Greetings from Ajeltake,
We had a good week. We had Zone Conference on Wednesday, and that was really good. An area 70 (that's in the 8th quorum of the 70?) from Tonga/New Zealand came and spoke a little. It threw me off a little though because he really spoke like a New Zealander...which seems weird for an area 70. It wasn't as good as when Elder Hamula came though. The APs asked me and Sister Chamings to do a musical number right before it started so we sang something we had sung for a baptism.
On Thursday we did an exchange with the Long Island sisters. Exchanges are really pointless. I went to Long Island for the day and it was fine. I'm glad I work in Ajeltake. Long Island just seems kind of boring to me.
We had an investigator named Joann get baptized on Saturday. Her husband is less active and he didn't end up coming to the baptism, even though he said he would. She was kind of upset about that and we were annoyed too. But we did have an investigator come to church on Sunday that's never come before. Normally her husband says she can't come to church, but yesterday she got all ready and we went and picked her and her two kids up for church.
Sister Weir came out to Ajeltake and worked with us on Friday, which was fun. She and President Weir are in Ebeye for the weekend and they get back tomorrow, and then sometime this week I get to eat my final dinner at the mission home before I go home. After this week they'll be in Kiribati until after I leave.
I don't think we're doing anything for Thanksgiving, but that's okay. I'm trying to see if someone will catch us a shark or a turtle so I can eat some of that before I leave. Maybe we'll eat shark for Thanksgiving.
Our car says it's empty even though it's full of gas. We were wondering why we ran out of gas so quickly this week. We went to fill it up and after they put a little bit they said it was full.
We're trying to teach the YW a hymn for the fireside this Sunday. We just put them into two groups and taught them soprano and alto. Especially since they have no idea how to read music. We tried singing it for them and then had them try to copy us, which worked out well.
I think that's all from this week. Stay warm and toasty!
Sister Butler
Monday, November 24, 2014
Monday, November 17, 2014
November 17, 2014, A Bubu taught Us How to Make Marshallese Earrings
Greetings,
Before coming to email today Sister Chamings and I went to Lomajurok and a bubu there taught us how to make Marshallese earrings. We now know how to make a few different types, so I'm going to try to see if i can get some kimej (the long, thin, dried coconut leaves) so I can bring them back and dye them and make earrings with them.
We missionaries in Ajeltake (Me, Chamings, and the ZLs) are planning a branch fireside for the end of this month. We invited some people from the stake that know how to speak well to come and speak at it. It took forever to contact them because the phone numbers didn't work, and no one has addresses. Hopefully it'll be good.
We had an investigator named Lusiana get baptized on Saturday. She's in her late 40s. Her daughter came to the baptism which was nice. We also had a couple of women get interviewed on Saturday but neither of them showed up at church yesterday, so we'll see what happens with them.
We watched a session of general conference in church yesterday. The translation isn't bad, but the people that read and record it are most likely RMs that served in Oklahoma and never really learned how to speak Marshallese. Their pronunciation was so bad. But they had a Marshallese woman read for one of them and you could tell that everyone in the chapel was listening because they could actually understand what was being said. I guess they translate the talks here in Majuro in the translation office (it's above the mission office) but then they record the talks in Utah, which is a bad idea.
We have zone conference on Wednesday and an area 70 will be there. I don't know who it is though.
Everyday this week Sister Chamings and I have gotten up at 6:30 am (like good missionaries should...haha) and we've driven to the chapel to play two on two basketball with the elders. I don't think I'm getting any better at basketball, but it's fun and it helps us wake up in the mornings.
I leave Majuro in exactly one month from today! I hope you are all staying warm. Tootles,
Sister Ellen Butler
Before coming to email today Sister Chamings and I went to Lomajurok and a bubu there taught us how to make Marshallese earrings. We now know how to make a few different types, so I'm going to try to see if i can get some kimej (the long, thin, dried coconut leaves) so I can bring them back and dye them and make earrings with them.
We missionaries in Ajeltake (Me, Chamings, and the ZLs) are planning a branch fireside for the end of this month. We invited some people from the stake that know how to speak well to come and speak at it. It took forever to contact them because the phone numbers didn't work, and no one has addresses. Hopefully it'll be good.
