Boats on the reef

The road that goes around the atoll goes through very beautiful places like this in Ajeltake

Iawake from the Marshall Islands

Yesterday some of the senior missionaries went on a P Day activity to see two boats that are abandoned that became stuck on the reef in the Lagoon.  We drove to a beautiful spot on the atoll known as Aljetake.  This is a strip of land about 15 miles long and is very narrow.  It is probably not any more than 100 yards wide.  On one side  is the ocean and on the other side is the lagoon.  There are little houses dispersed in the middle of beautiful palm trees, and lush vegetation.  Some of the homes are large and beautiful, like the one belonging to the former president of the RMI.  Others are just small little shacks.  The first boat we attempted to walk to, looked about 1/4 mile off shore and with it being low tide, we figured we could walk out with no trouble.  The problem was that the reef didn't go right out to the boat.  It was very patchy so as we got out there, we found the water was getting deeper and deeper.  We pursued it a bit, but finally decided to turn back.  The boat looked like it had been there for quite a while from what we could see.  It must have become stuck during the low tide and then be unable to get off the reef.  As we were walking out,  the water was as warm as a bathtub and there were lots of sea creatures such as sea cucumbers and little shells that moved.  It was very fun and interesting, even though we didn't make it all the way out.    After, we walked over to the ocean side and spent some time looking at the reef, the waves, and the little sea creatures. There is really no beach...just reef.   The waves breaking on the outside of the reef were big.  You can tell that there is a big drop off at the end of the reef.  Some say it is 100-200 feet and then it very quickly gets much deeper than that.  They say that is why a tsunami doesn't roll up onto the atoll like it would onto an island.  It kind of bumps up against the coral and that causes it to turn.

By my house.  Ocean side

Sister Woods, Me and Sister Hillborne

Sister Wayas, Sister Woods, Elder Woods and I going out to the boat stuck on the reef

On the ocean side at low tide

The second boat we saw, we could actually walk out to.  It looked like it had been there for quite a while.  There were plants growing on the deck and it was very old and rusty.  We tried to think of stories of what had happened to this boat and what kind it was.  It almost looked like the ropes had broken and maybe it had broken its moorings and floated away and got stuck. 

Sister Wayas on the boat

Me on the side of the boat

We also saw some very old rusted wreckage on the shore of the lagoon that one of the senior elders said looked like it might be from a WWII boat that soldiers came to shore on.

Our whole group

When we went to look at the second boat, we had to go across some people's land.  They were very nice.  It was kind of a typical scene.  Chickens running all over.  Children playing in a hammock and under the big banyan-type tree on the lagoon, open fires burning likely in preparation of food, women raking the ground to clean and make it nice, men sitting around, a dog running around, and an above grave right by the small little humble home.  It was obviously an extended family.  One of the men said his had died last week.  She was only 35.  They decorate caskets and keep them on their property. Most of the homes out on this side of the atoll have above ground caskets in their yard.

World War II Wreckage

I decided that these abandoned boats can give us some analogies to life. First of all, there are times in our lives when we all may get "stuck on the reef " in our testimonies or other aspects of our lives.  We all need each other's help  to get through life and so we must go to the rescue of those we love and help them get off the reef and back into the main channel.  Also we must realize that others are there to help us when we need them.  Sometimes we refuse the help of those who love us.  God is there to help us also as we need His help to get back to doing what we know we should.  Abandonment is not an option.

