The cultural hall was overflowing at the "BEAT" or (Biit in Marshalllese) I left after an hour or so to go home and mend pants for a missionary who was going to an outer island the next day.  The Marshallese people, however stayed until around midnight; they love to dance!

For my birthday on the 30th of Dec., Sister Shaw me, Sister Christensen and Sister Perkins out to lunch at Chit Chat Pizza.  It is a place right on the waters edge with only a roof-no walls.  We had a good time and enjoyed a strong breeze off of the ocean.  The tide was out, so we weren't too close to the water, but when the tide is in, that place partially sits over the water. 

Last week in Church at Laura, I lead the music (in Marshallese) and then they asked me to say something in the meeting.  I decided to go for it and bore my testimony in Marshallese.  I have  been studying hard since I got here, but haven't had the confidence to say much in Marshallese to the members, so this came as a big surprise to them and they were all smiles!  After that, they called on me to say the closing prayer, so I prayed in Marshallese too.  They were thrilled.
 This week, at church, they passed out the George Albert Smith manuals, in English of course, because they haven't been translated.  I could see them all staring at the books with glazed over eyes.  I'll never know why this mission is labeled "English Speaking", because it really is not.  I could just imagine the looks on the faces of members at home if they were given manuals in Marshallese! Most of the members in Laura can understand a few simple phrases and that is all.  They looked at me and one of them asked me if I could translate!!!  Oh my goodness I am no way close to being able to do that! Especially with no preparation; I wish that I could.  We ended up not having any lesson and they asked me to teach them some of the hymns that they didn't know well.  So, I lead the music, with no piano, for an hour, singing hymn after hymn.  I had a Marshallese manual in the car that I had just discovered last week, that they are supposed to use in places where they can't use English, so I ran out and got it.  The Relief Society President was totally relieved.  On the way home, we stopped and talked to the Stake President in Ajeltake and asked him about the manual.  I am going to order some more of those manuals so they can go on with Relief Society lessons.  I have had a lot of people tell me that I am the first Senior to learn the language, I am so glad that I have learned what I have, because it is invaluable to interacting with the people.  I wish I had more time to study it, but we are extremely busy all week running the mission office.  I have made progress though; I am in the 4th chapter of Mosiah in the Marshallese Book of Mormon.  I read word by word and underline in red as I understand it, so I read with the English Book of Mormon and the Marshallese dictionary too.  It was very slow going, but I have gotten faster.  Sometimes I can read several verses without looking at the English or using the dictionary at all. In 2nd Nephi, where he is quoting Isaiah is "luukwun bin." (very hard)

Sister Perkins and Sister Hilbourne are studying the language too now.  we are all being tutored by Nosie.  I was very happy when Nosie told us that her parents are now interested in the church because she has been trying to teach them.  They are actually on an outer Island called Ebon.  We have missionaries there that we can contact to let them know of their interest.

Today has been raining amazingly hard.  The 45 minutes that it takes us to drive to Laura was in a total downpour.  When we got home, we saw about 20 kids on top of a huge metal shipping crate by our apartment.  They were running and doing a "slip and slide"across the top of it and some of them were completely naked.  I hoped that none of them slipped off the edge because it was about 15 feet high.  It looked like they were having a great time taking a shower.