The rock this little crab is carrying around is about the size of a golf ball.

Our Teachers

We are working on learning Ponapean again. Students that we had in the recent past have all resumed their studies along with new ones. We are so happy to be together. They are eager for us to be able to speak their language fluently. All have been teaching us whatever they can and correcting our appalling pronunciation! 

Our favorite teachers posed for this photo tonight. They fire word after word at us, expect us to repeat it, correct us till we get it close to correct and then help us use it in a sentence. We think it is pure entertainment for them since we are all laughing at our attempts. They even praise us when we say things correctly. We love it so much.

These kids are from three families. All of the families are studying the Bible. Aren't they beautiful?

Protection

This photo was taken outside of the nursery at the hospital. Rosary beads are used here as protection from bad spirits. Pregnant women will be given them to wear to protect her and her unborn child. After the child is born, beads are kept next to the baby to protect it. The three sets of beads on the door to the nursery are for three different newborns.

State Bird

Yes, this is a chicken on our steps. No, we don't live in the country, jungle or any other place you might expect to see roaming chickens. Chickens roam the island freely and crow all night long, every night. This guy has become very brave and is now approaching our second floor landing. Soon, he'll probably be camped outside of our window so we can have our own personal crowing session. Or we could catch  him for dinner....hmmm

Election Time

In the mainland, there are debates, town hall meetings, and expensive commercials for elections. Here, it's a little different...at any given time, a candidate, like the one above, pops up a sign and stands by the side of a busy road and waves. Sometimes, they are accompanied by many others, all waving. Is a person supposed to vote for the best wave? Well, many times, the votes come from who the candidate knows or is related to.

Happy Times!

Alice was able to visit Julita for the first time this week. As it turns out, they are related to each other. (It seems that most everyone is related to someone here--one day, maybe, we'll find out we're related to someone too!) Anyway, they spoke with each other in Yapese. It was so wonderful to see Alice talk about Jehovah with the language of her heart. Julita will be studying next Wednesday.

A Few Assembly Photos

The sister on the left, Marlene, has been the only one in her family in the truth for many years. She has endured much. The lady on the right, Doris, is her first cousin. She first studied 20 years ago, then 15 years ago, the I met her about three years ago and we've studied and stopped twice. All of this time, she would never attend any meeting. She attended the Memorial this spring, then came to the public talk that John gave two weeks ago. She began her study again the week after that, then attended Sunday of the circuit assembly.

Her son asked if she was changing her religion. She said she is learning right now and that, as her son knows, the Catholic church has never satisfied her spiritually. She said that she is being fed spiritually now.

This is a picture of the goofballs behind us!

You all remember Ann, Kayelani, and Tetfina.

Artiko, Mamoa and Leben. Mamoa and I study, well, we try. She speaks mostly Marshallese and I can say two words in the language, so our studies are pretty entertaining. We do a lot of gestures, drawing, miming and mostly, a lot of laughing. It must be working since she has been witnessing to other family members about what she has learned. Someone told her that they know more about the Bible than her. She asked why they don't talk about it!

Do we hear wedding bells??!!

Noah is 10 months old and a sweet baby. This was his first time to be at an assembly or any meeting. It was his mom's first time too. They spent a lot of time listening in the mothers' room and getting to know other moms and little ones. Both had such a great time. Noah got picked up or held by as many girls could get their hands on him while his mom giggled about the whole thing! She got the biggest charge out of John holding Noah during the program and playing around with him. 

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