Dr. Chisholm and Dental Assistants

Dr Wayne Chisholm, Akihisa Lopez, Fehi Zollinger, and Marian Allie are at Moroni High for 3 weeks helping students and staff with their dental needs.

Dr. Wayne Chisholm a dentist who had a practiced in Monroe, Utah is at Moroni High School for about three weeks to help with various dental needs of students, missionaries, prospective missionaries, church employees and others as time permits.  This is Dr. Chisholm's sixth visit to Kiribati as part of the Academy of LDS Dentists program.  He and his good wife visited Kiribati twice when serving their mission in 2003-05 and have since returned four more times.  Dr. Chisholm and team are sponsored by Deseret International and are doing a great service to the Saints in the Pacific.

Sister Lopez and Sister Zollinger cleaning teeth

Dr. Chisholm is accompanied by two volunteer dental assistants who have worked with him in the Pacific area for several years.  Akihisa and Fehl, both attended Liahona High School together.  Akihsa began working as a dental assistants while the Chisholms were serving as missionaries in the Pacific. A short time later Akishsa introduced Fehi to Dr. Chisholm and she also became a volunteer dental assistant for nearly fourteen months in Tonga during their mission there. These Assistants accompanied the Elder and Sister Chisholm to Kiribati, Samoa, and Fiji twice during their mission.   Since that time they both have come to Kiribati four additional times.   They speak of how the Kiribati students invigorate them and they both love coming here.

Akihisa married Jared Lopez and now lives in Australia but continues to serve with Dr. Chisholm when he comes to the Pacific.  Fehi's family immigrated to the US and Dr. Chisholm hired her for a while to work in his practice in Monroe, Utah.  Fehi decided to go to Logan to visit with a missionary companion but, her companion was not home, instead she met her brother.  They eventually fell in love and were married. She still lives in Logan, her married name is Fehi Zolinger. She continues to volunteer her time to accompany Dr. Chisholm as he goes to various Church schools in the Pacific.

Both assistants are very dedicated and volunteer hundreds of hours each year to work with Dr. Chisholm.  The first week they served 100 patients first working with twenty Form 7 students and eighty prospective missionaries.  Dr. Chisholm and his team visit the Pacific church schools about every 18 months to volunteer their time and expertise to help with the dental needs of students and staff.

They have been somewhat over whelmed by the large number of 19 year old I-Kiribati sisters and young elders wanting their dental exams so they can submit their mission papers.  Dr Chisholm shared how very excited these 19 year old young ladies are about to be able to serve missions.  The dental portion of the application and needed dental work will be completed by Dr. Chisholm and his assistants.  Also working closely with them is Marian ALLIE who is the school nurse.  When she is not teaching a class she assists in the work.  Akihisa's husband Jared joined the team at the end of the first week and is also helping assist in the work.

The MHS dental clinic is located in the school nurses office and has 2 dental chairs

Dr. Chisholm related how he got involved with dentistry in the Pacific.  He joined the Academy of LDS Dentists several years ago.  Each year members of this organization try to work in an international location for two weeks each year.  Through a set of unusual circumstances they ended up serving in Tonga and loved it so much they returned for several more years at two week intervals.  As he reached retirement age they decided to go on a mission.  So he informed the people in Tonga they probably would not be back next year because they were in the process of submitting mission papers.

Apparently the coconut wireless heard of their desire to go on a mission.  They had only returned home for about a week when they received a call from the Pacific Area President.  He explained the need for them to start dental clinics in four nation islands in the Pacific.  When their mission call came they were called to work at Church Schools in Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and to especially to be aware of the needs in Kiribati.  While serving their mission is when Akisha and Fehi who began their volunteer work with the Chisholms.  Their good work is greatly appreciated and is invaluable to the students and staff at Moroni High.

As a result, Bro. and Sister Chisholm have established a seven chair clinic at Liahona High School, they are in the process of completing a five chair clinic in Samoa, and another clinic at the Church High School in Fiji.  The Kiribati clinic at Moroni High School has two dental chairs.  The dental team of three (now four) of  stay very busy working 8 hour days Monday thru Friday.

Other LDS dentists volunteer time to serve in the Pacific and in other nations through out the world, but so far Dr. Chisholm is the only dentist to come to Kiribati.  He has three sons who are also dentists.  They have practices in Monroe, Santequin,  and Kamas.  Sister Chisholm normally also accompanies him but she has developed an allergy to mold and other things that are prevalent in the Pacific. The allergies cause her become very ill, so she stayed home this time.  But as a consolation she took her daughter and some grand kids to Disney Land.