Kids at the church.  I gave them a cupcake and they loved posing for this picture

The little missionary house by the church.  There are three of them

Some of my grandchildren asked me about the animals on the atoll.  I was told that the pig is the largest animal in the Marshall Islands.  You can see some of them running around.  I was driving and saw one and tried to get a picture, but he was pretty fast.  The islanders use pork when there is a real celebration.  Our stake president lives on the beautiful side of the atoll and has some pigs.  He roasted one for the girls at girl's camp last summer.  Most of the regular people don't have pigs, but the rich and the irooj (landowners) do.  You can also see them in pens.  The next largest animal is the dog.  They are all over the place and kind of mangie.  When we go running they sometimes come after us.  The next animal is the cat, which there aren't tons of , but I have see a few.  Then there is the chicken.  There are tons of chickens just running loose all over the place. I am not sure how they tell which chicken belongs to them.  Maybe they just belong to everybody and when you want one you just go pick one out?  The next animal in size  would be the Pacific Rat, which people say is very large.  We thought we saw one running around on the coral yesterday.  Then there are the little bugs and of course Cockroaches, which are plentiful.  Of course there are also fish of every kind.  The Marshall Islands is a shark refuge and I understand you can't legally kill sharks here.  There are many out there I am told.  There are also whales, dolphins that we can sometimes see from our beach and all kinds of sea life.

Sunset by my house ocean side

 In case you think that all we do is play, I better add some baptism pictures.  I attended a baptism last night in our ward of three people (all teenagers)  There were also baptisms in at least 3 other wards on the atoll.  The missionaries baptize a lot here.  I read in an article that the LDS church is about the fastest growing church here on Majuro.  I played the piano for the baptism and for the sister missionaries who sang a song.  I have also been playing for primary while they practice for their program coming up in about a month.  They practice each Saturday.  Nobody gets there until about half hour after start time, but then a bunch of people show up.  The children are so adorable.  They sing so cute in English and their smiles just melt you.  I love to talk to them and ask them their names.  The mission president is only here about 40% of the time.  The rest of the time they spend in Kiribati, Katimati (Christmas Island), and Ebeye and traveling.  Its hard for them because in order for them to get to Kiribati or Katimati, they have to travel to Hawaii first and then to Fiji when they are going to Kiribati.  They have about 40 missionaries on the other half of the mission.  Here we have about 40 also, which includes three outer islands, and Ebeye, a very populated islet in the Kwajalein atoll.  We have three branches there.  There is an American military base across the lagoon from Ebeye and we have a branch there too.Kwajalein is the largest atoll in the Marshall Islands.


 

Kids playing by the lagoon

Just a few more comments.  There are 64 islets in the Majuro atoll.  We walked over to five a week or two ago during low tide.  The population of this whole atoll, including the little islets is about 19,664.  The land altogether makes about 3.75 square miles.  There are  about 113.92 square miles in the lagoon inside the Majuro Atoll. All in all, the Marshall Islands consist of 24 atolls and 5 islands. Making up each of the atolls are many small islets and islands.  Many of the atolls/islands are populated.  Some only have a few families and others have several hundred people.  Several are uninhabited.  Altogether there are about 1,150 islets and islands that form the different atolls and islands of the Marshall Islands.

me by the ocean side of the atoll

Chickens running around.  Can you see them?

I think I took this because there was a pig running around????

Elder and Sister Woods and Sister Hillborne

Today in church, we got to watch Sunday general conference.  It was really unique.  The CDs had arrived with the conference in Marshallese.  They had a big projector and were able to broadcast the whole thing in Marshallese.  They had a little TV in the primary room for anyone who wanted to watch it in English.  After the first session, they had prepared a little lunch for everyone.  It was really neat.  Each person and child had a big plate of rice and grilled chicken, vegetables, salad and drink.  Each plate was individually wrapped in foil and a grocery bag tied around it.  It was very cool.  Our Marshallese Bishopric is awesome.  They seem to be very hardworking, educated men.  You can tell the second generation men...some educated and some returned missionaries.  They really stand out in this community.  The mission is also having conference on Wed and Thurs of this week.  We will be watching the whole thing in English.  The senior missionaries are going to provide meals for both days.  It will be at the mission home.  I just want to end with my testimony of the gospel.   The gospel of Jesus Christ is going forth to the whole world.  I know the work is true and I am very humbled to be a small part of helping it to go forth.

