God's House

This is the church service that was held on Gugeegue on Sunday night. There were about 6 local adults, five of us and eight or more kids. I decided to go so they would know that there were women behind all these men that were supporting the work on Gugeegue. We rode the landing barge (the ones like they use to move Army men from the ships to the beaches, only with seats) over to Ebeye and one of the young men that lives on Gugeegue drove his Nissan pick up over to Ebeye to pick us up. The road between Ebeye and Gugeebue was riddled with pot holes that are full of water and it was like riding in the Baha 500. The road was one of the roughest roads I have ever been on but it is the only way to Gugeegue. We never went over 5 miles an hour and we zigg-zagged back and forth looking for the least rough pot hole. I don't see how anyone can keep a front end, shocks or tires on any vehicle on that road. There is supposed to be some monies being spent on making a permanent road with a bridge to open up the lagoon again to the sea. When they put the road in they cut some of the natural flow of how God made it and it is effecting the lagoon sea life. Paul is paying the guy who picks us up $20 each way. It is a bargain! Once we got to the church building we held the church service. Lee lead singing and Paul did the preaching. I met three of the ladies that came to the church service. Next week they should have the second floor put up where we will have the second floor over our heads in case of a rain shower.

The building will also be used to establish a preaching school to teach Marshallees men to become preachers who will teach the Bible to their own people in their own language. They will also use it to teach the people to read English from the Bible. The Marshallees people have their very own language. It is made up of several different languages that they have been ruled by. Some English, some Japaneise, etc. World Bible School is planning to eventually print a Bible in the Marshallees language. There are non in print at present.

All in all it was a tireing but exhillerating trip. The people are very poor. Their houses are very old and falling apart but their souls are in need of Gods Grace.

Busy

We have been incredibly busy with putting our home back together and helping the missionaries out all we can. We moved them to a house last night where they can settle in and not worry about where they will be spending the night every night. Paul has spent a couple nights on our couch and Robert and Danny have spent their nights in their sponsors trailer house. They have been working really long hard hours. They have some walls up on the church building. The locals are excited about having the first Church building on the island. It is the talk of the island. Several come each day to help out and do whatever the brothers tell them to do. I'm hoping to get some pics from one of them so you can see their progress. We are having Church service on Kwaj this morning (it is Sunday here) and the guys are going to hold services on Gugeegue this evening on the Church buildings slab among the walls that the Lord has helped them build. It will be a good time to renew their souls and reenergize their bodies and mission. Blessings to all.

It's Home Again

We got our shipment yesterday. It poured rain and thunder stormed (thunder storms are rare we are told) in the early morning hours. It let up some later in the morning but was still raining. It finally stopped around 9:00 so they loaded our crates and stacked the boxes in our house. The bed was wonderful last night but what surprised us both was when we sat in our recliners it felt like we were home again. We emptied most of the boxes yesterday and stuff is everywhere but I can work on getting it put away. That forty-two inch TV is twice as big in this apartment. They tore down at least two forests with all the paper they wrapped our stuff in. We have to wait until tomorrow for the trash to come. Paul has been working on getting the church building materials from one island to the other all week. He was in hopes of having everything already moved by now. The two brethren who are coming from the states to help are coming in today. Paul felt like he needed to be tending to getting the materials moved. The Marshalees don't have the drive Americans do plus he is working with a truck that is in really bad shape. Paul paid for some gas for the truck. It was $7.00 a gallon! The locals are glad to get it because they don't always have gas. When it comes in everyone scrambles to get it. I am going to meet the two guys at the airport and see if I can get them settled for today. They will be really tired when they arrive. Blessings to all.

Shipment

Our shipment is being delivered tomorrow morning. Praise God! I will let you know how things turn out. Some things I learned on our trip from San Diego to Kwaj. 1) The Pacific Ocean is way bigger than I had anticipated. It goes forever! 2) There are a lot of clouds over the ocean. 3) Clouds look like cotton balls (which I already knew) but they can line up in a series of rows just like a cotton patch. 4)You can actually fly into Honolulu, spend the night and fly out early the next morning and never see anything but the airport and the hotel. Not recommended! 5)They are fibbing to you when they tell you that you have to show up and check in for the flight to Kwaj no less than two hours early or you will not be permitted to board. There were about eight of us who believed what they said and the other 149 mostly native people showed up less than 30 minutes before we boarded the plane and we all made the flight. 6) Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands is really long and skinny. Not what I had expected at all. 7) The Majuro airport consists of a runway that has ocean water just outside your window on both sides of the plane. 8) The plane that flies into and out of Kwaj is based in Guam. They fly from Guam to Kwaj to Majuro to Honolulu and the next day fly back to Guam. 9) The airport at Kwaj is a top secret area. You can not take a picture of anything on or in the airport or they will take your camera away from you. Why just that area is top secret I have no idea. 10) The Pacific Ocean is really BIG.

Another sunset.

I goofed again. Ebeye is not pronounced E B it is pronounced
E BY. I did get Gugeegue right. I'd like to tell you that was the only mistake I made on Monday but I would be wrong on that one too.

Lee had quite a day yesterday. It took them half the day to get through all the political stuff to get their building materials released on Ebeye. Paul already had gotten the Kings, and land owners permission but there is always someone who wants to throw his weight around just because he likes the power. They finally worked through that and they loaded as much as they could onto a beat up flat bed truck. Lee said the bumpy two mile ride between Ebeye and Gugeegue seemed like ten. They had some locals helping. Lee came back sun burned to spite the suntan lotion he put on before he left. Paul will go back today to try and get the rest of the supplies moved over to Gugeegue. Lee said they have at least two more truck loads if the truck makes it that many times. The other two men from the states will come in on Thursdays plane. That should help Paul's burden tremendously.