1-06-14

Four more days and we will be flying home to see our family and go to Cameron's wedding.  We are excited about both of these happenings in our lives.  I am worrying already about how fast the time will go before I have to come back.  When we get back we will only have 7 1/2 months left.  We are really enjoying ourselves and we have met some very good friends and wonderful students.  It is an experience of a lifetime but nothing compares to family and home.  

The weather has been perfect.  I don't think I have sweat for about a month.  We even turn the fans off some nights because of the coolness.  Tonight it was 65 degrees.  Denis had run to the airport to bring home a couple who went home for Christmas.  They are volunteer missionaries.  

Last week was the ending of one year and the beginning of a new year.  We heard a talk Sunday on perfecting our values in life instead of making new goals each year.  I do not and have never liked making goals but it really fit good to listen about perfecting our values and ourselves to become better people.

Monday we learned how to make Ti (tea) leaves sulus.  They weigh about 40-50 lbs.  First we had to strip the spines out of the back of the leaves so they would bend.  Then we had a cord which we tied around each leaf and pulled it very tight.  These skirts are worn to fire dance. This is where they dance over fire, sit down on it and put it out. They wear these sulus for costumes also.  The men wear them.  Before I had finished I had 2 blisters which had broken on my hands.  They have been sore all week but it is fun learning how to make these authentic costumes.  The 2 ladies that teach us have worked in the costume area for 35 and 25 years.  The mother of one of them was the boss before she was for many years.

Ti leaves-- these have had spines stripped.  They have to be kept in the refrigerator.

Cathy the missionary and Cathy the boss

This skirt was mine that I was making

This is an old robe that is worn over the grass skirts for decoration.  We have to repair them often

 New Year's Eve we had about 5 couples over later that evening and played games, visited and ate snacks.  At midnight the fireworks started and went on for about 1 hour.  You would have thought it was the 4th of July.  The next day we had off work so we slept in and did not do much that day.  We had to take tickets at PCC so we did that and then came home.  We did not even eat there because it was so crowded.

New Year's Eve Party

Denis and I.  Notice Denis' hair!

 Thursday and Friday we worked and it felt good to get back to routine.  Denis was working and a contracter man who was working on the grounds wanted to know if he and Grant Nielsen (the other missionary) were twins.  Grant told the man ,"Yes, he was the better looking one."  He doesn't say much but when he does he is really funny.  We missionaries decided we were going to call them Clink and Clank.  Everyone is jealous of them because they have so much fun together.

Saturday was our usual go to town day.  We are always going to hurry and get home but we never make it.  We always find one more thing to do.  The weather was perfect yesterday.  Today it has been a little rainy.  I will not do a blog for about 2 weeks because of going home but I will continue when I get back.  I hope everyone will have a good New Year and be blessed with good health and happy times.  We are so thankful for all of our blessings that the Lord has given us and I hope we can always give the Lord credit for them.   

Love, Sherleen