We had an investigator named Lusiana get baptized on Saturday. She's in her late 40s. Her daughter came to the baptism which was nice. We also had a couple of women get interviewed on Saturday but neither of them showed up at church yesterday, so we'll see what happens with them.
We watched a session of general conference in church yesterday. The translation isn't bad, but the people that read and record it are most likely RMs that served in Oklahoma and never really learned how to speak Marshallese. Their pronunciation was so bad. But they had a Marshallese woman read for one of them and you could tell that everyone in the chapel was listening because they could actually understand what was being said. I guess they translate the talks here in Majuro in the translation office (it's above the mission office) but then they record the talks in Utah, which is a bad idea.
We have zone conference on Wednesday and an area 70 will be there. I don't know who it is though.
Everyday this week Sister Chamings and I have gotten up at 6:30 am (like good missionaries should...haha) and we've driven to the chapel to play two on two basketball with the elders. I don't think I'm getting any better at basketball, but it's fun and it helps us wake up in the mornings.
I leave Majuro in exactly one month from today! I hope you are all staying warm. Tootles,
Sister Ellen Butler
Monday, November 10, 2014
November 10, 2014, Marshallese Dresses Aren't Really Supposed to Be Atractive
Greetings,
This week has been a good one. It's still nice and warm here, although I think we're in the rainy season again. Rain is good because it fills up our pontoons and we don't have to worry about running out. I've heard rain water is a bit slicker and slimier than other sorts of water. I also think it tastes pretty bland.
We had the primary program in the branch yesterday. They sang primary songs in Marshallese and English. The investigators that came to church all liked the program. They want their kids to come so they can learn it too.
I found a Marshallese dress last week. I can't decide if it's ugly or cute. I think it looks like a halloween dress because it's black and orange (but sister Chamings says it doesn't look like Halloween, but then again she didn't know what Halloween really was) but I like it because it's a little more fitted and less of a pillowcase style, as most Marshallese dresses are. I also had some blue fabric that I gave to a bubu (grandma) in the branch to make me a dress, and she gave it back to me after two days. I wore it to church yesterday. It's a bit loose, but that's the style I guess. Marshallese dresses aren't really supposed to be attractive. I guess the plus side is that you can eat a lot and no one will ever know.
We started studying with the woman who's house we cleaned two weeks ago. She's never studied with missionaries before, which is kind of odd for here, and so it's fun answering her questions.
What else? This is the transfer of eating grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, but I think I've already said that.
We're starting to practice beat! The dances are very simple, but it always turns out to be a lot of fun.
We're starting to get tired of eating our big bag of tuna pieces. We need some more ideas for how to cook it. (Annie, Leanbu...think of ideas)
Tootles
Sister Butler
This week has been a good one. It's still nice and warm here, although I think we're in the rainy season again. Rain is good because it fills up our pontoons and we don't have to worry about running out. I've heard rain water is a bit slicker and slimier than other sorts of water. I also think it tastes pretty bland.
We had the primary program in the branch yesterday. They sang primary songs in Marshallese and English. The investigators that came to church all liked the program. They want their kids to come so they can learn it too.
I found a Marshallese dress last week. I can't decide if it's ugly or cute. I think it looks like a halloween dress because it's black and orange (but sister Chamings says it doesn't look like Halloween, but then again she didn't know what Halloween really was) but I like it because it's a little more fitted and less of a pillowcase style, as most Marshallese dresses are. I also had some blue fabric that I gave to a bubu (grandma) in the branch to make me a dress, and she gave it back to me after two days. I wore it to church yesterday. It's a bit loose, but that's the style I guess. Marshallese dresses aren't really supposed to be attractive. I guess the plus side is that you can eat a lot and no one will ever know.
We started studying with the woman who's house we cleaned two weeks ago. She's never studied with missionaries before, which is kind of odd for here, and so it's fun answering her questions.
What else? This is the transfer of eating grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, but I think I've already said that.
We're starting to practice beat! The dances are very simple, but it always turns out to be a lot of fun.
