April 2012

Can you see anything wrong with this picture?







How about now?

       This is how I started the month of April.  It wasn't even April 1st, it was actually April 2nd.  We were doing a scripture mastery activity at Uh, a branch about 30 minutes from Kolonia.  I had stepped out of my shoes on the step before entering the small chapel like I always do.  I had forgotten something and had to go back  out to the car.  I went to step into my shoes again and I couldn't find a match.  The class and other couple missionaries thought  my little problem was pretty funny.  I hadn't even had a stressful day, it had been nice and calm.  Maybe Dad will have to inspect my foot wear from now on before I leave the apartment.

                            

     Uh Scripture Mastery Activity- Laiden, Margarita, the teacher and returned missionary, and         Marleen,    she  has  her mission papers in.



Ivaloni Alden and Family

     April 4th we attended our first outdoor wedding ceremony in Pohnpei.  Ivaloni is one of our students at Pics High School Early Morning Seminary and is also a very good friend.  Her parents have been together for probably over 17 years and they got married April 4th.  They have five children, the older daughter is the mother's first child and is a half sister to the rest.  She isn't in the pictutre.  Ivaloni was so happy about their marriage.  Her mother has shown some interest in the church and hopefully the marriage will help her progression. Ivaloni and her older half sister are the only members of the church in her family.  Her older sister is inactive.  Ivaloni has been a member a little over two years.  She helps with our Pohnpeian and always helps us after class to clean up.      The wedding was held in what they call a market.  It is an open building probably used as a restaurant or sakau bar.  Ivanloni had decorated it with ballons and green fronds.  It looked nice.  Many friends and family were there.  Ivaloni's family had prepared food and other people brought food.  We had to leave after the ceremony but they made sure we each had a plate of food.  They had chicken, hot dog, spicy cucumber, taro, yam, a big scope of white rice,  and banana with grated coconut and other unknown ingredients rolled in a ball for dessert.  It was all very tasty.Ivaloni said they were going to have entertainment and then eating.  The wedding was much like one of our civil marriages.  The preacher talked to them and then married them.  A song was sung at the first of the ceremony and at the end.

     The Sister missionaries in Sapwalap have a new little house they moved into.  It was furnished with new appliances.  We inherited their refrigerator.  I am so happy!  It will be so helpful when we cooked for zone conference.  LeFevre's inherited a microwave, water cooler, white board, and shelves.  The Vincent's inherited a washing machine because they do not have a laundra mat in their building but do have a hook up on their porch.  We are all very happy. 

     The mother of a member of the Kolonia Branch, Bro. Simran,  died.  His wife asked the senior sister's to come to the mortuary when she and her sister-in-law  dressed her. The sister that had died had been to the temple.  Sister Simran,  daughter-in-law, and one of Bro. Simran's sisters are the only ones  in the family that have been to the temple and could dress her in her temple clothing.  They do not get to the temple often if they live on this island,  maybe once when they get married. Sister Simran and her sister-in-law were afraid they would not remember how to put the temple clothing on the deceased mother. It was an eye-opener to go into the morgue at the State Hospital here in Pohnpei.  It is clean and orderly, but it is very backward as far as any kind of technology.  The room had fans but was still warm.  It is old and needs painting and general repairs.  However, there was a good feeling there, the spirit was present as they gently and lovingly got the mother dressed in her temple clothing.  She had raised 12 of the fourteen children she had born.  The son we know is a counselor at the school.  His wife, Sister Simran, teaches home arts, which is Pohnpei's version of Family and Consumer Science (Home Ec.) They are very nice people.  They invited us to the funeral and out to the mother's place for the burial.  The mother lived far out in the jungle.  They bury people in their yards here, very close to the house.

Home of Bro. Simran's mother

     This new home was recently built for her.  Her casket was inside and people would go through the house and leave gifts and pay their respects.  It was a huge group of people that came to their home, at least 300 - 500.  Simran's and friends had prepared a take-out and gave to everyone-rice, chicken, banana, and their island cabbage salad with kim-chi.  The relatives, each family, were all given a piece of raw pig which is tradition.  They carry it home and cook it. 

The burial

     The casket was lowered in but the cement vault was too short.  They had to break out the end.  Then they mixed cement with a shovel and cemented the casket in the vault.  We stood and sang the whole time they worked. The men worked very hard.  It was hot and  took about one hour.  The next week they were going to build a small house around it.  One family I visit teach has a room in their home with a son's vault that was killed in the military.  All his things are in there and it is kept very clean and nice, it is just his room.  They built the home he is buried in with the money they received from the military when he was killed.  Funerals on the island usually last about 4 to 5 days. They are so much work for the family and a big expense.  Simran's had a snack for everyone at the funeral in Kolonia, 4 different breads in a takeout container (local donut, roll, cinnamon roll, I can't remember the other), plus giving everyone a dinner that went out to the house.  It also takes a lot of pig in a family that size., to give to each family they are related to.