Kids playing on the lagoon side

Sister Mahit and Sister Roota with those they taught

Elder Jensen in his baptismal lava lava along with the three who were baptised

Missionary life in the Marshall Islands

Emman ke am mour? (Is your life good)  emman ao mour (my life is good)

My life is very good.  I am getting used to my missionary life in the Marshall Islands.  It is very hot and humid, but our apartments are nicely air conditioned.  My schedule is usually to get up by 6:30 am and go running or walking with some of the other senior missionaries here.  We walk or run about three miles or more each morning.  By the time we are home I am as wet as if I had been in a pool, but I still enjoy the exercise.  When I get home, its breakfast of oatmeal or cereal with boxed milk, usually.  I did get some frozen waffles that I am going to try for a break.  Then its getting ready, personal study and language study for me.  I try to get over to the mission office by 9 or 9:30 am to see what is going on there.  I carry a cell phone so I am on call 24/7 in case a missionary becomes sick.  I haven't had any midnight calls yet or early early morning ones, but I did decide I better bring my cell when I am out running, since I have gotten a few that time of morning.  I carry my key and my cell in my document container that I wear around my neck.  It works good.

Sister Hillborne and me  The Hillborne/s are from New Zealand

  I usually spend time in the office, checking E-mails and updating medical records from the previous evening or from that morning.  If its Monday, it is usually buzzing at the office and there are lots of little aches and pains that I see missionaries for.  Some of the missionaries from other islands aren't used to taking medicine or swallowing pills and so its a learning experience for them to take some ibuprofen or Tylenol.  Some mornings, I take missionaries to the hospital to run labs or to the Filipino Doctor who will write orders for us to have labs, x-rays, and will see missionaries that I have questions about.  He is very nice and I feel he is a good doctor.  He doesn't work at the hospital though.  He is kind of semi retired and so he just sees patients at his office and sends them to the hospital if they need more care.  The rest of my day is spent in whatever comes up.  Some days it is traveling out to Laura (on the outer most end of the atoll...takes about an hour to get there) to see a missionary who is sick, or to take some Gatorade out to a sick missionary.   I find plenty to keep me busy.  In the evenings we either get together with the senior missionaries or get ready for a new day.  The little payless market is right by my house.  If I really feel hungry, I will go buy some expensive ice cream and enjoy it.  I can't say I have really gotten into the food.  There aren't too many choices and everything is really expensive so I have just gone really light...soup and sandwich works for me.  Many of the senior missionaries have had me over to dinner and so now I will start to have some of them over and will really need to start making some meals.

View from one of the missionary apartments

 It is also my job to inspect missionary apartments for cleanliness and safety and health issues.  The first visit this month, I went when they were home, so I could be sure I was at the right apartment and to meet the missionaries.  Its been really fun.  Some of the missionary apartments are really nice and others...not so much.  I guess it depends on where you are serving.  All of the missionaries have a little air conditioning unit so they can cool down when they are in the apartment.  My first visit with some of the elders, two of the apartments were having trouble with their toilets being unable to flush.  They said they had reported it but their landlords never would fix it.  Anyway, there is a new Senior couple here and the husband is over the missionary apartments.  He looked into it and found out that the reason the toilets won't flush is because they are salt water toilets.  When the tide is in, there is enough water for the toilets to flush but when it isn't in, there isn't.  One sister told me how she had seen a crab come up her toilet so you know many of them are straight to the ocean water.  I know that mine isn't like that.  They are going to try to get regular toilets for the missionaries.  It is interesting that the Sisters usually  take better care of their apartments than the Elders do.I have to make a few suggestions or a lot to most of the Elders.  We are going to have contests to see who gets the highest grade in apartment cleanliness in my next visits during the end of Oct.I will be going when they aren't there and will surprise them.  I guess they do that all the time so that the missionaries have to be ready at any time.  (In Connecticut we would always call and make an appointment to come)  Whoever gets an A on their apartment will get some fruit.  Those with the highest grade A+ get a big bowl of fruit.  Then we make a poster and put their picture on it for the big winners.  One set of Elders had a really gross floor and they have started to scrub it and have half of it done...Wow, what a difference it makes.  They will finish the other half on this next P Day. (I bet their floor hadn't been scrubbed in years)

