Pioneer Days in Kiribati

The Tarawa East Stake held a pioneer day celebration on July 21-22.  It began at 6 am with a group walk of about 4 kilometers.  Several students and some adults participated.  To begin the activities at Moroni, there was a grand entry (via Brigham Young) only this one was led by Pres. Tune and his counselors and their wives.  

Next the single adults of the stake did a square dance, and the students from Moroni did the Virgina Reel.  Elder and Sister Bush held several practices for the students and single adults to teach them the steps.  Close to 100 single adults and students for Moroni participated.  They did a nice job and seemed to really enjoy it.  Some of the pioneer customs were interesting but were in the spirit of the occasion.  Unfortunately, we went grocery shopping because we thought the activities were in the afternoon, so we only caught the tail end of their performance.

Virgina Reel with the young men wearing bandanas around their necks

Dressed as Pioneers???  Note their "Pioneer" hats are woven using pandanus leaves.

Exiting the court after their performance, rain and puddles didn't slow down
their dancing.  The young single adults also performed a square dance in the 
Spirit of the Pioneer Day celebration

There were four different groups performing the Virginal Reel 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each ward had a team for the balloon popping relay

Sister Missionaries

Sister Gardner completed her mission this week and flew home to Henderson, Nevada.  She came to the Eita Ward where she had previously served to say good bye to some of the families she taught and also to the couple missionaries.  Life in Tarawa is not easy for Sister Missionaries from the states with living conditions quite different than from back home.  The mission does provide good housing for the sisters and in most cases for the elders also.  The water must be filtered and eating at some of the members homes can be some what challenging with some of the local fish.  But they do a good job and have very positive attitudes and have much success in teaching.

Saying goodbye to Sister Gardner who completes her mission this week and returns to Henderson, Nevada.  When ever we return from Fiji, we always buy the sister missionaries chocolate bars, which are usually eaten before they finish their visit.

Sister Barlow, from Logan, Sister Gardner from Henderson, Nevada, and Sister Balenacagi  from Suva, Fiji.  They are very dedicated missionaries who are having much success.

Week in Fiji

Suva, Fiji Temple was dedicated in 1990

On Monday July 9th we flew to Fiji for a doctors appointment.  We were supposed to be met in Nadi by some missionaries because there was a 6 hour lay over.  We missed connections so we spend our time in the airport trying to entertain ourselves.  We finally boarded a smaller commercial airliner and took a 22 minute flight from Nadi to Suva.  We were met at the airport by Elder Whiting (the mission nurse for Fiji).  He drove us to the Fiji temple where we were housed for the week.  The accommodations were very nice and reasonable ($10.00 per person per night).

It was good to get to the temple, we were able to attend 4 sessions during our stay there.  It is a beautiful temple and most of the sessions were in English.  We did attend one session in Fijian and used ear phones, we also were able to participate in a sealing session while there.  

The temple president is Eb Davis who was the mission president of Fiji in the early 1980's.  He brought the first 6 Kiribati missionaries to serve beginning in 1985.  From that humble beginning, there are now over 14,000 LDS in Kiribati of its 100,000 residents.  I gave Pres. Davis my wiki site: www.Kiribati-lds-pioneers.wikispaces.com/ and asked if he would write his history working in Kiribati, when he found some time.  He will be at our stake conference in August along with Elder Pearson of the 70 and President Shaw.  They are going to fly all the missionaries from the outer islands including Christmas Island to come to the conference.

View of Fiji from the airplane as we approached Nadi

Another view of Fiji from the airplane

Fiji has small mountains unlike Tarawa where the
highest point if 3 meters

Medical Update:

Our medical adventure began at the Tarawa Hospital where I went with Brother and Sister Bonnemort for ultrasound which was then send to the doctors in Salt Lake City. 

The first photo below shows Elder Bonnemort and in the waiting room, which is benches outside under a patio, you can see the water supply tank in the background.   Foreigners are supposed to pay $35.00 for the ultrasound but there was no one at the hospital who knew how to take our money, so it ended up being free.  I have never had that type of problem at a U.S. hospital or doctors office.

