March 4, 2014, We're Big Cheeses But Not as Big as Other Big Cheeses

Greetings!

I've been a sick puppy all weekend, but I think I'm starting to feel better.  The sister training leaders (aka "sister APs") and the Weirs were in Ebeye for the weekend, which was really fun and nice.  Sister Crane and Sister Tago are some of my favorite sisters in Majuro, so I was really excited to see them. We went on splits on Saturday when they got here, but then I got sick on Sunday so I stayed home with one of them or sister Becker or Sister Weir so they could go out and work.

I realized how much I've missed seeing the other sisters during P days, since Tafili and I are the only sisters on Ebeye.  We really need two more sisters on Ebeye.  It's just hard being the only sisters here sometimes, and our area is the whole island while each set of elders have only 1/3 of the island.  It's a bit exhausting at times.

From left to right: Sisters Tafili, Anitak, Butler, and Ned

On Thursday night we went to a "keemem" or a kid's 1st year birthday party.  Holy cow, the keemems are a much bigger deal here than in Majuro, possibly because people have more money here.  It was in the restuarant of the Ebeye Hotel and they had hired a guy to play keyboard and sing.  The food was really good and the place was packed.  The kid is a son of a lds couple (I think they're both RMs) and the three of them were all wearing matching clothes.  Sister Tafili and I got there a bit late and we were ushered in past everyone sitting in the hallway (because it was so full of people there wasn't room) and we were led to a table where Sis. Seremai (district pres' wife) and sis. Thomas (1st counselor in the district pres) were sitting.  We're big cheeses.  But we're not as big as the big cheeses that got to sit in another smaller, adjacent room (Pres. Seremai, Pres. Thomas, the Beckers, and the family of the young kid).  Of course we got our food first and it's polite to just start eating once you get your food, which is so weird to me.  Sister Thomas gave me a guam dress that I think she had gotten as a party favor.  It was a crazy party.  The keemems in Majuro are definitely not as extravagant.  I didn't get any pictures, but I know sister Becker did, so maybe you can find some on her blog.

Baptism on Saturday

Another view of the baptism

I forgot to tell you!  I saw a shark a few weeks ago.  It was the P day when we headed to Carlos (I thought it was "Charles") and we were standing on the dock and we saw a big 5 foot shark lurking by the dock.  We were surprised how close it came to the dock.  The water is so clear and pretty that you can see a lot of really pretty fish.  We want to find a member to teach us how to fish one of these p days.  Everyone fishes here, so it shouldn't be too hard.  The ocean here is just full of fish.

A sister missionary that served in the Philippines just got back from her mission on Friday.  We went to the dock to pick her up and she actually stayed with us for the evening because in Ebeye they say the missionaries can't sleep at home until they're released (which we all think is crazy, but whatever).  She's really nice.  Her English is better than a lot of the missionaries' english that served in english speaking missions!  We took her to go see her family as soon as she arrived and it was super awkward.  I don't think any of them hugged her nor seemed too excited to see her.  Marshallese people and their lack of affection drives me a little crazy.  Sister Tafili said to me later "if that's how it is when I get home, then I'm going to cry."  Of course Samoans are the exact opposite.  They all hate goodbyes and will cry and cry for hours if they say goodbye to someone they just met two weeks ago. 

Do you guys know what beetlenut is?  It's disgusting.  Look it up.  Supposedly everyone is PNG (Papua New Guinea) chews it and a lot of the men chew it here.  It's stains one's teeth a reddish brown and supposedly makes them high.  And then they spit in the street and it stains the street.  It's so gross.

We had a baptism on Saturday and we have another one this saturday.  A girl named Hellen from Ailinglaplap (an outer island) is getting baptized. 

I'm going to take a nap and drink lots of water and take it easy for the rest of the day.  Two elders are coming from Majuro today, so we might go to the dock when the ferry comes at 3.

Love you all, 

Sister Ellen Butler