A Form 7 Moroni Student getting dental care.

There are no dentists in private practice in Kiribati, the few dentist that are here in Tarawa work for the government hospital, which provides free dental care to the I-Kiribati people.  Some dentists after they practice here for a while choose to leave Kiribati and set up their own private practices in Fiji and other locations to make a better wage.  The services of Dr. Chisholm and his assistants volunteer efforts help alleviate the pressures on the few dentists who do practice in Kiribati.

The I-Kiribati people have beautiful smiles and teeth.  One of the major problems according to Dr. Chisholm is periodontal disease even more than tooth decay.  This is because many brush their teeth regularly but do not floss.

Marian, the school nurse also teaches health classes at Moroni High.  She is just completing her student teaching course and will soon finish her ITEP teaching certificate.  Elder Thorne has observed her teaching health classes on several occasions.  One of the units she teaches each semester is on proper dental care.  She provides an in depth demonstration for Form 1 students on how to brush and floss there teeth. 

Sister Chisholm related to us last year, before we came to Kiribati, that when she and her husband first came to Moroni High - several students in the dormitories were sharing the same tooth brush as a result hepatitis was very prevalent among students.  Through their generous service - dental hygiene among the students and staff at Moroni High School has dramatically improved.  Dr. Chisholm spoke of many miracles that have occurred as they have worked on these faithful islanders teeth.

They see many patients each day and will remain busy for all three weeks. The first week they took care of the dental needs of 100 young people - 90 of which were in process of submitting their mission papers.  Over 1/2 of the prospective missionaries were young ladies at or near 19 years old.

A few students also get to assist in cleaning teeth

Marian the school nurse helps Sister Zollinger

Marian Allie, the school nurse also teaches health classes and teaches students preventative dental care.

Open wide

It doesn't look like she is having a lot of fun in this photo as a tooth is extracted

She will be glad to get out of the clinic even minus a couple teeth

Finally, after this experience in the dental chair - serving a mission should be a snap

Akihisa taking a quick break, her husband Jared also flew here on Thursday to help with the dental clinic.  He served a mission in Tarawa several years ago

The few medical and dental facilities in Kiribati are over whelmed with patients and their are long waiting lines. Dr Chisholm and his team help alleviate this problem through their service to the Saints in Kiribati

There are many aspects of humanitarian services provided by the church besides medical and dental care.  A few months a missionary couple from Canada were in Kiribati to do preliminary work for a large immunization effort during the summer of 2014.  Anther missionary couples, who specialize in Clean water projects have also recently visited Kiribati as well other places in the Pacific and through out the world.  Many of these couples live at home and are called to various locations for a month or two to provide expertise on specific local concerns and then return back to their homes until they are called to another location.  There are numerous opportunities (long term and short term) for missionary couples.

The dedication of individuals such as Dr. Chisholm, Akihisa, Jared, and Fehi are greatly appreciated and must be very rewarding, not only for those they serve, but also for themselves personally.  It is also good to see someone from Sevier County in Kiribati.  The Church Humanitarian services truly reflect the teachings of our Savior.  "When you are in the service of your fellowmen you are only in the service of your God."

Halloween in Kiribati

The primaries had a combined activity Friday night on the tennis court, as part of that activity they celebrated Halloween, several of them wore costumes.  Elder and Sister Ogborn and ourselves were delivered candy to by the Primary to pass out to the children when they came to our door as a group to trick or treat.  Halloween is not celebrated in Kiribati, so this was the very first Halloween for most of these children.  So they began their own Halloween traditions.

When they knocked on our door, to our delight they did not say "trick or treat" instead they sang to us.  The song was:  We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Halloween Day!  They then sang it again before we passed out the candy, which was shared among them all, hopefully there was atleast one piece each because there were lots and lots of kids at our door step. 

It was a very fun evening seeing the enthusiasm of the kids.  We saw a pirate, batman, several fairy princesses, a rabbit with lighted ears and other costumes among the group.  Perhaps our favorite was a 3 year old in a white shirt and tie - he even had a missionary badge.  The Primary leaders and parents had bigger smiles than many of the children, for they also truly enjoyed the evening. Unfortunately, it was too dark to get a good photo of them.  The first group sang beautifully, the second group also did great especially singing the song in English.  We were able to record part of the song of the second group.

Primary children enjoying their first Halloween, we were not sure what the peace sign was for, and I doubt the knew either.