Seminary at Kitti

     Sister Conrad is the teacher but she was sick so we taught for her.  Elder went outside and took pictures of the pineapple.

     Maverik, between the two Elders, has been attending seminary in Palikir. He wanted to be baptized and waited several months  for permission to get baptized from his parents.  Today at inservice meeting, his teacher Marla talked about the changes he made in his language, appearance, and  the way he treated others as he learned about the gospel.( left to right Desirae, Elder Tadd, Logan, Maverik, and Elder Haas)

Kilino Picky

     Kilino returned from his mission in December. He served in the Marsh Islands.  He came over to check his email--his account wasn't in service anymore.  I don't think he has checked it since his mission.  We really like him.  He lives in the Pohnrokiet, a village in Kolonia the people from the island Kapingi.  They live in close quarters and poverty.  The members there are truly great people.  We attend family home evening there at Bro.and Sister  Duiai's house (Kilino's adoptive parents) most Monday nights.  Kilino needs to get into school.   We thought things were worked out to get him into college here.  He went off island to his home island for a funeral and the boat that was picking him up didn't stop so he ended up being gone 2 months.  There must be more to the story..........., but that's all we know.



Mareen Epina, Uh, reading her mission call





     Marleen is 27 and will be going to Melborne, Australia in July.  She will be coming to the MTC in Provo so she can have help learning English also well as Preach My Gospel training and other.  We saw her at the Post Office that morning so all three missionary couples went to Uh that evening and listened to her read her call. Three member friends were there as well.   Her family, except for an inactive brother, and not members.  They were nice but not excited for her,  they just wonder why Marleen wants to leave them for 18 months.      

Ivaloni Alden, Laiden Lorenzo, Marleen, and Margarita Sahm

Elder & Sister Vincent, Elder & Sister Lefevre, Marleen, & Elder & Sister Kjar

Mand baptismal font

     This is the the only outdoor baptismal font on the island.  The branch is small and has had missionaries as branch presidents because of a lack of worthy priesthood holders.  Recently Brother Redes,  of a branch about 20 minutes away, Sapwalap, was made branch president. The Sapwalap branch is including the small Mand branch in their branch activities.  President Redes has an island truck and helps them get to the activities.  This will be wonderful for this small branch. I don't think any active members of the Mand branch have a car.  

Elder Stuart, Silino (Bro. Duiai's son-in-law), Sister Albert, & Elder Dalmer



      The Elders had requested to use the river by the church for the baptism but pigs pollute it and the last Elder's that baptized in the river got ill.  A Pohnpeian rain caused the river that day to be high, dirty, and wild--another good reason not to use the river that day.  Brother Duiai brought as many people as the bed of his island truck would hoad from his village in Kolonia to see his son-in-law baptized.  The people in the back of the truck were soaked in the heavy rain but came prepare with a dry set of clothes.  It rained buckets--a true Pohnpei rain.

                                    Bro. Duiai's daughter and her husband that was baptized.

          Bro. Albert was a past branch president of Mand. His wife, a second marriage, was baptized.



Lehny Lorenzo, Laiden's brother, working on his mission papers.



Humanitarian donation from the church to Ohwa High School of 13 sewing machines and some fishing gear.

      Pres. Ringwood, 1st Quorum of the Seventies was here to present the donation.  A few years ago the church donated the school a boat and fish gear to help the students have food at school and also to teach them life skills.  The school was grateful for the donation.  They are going to use the sewing machines to help teach the students entrepreneur skills.  Sewing island skirts is a good business here.




They had an extended family party and invited the missionary couples to stop by.

 There are a few parks on the island with huts for sleeping and water for swimming that the people enjoy. They like to have branch parties at the parks and sometimes family parties.  They cost money so they save to be able to rent the huts.  It's a special treat because they aren't many places with a beach (this is man-made) for swimming. There are big fish in the pond by the hut that jump for food and it is fun to feed them.

Sister LeFevre, Sister Kjar, & Sister Vincent

     Often times a few  people fish all night and then the next morning  they fry fish, barbeque chicken, cook rice, fry banana or cook banana another way,and cook maybe breadfruit or yam.  We like their food.  They are good cooks.  They do like dog however,and they cook the whole thing.  Brother Peles is holding up some cooked canine for the picture--no, I haven't tasted it but my companion has.

     Pamanda, middle, is Pres. and Sister Hemon's daughter.  It as her birthday and her little brother's this month, so that was one of the big reasons for the family party.  I think the other girls are her cousins.  Pamanda is one of our students at PICS High School early morning seminary.

     This man was swimming with his family.  He pointed to his wheelchair on the bank and said "Thank you" to Elder Kjar.  He received one of the wheelchairs from the Humanitarian Donation the church made in March to the State Hospital.  He has one leg amputated below the knee, probably from diabetes.  There are many amputees on the island--men and women. 



 The wheelchairs truly give them a new life.  They can get out and be mobile. 

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