The view from one of the missionary apartments with a salt water toilet

 The senior missionaries get together a lot.  Sometimes it is for Family Home Evening (Mondays) and sometimes we will get together for movie night (Friday)  Baptisms are usually on  Saturday evenings and we always go.  Sometimes on Saturdays, when the work is done, we get together to go on outings.  Last Saturday, we hiked over on the reef during low tide to 5 different little islets that are past the main connected atoll.  The first one you come to is called Demon Island.  It is called this because it is where the bodies of Marshallese, Americans, and Japanese were buried in a big mass grave at the end of World War II.  Nobody lives on this islet.  Then there is another small islet followed by Ejit Island, which is where many of those who had resettled Bikini Atoll after they had been previously evacuated, were taken because they realized it was still not safe on Bikini atoll.  There are lots of houses, a school, a little hospital and the children are adorable.  See the pictures below.  Also if you want to see some interesting videos of the Marshall Islands look on U-tube under Majuro Atoll B737 landing and Majuro Trip 2008. 

Sister Wayas and Sister Barlow walking over to Ejit Island

Elder Wayas

We made it past Ejit Island to two more little islets and had lunch and then turned around and walked back before the tide began to come in.  During high tide these islands are accessible only by boat.  There were some houses on one of the other little islets.  I guess the islets go on and on .  You can see some of them in these pictures.  Some of them are inhabited and some are not.  When we walked over to the islets, the water came up to my thighs in a few places.  We found many shells and sand biscuits. There were star fish and eels.  One of the senior missionary Elders brought his snorkel and fins and was able to do a lot of snorkeling in the lagoon.

Children playing in Ejit

 A Crab trying to make its home in a bottle top

Deamon Island

A girl named Sarah from Ejit

Sister Hillborne and I on one of the islands

Pandana Juice (BOT)

Yesterday, the Marshall Islands Republic was celebrating the pandana tree and called it They called it Bot Festival.   They use the pandana tree for fruit, juice, and the leaves for weaving.  The fruit is pulled off and chewed and the juice is good.  The fruit comes sort of stringy but everyone loves to chew it. All big Marshall Island  celebrations are held in a big field by the lagoon across from the big payless super market.  It was fun to go.  They had lots of contests between the children including racing, tug-o-war,playing with square balls made out of pandana leaves, and catching using mits made out of cereal boxes.  The women had a weaving contest and it was fun to watch them work.  There was singing by some school children and a band playing.  I guess we missed the parade.  We bought some pandana juice in a bottle.  It was really a weird and different flavor.  I can't say I loved it.  I was told you need to mix it with something to really get to enjoy it more.

Sister Barlow and I at the Ejit Hospital

I have been helping play piano and organ for my ward.  The girl who usually plays is the wife of a man who works for the US embassy.  They are from Utah, but they were gone for three weeks and will be completing their service here and heading to another place soon.  Anyway, last week they asked me to play for Sacrament meeting.  They have one of these digital organs that you can set to play hymns and prelude music.  The first Sunday I was here, they just used that and it was OK but they sang at a different speed than the organ was playing.  It was kind of funny.  I guess they like it better when someone can actually play.  I am happy to do it.  I am  also going to help them with playing music for primary.  They are practicing for their primary program.  They are going to be really good since they practice each Saturday morning from 10-12 and every Sunday during the whole opening exercises and sharing and singing time.  Its so funny because everything in church is done in Marshallese except the children sing their Primary songs in English.  It makes me so happy to hear them sing.  I had been the chorister for my ward in St George and so I know all the songs.  They sing them so well and many of them don't speak English at home.  I think they do teach it in the schools.  I am still working on my Marshallese.  Its spoken so fast.  I am going to go and study with some of the young single sister missionaries this week.  Maybe that will help me.  I also like having them over to eat.  One is from Vanuatu, (She came over with me from the MTC) and the other is from Kirabati.  They are awesome.

