Trip to Santo

Last week we were dealing a bit with a cyclone named Gita, here in Vanuatu.  Not sure if it made the news back home, but poor Tonga got creamed!   She didn't hit us directly, but we got some torrential rains from the storm.  It rained like we've never seen it rain, all day Thursday.  The next morning which we were suppose to leave for the island of Santo.  We wondered if the weather would delay our trip.  We had to leave for the airport by 6:00 a.m.   When we stepped out of bed, we stepped into about an inch and a half of mud and water.  Our whole apartment was flooded.  The couple next door flooded also.  Our apartment building is lower on the property, with a pretty good slope up to the street.  Management is in the process of getting a more secure fence around the property, so there has been some major digging going on.  As a result of the digging, all that rain built up in those trenches, and sent all that mud and water down the hill and into our apartments.  It was in every room of our apartment.  Luckily, nothing of value was ruined.  Pretty soon, we could hear voices outside the door.  The Roundy's had called the Collette's, and they were helping them sweep mud and water out of their apartment.  Pretty soon managment came and we all had brooms in our hands pushing water out of the apartments.  We felt bad because we had to leave the mess and head to the airport.  We're without our truck so the Collette's took us to the airport.  The head house keeper spent alot of time cleaning our apartment.  I need to do something special for her.

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I've been telling you that our truck has had major problems.  We took it into the shop before we went to the Solomon Islands hoping they would get working on it.  Two days after we got home from Solomon was our trip to Santo, so they would have it even longer to work on.  Well, we're home from Santo and still no truck,  so we've been borrowing vehicles from all the couples .  They say it may be 3 weeks before it's fixed, but they don't know that for sure.  They're trying to find parts.  Oh boy! 

About our trip to the town of Luganville in Santo

So now we're back from Santo, an island in Vanuatu.  This is actually the second time we've gone to Santo for the audits.  It's was fun to see the people we met previously.  Since it was district conference (like our stake confererence at home), the Granger's were also there.  That was their last District conference, as they will be finished with their mission in June, and going home to Australia.  We have so enjoyed working with them and will miss them very much.  The new mission president, and his wife, are from South Carolina and are French Canadian.  Knowing French will be very helpful in working with the French speaking country of New Caledonia (part of the mission).   

When we got to Santo, we were met by Elder and Sister Ipson, who are from Sandy, Utah.  They work with the seminary/institute program.  They replaced the Anderson's who left for home to Genola, Utah, in November.  We got there too early to check into the hotel, so we went straight to the church where the audits would be performed.  Audits were scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m., so that worked out great.  In reality, if things worked out like they are suppose to, Greg should be training the district audit committees to do their own audits. They are still trying to learn how this all works, so for now, he trains and does the audits.  Greg talked to the district presidents, and their clerks, in a meeting that was held in Port Vila a few months ago.  He talked to them about selecting a district audit chairman, and at least two district auditors, but it hasn't happened with any of them yet.  Hopefully, sometime in the near future, it will start to work like it's suppose to for the districts.  He did twelve audits, approximately two hours each.  Sister Granger asked me to take pictures of all of the branch presidents for the leader board in the mission home.  I was able to get them all except for the president from the island of Gaua.

There is good news with the stake here in Port Vila where we live.  They do have a stake audit chairman and auditors, and they are working on the audits.  Six months ago they were struggling,  so we're pleasantly surprised this go around. 

While Greg did an audit, I went with the Ipson's and President Leetham, the branch president of the Palon branch, up to their chapel to get chairs for district conference.  I've been up there before. There is a picture on the blog of a bush school, with us and the children of the school in it.  We were there six months ago in August.  The road there, is a horrible, bumpy, road.  I rode in the back seat of the truck with president Leetham.  As we travelled along,  he  asked us to help him prepare a talk that he was suppose to give in conference, about helping branch members become unified.  We asked him what he had already prepared.  He pulled out a mini ipad and proceeded to show us what he had.  I'll tell you, he didn't need any help from us.  He had researched the hand book and scriptures and put a great talk together.  He is one of the strong leaders in Santo, as well as probably the youngest branch president.  He's probably about 30 years old.  When we got back, the Ipson's took me to the hotel to get checked in.  Sister Ipson then took me to a souvenir shop!  I found a few fun necklaces carved out of sea shells and nuts.  I also bought a sea shell called "Venus' comb."  What an interesting shell.  Look it up on the internet to see what it looks like.  