We're starting to get tired of eating our big bag of tuna pieces. We need some more ideas for how to cook it. (Annie, Leanbu...think of ideas)
Tootles
Sister Butler
Monday, November 3, 2014
November 3, 2014, You and Sister Chamings Will Be Working Together Just Like Alma 17:23
Greetings,
This last week was pretty good. I feel like one day I want to stay in the islands forever and then the next day I just want it to be Christmas and be home. I guess that's how it's supposed to go the last 6 weeks.
Halloween was fun. After seminary we had a little party with the seminary kids and then we drove some of the YSAs up to Laura for a YSA party. We did a bunch of group relay races and some of them were pretty funny. In one of the games everyone had their own toothpick they had to hold with their teeth and then the first person in the line got a life saver candy and had to pass it to the next person using only the toothpick. It was so funny to watch. Especially in Marshallese culture where people are very shy and would never show physical affection in public. Sister Chamings and I got the leftover apples from bobbing for apples, which was also a plus.
It seemed like no one wanted to study this week, probably because there were a couple of funerals and those things take all week and the whole extended families are involved and since everyone's related, everyone is busy. But we had a nice experience on Thursday. We met a woman named Julita that agreed to study with us. We went over to her house on Wednesday to see if she was available and when we got there she was sick and lying on the floor in the back room. The house was a mess and we wanted to clean but we didn't really have anything to clean with. We went back the next morning and cleaned her whole house for her. Luckily we took Shimiko with us and she knew what things we could throw away and she helped a lot. We were there for about 2 hours and the house was so clean when we left. Some of the neighbor kids came over and they helped clean too. We're going to go back maybe tomorrow and see if she's better and wants to study.
I asked President Weir in an email last week if I could stay with Sister Chamings until the end of my mission and he replied with "You and Sister Chamings will be working together just like Alma 17:23" haha. The embarrassing thing is how long it took us to find a Book of Mormon in the senior couple's apartment we're in right now.
We got some really great Book of Mormon story books with pictures in Marshallese for kids in families we're studying with. We're going to try to get a lot more from the office today to give to people because we think it would help the adults to just begin to understand some of the stories from the book of mormon.
One of our investigators told us that someone told her the Book of Mormon is bad because they refer to Noah as a king in it and not a prophet. Sister Chamings and I looked at each other, laughed a little, and then explained that king Noah and the prophet Noah were very different people. I never thought I'd hear that one.
I'm going to try to find myself a nice Marshallese dress today. Wish me luck. Most of them aren't that attractive.
Tootles
Sister Butler
This last week was pretty good. I feel like one day I want to stay in the islands forever and then the next day I just want it to be Christmas and be home. I guess that's how it's supposed to go the last 6 weeks.
Halloween was fun. After seminary we had a little party with the seminary kids and then we drove some of the YSAs up to Laura for a YSA party. We did a bunch of group relay races and some of them were pretty funny. In one of the games everyone had their own toothpick they had to hold with their teeth and then the first person in the line got a life saver candy and had to pass it to the next person using only the toothpick. It was so funny to watch. Especially in Marshallese culture where people are very shy and would never show physical affection in public. Sister Chamings and I got the leftover apples from bobbing for apples, which was also a plus.
It seemed like no one wanted to study this week, probably because there were a couple of funerals and those things take all week and the whole extended families are involved and since everyone's related, everyone is busy. But we had a nice experience on Thursday. We met a woman named Julita that agreed to study with us. We went over to her house on Wednesday to see if she was available and when we got there she was sick and lying on the floor in the back room. The house was a mess and we wanted to clean but we didn't really have anything to clean with. We went back the next morning and cleaned her whole house for her. Luckily we took Shimiko with us and she knew what things we could throw away and she helped a lot. We were there for about 2 hours and the house was so clean when we left. Some of the neighbor kids came over and they helped clean too. We're going to go back maybe tomorrow and see if she's better and wants to study.
I asked President Weir in an email last week if I could stay with Sister Chamings until the end of my mission and he replied with "You and Sister Chamings will be working together just like Alma 17:23" haha. The embarrassing thing is how long it took us to find a Book of Mormon in the senior couple's apartment we're in right now.
We got some really great Book of Mormon story books with pictures in Marshallese for kids in families we're studying with. We're going to try to get a lot more from the office today to give to people because we think it would help the adults to just begin to understand some of the stories from the book of mormon.