Sister Roota, and Sister Mahit and me

I now have internet at my house.  Its quite slow, especially in the evenings.  I am also getting Magic Jack so I can also call and talk to my family without paying anything extra.  I hope to keep skyping too.  I love being on my mission and I love the people here.  I am learning so much and truly know that the gospel is true.  I miss you all my wonderful family and friends.

Kids playing with a square ball made of pandana

Children playing on Ejit

Elder and Sister Wayas (He used to be our neighbor in Hawaii)

The Lagoon side at the Bott Festival

The Bot Festival

Ladies in a weaving contest at the Bot Festival

Arriving in the Marshall Islands

 Sept 27, 2012

Elder Aaron, Sister Mahit and me in Hawaii.  Lei given to me by friend Pauline Lua

Iakwe or Yokwe are they sometimes spell it                 

I am here in the Marshall Islands and loving it.  It's a beautiful, but very poor country and the people are friendly and very poor but beautiful and smiling.  I remember when Matt described Puerto Rico as like a dirty Hawaii. In some ways it is like Hawaii was in the early 60s when we lived there...but not the trash. Well, that's like it is here.  Its got beautiful palm trees, banana trees, flowers and tropical greenery much like Hawaii does, but there is garbage and trash all over as well as broken down things all over the place.  The houses are very small and humble and there is usually a big plastic barrel under the side of the roof to catch the rain water to use for drinking, bathing, and cooking.  The place I live is a little apartment complex with a police room and a little store right at the front.  There is an embassy from China and Japan right here in the complex and our Mission president lives right at the end with a beautiful view of the ocean.  I stayed at the mission home with them for about 4 days until the missionaries left (mission nurse and husband)  Their plane was delayed because the planes couldn't get refueled here for about 4 days so they just didn't land.  Now I am at my own apartment and it is a two bedroom apartment and just great for me.  (spare room come and visit)  The food in the stores I am told often comes from Hawaii by way of Guam or from the Philippines.  Much of it is outdated before it even arrives here.  The selection is not too good but there are things like canned goods, toilet paper, cereal, detergent and even ice cream.  Its about 4 times as expensive as in the US.  Like a 1/2 gallon or those cartons that are a little bit smaller are like $13.00.  We have to get our milk in the irradiated boxes that just come on the shelf.  I have only dared to try it on cereal.  Its surprising that they do have some things though. The people I don't think can afford to go to the store to buy a lot.  They live on fish and rice mostly.   I went to a store here and there was a lot of stuff from China or Phillippines etc. and  some of it is is obviously stuff that was old off the shelves in the USA but has been sent here to be sold.  Like there is this clothes store that sells clothes from the 60s.  Like polyester pantsuits and stuff that hasn't been worn for many years. And they aren't cheap either. Its way too hot to wear that kind of stuff here. Besides that the women all wear  guam dresses, or mumu like attire.  The men are short and many of them sit hunched on their legs on the street smoking or  doing nothing it seems.  They wear T-shirt and pants.  I guess that unemployment is very high here, which of course is part of the reason for the poverty. The children are darling and smiling.  If I go walking or running especially like at 6:30 or 7:00 am there are many of them dressed and ready for school.  They wear a specific color of uniform representing their school.  At the elementary school here in Long Island, the children dress in green.  Green T-shirts for the boys and Green Jumpers for the girls.  They all wear flip flops and have beautiful smiles and will stop to talk.  Three young boys introduced themselves to me yesterday and told me their names and asked me questions.  Its very crowded here.  There are people everywhere and you aren't sure where they all come from since it is narrow, but they are all out on the streets early.