 The Kiribati Halloween Song by Primary Children

Later that evening all the Moroni teachers, staff, and administration - along with the Service Center employees held a celebration of singing, dancing, and food to say good bye to Elder and Sister Ogborn, and ourselves.  Even though we still have six weeks more to serve, they felt this was the right time to thank us, because we leave after school ends and many of the teachers and staff will not be available for another party.  They also thanked Dr. Chisholm and his assistants for their service it was a heart rendering evening.  We will provide photos and more details of the celebration in a future blog.

Unwanted Suprise Visitor

The power went out during Sunday School - while Sister Thorne was giving the lesson.  The fans and the air conditioners all stopped, so things began to warm up a little too much during the last part of the Sunday block meetings.  When we returned home the power was still out.   I went into the bathroom and lifted up the lid on the toilet and found we had a visitor.  Fortunately, it was during the day time so we were able to spot the intruder.   The pincher's on the crab's legs looked way to large for comfort.  I have teased our grand kids by giving them the "craw" for years, this would have been sweet revenge on their part if I had received the "craw" from the crab.

The next challenge was how to get our friend out of the toilet and back in the ocean.  I had the brilliant idea, to take a garden spade and try to put the crab into a bucket - then carry it to the sea wall to return it to its home.  However, as soon as it was touched, it made a hasty retreat back into the drainage pipe.  After a series of  flushes, it went back to where it came from, hopefully!!! 

You can be sure we will turn on the light as night before we use the lavatory.  The couple who lived in the apartment before us (The Pulsiphers) had shown us a photo of a crab in their toilet, so we have been cautious, but this is our first and hopefully, the last sighting of marine life in our bathroom.  We are really thankful, there are no snakes in Kiribati.

Like the old Kingston Trio Song, "The Cat Came Back the Very Next Day" - 

So did our crustacean friend!!! A new version of this popular song might be:
"The Crab Came Back the Very Next Day"  Maybe our grandchildren can work on a music version of the song for our next family gathering

Despite the best laid plans, at 2:30 am the crab had returned, apparently the flush - flush - flush and more flushes theory did not work.  This time it was not about to return down the pipe, so I used a diversionary tactic by flushing and as it was scrambling to stay in the bowl, I was successful in getting the garden spade under it and then into a dust pan - lifting our visitor out of the toilet and quickly placing it into a bucket.  The crab then began doing every thing it could to get out of the plastic bucket, so a very quick decision became essential and needed to be done quickly so it didn't escape and I would not have to chase it around the house.

The crab appeared to be much larger when viewed in the bucket and it seemed be quite angry with me as it was trying to get out of the bucket.  It began reaching each pincher threateningly toward me, it became survival of the fittest or the smartest.  Not having time to put on a pair of shoes and still half a sleep, I decided to take it out the front door to turn it loose.  As I tossed it onto the grass it quickly scampered away or however you describe a crab crawling at top notch speed to get as far a way from me and as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, the door shut behind me and I was locked out of the house with only my underwear covering me, thankfully October on the equator is much warmer than in Utah.  Also fortunately, there are not many people out-and-about at that time of the morning.   By using the handle of the garden spade, I was able to knock on the door loud enough that it eventually woke my lovely wife from her deep sleep and she let me back into the house.  She quickly returned to her bed to resume her beauty sleep.  For some reason she didn't seem to be smiling very much as she opened the door for me, perhaps in a few days or months or perhaps a year from now she may see the humor in the situation. As for me, the adrenaline rush was not conducive to returning to bed for quite a while so I updated this blog post.

Anyway  now I know why people hide an extra key to the house outside for such emergencies.

A More Welcome Visitor

We did have a more friendly visitor a few weeks ago, from one of the neighbor girls, Rusila's daughter "Katie".  Her father unexpectedly passed away of a heart attack recently, he was beloved by the youth particularly those playing tennis every morning.  Katie had heard I was ill and brought me some flowers she had picked.  It was a very sweet gesture on her part.  We had a very nice visit with her.  She is a a very bright and beautiful girl, who speaks very good English.  She is still in Primary School, but will be a top notch student when enters Moroni High in the future. 

Katie wearing the hat  Bwereia made for Sister Thorne during our retreat a year ago

Form 1 - Student Performance

While sitting in our office earlier this week, one of the first year teachers said his students were putting on a skit and asked if I and Lita would observe them.  There were four different groups who all performed the same skit but each with a different twist.  The made their own costume and had a lot of fun performing the skit in English.