One of our investigators told us that someone told her the Book of Mormon is bad because they refer to Noah as a king in it and not a prophet. Sister Chamings and I looked at each other, laughed a little, and then explained that king Noah and the prophet Noah were very different people. I never thought I'd hear that one.
I'm going to try to find myself a nice Marshallese dress today. Wish me luck. Most of them aren't that attractive.
Tootles
Sister Butler
Monday, October 27, 2014
October 27, 2014,
Greetings from Ajeltake
Sister Chamings and I had such a good week. Sister Chamings did get strep throat and we were inside for a couple of days, but somehow we still got a lot done. On Saturday we had a baptism. Our investigator named Hersey (think of the chocolate) got baptized. She's 15 and her parents go to a protestant church and they weren't so happy about her getting baptized at first, but they've slowly warmed up to us. On Thursday morning we went over to their house and did yard work with Hersey's mom. We raked up breadfruit leaves and collected fallen coconuts. Do you know that noni stuff that people drink that is supposed to make you really healthy? Well, those trees are everywhere and the fruit falls off when it gets overripe and it smells disgusting. The Marshallese call it "nin." Anyway, we raked up those too. It was good to work with her and also get to talk to her some about the church. She said that her brother is a member and he wants her to go to church. Hersey's parents were going to come to the baptism but they didn't end up coming. The baptism was really nice though and we actually only started 15 minutes late, which is unheard of here. I think we won some brownie points from the branch president that wants things to actually start on time.
The craziest thing that happened this week is that a couple we've been teaching got married. Normally it takes a couple of months to get a couple married, and the date usually gets pushed back a few times. Well, we talked to them on Monday evening about marriage and asked them to set a date before we met again. We studied on Wednesday and they informed us that they would be getting married on Sunday. We were so surprised. We had heard from the second counselor in the branch presidency that there was going to be a wedding on Sunday, but we didn't know who....Danny and Mato live in Lomajurok, the place where a whole bunch of recent converts live. Anyway, it was pretty funny because we figured out that almost everyone knew they would be getting married before we knew about it. The wedding was in one of the member's houses in Lomajurok and we had flashlights hanging from the ceiling so we could have light (because no one has electricity there). After the wedding we ate pork and rice. Danny had killed the pig earlier in the day. It was dang good.
Sister Chamings and I sang at the baptism and then the next day right before church the branch president asked us to sing again in sacrament meeting. It went okay, I guess but we started a little low. Luckily I can sing a little low, and I'm glad I was able to hit the notes and that they weren't too low.
What else is new? Oh, we tried some of our tuna we bought last week. I just rubbed a little salt and curry powder on the fish and fried it in a little oil. It was really pretty good. We were surprised. We think we might eat the rest of the fish that way. We're pretty sure it was a 10 lb. bag of tuna. for $5.
Okay, I think that's about it. Stay warm.
Sister Butler
Sister Chamings and I had such a good week. Sister Chamings did get strep throat and we were inside for a couple of days, but somehow we still got a lot done. On Saturday we had a baptism. Our investigator named Hersey (think of the chocolate) got baptized. She's 15 and her parents go to a protestant church and they weren't so happy about her getting baptized at first, but they've slowly warmed up to us. On Thursday morning we went over to their house and did yard work with Hersey's mom. We raked up breadfruit leaves and collected fallen coconuts. Do you know that noni stuff that people drink that is supposed to make you really healthy? Well, those trees are everywhere and the fruit falls off when it gets overripe and it smells disgusting. The Marshallese call it "nin." Anyway, we raked up those too. It was good to work with her and also get to talk to her some about the church. She said that her brother is a member and he wants her to go to church. Hersey's parents were going to come to the baptism but they didn't end up coming. The baptism was really nice though and we actually only started 15 minutes late, which is unheard of here. I think we won some brownie points from the branch president that wants things to actually start on time.