It was so hot and humid, you could hardly stand to be out in it.  Our hotel  wasn't too far from the church so we walked there.  It only took about 10 minutes, but by the time you got there you were drenched! ICK!  It is a must to have a blotting towel with you at all times!  Yes, we have little inconveniences here and there, but it's really okay.  We're happy to be here.  It doesn't hurt any of us to step out of our comfort zone once in a while right? 

On Saturday morning, Greg was up and at 'em to be to the church by 8:00.  We had breakfast together before he left.  A little later that morning, I got ready for the day and walked to their main grocery store to get Greg something to eat for lunch.  He really can't take a break to go anywhere.  This little market had these bread sticks that had ham and cheese inside with a little cheese sprinkled on top.  The bread was a sweet bread and pretty tastey.  I bought a few of those, along with some peanuts and apples and took them to him.  He shared the different things I brought to him with the sweet men he audited.  It was also fun to see the young missionaries that are serving in these areas.  We've gotten to know them in the past 10 months, so it's fun to see them again in different parts of the mission.  They are all so happy to be serving and are doing a fabulous job.  There are alot of new members of the church here in Vanuatu.  As I mentioned before, I like to carry suckers "lollies" with me to pass out to the little pikininis.  I don't think they get alot of treats, so it's fun to pass them out.  They give you a big smile as they take the lollie.  So cute.  There was suppose to be an adult conference session later in the afternoon, after a priesthood leadership session, but it got cancelled for lack of getting the word out.   Greg came back to the hotel and took a much needed nap.  I however, wandered across the street to the park, where booths are often set up by the people when cruise ships are in town, hoping to sell their beautiful carvings and such.  I bought some beautiful carvings from the island of Ambrym.  There is a master carver there that does beautiful work.  They are a tad heavy though, and I hope we don't have a problem getting them home!!   Later that evening, we all gathered for "culture night."  Members of some of the branches performed their native war dances.  They were all dressed up, or I should say "undressed up" in their native attire.  Back in the day, the dancing meant serious business between the different tribes.  That evening though, they lightened things up a bit, because the audience was laughing and having a good time.  I'll attach a video clip.  You will notice the natives bringing a big platter of kai kai (food) and sitting it on a table.  It's hard to describe.  It was a gooey coconut type food.  They sliced it up for all to try.  You have to acquire a taste for some of the native food.  It was very entertaining and fun to be there.   

On Sunday, we went to church at the Luganville branch.  The Granger's gave their farewell message to the people.  It was kind of a pep talk, encouraging them to "stand up strong" and stay close to the Lord.  It was a powerful message of encouragement and love.  President Granger had all of the missionaries both present and past, come forward and sing a song together.  We sang, "Oh Love that Glorifies the Son" (page 295).  Again, one of those that we don't sing at home.  It is a beautiful song though.  I love to sing it.  It was one of the songs that we sang in the car, on our way to church, in Tanna, that I told you about.  After church services, Greg had more audits to do.  I stuck around with the Ipson's for a while, visiting all the young missionaries.  I went back to their home for lunch and visited with them that afternoon.  When Greg was finished, Elder Ipson picked him up and brought him back to the house.   Sister Ipson prepared a nice dinner for us to share with them.  They are such a sweet couple and took such good care of us.  After dinner, two of the young sister missionaries dropped by and had dessert with us. 

Monday morning was like "groundhog day" for Greg.  We had breakfast together and then off to the church he went.  I went to the beach with the Ipson's that day, to collect shells.  Elder Ipson found a blue star fish.  What a find!  I collected a bunch of sand dollars.  We don't see those in Port Vila. 

