Anxiously Engaged in Kiribati

 Now that the holidays are over, the work keeps progressing.  We were invited to tour the ADV Reliant. It is a ship that has been commissioned by Australia for Humanitarian work in the South Pacific Area.  It started with an hour of zumba on the helicopter pad. It was really fun!  Then we had a tour of the ship. Wow, it was amazing. It has technology that allows it to stay in one place without using an anchor.  It can go almost everywhere, but it moves slowly. So if a natural disaster occurs, it might take it too long to offer relief.  However, it was currently transporting two donated fire engines to two different countries.  The captain said he wants to be more than a cargo ship, so when they reach port he tries to host activities that get the different humanitarian groups together.  After the tour 3 organizations gave presentations about disaster relief.       (1) New Zealand Dept of Foreign Affairs and Trade - MFAT,  ...

 Christmas on Tarawa has changed within the last couple of generations.  Celebrations used to be all about food and families.  One of our senior service missionaries who is native to Tarawa, told the story of when he was a child. On Christmas Day they would be given a piece of fruit as a gift. Whatever child had the most stickers on their face meant they came from the riches family. And the children would all go over to that person's home to see if there was better food for them.  However, present giving is now on the island.  I gave Keith a pair of gym shorts (because the elastic was starting to go on his old ones) and he gave me a pair of shell earrings.  We spent the day playing in a "senior missionary pickle ball tournament".  Everybody played 3 ten-minute games with different partners each game. The one with the most points at the end wins.  I WON!  It was more luck than skill.   Christmas at the store  I won a trophy and ...