Hello!

I have made it to the end (well almost to the end). This will be my last blog post from the island of Ebeye. On Friday, June 1^st, I will be taking the ferry for the last time and getting on a plane bound for Honolulu. It is quite surreal, and I am sure that when I get on that ferry, or get on that plane, I will be hit by the magnitude of it all, but currently it is unbelievable. To make things even more fantastic, through much prayer and phone calls and such, I am bringing Lucy home with me (assuming everything works as it is supposed to). It costs quite a bit, but it is totally worth it. if you aren’t an animal lover, then you won’t get it, but if you are, I am sure you are cheering me on. I have had Lucy since a week after I arrived here, just about 8 months now, and over that time she has been my dear companion. I am so thankful that she will be coming home with me. actually, she will arrive home a few days before me. we will leave on the same flight, but she will continue straight to San Fran, while I stay in Honolulu for a couple of days. at this point, I am just ready to go home, but I doubt I will ever be able to go to Hawaii for so cheap ever again, so I need to take advantage of it. all in all, things should go smoothly, and I will have two wonderful dogs waiting for me when I get home.

This being the last week and all, I planned to finally relax a bit and enjoy the freedom of being done with all my obligations. So far the week is going as planned. On Sunday, Daniel, Lance, Ryan and I had a Lord of the Rings movie marathon. We intended to watch all of them, but it turned out that we had the extended versions, so that would have been a 12 hour process, and none of us were quite up to it. we stopped with about 2 hours left in the final movie. It was fun, but quite draining. Other than that, we have been hanging out with Lance as much as we can, getting things cleaned and ready to go, and watching a ton of House. Tonight, the sophomore class is having a dinner for Daniel and Lance, which would be nice except both of them are sick. I am not sure how it happened, but Ryan was sick on Friday and Saturday and then Lance woke up with a fever and diarrhea on Monday, and Daniel woke up that way this morning. I would normally be concerned about getting sick, but ever since I came to Ebeye, my immune system has been tougher than tough. I mean I usually get sick a few times a year, but here, all I have had are a few colds, even when everyone around me is battling the flu and such. what can I say, I am just too strong these days.

Hopefully Daniel and Lance feel better for the dinner and then feel even better tomorrow. I am having a few of my kids over to hangout and watch Toy Story 3. I have seen a few of them since school let out, but some of them have faded back into the woodwork and I will not be seeing them again. I am still so proud of them, and I love seeing them around. They are such good kids, and they have learned so much this year. I am leaving them as best I could make them, so I hope and pray their future teachers take care of them for me. who knows, maybe I will be their teacher again one day.

I guess I am not writing this blog chronologically, but such is life. I just remembered a few things that happened last week. Last Sunday was supposed to be the farewell party for Emily, Blake, Gary, and Karissa. They all left last week, so the party was scheduled for them. Daniel, Lance and I are leaving later, so the plan was to have a farewell party with this week (with all the teachers and church members). Well we went to the party at 5pm, when it was supposed to start, and then sat around until 7pm, when it actually started. Daniel and I were already pretty annoyed by the late start, so things didn’t start off so well. Normally at farewell parties, or as they are called here, “Yokwe Yokwe Parties (yokwe means “hello”, so a double yokwe is goodbye I guess)”, everyone brings food and then we all eat. After we eat, the honored guests (the people leaving) sit in a chair at the front. Then everyone sings this song and walks past them shaking their hand and hugging them. after the first pass, they come back around and give the guests parting gifts (usually Marshallese handicraft items and money). Usually, the longer a person is here, the more stuff they get. Anyway, after we finally ate dinner, it was time to do the farewell. After Emily, Blake, Gary, and Karissa took their seats on stage, one of the church members came and told Daniel, Lance, and me that is was our party to, so we needed to go sit up there. that was kind of upsetting because they have all been here about 4 or 5 months, and were leaving last week, whereas Daniel, Lance, and I had been here since the beginning and were not leaving until later. The brought some chairs and put them next to the stage because it was too small for us to sit up there with them. so there we were, sitting below these late comers at a party that apparently was for all of us, so to say the least, we felt a bit cheated. Unfortunately, it just got worse.

Everyone went outside and lined up and started singing. They came in and sang to us and then proceeded to give us our parting gifts. Now if we had all gotten the same thing, I would have been fine with it, but that didn’t happen, so I was not at all fine with it. basically they gave all the flowers, necklaces and other handicrafts to Emily, Blake, Gary, and Karissa. I got a flower and a towel, and Daniel and Lance each got a piece of fabric. That’s it. honestly, I was on the verge of crying. I saw all the nice gifts that the others got and all the nothing we got and I felt completely unappreciated. It was like all my time and effort here was worthless to them. Daniel, Lance, and I just kind of sat there trying our best to look happy, but on the inside all of us felt really crumby. Once all the speeches were done, we decided to leave immediately. The others wanted to take pictures and stuff, but we three really needed to get out of there. my guess is that none of them probably noticed that we got nothing, or that we feel bad, and if they did, sad to say they probably didn’t care. I am not at all trying to bash their time here. four or five months is a long time, but it isn’t as long as 8 and 10 months, so I doesn’t seem quite fair that we were treated the way we were. That night, I really just wanted to go home and never come back.