The craziest thing that happened this week is that a couple we've been teaching got married. Normally it takes a couple of months to get a couple married, and the date usually gets pushed back a few times. Well, we talked to them on Monday evening about marriage and asked them to set a date before we met again. We studied on Wednesday and they informed us that they would be getting married on Sunday. We were so surprised. We had heard from the second counselor in the branch presidency that there was going to be a wedding on Sunday, but we didn't know who....Danny and Mato live in Lomajurok, the place where a whole bunch of recent converts live. Anyway, it was pretty funny because we figured out that almost everyone knew they would be getting married before we knew about it. The wedding was in one of the member's houses in Lomajurok and we had flashlights hanging from the ceiling so we could have light (because no one has electricity there). After the wedding we ate pork and rice. Danny had killed the pig earlier in the day. It was dang good.
Sister Chamings and I sang at the baptism and then the next day right before church the branch president asked us to sing again in sacrament meeting. It went okay, I guess but we started a little low. Luckily I can sing a little low, and I'm glad I was able to hit the notes and that they weren't too low.
What else is new? Oh, we tried some of our tuna we bought last week. I just rubbed a little salt and curry powder on the fish and fried it in a little oil. It was really pretty good. We were surprised. We think we might eat the rest of the fish that way. We're pretty sure it was a 10 lb. bag of tuna. for $5.
Okay, I think that's about it. Stay warm.
Sister Butler
Saturday, October 25, 2014
October 20, 2014, Small Meat
I am finally feeling better and up and working again. The medicine seemed to help a lot and I'm happy to not be stuck in the house everyday. It's so nice to go out working with Sister Chamings everyday. Sister Chamings got her RMI driver's license and she's getting pretty good at driving on the right side of the street. I love not having to drive all the time and she really enjoys driving, so it's a good mix. I've discovered I really don't enjoy driving. It's not hard but it's just not that fun. I knew it all along.
Sister Chamings is great. She's really good at planning and since English is her first language we can plan and discuss things easily together. We work smarter and don't overly exhaust ourselves. She also is really good with making plenty of time for meals in our schedule, so we're happier and don't feel as rushed. We've been cooking a lot more and we've had spaghetti and mashed potatoes and lentil soup (Sister Chaming's favorite....she requested it again this week) and tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches and other yummy things this week. Sister Chamings is really funny and her humor reminds me a bit of my friend Ingrid sometimes. I've learned a lot more about Australia too. I hope I work with her until the end of my mission. I should be able to work with her until the end if I stay in Ajeltake, because I know she's going to be in Ajeltake for a long time. I think I'll stay. I hope so.
Everything is going well with our investigators. We're mostly just trying to get people married right now. Most all of the couples are excited and happy to get married, they just need to feel some sort of urgency to actually do it. So, we try to set marriage dates with them so they can do the necessary preparations. There's a couple that's been trying to get married for a number of weeks now and one of them doesn't want food at the wedding and the other one does, and so I said to the one that doesn't want food at the wedding, "well, I know you know that food isn't important but if so-and-so wants food then you guys should probably make food...it's his wedding too." Hopefully they can make a decision and move forward.
We had Stake conference yesterday. When we got there we wondered why there were so few people in the stake center and we then realized they had split the conference into two sessions because we could barely fit last time. So we only had conference with the west side, so Laura, Ajeltake, and Long Island. It was much nicer with fewer people...but it was still Stake conference. So long. It was nice to see people from Laura there.
We had a fun adventure in town today. We had heard that there's a place where you can get a good sized bag of cut up tuna chunks for 5 dollars. We kind of knew where the place was, but not exactly. We went into one building that was a fish company and luckily Sister Chamings knew the guy that worked at the front desk. He was just getting off work and so he walked us over to the place....well, we ended up kind of near a warehouse by a fishing dock where I'm pretty sure no americans (or women) ever go to buy fish. I think they wondered how we knew about the place. They call the bags "small meat" and I don't think they really advertise it. Anyway, luckily we knew Marshallese and so we weren't just dumb Americans/Australians and we walked away with a nice bag of "big eye" tuna. We're going to divide it up into smaller bags when we get home. But for now it's in a fridge, don't worry.
