blackrockbulletin: Adventures in Paradise 9

ADVENTURES IN PARADISE 9

Kia orana, everyone! Our excellent adventure continues with some helpful information. In this issue, we will address everything from make-up and fashion tips to the island dress code for Santa. As always, there is a serious side to our adventures and we promise to give that side the respect it is due a little later in our letter.

Marie Osmond came to my rescue this week. It is so humid here right now, that make-up literally slides off my face. Believe me when I say that this is not an attractive sight. I remembered how Marie wrote that she kept Sharpies in her make-up bag for make-up emergencies. So I went to the local book store and purchased some black fine line sharpies (having had an unfortunate experience with a magic marker). That Sharpie works very well as my new eyeliner! The clerk tried to sell me some glitter pens, as well, but I “drew the line” (get it?) at that thought!

The term Papa’a is a general term used in reference to all white people. When people here first started calling us that, I thought that it referred to our age, so I wondered why they did not call me Mama’a. This term translates exactly to “ four layers of clothing”. When the first white missionaries arrived on the island, the natives were stunned to see that these people wore so many layers of clothing. They couldn’t believe that anyone would choose to be so uncomfortable. From that beginning, the term now is more general and refers to any white person or foreigner. It is not meant as an insult, in fact, in many cases, it is meant as a respectful endearment. There are days, here, in this heat , when I understand perfectly the original meaning of that term! And speaking of the heat/humidity, I asked someone how she copes with summer and she said that everyone carries a towel. For what, I wondered. Now we see people everywhere; in church, in stores, on their scooters, in their homes and yards, wearing a towel slung over a shoulder. These are not dainty tea towels or hand towels, but huge bath towels! They are used to mop the sweat and are well-used by the end of the day. In the absence of a towel, a t-shirt will do, and when asked, the young Elders showed us that they used the backside of their ties! Even Santa has had to make a fashion adjustment due to the excessive heat here. We couldn’t hide a smile when Santa appeared at a branch party, wearing a pair of flip-flops. I guess that he is able to cope with the heat and burden of a big beard and a red suit as long as his feet are cool. We have included a photo, just in case you doubt our word on this!

On one last note about fashion, I would like to share an experience I had this week. We had hiked up to a hillside cabin and were having a nice visit, when a young man (13 or so) rode up on his scooter. He kept pointing at me, shouting something I could not understand. Finally, I realized that he was shouting “Ray-Bans, Ray-Bans”, referring to my sunglasses. I smiled and said .”yes, my son and daughter-in-law” gave them to me as a gift. This young man gave me a thumbs-up sign, said “Cool” and rode away.

We had a sweet Sunday. It was one of those times when you feel that you may be doing something right. Three people that we have been visiting came to church. Each of these members had not been attending church for quite some time. Two had not been to church in several years. Our new friend, Ruth, whom we met when we stopped by her roadside stand, had talked with us about being offended by someone during a church service a year or so ago. She agreed that the Gospel does not offend, but sometimes the people who believe in it do. She said that she knew this, and that she might come back to church next year. We suggested that this year would be better than next, but she made no promises. Each time we passed her stand, we would stop and visit. Once, we took her picture as she was showing us how to weave a basket from palm fronds. The next time we stopped by, we brought her a copy of that photo. She was thrilled! Sometimes after that, we would just drive by and wave. Other times on a hot day, we would deliver an ice cream bar. Although we cannot say exactly why Ruth chose to attend church on Sunday, and we can’t know if our becoming her friend made a difference, we do know that the minute that she walked in the door, people were there to welcome her, surround her with love and to show her how happy they were to see her. At first, my reaction to this was to inwardly say, “Wait, wait, come back and sit with us. We saw you first!” I felt like a mother hen who is watching her chick go off on it’s on. To be honest, I felt left out. Ward reminded me that this is exactly what should have happened. Long after we can no longer make those stops at Ruth’s stand, there will be others there to be supportive. Yes, another lesson learned. After church last Sunday, I told Ward that I felt impressed to visit a certain family . The mother had stopped by our home to discuss some family matters and the whole family had been on my mind. As we parked at the bottom of the hill and prepared to make the trek to the home, we heard someone calling that they were coming down the hill. The mother and father appeared around a bend and seemed very excited to see us. As it turned out, the mother said that she had been praying that she could find us that day and almost immediately upon finishing her prayer, she heard our van chugging up the hill to her home! I know that our Heavenly Father often answers one person’s prayers by employing some other person and it seemed to me that day, that this is what had occurred. We have learned to listen to the promptings and to act on them. We were very grateful to have had this experience.