That was probably one of the worst memories I will have of here, so I guess that is a pretty good thing if that is the worst. Anyway, on Monday, Blake and Emily left. It was weird to see them go, and I kept expecting to see them again the next few days. Some friendships will carry over to real life, and some won’t. I guess when you can choose the people you are around, you can choose people who you actually click with. I am looking forward to that again. It will be pretty fantastic to be reunited with my friends and family, who actually listen to me and care. Being home is going to be nice.

The rest of last week went pretty well. On Tuesday, I took got a hold of the vet and get things set up with her. Then there was 8^th grade graduation, which was pretty nice. On Wednesday, Gary left and Karissa had a party with the 6^th graders. Most of them came over to the apartment after the party and watched Space Jam. It a few of my kids showed up to, so that was fun. After the movie, the girls didn’t leave. Turns out they were sleeping over, which I hadn’t realized, so it was little bit of shock to me. our apartment isn’t very big and because of that and the fact that I am not super close with those kids, I slept over at the guy’s apartment. It wasn’t a bad night, I just didn’t know what to do with all those kids, so I had to get out. In the morning they lingered a while and the boys came back, so it was even more crowded, so I just stayed over at the guy’s place. I did come home to brush my teeth and such and found that someone has used my toothbrush and toothpaste. That was really upsetting, but luckily I had an extra. All in all, I was really glad when the kids finally left because I could actually be in my apartment again.

Thursday was high school graduation, so in the afternoon we all got read and headed to the island gymnasium for the program. It only started half an hour late, so that was refreshing. It was a long program, but it was really nice. After the program, there was a party for the graduates, their families, and all of us teachers. The queen’s grandson graduated, so they hosted the party at one of their properties that serves as a dance club. It was really nice, and I guess quite rare that foreigners get to go there. once the party got started, it turned out to be the best party ever. There was a ton of food, but the best part was the atmosphere. The queen’s grandson is a very large guy, but he is really like a big kid. he and a few of the other guys started dancing and got the queen and all the other royals and older ladies dancing. Everyone was so happy and having such a fun time. it was nice to see the royals relaxed and smiling. There was one guy who was going nuts on the dance floor. I have no idea who he was, but he was killing it. the seniors came and grabbed most of the teachers at one point or another and danced with them. the party kept going until after midnight, and even though we were tired, we all had a fabulous time. that was probably the best party I have been to, and even better, no one was drunk.

It was hard to wake up on Friday, but we had to because that was the day Karissa would be leaving. We were invited to lunch at the Taiwanese restaurant to try the cooking of their new chef. It was like an unofficial goodbye party for the teachers. After lunch, Karissa finished getting her stuff together and we took her to the dock. A ton of her kids showed up to see her  off, which is pretty awesome of them. we went with her to the dock in Kwaj and then said our goodbyes and headed back to Ebeye on the ferry. It was pretty weird seeing her leave because it made it more real for me that my time was coming soon.

This week is going pretty fast, and in some ways I wish it would go faster, but in other ways I want it to slow down. I am really going to miss this place. I will miss my kids and friends and my home here. I have never been great with change, so I imagine that I will be crying like a baby at some point on Friday. God has really blessed me and I am so thankful he brought me here. it has been a journey, and with any journey there have been ups and downs. I really hope to come back here someday. We’ll have to wait and see what God has planned for me. I was planning to go back to Andrews next year, but about a month ago, both of my parents lost their jobs. If they don’t have jobs, I can’t go to school. it kind of freaks me out, but I know God has got it and will put me where ever he wants me next year. Who knows, maybe I will be back in Ebeye, or in some other country. All I know is that when God is leading, I can’t go wrong. So to all of you faithful followers over this past year, thank you for your support and prayers. Please continue to pray for me and for Ebeye. I wish you all the best and I hope that God blesses and guides you as much as he has me. Goodbye for now and see you soon.

Lonnie

Hello!

This will probably be one of the last blog updates I write from Ebeye. In two weeks from today, I will be taking the ferry to Kwaj for the last time and boarding a plane bound for Honolulu. This week was the last week of school, which was quite bitter sweet. As most of you know, I have been out here for almost 8 months, teaching 28 kindergarteners and 22 preschool kids. Wednesday was my last day of teaching, and yesterday was the kindergarten graduation.

