Halloween and fun fall get-to-gethers

Its been fun to get together with missionaries, friends and ward members this fall

Missionary Shoes  We all got together to watch general conference (after ) since the missionaries didn't get to listen to it in English  Each ward got to watch it in Marshallese about a week after the real conference, but everyone says the Translation to the Marshallese Language leaves out a lot of things, so everyone is always excited to watch it in English.  Plus it is a great time for the missionaries to all get together.

Sisters enjoying lunch

Long Island Central Elders enjoy conference

A great group of Elders

My friend Ruby came to watch it with us.  She is from Utah but lives here now with her husband and four boys

Elders enjoy conference:  Elder Foote, Schmidt, Michelsen, Whetstone

Two cute sisters (Samuel and Anatoni)

Over 50 missionaries fit in the mission home

Me and Elder Paora

Sister Huni and Elder Fesolai

Besides fun get-to-gathers with missionaries, I also had a little get-to-gather with some of my Marshallese kids in the neighborhood  They had so much fun dancing and singing and I took video of them and gave them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Dilson, Christian, Alisha, Wallace, Simon, Bat, Boy,  and a few more

They are dancing for me to film

Kids enjoying the PB&J sandwiches

My good friend Ruby and I always have family Home evening together on Monday nights.  She has four sons and we also invite the missionaries sometimes and some of the Marshallese children in the ward.

L to R:Kao and Kall (Ruby's twin sons), Elder Watkins, Randon, Elder Whetstone, Ruby, and Barron

Another FHE  L to R Randon, Daniel, Dilson, Alisha, Ruby, Wallace, Kao, Kalla

I often have the long Island District over for dinner.  Here they are

The ward had a fun Halloween Party. I was in charge of the Cake Walk.  I baked 200 cupcakes (hardly anyone has ovens)  It was a big success.  Everyone loved it.

Ladies and kids lines up for the cake walk

Everyone having fun

Ruby did Face painting and it was a big hit

There was a balloon dart game

Bishop Enos and other watching the games.  This Carnival might have been a first.  Everyone loved it

Fishing

Darts

Elder Watkins giving out the cupcakes

We also had apple bobbing and bowling

Everyone enjoying the cake walk.

See the ladies in their Guam dresses.  That's all most women wear

Carnival fun

Ruby and Sister Johnson doing face painting

The adults loved the games too

The day after the carnival, a cute Marshallese lady who works for the mission asked me if she could come and bake a cake at my house.  She showed up with three cake mixes and I helped her make them and we put the on some nice cardboard's for her to take home...all iced and looking cute.  I said, "Rena, you must be having a party at your house|."  She said "No, I am having a cake walk"   I asked her if anyone else was bringing cakes and she said no, just these three. I can imagine how much fun those ladies in her little neighborhood had doing the cake walk.  Its a poor little neighborhood where everyone lives in tiny little shacks and lean-tos.  But they are happy people and there is always a game of volleyball going on in the evenings among the neighbors and kids are playing with rocks or other things they can find and people are outside talking to each other.  They don't even know that they don't have  any of the  modern day conveniences of life, but they are still happy.

At Laura Beach, one of the only Sandy beaches in Majuro

Elder and Sister Barlow

Elder and Sister Johnson

The Senior missionaries got together to have a Bar B Q at Laura beach and then to walk on the reef during the lowest tide of the month in the moonlight.  That's when you can find really fun sea shells.  We had a great time and found some fun shells.  We were really looking for golden cowrie shells but were not able to find any of those

Sister Wayas and the rest of us looking for shells

A find under the sand and water

Sister Johnson looking along with everyone else