Sister Butler
Sister Chamings is great. She's really good at planning and since English is her first language we can plan and discuss things easily together. We work smarter and don't overly exhaust ourselves. She also is really good with making plenty of time for meals in our schedule, so we're happier and don't feel as rushed. We've been cooking a lot more and we've had spaghetti and mashed potatoes and lentil soup (Sister Chaming's favorite....she requested it again this week) and tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches and other yummy things this week. Sister Chamings is really funny and her humor reminds me a bit of my friend Ingrid sometimes. I've learned a lot more about Australia too. I hope I work with her until the end of my mission. I should be able to work with her until the end if I stay in Ajeltake, because I know she's going to be in Ajeltake for a long time. I think I'll stay. I hope so.
Everything is going well with our investigators. We're mostly just trying to get people married right now. Most all of the couples are excited and happy to get married, they just need to feel some sort of urgency to actually do it. So, we try to set marriage dates with them so they can do the necessary preparations. There's a couple that's been trying to get married for a number of weeks now and one of them doesn't want food at the wedding and the other one does, and so I said to the one that doesn't want food at the wedding, "well, I know you know that food isn't important but if so-and-so wants food then you guys should probably make food...it's his wedding too." Hopefully they can make a decision and move forward.
We had Stake conference yesterday. When we got there we wondered why there were so few people in the stake center and we then realized they had split the conference into two sessions because we could barely fit last time. So we only had conference with the west side, so Laura, Ajeltake, and Long Island. It was much nicer with fewer people...but it was still Stake conference. So long. It was nice to see people from Laura there.
We had a fun adventure in town today. We had heard that there's a place where you can get a good sized bag of cut up tuna chunks for 5 dollars. We kind of knew where the place was, but not exactly. We went into one building that was a fish company and luckily Sister Chamings knew the guy that worked at the front desk. He was just getting off work and so he walked us over to the place....well, we ended up kind of near a warehouse by a fishing dock where I'm pretty sure no americans (or women) ever go to buy fish. I think they wondered how we knew about the place. They call the bags "small meat" and I don't think they really advertise it. Anyway, luckily we knew Marshallese and so we weren't just dumb Americans/Australians and we walked away with a nice bag of "big eye" tuna. We're going to divide it up into smaller bags when we get home. But for now it's in a fridge, don't worry.
Sister Butler
October 13, 2014, Parasites and Chickens and Bears, Oh My
Holy P cow, I finally have a little time to email. We were in the ER from noon until 8 pm. Shoot me now. Most of the time I just got an IV, which was great (I'm serious), to hydrate me. Dr. Ackley is great. He said that I shouldn't worry that I feel like I'm sick and that I'm going to get stuck on this island...he's a good doctor, he studied at "top medical schools in the US" and that the help I'll get is no different than if I was in the US. He's pretty sure I have an amoeba (well, lots of them I guess) because he says there are three things that cause diarrhea here: viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Anyway my symptoms all lead to the last ones. I also have some new pills he gave me that I'll be taking for the next 5 days.
The hospital was freezing and they didn't have any blankets but finally someone found me a sheet I could wrap up in. I took Sister Chamings with me (my new comp) and she kept me sane the whole time. She's got a great Australian accent (born and grew up in Adelaide and then moved to Cairns) and she sang me songs and told me stories, and we played games. At one point I was afraid they were going to kick us out for being loud...that would have been nice because we were so cold. The nurse came with us too. It's 9:20 pm and we're in Long Island at one of the senior couple's apartments. We're going to either sleep here or go over to the sisters' apartment next door and sleep there. We still have to do our laundry and shopping since nothing got done today. Don't worry about me! I'm feeling loads better. IVs are great things.
Love you.
The hospital was freezing and they didn't have any blankets but finally someone found me a sheet I could wrap up in. I took Sister Chamings with me (my new comp) and she kept me sane the whole time. She's got a great Australian accent (born and grew up in Adelaide and then moved to Cairns) and she sang me songs and told me stories, and we played games. At one point I was afraid they were going to kick us out for being loud...that would have been nice because we were so cold. The nurse came with us too. It's 9:20 pm and we're in Long Island at one of the senior couple's apartments. We're going to either sleep here or go over to the sisters' apartment next door and sleep there. We still have to do our laundry and shopping since nothing got done today. Don't worry about me! I'm feeling loads better. IVs are great things.
Love you.
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