Jeptomba

We had a few more vendors at the Saturday morning Farmer's Market.  The goal is to have many local people sell their products at a price that is affordable by the community members and yet still for them to make enough money to make it worthwhile.

Saturday Farmer's Market

More local vendors.

Elder Coombs buying two large
lobsters for $5/lb. Only four
left when he arrived.

Second from left - Brother Tibon.
Councilman for the area and solid member
of the church.

Which lobster to pick?

We had our CLP meeting on Thursday instead of Wednesday, so we could celebrate Nicky's birthday. After learning about her sore shoulder, I did my first diagnosis for the month.  She has the shingles.  Follows the same nerve line that mine did in 2005.  Felt for her and was able to give some hints.

Happy Birthday Nicki.

 She had no idea what shingles were, so did a quick internet search on her phone.  Promptly realized that she does have it and has had it for a week.  She had a difficult time understanding that it is the same virus as Chickenpox and is highly contagious for children.

Earlier that week, we had the opportunity to attend an evaluation process for Nicki, RN and coordinator of the Taiwan Health Center at the MoH.  She is an amazing young woman in her early 30's who constantly tries to raise the bar and lift the awareness of good health care.

The interview consisted of our CLP team and the four high powered guests from Taiwan, who were evaluating everything she has done and how she follows through.  It was impossible for anyone to have anything negative to say.  Nicky has done everything and anything possible to impact better health awareness and care for the people in the MI.  Her collection of data out does any here that we have encountered.

The four people evaluators presented all of the CLP members with gifts at the end of the evaluation meeting:  A gold Tiawan map on a bottle opener; handmade phone bag from the artists of Taiwan and a clutch bag/pencil bag, plus we got a nice bag of dried mango. 

Gifts from Taiwan.

It brings an amount of humble pride when we observe our young elders look, act, and love being true dedicated missionaries.  Elder Ross and Elder Miva were talking to a young man after church.  I quietly snapped a picture and then shared it with them after the young man left.  They were so excited.  Not to have their picture taken, but by the direction that their investigator, John,  has chosen to follow.  The young man was so wanting to attend church that he arrived at 6:00AM.  Church started at 12:30PM, so he went to the 9:00 o'clock ward meeting, too. He had just told the elders told that he desires to be baptized in November. 

Then he asked, "After I am baptized, is it allowed for me to go with you when you teach the gospel to others?"  Life is good!

Golden Investigator.

Sunday:  We attended the Uliga Ward for three hours, and then attended their ward council.  After we attended only Sacrament meeting in the Delap Ward, to support the good Delap Bishop for that ward's Ward Conference.  We were sad to walk in late.  Normally we alternate between the two wards, but occasionally we attend parts or all of both.  The Stake and Ward leaders sitting on the stage looked very royal in their leis, handmade for them by the ward members to show honor and respect to them.

After the meeting, Bishop Ned took his off and had his wife put it around my neck.  I tried to tell him that it was to honor him as the good Bishop of the ward.  He said, "My honor is to give it to you."  

When we left the chapel and were making plans for an upcoming gardening presentation with the Delap RS president for next Saturday, another ward member put a lei around Elder Preston's neck. The people are so good to us.

Elder/Sister Preston & Yolanda Ned, RS President
and her daughter, Liahona.

I am blessed to have my own OR team:

Elder and Sister Coombs (Our office couple consists of a MD and a nurse.) have continued to clean and dress the sore on my leg since Thursday.  After doing some research, they think that I was bitten and infected by a sand fly.  

They started to work on it in the mission office but now they make house calls to our apartment.  They had to scrape the area clean to remove the infected area, add antibiotic, dressings, and plan to continue the process until it is better. 

Infection from a sand fly.

Great improvement

Two girls and one boy were baptized in our Uliga Ward. The boy was eight and the girls were nine years old.  I know - they look much younger than that.  Sisters Marie and Mohetau spent many weeks teaching them the lessons with the support of their grandmothers. 

 Raymond Saipia, from Tonga, baptized them.

Beautiful little children.

We are so grateful to serve as a humanitarian couple in the Marshall Islands.  We are continually blessed by so many. 

We are also grateful to have previously served under two incredible mission presidents and their wives in the ANM.  We were led by spiritual giants.

Serving is the best!  We grow, learn, and then do it again.

We appreciate your goodness, support, and love.

Hope your week is the best!

Love,

Elder and Sister Preston