Tuesday was the day we flew home.  Our flight wasn't until 6:30 p.m., which was a good thing because he was busy until 3:00.  All in all it was a very successful trip.  It was nice to come home to a clean, mud free apartment.  

We hope you are all well at home.  We think of you often, and pray for you always.  Love Greg and Ann 

Solomon Islands

We're back from Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands.  This is the second time we've been there.  It's hard to believe we were there just six months ago for the first audit.   We were met at the airport by Romulous, who works for the church, at the service center in Fiji.  They are the folks that do financial, computer, and other training here in the Pacific.  Whenever they do training, they have all the branch presidents and clerks come to the training, including any outer islands in that area.  When we found out about this training in Solomon, we scheduled the audits.   We need to see all of the same people.  When we arrived, we were taken to the mission home, where the training was being conducted.  The mission home is a fenced in compound for safety reasons.  Solomon can be a rough place.  The people here are poor and have a tough life.  The building down town that the church rents for the Burns Creek branch to meet in, is also fenced in.  Elder and Sister Fuimaono (from Somoa) live in the mission home.  (I'll refer Fuiamaono as F from now on) He is a counselor to President Granger in the mission presidency.  

He and his wife watch over the missionaries among many other things in Solomon.  When we were there six months ago, we were met by Elder and Sister Sanders who were the Self Reliance couple.  They made arrangements for the audits and took us on a tour of the island. They went home in November, and have yet to be replaced, so the F's helped us get around.  They were amazing hosts, and we had a lot of fun with them while we were there.   We stayed at a nice hotel, where the A/C worked beautifully, which was the only thing we cared about!  Being so close to the equator, IT IS HOT AND HUMID!!!  The branch presidents and clerks were there from Guadalcanal and the outer island of Malita. While the men were all in their training, I sat on the patio visiting with three sisters who were members of the Honiara branch.  They were there preparing the lunch for the training.  They cooked rice, and made  stew with lots of vegetables, along with watermelon and pineapple.  The food was very good.  They eat way too much rice there too.   The F's are amazing people.  They teach members how to cook, use the computer, sew their own clothes, and play the piano.  She is teaching the future pianists for sacrament meeting.  She also teaches them how to lead the music.  They are all about self-reliance and are teaching the people how it's done.   After lunch, Sister F invited me into the house to stay cool and visit.  We became fast friends and enjoyed talking about many things.  I learned how to cook taro (a root vegetable) that's kind of like a potato, but more starchy.  The first time I tasted it, I didn't like it.  Sister F made it with coconut.   It was really good.  Greg even liked it!  I learned how to make a few other dishes as well.  Look out family at home, you're in for a real treat.  I will have to substitute a few ingredients.

On Saturday, I went back to the mission home with Greg.  While he was in his training, I went with Sister F to baptisms at the church.  The chapel is located just up the street from the misson home.  Seven people were baptized new members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  It was neat to see how happy the new members were.  They all got a chance to bear their testimony, and were so emotional, and so happy.  It was very touching.  I got a chance to visit and shake their hands.  It was also fun to see the missionaries that I just love.  I haven't seen some of these Elders for six months, since the last time we were here.  I was showing them pictures that I had been taking at the baptism, they were excited, and quickly downloaded them to their phones.  They love their pictures, and so do I.   I've mentioned before that Sister missionaries don't serve here because it isn't safe enough.  I think that's a  wise decision! 

That afternoon a lunch was prepared for those in the training and their wives.  The meal was taro with coconut sauce, fried, boneless, chicken thighs and legs  and sliced cucumbers.  It was really good!  Greg and I borrowed the mission truck that afternoon and went for a ride.  We took a drive to see the town and some of the neighborhoods where people live.  We also went to the handicraft market where I bought a couple of beautiful fans.  I will buy gifts and souvenirs after we finish our last audit.   There are some beautiful things to be purchased!  I have my eye on some beautiful woven baskets and trays.

