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.

Some Missionaries Pictures

All the young missionaries on Majuro in February and a few not so young

The Wayas left last month after being here 23 months

Sister Huni  leaving us, she was special friend to us

Missionaries from Vanuatu, Tonga, and Fiji last good byes as they head home

 During the month of February 

We did vision screening at 7 different schools, 5 churches of other faiths, and all our wards and branches on the island.  We screened more than a 1000 students and around 800 adults. The screening was done in preparation for the eye doctors coming to do eye exams this month (March 2014)  We had help from our young missionaries.  So we just wanted to share some pictures we took at few of the screenings.  

At the SDA  School

 At the Laurel Ward ( Presently meeting in a school)

 This Screening was at the Rita Salvation Army

We love watching the children here in Majuro

As we travel around the island we always see something to laugh about and most times we done have the camera to get a picture.   But there is lots of children around. I would say 1/3 of the population here is under 20 years of age.  They have a high birth rate and shot life span.  Lots of people die do health reason in their 30's and 40'.

How many children can your get in a van.  I've counted over 30.    

There is not child seat law in Marshall Islands you see the children of all ages doing different things as they ride in the cars, school buses, back of trucks.  As we followed this car were not sure if this kid was going to land on his head.

They love to climb 

They also like to be upside down and even walk on their hands.