  sign at the Marshall Islands Airport

The Atoll itself is about 30 miles long.  I have been to both ends.  There is one road that goes from end to end and in places there have been causeways built to connect pieces of smaller islands.  I am told the Japanese did a lot of this when they occupied it in WWII.  The shops and small little mun wiias or little grocery stores are really run down and even the bigger stores are in old run down looking buildings.  I went to get my drivers license today and the government buildings were really nice looking on the outside but in the inside they ceilings were leaking and there was broken things and mold everywhere.  I thought it was sad.  I am told that the money doesn't get spent where it should and as a result the buildings go unkept and the people remain in poverty.

Elder Aaron, Sister Mahit and I with President and Sister Shaw

  Where I live in Long Island it is pretty narrow on the atoll.  I can see the ocean and the lagoon.  I live in a little apartment complex.  Its not gated or anything but in it are embassy's from Japan and China, the mission office, the mission home and maybe 50 or so nice apartments. I think I already mentioned that.   There is a track that goes around the whole thing and of course I was thrilled.  There is another senior sister (She and her husband do CES/humanitarian) that likes to run so we have run a few days and walked a few days and sometimes when I am by myself I do the track.  IF you run on the road you have to carry a rock in case the dogs come after you.  Not too far from me...maybe 2 blocks away is the US Embassy and our LDS ward church is right across the street.  IT is the Long Island Ward.  I will be attending that ward while I am here.  Each of the seniors is given a different ward or two to attend.  The Senior men go to Bishopric Meetings and help with the leadership.  I am supposed to attend Ward Council and help with Primary, RS and YW.  I attended last Sunday and my Bishop is Bishop Enos.  He seems very friendly.  Church is all done in Marshallese.  For those of use who still haven't quite mastered it, we can wear a headset and one of the Elders will interpret for us.  In RS and Primary I am not sure I will have that available.  I am studying and learning Marshallese, but they speak it so fast and its so hard to understand them.  I won't give up though.  I can bear my testimony and say a prayer if I refer to my notes.  I can greet people and carry on a simple conversation, but it is very slow compared to their fast talk.  The Elders and Sisters speak it really well though and most of them never did get any training in the MTC.  They only started the Marshallese training  at the MTC in July of this year.  When you go to the other half of our mission in Karibati they speak a totally different language Karibati so now, when the missionaries get their calls it will specify which side of the mission they will be going to and they will go to the MTC and train in that language.  I did get to study by Skype for about 5 weeks with a trainer from the MTC and then for the two weeks I was there, I also got to go each evening and study.  I have some study books too, although some of them are just being written.  Here at the mission office they have a little section that does translation.  I understand that the D&C is being translated into Marshallese as well as conference talks which will come out .  We don't get to listen to conference (except if we listened online) until they come out in a couple of weeks with the translations.  The missionaries all get together and listen to them at the mission home.  We are planning dinners to feed the missionaries when they  come for that.