The ultrasound equipment was quite old so it didn't show the blood flow, which made it necessary to go to Fiji for another ultrasound and a doctors checkup.  The photos taken were sent by Sister Bonnemort to Salt Lake and ultimately those taken in Fiji both concurred with the same diagnosis, which was comforting

When we arrived in Fiji, Elder Whiting informed us that the doctor appointment was canceled, because the doctor was ill.  He was able to make an appointment with another doctor at the Suva Private Hospital and ultrasound was also taken. The doctor reviewed the photos and gave his opinion that there was no rupture but a weak area was allowing fluid to drain when I stood too long.  That was what was causing the pain and swelling.  He said I should see another surgeon.

Elder Whiting was able to get me an appointment with a urologist, who after reviewing the ultrasound determined that surgery would not be necessary at this time.  Both doctors gave prescriptions for pain pills.  He also took a blood panel and had the results back to me the next day.  It was good news, which allowed us to return to Kiribati to complete our mission.

Perhaps the most important appointment was for Janis to go to a beautician to have her hair cut (for some reason, she won't let me cut her hair - go figure).  The first trip to a beauty shop in about a year, certainly brightened her day.  Also going grocery shopping at large supermarkets was a fun experience for her -- as was going to a local butcher and having them slice ham for sandwiches.  There were several department stores that had American goods, which was also fun to see, even though we didn't buy anything.  But. be it ever so humble, there is no place like home -- in Kiribati.  It was still good to return to our flat.  All that good food and merchandize in Fiji would have spoiled us if we had stayed much longer.

Week in Suva

We were invited to Elder and Sister Whiteheads for supper on Monday.  The Whiteheads are the new ITEP couple from Ontario, Canada.  After visiting for a while, it appears that Janis is related to Elder Whitehead back several generations.  The Whitings also joined us for a pot roast dinner (the first in about a year for us).  After attending the temple on Tuesday evening we went to supper with the the Whitings, Whiteheads, and another couple from Bountiful.

Elder and Sister Whiting, the mission nurse, were our hosts and took very good care of us on our visit to Fiji. Elder Whiting worked for IHC as a supervisor of outpatient nurses.  They live in the Heber valley area near Wanship dam.

On Wednesday we again had supper to celebrate Elder and Sister Jackson's wedding anniversary, as well as our own, which we were unable to do anything because we were packing for Fiji.  It was a nice restaurant on the ocean with a nice atmosphere.  We ate out two other times at different restaurants, which was a change from the Chinese ones in Tarawa.  On Saturday, we took in a movie at a large screen theater and watched the "Amazing Spiderman", which I enjoyed more than Janis.  (I think she liked it but wouldn't admit it).

On Sunday we attended Church at the Primary School near the temple.  It was in English and we enjoyed meeting many of the Fijian saints there.  After church we were invited to lunch at the mission presidents home.  Which was a very nice home on the temple grounds next to the temple presidents home.  The homes are only about 2 years old and are very lovely and spacious.  Bro and Sister Jarman along with the Whitings also joined us for lunch.  The Jarman's are an older couple who are missionaries working at the Suva Temple and are from Bountiful.

Bishop Balencagi and his family brought some items for us to deliver to their daughter who is a missionary in Tarawa.  Elder and Sister Whiting are also in the picture.

Later Sunday after noon the family of Sister Balenacagi,  a Fijian missionary in Kiribati, brought us some clothes and dried fruit to take back to her.  We also bought back some chocolate for the sister missionaries, which really brightens up their day.  Sister Barlow and Sister Balenacagi came to our flat on the Monday afternoon and we gave them the items from her family.  She was excited, and kept saying this is just like Christmas.  She needed an English Book of Mormon, and when I went to the distribution center to buy it, one of her best friends was working there so I had her write a short note in the cover.  It was really fun to see the joy in Sister Balenacagi face as she opened each package including dried apples her family gave her.  She and Sister Barlow immediately opened the chocolate to have a taste.

View of Tarawa on our return trip

It was an enjoyable week in Fiji and most important was receiving the clearance to complete our mission here.  We were afraid if we had to go to Hawaii or the States for surgery, we may not have been able to return to Kiribati, which we love.  Time is flying by fast, we will have been out for one year in a few weeks.