This week started off pretty normal, or at least it felt like an average week. I woke up early and worked out on Monday morning and then headed off to staff worship. School was normal, and surprisingly, the kids were pretty focused and calm. I think that none of us had fully comprehended that it was the beginning of our last week together. On Monday evening, the high school students put on a farewell party for the teachers and the seniors. Of course it started late and went long, but it was still really nice. They actually served us a meal, so that was an upgrade from the chips and cookies that we usually have at goodbye parties.

The party ended pretty late, but fortunately, I had a chance to sleep in at least a little the next morning. On Tuesday, the kindergarten and preschool kids partnered with the 6^th grade class to have a picnic and beach day. Karissa is the 6^th grade sponsor, so we thought it would be fun to have our kids hang out. We planned to start the picnic at 9 am, so that should have given us plenty of time to sleep in. Sadly, for me at least, Lucy was not going to let me sleep past 6. Lucy is currently in heat, so I have to take her out on a leash every time she wants to go out. On Sunday night, she let me sleep for only 3 hours, so my long day felt even longer. My goal is to keep Lucy from getting pregnant and be able to bring her home with me in two weeks. I am still hoping and praying it all works out.

Anyway, the picnic was a success. No one showed up until nearly 10, so that was kind of a bummer. Once they started coming, they came in hoards. There are 26 students in the 6^th grade class, and all of them came. There are 50 students in my two classes combined, and about 35 of them came. There were also tons of parents, siblings, and other randoms there. We had a good sized group to help watch over the kids as they played and swam, although, I think the adults needed someone to watch over them when they were swimming. I guess the adults here don’t swim with their kids, so when an adult-like person swims with them, they lose their minds. You’d think because they are small that they would be harmless, but then you remember there are many of them, but by then it is too late. Any time I stepped into the water, I was swarmed by my kids. I think there we about 10 of them on me at one point and I was freaking out. They are really good at climbing and hanging on tight, so shaking them off is nearly impossible. The worst was when they would hang on to my throat and prevent me from breathing. Crazy kids.

The plan was to eat at 11 or so, then play games, and then swim, but that plan didn’t seem to suit the kids. They decided to eat around 12 and then go directly into the water. We decided to play games after swimming a bit, but that didn’t really work. They just stayed I the water for a couple of hours and then trickled on home. I guess it didn’t go as planned, but it was still really fun. It is nice to be able to interact with my kids without having to teach them.

I guess they aren’t my kids anymore though, because as of last night, they have graduated. The graduation ceremony was adorable. The parents all bought the same material and had clothes made for their kids and themselves. My assistants and I had dresses made for us so we could match the kids. We spent most of Thursday morning cleaning and decorating. The room turned out pretty nice. The kids were so cute when they marched in like big kids. A few of them had to memorize little speeches, which was one of the most adorable things I have witnessed. Out of a class of 28, 25 of them graduated and will be moving on to 1^st grade. One of them was chosen out of about 30 kids to be one of two students to be invited to the public school on Kwaj. I am really proud of him, and I know he will go far. I am proud of all of them, and I already miss them. after the graduation ceremony, the kids lined up and got gifts and handshakes and such. before they went to eat, I got them all together for a picture with me. I will always have them in my heart and now I will always be able to see them. I also got pictures with most of them individually. After the pictures, they came up and brought me flowers and other Marshallese handicraft items. I think I got 9 flowers, 15 necklaces, and 2 purses, plus a few candy and flower leis. The necklaces are all handmade out of shells. It was a really great program, and I am so happy for my kids. I almost wish I could come back next year and continue to teach them. who knows, if God calls, I will answer.

This morning when I went to school to clean my classroom, it really started to sink in that school is done. Yesterday was the last time I will see all of my kids together, and the last time I will see some of them at all. I already miss them and don’t want to say goodbye. I am ready to go home, but in some ways I am not sure if going home will be quite as fulfilling as this year. I have really grown as a person and spiritually and God has really come through for me. there have been struggles, but they are far outweighed by the blessings. Ebeye will always have part of my heart, and I hope to come back someday. I thank God for leading me.

Hello!

Yesterday was an exceptional day, especially for a Tuesday. May 1 is a Marshallese holiday, so we had the day off from school. Ryan decided to take us on a little trip to Bikkej (one of the nearby islands we go to for picnics. Bikkej is my favorite island out of all the ones I have been to thus far, so I was pretty excited for it. I had been feeling sick since Friday, but fortunately, I was feeling better yesterday, so I was able to go. Bikkej is probably around the size of Ebeye, but they are nothing alike. No one really lives on Bikkej, so it is like a little paradise. There are tons of coconut trees, lizards, hermit crabs and shells. The sand is almost pure white and is the softest sand I have ever felt. It is almost like walking on powdered sugar. The water is so blue and beautiful that in pictures it looks like the colors have been edited. It is a gorgeous place, and it is really nice to be away from people, so going there is always a treat.