The story is of a king who was glutenous and developed head and stomach aches from over indulgence.  He blamed his doctor for not giving him the right medicine to cure him, and the doctor was told to heal him by the end of the month or be executed.

A wise man from the village developed a plan to help the doctor by visiting the king, partaking of his food and drink and then feigned the same illness.  The wise man blamed it of eating too much, so the king realized the error of his ways thus the doctor was not executed.  The students really got into their roles and performed very well in the first English speaking play.

Let There Be Light. but not for 24 hours every day!

The light in our living room has been an ongoing adventure for several months.  It was not working so finally one of the service center electricians repaired it.  Unfortunately, after he left the light would not turn off,  so for about a month we had continuous light in the living room 24-7.  Another repairman eventually came to repair the light but, after he replaced the switch and worked for several hours, he left and then the light would not turn back on, so darkness reigned.  After waiting another month to get it repaired, the electrician again returned and worked for several more hours to fix it,  but he failed to check the switch when he left, so now the light again will not turn off. 

Now we are into week two of continuous light.  We are on the waiting list again to have it repaired.  Hopefully, another visit from the repairman will get it to turn off and then on again.  It was out for a few hours Sunday, but that was because the power was out on the whole island.  But when the power came back on, so did the light.  It is a two way switch and it doesn't appear he knows how to repair it or there will need to be some new wiring.  

We are learning patience - 

We have seen the light (continuously) as well as the crab

 who like Arnold Schwarzenegger said as it scurried away "I be baaack"

So don't worry - be happy!!  Things will eventually, work out and please have a

 

Education in Kiribati

As school winds down for the year it is appropriate to do a blog post on the education system in Kiribati.  Kiribati has very few resources and is one of the poorest nations in the world.  This post examines the education system for the I-Kiribati people.  It should help people appreciate the education system in more developed countries.

Kiribati Education

The Kiribati education system is based upon a 6-3-3 model and consists of five stages: Early Childhood Education for ages 3–5, Primary for ages 6–11 (Years 1–6), Junior Secondary for ages 12–15 (Years 7–9), Senior Secondary for ages 16–18 (Years 10–11) and Post-Secondary for ages 19–20 (Years 12–13). Age limits for each stage are notional, as it is common for students to repeat years. 

The first six years of formal education is within a primary school model covering grades 1-6. There are 91 government-run primary schools in Kiribati. The Kiribati Government is the sole provider of primary education in the country. Almost 30% of all primary age students are not enrolled in a primary school due to logistical constraints. High costs of maintaining and operating schools on outlying islands is prohibitive. 

There are 2 Combined/Junior Secondary Schools, 24 Junior Secondary Schools and 16 Senior Secondary schools in Kiribati. Approximately a quarter of these schools are government-run. The rest are run by religious groups. The Kiribati Government provides financial support both to the handful of public secondary schools and the non-government schools.

Schooling in Kiribati is free up to Junior Secondary level and attendance is legally compulsory between the ages of six and fourteen. However, a significant proportion of children in the primary and junior secondary age groups do not attend school. Students who fail competitive examinations at Year 9 and Year 11 are unable to continue their studies. This factor—and the school fees charged by all senior secondary schools—contribute to a high attrition rate among older school-age children.

Considering that the per capita income in Kiribati is less than $1500 per year, there are many challenges for families to find the necessary resources to educate their children.  Without scholarships, post secondary education is out of reach for most I-Kiribati people

English is the medium of instruction in secondary schools. The Kiribati language is widely used in primary schools, although its use is encouraged beginning in Year 3.  K-2 in most schools and preschools only teach in Kiribati during the first few grades.

 High Stakes Testing

One of the objectives of the Kiribati Government is to train and produce people with the particular technical and professional qualities to meet the manpower needs of the nation.  Thus only the best and brightest students are selected for education beyond primary school (6th Grade).  All students sit an examination at the end of class 6 (6th grade).  Of the approximate, 2000 students taking the test only 200 slots are available at four Junior Secondary Schools subsidized by the government.  

At the end of Form 3 (fifteen-year old) - students sit the "Junior Entrance Examination. Those who obtain high marks on this test are eligible to continue on to Forms 4 and 5 (grade 10 and 11).   If parents of children not passing the exam want to continue their education, they must pay the tuition and book fees which range from $400 to $600 or more per year.  The average per capita income in Kiribati is $1500 per year, so this places a great burden on families.  As a result many students do not continue education beyond primary and junior secondary school.  Only 25 percent of students attend a government or government subsidized high school.  The rest attend schools run by religious organizations.

