Week 61 in Tarawa

This past week has flown by even faster than the week before.  We finished teaching our course on Educational Psychology on Wednesday and gave our students a take home final which we still have to grade.  On Thursday, we drove to the airport to pick up Elder and Sister Waldron, much to our delight.  They are the couple walking toward the terminal in the picture.  They were returning to us after going home last July for some health care needs.  They had to wait for about a half hour on the plane after it landed while a torrential rainstorm passed.  It was funny to watch the plane crew open and close the door 3 or 4 times while the rain was pouring down.  The Bonriki International Airport has no Jetways, only the stairway you see in the picture, for unloading passengers.  The first passengers off the plane were offered umbrellas, but the wind just blew them inside out, so everyone just waited.

After their final exams Friday morning, the dorm students packed up their things, boarded the school's bus, and went home.  This place will be awfully quiet for the next 2 months.

Saturday was the Tarawa East Stake Relief Society Conference.  Everyone comes wearing yellow tops and blue skirts, the Relief Society colors.  The sisters in this picture sang a lovely musical number.  Sister Sumner was so inspired by the talks she heard that she did something she almost never does, she posted a long commentary on Facebook.  You're welcome to go to our Facebook site to read it if you haven't already.  The name on our Facebook site is WayneJanet Sumner.

Sunday was our Seminary graduation.  The music was well done and our new couple, Elder and Sister Jenks gave wonderful talks.  The upper picture shows the graduates marching in.  The picture next picture shows a typical scene after any graduation: proud parents taking pictures of their kids and kids taking selfies with their friends.  Notice the girls all dressed in white homemade dresses.  Parents greeted them with white leis that you can see them wearing.

Elder Sumner and I taught the Relief Society and Priesthood lesson today on the parable of the Lost Sheep.  The lesson seemed particularly appropriate at this time. The message we left them with was that Christ knows us each by name and loves us dearly.  We need to feel that same love for all around us.  We don't seek to bring people back to the gospel for the sake of numbers.  We seek to bring them back because we deeply love them and the thought of anyone being lost is unbearable.

This week we will be busy preparing talks for the coming graduation.  We have been asked  to be the main speakers, representing the Area Office.  If you have any great ideas, we are open to suggestions.