On Sunday, we attended church at the Honiara branch.   It was so humid in the chapel.  They have fans in the ceiling which help a little, but I was constantly wiping my face, and my hair was totally wet.  I do have nice skin though!  ha ha! It was  fun to attend Relief Society.  It's neat to see the sisters conduct the meeting and give the lesson.  They are learning the gospel and doing a really great job.   In Solomon, they speak "pidgin" English.  Like Bislama, it's a broken English, but a little easier to understand.  They use more English words.  Greg stayed after to do more audits, so I passed out "lollies" (suckers) to the little pikininis.  They were so funny because  I would give one out, and pretty soon two or three more kids would appear.   It didn't take long to hand those lollies out!  When I was finished, I walked to the mission home and had lunch, while Greg was auditing.  Sister F made this delish stir fry beef that was out of this world tender, just like the Chinese restaurants.  She said she just takes equal parts of soda (powder) and water.  Just enough to make a paste to mix in the meat.  Leave it on for an hour for so, and then rinse it off.  Then stir fry with veggies and soy sauce, thickening it with corn starch to make a sauce.  She put some in a container to take to Greg.  At four o'clock we went back up to the church for a fireside.  I took the food into Greg hoping he would have a break, and then went to the fireside.  It was about missionary work.  The missionaries did a great job encouraging the members to be "member missionaries" and to help them by getting referals. When Greg finally finished his audit, I asked him how he liked his dinner.  He said they all enjoyed it very much.  He ate a little bit and gave the rest to the men he was auditing.  He said they had no problem sharing the same fork.  We really enjoy visiting the good people here in this part of the world. 

Monday morning we were back up to the mission home for another audit.  While he was auditing, I spent the morning in the kitchen with Sister F.  It was hilarious.  She was making a picnic lunch for all of us.  She boiled taro, then chopped the taro leaves (kind of like spinach) and cooked it in coconut juice.  The fun part was watching her crack the coconuts open to get the juice out, and then using the tool to get the coconut out of the shell.  What a character!  I'll send  two little videos for you to watch how she does it.  After Greg finished, we packed up our picnic and drove to a place to buy fish to have with it.  There are rode side places where people cook the fish for you, and you just have to pick one out and take it with you.  We drove to another part of the island that had beautiful palm trees.  We were hoping to have a nice relaxing lunch, and it would have been if the flies hadn't joined us!  We were swating flies in between bites!  Oh well, the food was good, we just had to eat fast!! 

On Tuesday, Greg audited the District President and gave him an out brief.  There are things that they still need to work on, but in time, they will understand the process.  Elder F took us to the airport, while Sister F got  ready to start a cooking class.  They will return to their home in Somoa in August.  We will be back up there in July for the last audit.

You don't get the weather report for the pacific, but we are experiencing the effects of a cyclone. Tonga just got hammered yesterday, and the southern islands of Fiji, last night.  We've been experiencing hard rain and wind.  They say the southern islands of  Vanuatu are in it's path, but it should pass south of Efate.  YIKES!  We're suppose to go to the island of Santo tomorrow, we'll see.   If we go to Santo, we will be back on Tuesday evening.  I'll report on that trip when we get home.  Of course you are always in our prayers.  We love and miss you all very much.  Love, Greg and Ann

