Humanitarian Efforts

 

      This sweet sister is very happy with her new fleece blanket from Utah.

This good sister is due in September.  She is thrilled to have one of the new baby kits in Erakor Branch.

This is the Relief Society president in Erakor Branch.  She has another blanket and two hygiene kits to distribute in the branch.



















 Here in Vanuatu, we are the recipients of some great humanitarian efforts.  Of course, our humanitarian missionary couple are very involved with huge projects like water tanks for isolated areas.  They collect rain water in these huge tanks.  They have also been involved with the World Health Organization.  The church young adults were organized to go out in the communities - rural and urban.  They notified the families about the measle and rubella vaccines that were being given out free.  This was a huge effort.   Now they are making arrangements for the delivery and fitting of hundreds of wheelchairs.  The chairs for here are specially equipped for the dirt roads and the mud.

      Next month, a dentist is coming and bringing his office equipment.  He is setting up at the branch for two weeks.  First he will treat the missionaries and then members.  Two weeks is no where near long enough.  The people here have very bad teeth.  Many are missing teeth - 'when in doubt, pull it out'.  This is certainly a blessing for these members.

      There are groups collecting books for the children to read and enjoy.  Some of the branches have established lending libraries in the branch buildings.  One of the Boy Scouts in Laurie Ann's ward collected books for his eagle project.  Everything is certainly appreciated here.

      One good sister in Utah put together hygiene kits and kits for new babies.  The baby kits had cloth diapers, little socks and booties, soap, diaper pins, several little outfits, and a baby blanket. She also made half  a dozen fleece blankets.  We had fun giving the items to deserving members.

 

      This is the Paonangisu Branch in northern Efate.  We have been teaching classes here on Sundays after the regular church meetings.  It is wonderful.  All of the members elect to stay.  This sister is the Relief Society president.  She has two fleece blankets, one baby kit, and four hygiene kits to distribute.  She had ideas for all of them.  I do not know, why she is so serious in this picture!

 

       This is little baby Veronica.  She is with her mother Fanny and her grandma at their front door. 

 She is also happy to have received a new baby kit from Utah.

      This is our friend

Geraldine.  She does not like the cold.  She is very grateful for a new
fleece blanket from Utah.

Fishing From Our Blue Lagoon Bungalow

These are pictures of some of the fish (and other things) that Clyde has caught from our back deck.  He likes to relax early in the morning, after we get home, or on days off to see what he can come up with from the Lagoon.  He catches a lot of really little fish that he uses as bait for something larger.

Clyde will sometimes use these large snails for bait for the fish.  He cuts them up!

Many of the starfish by our bungalow are bright orange!  That's a needlenose fish going across the top of the starfish.

The barracuda have very sharp teeth.  More often than not, they cut Clyde's line.

This little sting ray has a wicked, barbed tail.  He was also tossed back in the Lagoon.

This is a Trevally.  It's a predator type fish and comes in all sizes.  They say they are good eating. 

The other fish with the Trevally is some type of Snapper.  Just showing the relative size here.

This is a close up of the Snapper.  Not really very big, but they do get much bigger than this.

Clyde did not intend to catch the starfish.  It just happened.  He did put them back.  We had no idea that the backs are covered in spikes.  They are really sharp!