December 2-12, 2011

We’ve had some busy wonderful times since the last blog. We met our son Paul and his wife Kellie in Hawaii, it was so great to see them! It was so good to give physical hugs, instead of skype hugs! They were a sight for sore eyes! It was fun to see all of the Christmas lights in Hawaii. We went to eat that night in Waikiki, right by the beach and the sunset was so incredible. We were glad that we could see it clearly.

The next day Tom and Paul went to Hickam Air Force Base to pick up some pineapple at the commissary. They came back and picked us up and we went to Punch Bowl Cemetery. We also went to see the blow hole and sandy beach. We then went to show them where Hanuama Bay was. We then headed to the football game BYU versus Hawaii. When we set this up originally we thought we would be watching Elder Pritchard, who served in our mission play fullback for the Y, but unfortunately he was injured right at the first of the season and was unable to play the rest of the season. We know that he will be playing next year and we wish him the best. The game was fun and we were amongst a lot of BYU fans. They won the game which made it even funner to be there.

On Sunday, we went to the Honolulu Tabernacle Church and attended the Micronesian ward. Apparently many of the other BYU fans chose to attend that ward to. There were more visitors than members of the ward! As we walked in and were about to sit down, Shaun and Jennifer, Lynn Peterson's daughter, came over and said Hi! We always wonder if we will run into someone we know! They were just there for vacation not the BYU game as they are avid Utah fans! It was good to see them and to hear how things are going for them and her parents. We then took a ride around the island. We went to Pali Lookout and to Laie, to see the Temple, BYU Hawaii and Polynesian Cultural Center. We also saw the Dole plantation. We went to Ford Island to see some ships and the USS Utah which was sunk there.

The next morning bright and early 3:30 A.M. we arrived at the airport and met Lovena and her daughter Monuina there. Lovena works for continental and she gave Paul and Kellie a buddy pass for all of their flights. In order for them to use it she was required to be with them on all flights. She was so sweet to do that and she saved them a lot of money. She even went back to Utah in between their flights, what a sweetheart. So we all flew to Majuro together. Of course, it was nice and toasty as we got off the plane! We were waiting for the luggage and Paul, Kellie’s and Lovena’a suitcase never came. They found out that about 40 passengers did not get their luggage. We ate lunch and then we took them to Laura Beach. It was super windy and the tide was in, so there wasn’t much beach to walk on. We did find a few shells and then it started to rain so we headed back to the house. They were hopeful that their luggage would arrive the next day, but no such luck.

On Wednesday, we went to the other end of the island where Uliga, Delap, and Rita are. Of course we had to take them to Chit Chat to have Pizza! We had made appointments to go sailing that afternoon. The boats were a lot smaller than we had envisioned. We had three boats and each boat had two guys to take us out. We had a plastic tarp for the sail, and a small square area that we sat on. They really got moving pretty good and we all had a good time. We were told that we would get pretty wet, but the lagoon was quite calm that day. Monuina's favorite part of the sailing was getting in the boat and getting out! She loves the water!

The next day we had six new missionaries come. They are Elder’s Fox, Winter, Peck, Morrissey, and Parante, and one Sister, Sister Hogg. Paul and Kellie’s and one of Lovena’s suitcases arrived on that plane, that they came in on. Lovena was still missing one bag and she was trying to track it down. It turned out to still be in Hawaii, and she was able to pick it up there. Sister Fanga’s Dad (Malcolm) came in on the same flight as well as Elder & Sister Christensen (office couple) who had been in Tarawa as the acting nurse. Sister Fanga had completed her mission and was going back home with her Dad. We picked them up at the airport and took them over to the mission office to get oriented and to email their parents. We had a lunch for them all and Sister Fanga came with her Father. It was a great time to get to know them all a little better. Sister Fanga was able to bare her testimony to them in Marshallese and to give them some great advice about how to make the best of their mission. We will miss her, she is the first one that we have sent home that served her entire mission under us. We wish her the very best in all that she has in store for her. It is great to have the Christensen’s back.

The next day we went shopping for souvenirs. Dad even went with us! It was so fun to have Paul and Kellie experience a little bit of life here in Majuro.Chici and Sue came over to meet Paul and Kellie, and also Karen which was so nice of them. Time went by to fast, and it was time for them to leave.We are so grateful to all of the family members and others who took care of their kids while they were gone. We will always have fond memories of their visit. They were all able to get on the flight, along with Sister Fanga and her Dad to Hawaii. It was hard to say goodbye again, but how grateful we were that they could come. They are spending this week in Hawaii and will be returning home at the end of the week. We look forward to the rest of your visits and will cherish the time we can spend with you too.

We left the next day to go to Ebeye. Two elders also went with us, Elder Kaka and Elder Parente who is brand new to serve there. They had a lot of people who needed Temple Recommends. Here is one of the happy members who had just finished his interview! Tom also put in a new branch president in the Kwajalein Branch. President Nelson, the former branch president, had returned back to their home in Riverton Utah. Also the Skinner’s who served there and another active family moved. The new President is President Parker who has a cute family of five children. So his family and one other family of three are the only active members in that branch now. The senior couple, Elder & Sister Mill’s talked at both of the branches in Ebeye as they have finished their mission and will be going home tonight. The members will miss them dearly. They have really helped the district improve and function better. We were so grateful that we were able to see them one more time before they go back home to Pleasant Grove. We love and appreciate them for their service in our mission. Another couple, Elder & Sister Morgan, will take their place in January.

The next day, Monday, we had a mini zone conference/leadership training with the six missionaries who are there. We learned a lot and hope that what was presented will be beneficial to all of them. We have Elder’s Teriba, Abakite, Parente, and Kaka. We also have two sisters, Kalanise and Vuikadavu. We were able to talk Elder Teriba and Elder Abakite into dancing one of the Kiribati dances for us, I wish we could post video's. The members in Ebeye are doing very well and are very helpful in moving missionary work forward.

Grandpa Pearson had his 89th Birthday. We love him so much and are grateful to be able to stay in touch through skype with he and Jeanne. May you have many more Dad.

We will now be here in Majuro for almost a month and we look forward to sharing the holidays here. We are so grateful for each and every missionary in our mission. Each one plays an important role in furthering Heavenly Father’s kingdom. Thank you to their parents for sharing them with us. We hope you all recognize the blessings you are receiving because of their service. Tom saw this saying on a Marque which says, "Are you part of the inn crowd, or one of the stable few?" Some food for thought. We are so grateful for the birth of our Savior and for all that He continues to do for us. We hope that you are enjoying the holiday season and the snow! We love you Mom & Dad / Nana & Papa / President & Sister Shaw