I received an e-mail this week from a dear friend who lost his teenage son to cancer one year ago this month. This e-mail was his family’s Christmas letter. In the letter, my friend talks about how much they miss their son, how much their lives have changed and how much they depend on their family, friends and Heavenly Father for support. They refer to John McKay’s death as the day he became their angel. They are marking this

first “Angelversary” by performing his temple work in the Salt Lake Temple. I have their permission to share this with you and my friend asked for anyone who has loved John Mckay to serve in the nearest temple on December 17, the anniversary of his death. I think that this is a lovely idea and need not be restricted to people who knew John McKay. My love goes out to the Kunz family and they should know that I will be thinking of them more than usual on that day.

We are including the final photos of the vakas as they are finished and ready to be sent to their new homes. One of them will be going to New Zealand. These have become outrigger canoes and they are beautiful. I hope that you can see the intricate carving and all of the detail on these vessels. We watched as the craftsmen tied the outriggers together with braided coconut fiber and then waterproofed the canoe with coconut oil. We are reminded once, again how valuable the coconut palm is to the existence of the islanders.

We attended two branch Christmas parties last Friday evening and except for the palm trees and Oceanside locations, these parties were much the same as you would find anywhere else during this season. Spirits were high, there were carols to be sung, good food and company to be enjoyed and there always seems to be a feeling of anticipation in the air. There was the “surprise” visit from the man in the red suit (wearing flip flops) and the delighted squeals of the children, or on one case, the squeals of absolute terror from one little girl. Oh, yes, then there was the “impromptu” talent show. When the announcer called on the mission couple, you might be able to guess who jumped out of his seat, having already given the sound man a copy of “Little Grass Shack”. Yes, that’s right, Elder, Oh, No I Couldn’t Possibly, sprang to his feet and before you could say Mynenea (please be quiet) Ward was doing the “Little Grass Shack”. People tell us that it was the highlight of the evening, which is way more encouragement than he needs!

Oh, yes, we do have the matter of announcing the names of people who participated in our “Can you pronounce the name of the bus stop” contest. We thank all those who tried, but sadly, failed to even come close to being correct, and you know who you are. We congratulate Keith Merrill, Nancy Whetman and Teresa Boren, for their excellent and in some cases, creative answers. So, here is the answer and the islands inside joke. We drove by that bus stop for a month, trying in vain to pronounce it correctly. Finally, in desperation, we asked a friend, who basically said that it was the islands way of poking fun at the rest of us. Someone wanting to get in touch with his girlfriend, wrote it several years ago and Rarotongans have been laughing at Papa’as ever since. One hint to us should have been that there is no H or L in the Maori alphabet. So what this sign says is: Hello Kita, Want To Talk. Now, when we have visitors, we drive them past that stop and try to keep a straight face while they give it their best try!

As always, we are happy and trying to work hard. We already have news to include in our next adventure, so stay tuned. We could not help being a little homesick as we watched the First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional last Sunday. It was a beautiful program, and we found ourselves drawn to the scenes of the lights on

Temple Square

. We wish you joy in the preparations and events of the season. Please remember that you are never far from our thoughts and that we love and miss you all.

Love, Ward and Susan Elder and Sister Belliston serving in the Cook Islands

Hello Kita, Want to Talk?