Converts in Tanna

After Sacrament meeting, at the White Sands branch, while we were in Tanna,  we visited with the Branch President.  We asked him how long he has been a member of the church,  he said about seventeen years.  He told us the story of his conversion to the church.  He belonged to the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA).  His conversion experience reminded me of both Alma's, father and son, in the Book of Mormon, and how they went about persecuting the church.  Before he joined the church, President ____   told us he was always giving the missionaries a real bad time, and trying to run them off the island.  The SDA church is huge in Vanuatu, and they don't care too much for Mormons.  He said one night after giving the missionaries a bad time, he started to feel terrible about what he was doing.   He decided he needed to call the missionaries and apologize.  Soon after that, he was taking the discussions, and joined the church.  He paid the price though, his family disowned him.    The missionaries took him in, and let him go around with them as they taught people.  He was soon ready to go on his own mission.  Before he left on his mission, he asked his parents to please accept the choice he made, and they did!  While he was on his mission, the rest of his family joined the church.  He is such a good man, we just love him (picture attached of him and his daughter).  He runs the gift shop at the Mt Yasur Volcano.  I've mentioned before that it is a no kidding active volcano.  It's hard to imagine being allowed to walk up and look in the mouth of this active volcano.  President Morgan is in the tourism business and arranges trips to the volcano.  He will be taking Greg and I on this adventure on our last audit cycle to Tanna.   I can't wait!  The Collette's, the education couple, had a son that served several years ago in Tanna.  He will be coming to visit in August.  He wanted to know if they have wild pig hunts in Tanna!  I asked President Morgan and he said they did.  He will arrange it for him when he comes.  They don't have guns in Vanuatu, they use spears to hunt.  While we were there, we saw a wild mama pig and her two babies.  They are really different looking.

Many People ask us how many pikininis (children)we have.  When we tell them we weren't able to have any pikininis, they always feel so bad for us.  We just tell them that when we go to heaven, maybe they will be waiting for us there.  After Greg finished the audit with the White Grass branch president, they were visiting, and he asked Greg how many pikininis we had.  He told him we didn't have any.  He then said, "don't you have a brother that can give you one of his?"  Greg told him, we normally don't do it that way in America.  You get into some of the sweetest conversations with people.  Families will give each other children quite often.  They all have familiy members on other islands.  Many families will send a child from an outer island, to a family member in Port Vila to go to school.   Many things are done differently here.    One thing for sure, they are very family oriented and they take care of each other.  

Today is Saturday, the day of the week that we couples plan an activity to do together.  Roundy's have only been here two weeks, so it will be fun to take them to all the fun snorkeling places we like to go.  Today we went to Hideaway Island.  If the tide is out, you can walk to the island which I love to do, otherwise you take a boat over.  I think I have mentioned before that I am not a real fan of deep water.  Deep water gives me the jitters!  I do put my snorkeling gear on though and venture out, but never very far from the shore.  I will go out over my head, but only for a minute and then I'm back in the shallower water.  Everyone else goes way out in to the ocean where the water is deep and the fish are amazing.  Well, I'm proud to announce that today I went out much farther than I have ever gone.  Greg came up to the side of me and said, come on lets go out there, so I did!!!  As we snorkeled  along,  the water got deeper and deeper and farther away from the shore.   You can hear yourself breath through your snorkel mask, and at first, I thought I was going to hypervenilate!  But, I just slowed my breathing , and enjoyed the deep, blue, beautiful, ocean.  Ahhhhh.  It was so lovely.  Greg tried to get me to go further, but I was good with the distance I was from the shore.  Maybe next time.  

Yesterday in sacrament meeting, we were sitting behind these darling kids.  They looked at me, I said, good morning, then I smiled, and winked.  Pretty soon we were all "winkin" away. (pictures attached) I've been helping out in the Primary.  They need alot of help in the reverence department.  I was originally asked to help out with the Young Women.  I started to meet with them, but it seemed like they were doing fine, and I didn't want to step in and take away their initiative.  So, I've stepped back and told them to let me know if they need help, but have checked with them from time to time.  Well, I guess they need more help than I realized.  As I talked with one of the counselors, she said they needed help with the Personal Progress program.  The people are very shy and hesitant to ask for help, so you need to ask the right questions.  I will be researching the program and do what I can to help them understand it.  The people here are sooo sweet and loving.  We do the best we can to help.  

Well dear family, I'll close for now.  We are getting ready to travel to Guadal Canal, in the Solomon Islands this week.  I'm sure  we will have more adventures to tell about when we get home.  I'll close for now.  We love you all very much.  Love, Greg and Ann