At the end of Form 5 (11th grade) children sit the New Zealand School Certificate Examination.  For those getting high marks entry into Form 6 is possible.  At the end of one year in Form 6, children sit the Kiribati Form Six Exam, which costs the student $135 to take.  If their performance is of high standard, they may be considered for scholarships to the University of Papua New Guinea or universities in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.

Moroni High and a few other schools provide a Form 7 curriculum, where students may earn concurrent college credit while still in high school.

Kiribati shares with the other Pacific Island countries a rather heavy reliance on norm-referenced classroom tests and external examinations in assessing learning achievements of its students. The examinations have to date served the necessary function of selection for the limited places at the secondary level and the tertiary institutions.

The trend to ‘push-out’ about 30 percent of candidates at the end of Primary School and another 30 percent at junior secondary school (Form 3) and about 50 percent more at Form 5 continues. The wastage in terms of human potential is serious, as there are only limited opportunities for those who do not pass these examinations to move into any other useful direction in search of a gainful employment.

Students desiring study in the Arts have to gain four "passes in: English, Mathematics, Geography, and History.  Science students must have "passes" in English, Mathematics, Science, and one optional subject for entry to a university.  Additional tests are given by the Kiribati Ministry of Education for students to be considered for Government scholarships with the final decision made by the Ministry's Scholarship Committee.

In the past, about 90 percent of total scholarship awards, was given by the British Government.  The remainder by Australia, New Zealand, Canada and others.  The UK is gradually reducing its financial assistance in Kiribati resulting in a decline in the number of students going overseas for university study.  Private sector scholarships are almost non existent, due to the lack of commercial enterprises with significant wealth to assist in supporting scholarships.

Some of the unsuccessful students, may be accepted in the tertiary institutions in South Tarawa: Tarawa Technical Institute, Tarawa Teachers College, Marine Training School, and the School of Nursing (operated by the Ministry of Health and Family Planning).

As you can see, education in Kiribati is like a pyramid, where students are sifted, sorted and pushed out - so only the best and brightest continue their education for the limited number of employment opportunities in the government and private sector.  This pyramid system is also due to the lack of available resources to provide an education for all students.  Most students with disabilities and special needs do not even get a primary grade school education.  There is only one school serving about 100 students in Kiribati for students with disabilities.  The school was begun by the Red Cross but is now run by the Australian Government.

 A Bright Spot for Universal Education Opportunities

One of the goals of the Church Education System in the Pacific is to allow students to continue their education even though they may not have received high marks on the government tests.  Moroni is attractive because of its high moral standards, safe environment, academic reputation, English only speaking classrooms, and low tuition ($200 per year).  There are about 20 scholarships available for students recommended by their bishops and branch presidents.  A few other individuals have also provided financial support to the school through BYU Hawaii and the LDS Foundation (much more is needed)

The enrollment at Moroni is around 500 students with about 80 student living in campus dormitories.  Costs for staying in the dorm is $175 per term (there are 3 terms).   Students from the outer islands, who do not have relatives with whom they can live stay in the dorms.  LDS and non LDS apply for entrance a Moroni, but the waiting list is much larger than space available.  

Visitors often observe how happy the students are at Moroni, some have referred to it as the "happy or smiley school".  We witness the joy students, especially young women,  show each day as they meet friends and give each other a hug and a kiss on the cheek then walk holding each others hands or with arms around each others shoulders.  Boys are a little more subtle, but you can see their joy as they see friends also.

Moroni High is truly "a gem" in the Pacific and provides hope for the future of its students, families, the Church, and the Nation. It has been and continues to be central to the growth of the Church in Kiribati.

English Continues to be Problematic in Kiribati

Even though English is the official language of Kiribati, a recent study by the University of South Pacific (USP) showed that only 12 to 14 percent of students sitting their English proficiency exams pass a with college readiness score.  This is compared to 48 to 50 percent of students at USP's other campuses in the Pacific.  Some possible explanations for this include the need for better English instruction at the Primary and Secondary Schools, the lack of English speaking media (few families have a television and local radio stations mainly speak Kiribati).

The returned missionaries who sit the SLEP Test, which is the English proficiency exam for BYU Hawaii, only about one in three pass the exam with a high enough score (52) for entrance there.  Nearly every returning missionary has a dream of attending BYU Hawaii, but only a small percent are admitted and unless they receive a scholarship, few have the resources to attend with out an I-Work Scholarship.