Lagoon side by where I live

We have about 40 missionaries on our half of the mission.  The other side in Kirabati has about 40 also.  On both sides they are going to be increasing in number, I understand.  We have 7 wards and branches on this 30 mile strip of land .  Its amazing, but it is very populated and the people live close together.  We have missionaries serving in 13 different locations here.  The work is going well.  In addition we have missionaries on several outer islands.  Ebeye, is where Frank and Annette Mills served, for those who know them.  It is a 1 mile island about 500 yards wide or so of the Kwajelein Atoll.  I guess when they were going to bomb the Bikini Atoll years ago, they took people off that atoll and put them on Ebeye.  Its very populated.  We have three branches there and there is a lot of poverty.  We have a senior couple and 4 elders and 2 sisters who serve there.  To get to the US base from Ebeye they travel by ferry to the other side of the lagoon.  Some of the people work at the base, but since Ebeye is so crowded there aren't a lot of jobs there either.  Then we have Elders (no sisters are allowed to serve ) on three outer islands.  They are getting ready to open up another island too.  These missionaries go there for 6 months or so.  There is only radio contact on one of them and so we send a little first aid kit that has antibiotics, medicine for parasites and first aid supplies.They are supposed to radio to me and let me know if they need to start using the antiobiotics.  Sometimes they run out of food and the natives feed them rice and fish an elder told me.   We have one that radioed to me that he had blood in his stool.  He is taking a medicine for parasites, but he will be coming home tonight via Air Marshall, a local Marshallese airlines which runs sometimes and sometimes does not.  This Elder has been there for 6 months and its time for him to return anyway.  I am waiting to evaluate his health status when he gets here. Right now  I am E-mailing from the mission office, since my home doesn't yet have internet that works.  I wish it would hurry but it might be a few weeks.  At least I know I can come in here and E-mail and Skype if I want so I will... plan on it.

From the Mission President's home Ocean Side

Ocean Side at low tide

From the ocean side by my apartment

Oh gosh there is so much to say.  I have already had several medical calls.  Some vomiting and diarrhea, probably caused from bad water and food.  The missionaries are supposed to be very careful and not drink any water except in their apartments that have filtered/purified water or from bottles.  I have a water bottle that I got in the MTC that filters everything...even muddy gutter water.  IT doesn't filter sea water though.  The problem here is they let the sewer out into the ocean and lagoon.  In the populated areas of the atoll I guess its really bad. I understand though that the senior missionaries can snorkel and swim on some of the outer islets that don't have people on them.  I Guess the senior missionaries will occasionally take a trip out there by boat or can walk on the reef to a few of the islets. So far we have been really busy though so I doubt we get to do it too often, but I am excited to be able to do that.  The ocean is beautiful.







 

A little house by the church

 
.  The nurse that was here before me was a PA before she came and was really comfortable prescribing anatibiotics without a doctor .  We have protocols that I can use to prescribe antibiotics and I am learning to do that.  I can call or E-mail my AMA in New Zealand and there is also a local Phillippino Doctor who can give me orders for Elders to have lab tests etc. so I am not alone.  Its very interesting.  IF you need any kind of medical care here it costs you $20.00 for anything...from a CT scan to surgery.  The missionaries can get these done, but the hospital is very scary looking....very crowded and doesn't look as clean as you would like to see a hospital look.  Missionary medical would prefer to send them to Hawaii for care if it is needed.  For emergencies, they can do surgeries and handle emergencies..  Many of our Elders and Sisters are from the south pacific islands.  I came over form the MTC with  a beautiful young sister from Vanuatu and the Elder is from Karabati.  Another Elder here is from the tiny island of Niue and several are from New Zealand, Figi, and Hawaii.  There are some from USA. 

From the Lagoon side

Thee are many big ships that come into the lagoon

Well, I have said a lot, but I will have a lot more to say.  I will also post a few pictures.  You can also go to my blog in a few days and I will have it updated with more pictures: judibulkley.blogspot.com.   I love it here and am happy to be serving my Heavenly Father here in the Marshall Islands.  I miss you all and love you. I hope to be able to skype this weekend (from the mission office)

Love, Sister Judi Bulkley


PS  Jason what happened with my home?  Luke and Traci, how is Maddox doing?  I love and miss you all.

PSS  Do you remember the Wayas Family that lived behind us in Hawaii when we lived in Goo's house.  Well the older boy Richard is married to a haole lady and they are one of the office couples here in our mission.  Its so fun to see him after all these years.

The baptism of a 14 year old boy I attended

My dear friend Pauline Lua   She came to our hotel when we were in Hawaii and made me a lei and sang us a few songs

Me, Sister Mahit, Pauline by our hotel in Honolulu