of the Mission. Elders Green and Norton. Elder Green was the young man that came to our farewell with his parents in July. Our next door neighbors Mother is best friends with his Mom and so she told them about our farewell. We skyped there yesterday to talk with them and to welcome them to the Mission. It is so hard for us to not be able to have them come here first and spend a night but because of the cost of flights they go directly to Tarawa. They know when they get their call which side they will serve on the Majuro or Tarawa. They usually will stay on one side or the other their whole Mission so that they only have to learn one language, Kiribati or Marshallese. It is amazing how they pick up the language because they don’t receive that training until they get here.

Today is Friday. Tom has been at the Mission office all day and I have been here in our Apartment. It’s so nice to have good air conditioning! When Tom came home for lunch he went past the new house and said that they have not fixed the ceiling yet where the leak was.

Saturday was a great day because there were many Baptisms. Four of them were in the Long Island chapel, and six were in the Rita chapel. We were able to attend the one at the Rita Chapel. It is so exciting to see others come into the Church. Both Chapels have a little Baptismal font in the building. They had a good turnout of members there for support and it only started an hour late!

Tom and I have been battling colds coughs and sore throats. I am still having trouble so on Sunday I stayed home from church . Tom went to the Delap ward. We are trying to get around to all the wards on Majuro, so we can meet more people and the Bishoprics. Most of the wards need more training on how to fulfill callings and proper procedures. It’s not that they don’t want to do things right its that they are learning and trying to understand all that is expected in their callings. We have a Stake here in Majuro that has only been a Stake for one year. President Tibon is a great Stake President but again they are new to some of the responsibilities. The Marshallese people really do want to please others, often times they will tell you what they think you want to hear, because they want you to be happy; That5 has been the case with the new Mission Home. We have been promised so many days that the house would be ready but it would never happen!

Today is Monday and first thing this morning we received the keys to the new home! We do not feel that we will have enough time to get everything done as far as moving in and be ready for the Hamula’s on Thursday. So we will have to wait until we get back from Tarawa to move in. Our stuff that we had sent by boat is supposed to be here this Thursday. The moving company from the Philippines are coming so that they can pack up President Smiths things and get them sent and then unpack our stuff. We will unpack it at the new home so that we don’t have to move it out of this home. They are required by customs to be there when we unpack that stuff. The Smiths have been without their things that were left here since March and are anxious to get it back. It is most everything they brought as when their daughter was in her accident they left thinking they were coming back. We wish them the very best and pray that the Lord will bless them in their trials and difficult times. As I mentioned the Hamula’s will get here on Thursday and will be here for Zone Conference and other meetings for two days. Tom and Elder Hamula will leave on Saturday to go to Ebeye for a Zone Conference. Sister Hamula will leave Saturday to go back to New Zealand where they live. Then on Monday Elder Hamula will head back to New Zealand and Tom will fly back here and I will get on that same plane and we will go to Hawaii and then to Fiji , and then to Tarawa to have a Zone Conference. The Hamula’s will meet us there and will stay there for the Zone Conference and other meetings. We are excited to have them teach us and help us to know all of our responsibilities and things we should be doing. We also went to the Davidson's tonight for a senior couples (Davidson's, Hewstones, & Sister Teichert) Family Home Evening. We ate soup and shared thoughts on missions. There apartment sits right on the shore of the lagoon and they have a big deck which allows you enjoy the view, and stars are wonderful after dark. It made us feel like we were standing by the rail on a cruise ship.

We will be skyping all of you today, which we always look forward to. It amazes me that even though we are so far away and on this tiny skinny Island we can see you and talk to you! We love all of you. We know that the Lord is blessing you and us as well. We know that as long as we do our part that the Lord will make up the difference. The Gospel is so simple and easy to understand. I think at times we make it more complicated than is needed. We know that God loves us all and wants us to be happy. My favorite scripture is D&C 84:88 “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” We truly believe that he is doing this for us and for all of you. We love you, Mom and Dad / Nana and Papa / President and Sister Shaw