Another problem is that government scholarships will not provide a waiver for LDS students desiring to go on a mission or for other students unable to attend immediately.  The scholarships have a "use it or loose it" clause.  With the change in age requirements this will even be more challenging for students graduating from high school students earning a scholarship.  However, the age change is very positive for young women.  Currently, many sisters in Kiribati serve missions, so when they return at age 23 and work to get an education, may single sisters are in their late 20's or early 30's before they even consider marriage.

TVET

The problem of helping some 90% of school leavers who will not find a paid job has remained critical.  A renewed effort to establish technical and vocational programs and cottage industries is critically needed.  The TVET (Technical Vocational Education Training) is starting to receive more attention at the government and school levels.  There are a number of government institutions that offer TVET training in specific fields. These include:

• The Kiribati Institute of Technology provides short courses in areas such as the building trades, carpentry, vehicle maintenance, computer skills and business studies, adult education and engineering. Most courses are pre-diploma level, although there are a small number of diploma qualifications. 
• The Kiribati Police Academy offers pre-service training for recruits to the Kiribati Police. 
• The Kiribati School of Nursing runs courses leading to a Certificate in Midwifery and a Diploma in Nursing and Obstetrics. 
• The Kiribati Teachers College offers certificate- and diploma-level teacher training for primary and junior secondary teachers. 
• In addition, two government institutions provide TVET in the nautical field. The first of these is the Fisheries Training Centre (FTC).The FTC provides seamanship training to the level of rating (Deck, Engine and Fishing) for Kiribati men intending to work on commercial fishing vessels. Qualifications on offer also include an upgrading course for qualified fishermen. 
• The Marine Training Centre (MTC) runs basic training courses in deck, engine-room and catering work, including a number of certificate-level programs. German shipping companies provide the main employers for graduates of the MTC. 

There is a renewed effort among the LDS Church School on TVET programs.  Moroni High will implement several new TVET courses during the 2014 school year.

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Much of the information on this post was taken from: 

http://www.icde.org/projects/regulatory_frameworks_for_distance_education/country_profiles/kiribati/education_system/

http://www.unesco.org/education/wef/countryreports/kiribati/rapport_2_2.html

General Conference in Kiribati

General Conference Weekend

We were able to listen to General Conference last week end via the Internet on lds.org and on the Mormon Channel.  This weekend it will be rebroadcast to the Saints in Kiribati.  The translators have been very busy all week translating the different sessions into Kiribati.  

Saturday morning the Priesthood session will be rebroadcast at 7:30 am, then the Saturday Morning at 10 am and the Saturday afternoon session at 1:00 pm.  This will be followed by the General Relief Society meeting at 5:00 pm.  So it will be a long day, but also an exciting one.  On Sunday the two sessions will be replayed at 10:00 and 1:00 pm.  Our stake will meet at the Moroni High chapel where it will be broadcast in English.  Some of the classrooms will be used to broadcast conference in Kiribati.  

The other stake center will broadcast conference on a similar session but it will be all in Kiribati.

Creative Grandchildren

Madison's Music Video is interrupted by her sister Anne who is Campaigning for a Student Council Office at her middle school.  It was fun to watch.

Last year we posted a short video of Anne's video as she ran for a class office.  Apparently, each candidate can make a video as part of their campaign speech.  So Anne and her creative sisters prepared another video.

Other Family Updates

Kevin and Carrie won a free trip to Hawaii for a week, all expenses paid, so we are anxious to hear all about their trip after they return this weekend.  Distance wise they are about one-half of the way to Kiribati (as the crow or Frigate birds fly).  However, airplanes do not take the shortest route.  

Jalene and one of her friends, who was a fairly recent convert to the Church, got tickets to attend General Conference at one of the Sunday sessions.  Her friend was so excited to hear President Monson speak.  They both made it back safely and had a great time.  

Brian and Tracy have tickets to go to Greenland in March to watch the Northern Lights for their anniversary.  It is a very unique present and we get to attend the grand kids while they are gone.  That will be fun for us and hopefully for the kids.

All the Foisy girls are busy with piano, dance, ice skating and school activities and hopefully academics.  Elizabeth has her own car, so she can get up and drive herself and Madison to early morning seminary.  The school asked Madison to be an ambassador for for the school to welcome guests and new students.  She was quite surprised when she was asked, but also excited.

Jeff's team took first place in their soccer tournament now he looks forward to wrestling.  Drew, Luke, and Jorja are in a dual immersion program where they are learning Spanish at school.  Brian reports they are starting to speak several words, and Jorja sings several Spanish songs.