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