Pictures Taken on December 1, 2014

These pictures were taken as we prepared to depart from Majuro to fly back to the States.

We will miss seeing the ocean blue where the sun rises out the ocean and sets in the ocean.

Our last trip to the airport on Majuro

We were able to fly with these two young Rita Ward members, that we heading to the MTC in Provo, UT,  We had to split up when we got to Hawaii.  But we came love these two young people.

We had mixed feeling on leaving the mission field to seek medical assistance. We loved serving our mission in the Marshall Islands.  We have a soft spot in our hearts for all those we had a chance to rub shoulders with while in the Marshalls and will miss them.

Leray developed this bad rash

He could not stop itching nor get any relief from the itching so he could only get a couple hour of sleep without putting on anti-itch cream.   We went to number of different doctors to try to find some relief.  They said it could be caused by a fungus, then when it did not clear up with using a anti-fungus cream, they treated me for a bacteria, at one point they though I had shingles. He also tried all the home remedies for the itching.   We do know that we bought lots and lots of anti-itch cream. 

It was determined that we needed to go home so Leray could get to a skin specialist and find out what was going on.

 Trip to the Hawaii Temple

These member from the Rita Ward are returning from Hawaii where they were able to attend the temple.

 

We were involved in helping these individuals get ready to attend the temple.  We taught their temple preparation class and help them get their family sheets prepared and assisted them do the work so they could do ordinances for 15 members. One family was able to the work for 4 generations. Two others were sealed to there deceased spouses.

This was such a highlight to our mission to see these individuals come back from the temple and share with us their feelings and experiences with us.

The young lady that attended informed us that she kissed the temple and said that she would be back some day.

We pray that she will be able to go back to the temple soon.

What happens when you are only a few feet above sea level

Majuro does get hit with some high tides that push waves up onto the what is normally dry land.

There is so much trash around the ocean shore line that when the waves are high they push not only the sea water along but trash also.  This has happened twice since we have been on island.  But ground is so porous that the water disappears within hours or a day leaving only the trash,  To be cleaned. up.   Also individuals belongs get wet and has to be dried and cleaned.

Where is the Marshall Islands compared to the following:

Located next to the Capital Building in Majuro are the following signs that give some mileage to other locations.  If you want something to do you can look up these locations in relationship to Majuro or the Marshall Islands.

 PNG or Papua New Guinea

Honiaro is the Capital of the Solomon Islands

 Federated States of Micronesia, I am sure this is the distance to Pohnpei the capital of FSM

I am not sure if this is American Samoa or Western Samoa they are next to each other southeast of Majuro 

Niue  is  south of Somoa

Vanuatu is southwest almost in line with Sydney

Tuvalu is a very small island county between the Majuro and Tonga

The fastest and easiest way to get Sydney or anywhere from here is to go Hawaii first

Nauru one of the smallest counties in the world and has it own airline that flies to Majuro once a week.

Wellington is one the southern most cities in the World.

Kiribati is our closest neighbor and part of the Marshall Island Majuro Mission.  These two counties span the distance east to west almost the same distance as the continual US does.   With small spics of land in vast amount of ocean.

Wheelchair Humanitarian Project 

In this container we (LDS Charities) delivered 268 wheelchairs, plus walkers, crutches and canes to the people of the Marshall Islands.  Half of the container was off loaded in Ebeye and the balance we shipped to Majuro.  This picture is of us holding a rough rider wheelchair not put together with individuals from the Ministry of Health.

One of the conditions of the church providing the Wheelchairs is that church provide training on how to assess and fit the individuals to a wheelchair. So the chair will meet their needs and not distress them. 

 This  picture is of the trainees in Majuro.

This picture is of the trainees in Ebeye

Trainees get the feel of the wheelchair in Ebeye

We held a clinic on the last day of training where those that needed a Wheelchair came and was assessed and fitted for a wheelchair if it was in order.

We wanted to celebrate the training so what better way than having cake 

There is not a lot of new things to see on this small island so the picture taking has slowed down

But Sister Johnson does find a few things that are different or something not seen before to take a picture of.  Here are a few in the mode of transportation 

 This bike has two rear wheels; some protection from the rain if comes straight down

 This dog is riding on the front of the boat maybe he is looking for cows

This electric bike is meant to save fuel costs but we are not sure if it will hold up to the weight

This pickup truck is a little lost, there no sage brush here.  [Wyoming]

YSA Service Project

The Stake YSA asked us to line up a service project for them.  While working with the Rehab department on the Wheelchair project the director said it would be nice if the outside of the center could be painted.

So we  went to the community and obtained donations for all the paint, painting supplies and even a lunch for the YSA volunteers.  The community donated over $700.00 of materials and food.

This is what the outside looked like before we started.  We power washed the building on June 20 to get it ready for being painted on the June 27, 2014

Around 45 YSA showed up to help paint

We also got some full time missionaries to help

 

The young people here love to pose for pictures

Keth pictured here said "I did not want to just hang around at home so I came to help"

Some painted and some wanted to supervise 

Two and half hours and 9 gallons of paint and look at the difference\

Trip to Pohnpei

an Island out of our mission, but we got

permission to go there to look at the College.

motorbike cart. The new kind of transportation.

I know there are rock cliffs all over the country of the USA, but this one is the only one on Pohnpei.

much foliage and dense.

Idaho has many waterfalls too but when you are driving on the road and come around the bend, this is what catches your line of vision.

Nature is so fascinating! These vines have grown up the trunks of trees and made sculptures.

TARZAN! Anyone want to swing through the jungle on these vines?

A member of the church was waiting in the car during a wind storm. Something told him that he needed to remove himself from the car. A huge tree fell on his car. He was just going to go get a tire fixed on it.

We caught the Zone Leaders napping, while waiting for an Elder to fly in from Wujte.This is the end of the new runway for the Majuro airport.

We had a hitchhiker going to town. We stopped at three places before I did not see him anymore. Look close to the underside of the mirror.

 One of the many tasks that Elder Johnson is in charge of. Here he is fixing a bike chain. He  has is very "concentration" face on!

 When the tide went out on the ocean side of the Island, you can see these very deep holes of water. Deep-sea scuba divers say that they have not gone down to the bottom. The pressure in their ears has been too much. No we have not gone swimming in it, nor even snorkeled. We just discovered them. There were three in a row. 

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Eye glass project

We helped develop and coordinate a Humanitarian eyeglass project for here in Majuro.

Four optometrist would come and do eye exams and provide frames.  We would screen prior to their visit and do all the coordination here.  This included getting a place for the doctors to stay (donated), arrange for seven different locations to do the eye exams, getting translators and others to help, contracting with a company to cut the prescriptions, also determine how to insure the right glasses get to the right individual.

It was a lot of work the past few months putting this all together, but we believe was a successful.  We don't think we will know the impact this will have on those that were able to obtain needed glasses.

We just want to share a few pictures that were taken the week the doctors were here doing the eye exams.

Sister Johnson and I keeping track of the glasses that the individuals had pick out

We took a picture of every one that got glasses holding their order number.  So if some forgot their order number we had a way to try to find their glasses

Nice young man holding his order number

The four doctors did 875 exams

831 individuals were able to select their frames 

Happy faces wearing their new frames

It took a lot of assistance to be able to help as many individuals as we did that week.  Group picture on day four.