Missionaries on PDay

Mondays are always filled with lots of missionaries coming to our apartment for various reasons. This Monday was a treat. Elder Takau did my dishes. Wow! His mother raised him well.

 Elder Ruiz is ready for a comfortable P-Day wearing his Lava-lava. Look at those smiles!













 Elder PaeWai from New Zealand has become the missionary barber while he cuts Elder Bourne's hair (from England). I'm out of a job. Whew!!!

 Elder Lee from Utah is serenading us with his new ukulele. Am I convincing you yet to put in your papers to go on a senior mission?

Pre-Christmas Decorations?

It's a bit hard to tell in the picture but while going out to the Wone Branch for an institute class we observed this bush decorated with beer cans.  Actually the entire roadway leading to the house was decorated in this way.  I suppose it is a way to create some Christmas decorations a little early.  Maybe I can use this method of decoration when I get home to Gresham--minus the beer cans anyway.  How about my Coke Zero cans?

Sidney William mission call

Sidney William of the Sapwalap Ward had been rather impatiently awaiting the arrival of his mission call.  He finally received it and opened it on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015.

 He has been called to the Micronesia Guam Mission.  He will be attending the Provo MTC beginning December 15th.  One of sister missionaries, Sister Latu, said "welcome to our mission".  It is not unusual for a local resident to serve in the same mission but probably on a different island. The culture and language is different on each island in the mission so it will be a good experience for Sidney no matter where he serves.

Hadley Joshua Baptism

These were 3 of the 4 baptisms last night. This grand daughter told her grandpa that she wanted to take the missionary discussions. He said, "Not unless I am there to hear what they are going to teach you!" Well, you can see the result of that decision. He was baptized with his grand daughter.

 

 This is our third Seminary student from the High School we teach at, who got baptized since we arrived . This is Hadley Joshua and his mother, two brothers and a cousin. He is such a nice boy and we are proud of his testimony that he shared with his family that finally convinced them to allow this baptism.

A rain storm at Kitti

This is Jeanette Conrad leading music at the Kitti Branch seminary class.  She will be submitting her missionary application soon.  Students attend from Wone. Pehleng and Kitti.  Notice the metal posts holding up the sagging cement roof.  We just pray that it doesn't fall while occupied.  There was too much rain to meet outside.

 This a picture of a ditch overflowing onto the roadway.  The picture really doesn't fully capture the amount of rainwater or the roar of the torrent.

 We tried to capture the amount of water flowing down the road.  A few more inches and it would have been impassible.  My guess is that it rained close to 12 inches in two days.  There is no drizzle in the tropics.  It comes down in buckets.

Road to Hana on Steroids

We like to call the road that circles Pohnpei the "Road to Hana on Steroids".  If anyone has ever taken the real road to Hana on the island of Maui you will know exactly what we are referring to.  This roadway is curvy and full of potholes.  It also serves as a sidewalk.  It isn't uncommon to have volleyball and baseball games going on in the road.  As you can see the jungle on both sides of the road are thick with growth.  Chickens, pigs and dogs are common road hazards.

 The small "grass hut" pictured below was recently erected and now is a home for a family.  Maybe they drive a school bus.  As you can see the bus is new and very nice.  The old ones were falling apart. 

 This is the road (essentially one lane) that goes up the mountain to the Uh Branch.  It also provides one of the few views of the ocean in the distance.  The only problem is that there is no picture opportunity that doesn't include power poles and lines.

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My Pohnpei QT

My favorite gas station/ mini-mart in Arizona is the QT (Quick Trip).  Their soda fountain is to die for.  They have such good hotdogs.  You get the picture.  This is the closest thing we have to a QT on Pohnpei.  Of course gas is a little more expensive here at $4.65 a gallon.  There is no soda fountain anywhere within a thousand miles of here.  I can occasionally get a Coke Zero for 85 cents a can.  When they run out it can be months before a shipment arrives.  I could always settle for raw tuna and rice in a plastic container but I pass on that.  So all I can do is dream of the real QT in AZ.  But I still call this the QT.  And the cashier makes $2.75 an hour so I wouldn't recommend anyone coming here looking for employment.

Mel teaches Seminary

 You might notice all the fans (5 in all). The students try to position themselves close to one, so getting to class on time is always a good idea.

We are pretty excited with all the students that have been attending Seminary.  They are one of the reasons we love our mission.

Yes! Our Missionaries have time for fun.

 The Elders were making a surprise birthday dinner for Elder Nelson. I didn't know they were such good cooks. That is a beautiful Pizza.

 Elder Kim and Elder Fiscus were trying on a baptism dress to make sure it would fit the person being baptized. Yes, they were being a bit silly.

 Elder Bunn's mother sends fun party items and all the missionaries around join in the celebration.
We love our missionaries.

Ivaloni Aldan to the Philippines

Ivaloni Aldan finally received her mission call and it was to the Philippines Manila Mission.  She was very excited about the call.  Her parents shown in the picture are planning to go to the Manila Temple for the first time.  They are hoping to have Ivaloni and the other children sealed to them.  Hopefully Ivaloni will be able to take a few hours off from her mission to attend the temple with her family.  Her father is the president of the Uh Branch.

First Day of Seminary at PICS, September 2015

 We had and are having quite the time getting any pictures to adhere to these hot and humid walls, but the students make it all worth any difficulties we may have had. We are proud of our new tables, even though we have rearranged them to accommodate more students.

 This year we are studying the Old Testament. I now know if anyone wants to learn more about the scriptures than they ever have, just teach Seminary or Institute. The bonus is getting to know these great students!

Seminary Serenade

We were treated to a beautiful "serenade" as we dropped off these students from Kitti Seminary class. I didn't expect them to sound so professional. See what happens when you do a good deed? Lucky us!

A Pohnpei Pothole

This is really a lot more than a normal pothole of which there are hundreds.  In this case the ground gave way at least a full foot on half of the road.  It happened last May and initially there was some yellow warning tape around the depression but eventually the tape blew away.  There is no warning of any kind of the impending problem.  Pohnpei drivers are expected to be smart enough not to drive off into a hole and to my knowledge no one has.  One can only imagine the liability issues in the States but not here.

Typical Pohnpei Dog

This is a typical dog seen on Pohnpei.  This  one appears to be well taken care of, however they have lots of litters of pups.  This old girl was none too happy for the photo.  Most of the dogs here are not aggressive but there is a occasional one that chases and barks.  They walk on the roads pretty much oblivious to traffic but I've never seen one hit by a car.  Of course most of the cars are driving slower than the dog is walking.

Sister Kosam goes home

 Sister Kosam is standing with all of the Pohnpei sister missionaries as she is preparing to board the plane for home.  She is the third on the upper right.  She doesn't have far to travel.  Her home is on the nearby island of Chuuk.