July 4th Celebration in Kiribati

 4th of July in Kiribati

The missionary couples were invited to a special morning devotional at Moroni High School.  When we got there the place was decorated with a large American Flag on the back row of the choral room.  There was a large sheet cake decorated as the American flag with fifty white stars on a blue background all made from frosting along with red and white  stripes in the flag.  The missionary couples sat on the top row just in front of the Flag as the honored guests. 

In attendance was the Moroni High faculty and the service center employees.

The program began with singing "My Country Tis of Thee", I was asked to give an inspirational thought.  So I spoke of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution and the importance of each document.  President Tune then also spoke on the same topics and added how the Japanese had captured Tarawa and were using the I-Kiribati people as slave laborers and how grateful he was that the US was able to recapture the island and allow it to become an English protectorate until it gained its independence as a nation.  This was followed by all of us singing "The Star Spangled Banner" as we all arose placed our hand over our hearts and sang with gusto.

Lita then showed a YouTube video clip on American as part of the video was the song "I'm proud to be an American". The sister missionaries then cut the cake, all posing holding the knife.  The closing hymn was "America The Beautiful".  After the closing prayer we had refreshments.

It was a wonderful surprise and helped us remember our basic freedoms.  Kiribati will celebrate their independence day beginning July 8th for the entire week.

The room was decorated in Red White and Blue

From Left to Right Elder and Sister Bush, Elder and Sister Thorne,  Elder and Sister Ogborn, and Elder and Sister Bonnemort were honored guest at a July 4th celebration in Kiribati

Patriotic Cake for 4th of July

Lita conducting the celebration and Pres. Tune with his new I-Pad getting ready to display the word to the songs on the screen

Pres. Tune talking discussing the importance of the US constitution and the religious freedoms
now enjoyed in Kiribati because of the sacrifices of US service men at the Battle of Tarawa

One of the teachers really got in the spirit of independence day with his US Flag Tie.  
Everyone wanted a photo of his tie.

Another I-Kiribati Tradition is to have honored guests cut the cake.  Here the four senior missionary sisters are all holding the knife getting ready to cut the cake, prior to refreshments being served

Kiribati Independence Week

The second week in July all schools and government offices are closed to celebrate Kiribati's Independence Day.  There are many special events scheduled for Kiribati independence week including singing, dancing, talent show, high school drama competition, canoe races, kite races, soccer, power weight lifting, and many other events.  Unfortunately, we will be in Fiji for a doctors appointment during that week and will miss all the festivities.  The people do know how to celebrate in Kiribati.


July 5th and 6th was the inter school track and field event, which is the major high school sporting event of the year.  There were nine schools represented and the grand entry by each squad was very impressive.  They marched in step in their track uniforms with the school banner out front.  When they got in front of the bleachers where the honored guests were seated each squat did a dance routine, some lasted only for a minute and others went nearly ten minutes.  


We were able to watch part of the events the first day and then had to leave, unfortunately we forgot to bring our camera.  But it was very impressive.  Most of the final events will occur on Friday.  It has rained off on on most of the day, but each school brings large shelters for the squads and other students to sit under to watch the events.  We were able to return Friday morning and watch the boys and girls distance events which took several hours to complete all the heats.  We sat with the student body as they cheered each runner every time they passed the Moroni tent. 

Moroni High School won both the senior and junior divisions at the track meet, winning most of the distance and intermediate events (5000, 3000, 800, 400 for both boys and girls.  They placed high in the sprints but didn't win them and also won most of the relay and field events.  They have trained hard for several months and it was very evident.  


I-KIRIBATI STUDIES CLASS

As part of the curriculum at Moroni High is a class called Kiribati Studies.  As part of the course, students are taught traditional skills that have been passed down for generations.  For this part of the course students meet in the maneabea to learn skills such as basket weaving and making fishing nets

One of the local sisters is teaching a student how to weave a basket out of coconut pronds

A young student making a basket

A few baskets students are in the process of weaving

This young man made a fishing net, but is using it as a hammock.  It is fascinating to watch how they make the nets

Students continue to work on the traditional skills even after school hours