Feeling the love!!!

 

Hello Family and Friends!

A fun view from a restaurant we stopped at 
this week.

Happy Valentines Week to you all!  Hoping you’re all enjoying the sweet reminders of how much you are LOVED!   I loved getting a phone call from my oldest Grandson yesterday to show me his haircut and to catch up on what is happening in his life.  He showed me the gifts he was giving to his girlfriend.  How can he be old enough to date! Blah! Time!  It goes by so quickly. That’s’ why it’s so important to make each day count! I am pretty sure I’m quoting a line from a movie.  I also have to say it was nice to get some text messaging from my granddaughter Rylie and from Ella and I can’t leave out the What’s App messages from Britt and Patrick and a Sneak peek and a hello from a quick phone call from Stephanie, Mark, Gracie, Darcie, Tate, Grant, Lincoln, Jacob, Nic, Luke, Alysse. Sometimes a "Hello, I’m thinking of you" goes a long way!  Being able to call Mom and catch up with her is always the cherry on top! And finally receiving our first packages, that Kristen and Nic sent us, is a cherry on top of the week.  We definitely felt the Love this week.  Many of our friends have responded to our blog posts and made comments.  Thank you all for being a part of our beautiful life.  We love you all so much!

Mark and I have entered our 6th month of serving as full-time missionaries! This week we joined our good friends Elda and Sista Meyers in being Tutored in Bislama.  We have had 2 classes and 1 of 5 weeks down.  Our teacher’s name is Terri, and he is good and patient.  I have to work on my I’s.  I’s have the e sound and I am forgetting that.  I feel like I am back in grade school, Learning letter sounds, sentence structure.  Every word in Bislama is spelled how it sounds which makes spelling easier.   For example:  Walk about is 'wokabaot', Make is 'Makem', Cook is 'Kuk', phone is 'Fon', Christ is 'Kraes', shoes is 'sus'.  In the word sus the us makes the word sound like “s-oos”.  Just to give you a few examples of the words we are learning.  It feels good to be able to understand the language a bit better.  I guess we are not too old to learn new tricks. 😊

In addition to our language classes this week, we accomplished so much.  My boyfriend and his whiteboard list keep us on task.  Although, we did forget about a meeting we had Wednesday morning with our friends on the island of Malakula.  We felt so bad, but at least it has been rescheduled for this week.

Our Friday SIS reading & writing older
class just getting ready to study.

Each week we begin by having our S&I team meetings.  Again S&I stands for Seminary and Institute.  We spent a lot of our time this week discussing the Succeed in School program.  We have a goal to have it up and function in all the units on our island by March 16^th.  So, we spent time organizing and making sure we knew what books we still needed.  We just had books printed for the island of Santo where they have been teaching SIS for past year. Many thanks to Elda and Sista DeYoung on Santo for all they are doing. We are hoping to get this program available on Malakula and Tanna Islands as well. So, we have plenty to keep us busy. 

Okay, can I just take a minute and tell you how much fun we have teaching Math!!  On Monday afternoon we taught our SIS math class.  We love our students; they are so much fun!  This year we have a few new students bringing our class up to 8.  We are only a few weeks in and I’m thinking we may get a few more.  But this week we did reviews of multiplications and fractions/decimals.  We brought dice and had each student roll the dice.   Depending on what 2 numbers they rolled they had to write the problem and solve it.  Like 9X7=____.  We did several rounds of that and then we added another dice.  So now they were rolling 3 dice, (9X7) x 5 = _____.  It was a lot of fun and a great way to see where we are weak.  Then we focused on changing fractions into division and decimals.  We had some flash cards we put up on the board and assigned different cards to each student to solve.  Again, great practice to learn how to help our students move forward.  We have a new student whose name is Joseph.  Joseph arrives on time and helps us set up class and take it down.  He is so kind and gentle and respectful and thankful.  He shows up and is eager to learn. Both Mark and I really enjoy his sweet personality, and his infectious smile.

Jesus showing how to minister to the one by washing His disciples feet.

Wednesday, I taught our Missionary Institute class.  Our lesson was “Ministering like the Savior”.  I love learning from the examples of Jesus Christ.  We reviewed quotes from leaders and Apostles and then we studied the Parable of the good Samaritan. I loved two quotes and would love to share those with you:

The Holy Ghost will often prompt us to serve in small and simple ways. President Jean B. Bingham, Relief Society General President, taught:      

“Sometimes we think we have to do something grand and heroic to “count” as serving our neighbors. Yet simple acts of service can have profound effects on others—as well as on ourselves. What did the Savior do? … He … smiled at, talked with, walked with, listened to, made time for, encouraged, taught, fed, and forgave. He served family and friends, neighbors and strangers alike, and He invited acquaintances and loved ones to enjoy the rich blessings of His gospel. Those “simple” acts of service and love provide a template for our ministering today.” (“Ministering as the Savior Does,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 104)

This next one is of course my all-time favorite example of how Jesus Christ teaches us to minister:

Imagine what the Savior might have felt during the Last Supper, anticipating the awful suffering awaiting Him in Gethsemane and on the cross. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles observed: “Under the strain of deep and profound emotion … Christ quietly arose, girded himself as a slave or servant would, and knelt to wash the Apostles’ feet. (See John 13:3–17.) This small circle of believers in this scarcely founded kingdom were about to pass through their severest trial, so he would set aside his own increasing anguish in order that he might yet once more serve and strengthen them.” (“He Loved Them unto the End,” Ensign, Nov. 1989, 25)

Painting of the Good Samaritan as found in the New Testament 

I continue to see a pattern in the Life of Jesus Christ.  He always turns outward. Never inward.  We talked about the parable of the Good Samaritan and how it is not always convenient to serve.  This good Sarmatian was on his way somewhere and he put that all aside to minister and love and lift and care for another.  He bound up his wounds, spent time with him, and provided a place to heal.  I want to be a better minister, and I am so thankful for the beautiful lessons Jesus is teaching me through this opportunity to teach.  I know if we will follow the example of Jesus Christ, we will experience a meaningful and purposeful and joyful life!

While I was teaching, Mark attended a YSA Stake Committee Meeting. The Stake Presidency has asked that the YSA’s gather to the Stake Center each week for Institute.  There is quite the buzz around this new announcement.  The YSA committee, that Mark attended, was to discuss this and to express their concerns.  Unfortunately, only one YSA showed up. Although, it was poorly attended, there was a meaningful conversation on the idea of moving all Institute classes to the Stake Center instead of having them held in the individual Ward/Branch meeting houses.  Some of the concerns we have are the distance and cost of travel.  Having this weekly meeting would put a financial burden on those having to travel.  Most people don’t have personal transportation and would need to take bus(es) just to get there and then the bus(es) to return home.  The return ride will normally take longer later at night as there are less buses that run, and you may get routed to a farther location to catch another bus that is going by your community.   Because of the effort to take buses, not all will be able to attend as easily as they would if they were being held at their local building.  The pro would be it would be a great gathering to have them all come together to socialize and learn.  

The first YSA Institute meeting at the Stake Center took place on Friday, and we had around 60 show up.  There are so many more that should be attending!  They were presented with educational opportunities/helps and the opportunity to register for 1 of the 4 religious courses being offered each week. Next week their first class will be held.  We will have to see how that goes.  Before Christmas we had around 15 show up at our unit building for Institute.  We only had 2 YSA’s show up from our Ward to this centralized Institute meeting on Friday.  We want it to succeed and we hope it will.  Time will tell.

Momma Ruth in the middle of some of her
students in her humble home, used also as
her school.

We visited Momma Ruth again this week -- she is an amazing woman.  She has a house set up to teach preschool and then in the afternoon she has older children come for Succeed in School class.  We aren’t sure the students are on the level to have Succeed in School as many don’t even go to school, and hence they don’t know how to read. Mark and I are trying to figure out a way we can help her with their educational needs.  She is a willing servant.  She needs to get certified to receive any salary from the government, and has been told that over and over again, but she's not given up yet on trying.  If you could see the children running to her house each time we show up. Momma Ruth house is a house of Love and learning. These kids need education, but unfortunately their parents can’t afford to educate them (schooling in Vanuatu isn’t free, and each family has to pay for schooling) and the parents are not educated either.  We are looking into another educational church program that might be a better fit. 

Mamma Ruth and I talking about her students.

While at her home, Momma Ruth said, “Elda Lovelace this side needs this and she pointed to the linoleum on one side of the room.”  One side of the room has linoleum, and the other side is just a cement floor. I believe that we have found another project that might be our own personal service project. 😊  

Fancy linoleum flooring.   

We love this woman and our heart wants to bless this community of children.  Will you pray that we can figure out a way to minister to the educational needs of this village?  I can’t help but think about my cousin Debi and all the good she has provided to her community through her Ministry.  Her example of love and finding a way is pushing me forward.  I know it will happen. 

Whew, this is getting long… Did you take a nap in between these pages?  Hah! 

Me cutting down our second
bunch of bananas since being in
Vanuatu.   I did it!!!

Friday, we drove the new Senior missionary couple over housing out to Paonangisu (which is about 1.5 hours away from where we live).  Mark fixed a kitchen faucet, and we did a house inspection.  We also picked up their vehicle, as the younger elder no longer has driving privileges due to having his 3^rd minor accident.  On the way back home, we stopped for lunch at Banana Bay, I also used my machete to cut down more bananas (see attached video), and we saw a young calf run across the road as if it was a deer. We saw little piggies along the side of the road.  It was an enjoyable afternoon.

Throughout the week Mark continued to write a complete history on the YSA Convention in addition to providing the final roll-up of funds spent.  We love you all and love sharing our amazing experiences with you.  We hope that something we share will inspire you to minister beyond what you are already doing.  If you’re thinking, what can I do?  Remember Acts 10:38, “He [meaning Jesus Christ] went about doing good and so can you.”  Love you all!!!

Darleen & Mark, Nana & Papa, and Mom & Dad

Additional Photographs from the week

A small water crossing from our trip
out to Paonangisu.   This is one of two
crossings that during rainy season can
be a challenge

Two of the box full of bananas I cut
down.   BANANAS!!!!

SIS class this week out at Etas Ward