I have been to Bikkej three times, and eat time we have taken a different kind and size boat to get there. the first time we took a nice medium sized boat that fit about 20 of us, with extra space for out bags. The second time, we took a larger boat, and that is the boat we use when we go to Carlos also, so it is quite comfortable. Yesterday we took the most ridiculously small boat. I think our boat was about 15 feet long and it fit 10 of us very tightly. The boat had to make two trips to get us all out there. generally, the boat ride is about 30 minutes to 1 hour, and the sea is calm. Last time, when we were in the big boat, the sea was not calm. We had to pass through the channel between two islands, and it was like being on a water ride. Very scary, especially since the channel is where the sharks swim. When I saw the boat yesterday, I was pretty nervous. Not only would it be conquered by the channel, but also because Lucy always gets seasick and throws up, and in that little thing, there was no place for her to throw up except on people.

Now, the past few days here have been hotter than hot and there has been no breeze. So, whereas this is the worst weather to teach in a tiny room with 25 kids and barely any ventilation, the lack of breeze allows the sea to be calm. On Monday, we saw a pod of dolphins swimming out by the school (they weren’t close, we could just see their fins and when they would jump). Ryan told us that the dolphins love the calm water, so they come around when it gets hot like this. Anyway, our boat had no trouble getting to Bikkej, and to make it even better, Lucy did not get sea sick for the first time in her life. It was such a relief. We also got to see some more dolphins swimming far off as we rode the boat.

Our group, which included Ryan, Lance, Daniel, Blake and his dad, Gary, and one of the 6^th graders and me, was the best group. When we arrived at Bikkej, we went swimming for a while, ate and Blake tried to climb a coconut tree. It started raining, so he had to stop until the tree dried off. Later on he finished his climbed and got us a few coconuts to drink/eat. Young coconut meat is the best thing ever. I am really going to miss drinking out of coconuts and then cracking them open to eat the meat. Aw well. Anyway, after about 2 and a half hours, the other group arrived and we all just kept chilling. We ate our lunches and then Daniel and I took a walk to find shells to bring home to people. By the time we finished walking, we were extremely hot and tired, so we decided to rest a little. It was too hot to just sit, so after a few minutes we grabbed Lance and checked out the snorkeling. The snorkeling was gorgeous. There were random growths of coral and tons of fish. At one point we swam through a school of about 100 fish. That was fantastic. we probably spent 30 minutes out on the reef. It was absolutely stunning.

After out snorkeling adventure, we lounged around until the boat came back from fishing to take the first group home. they managed to catch quite a few nice fish, but they said they would have caught more had the sharks not been taking their fish off the lines. I do hope I see a shark while I am here. the boat ride back was hot, but still calm and pleasant. We saw more dolphins, and this time one swam next to the boat, about 5 feet from me. I got to see a wild dolphin in its natural habitat!

Once we got home, I found out that I had gotten sunburned pretty bad. As the night went on, the burn developed and my face and back are not red and very painful. I hope it goes away soon. Even my lips got sunburned and are not painful and a bit swollen. I am thankful that this is the first bad burn I have had out here in 7 months, so not bad for a really white kid. We finished off our evening with homemade pizza and for dessert French toast with Nuetella, bananas, and ice cream. All in all, it was a really good day, and to make it better, we have only three days of school until the weekend. Life is pretty good. Only 17 more days until school ends and only about 30 days until I come home.

I am really looking forward to going home, and every day I get closers . anyway, I need to get ready for school now, so I shall say farewell. Until next time, God bless and let him guide.

Lonnie

Hello, and Good Morning!

I hope that for you, whatever time of day it is, you are feeling better than me. it is possible, that by the time I actually get around to posting this that I will be right as rain, but currently that is not the case. I am not really sure what is wrong with me, all I do know is that I feel quite terrible. It is 4:30 am, and even though I went to bed at 9 pm, I have slept only a couple of hours. It started with a head ache and nausea, which I assumed was from sea sickness (I had rode the ferry yesterday evening), but appears to be something else. It didn’t help that our power went out last night and it has been very hot and stuffy in here. our windows do not have screens, so leaving them open at night is not a viable option. And now, I am on the verge of throwing up, but I am willing myself not to because the water is turned off and I will not be able to deal with the aftermath of such a thing. Hopefully, someone will turn on the water soon and give us back our power, or maybe they will heal me. actually, this is quite an inconvenient time to be sick. Today is our first school day back after 10 days of vacation. I am not going to lie and say that I have been looking forward to school starting again, but I wasn’t dreading it enough to psychologically induce an illness. Emily and Karissa were sick like this last week, and Lance was sick like this on Saturday night, so it may just be my turn. This illness is a really crumby end to a fantastic weekend though. I shall tell you about it and get my mind off how I feel.

First off, this break has been quite wonderful. I was on Ebeye the whole time, except yesterday, but it was still really nice. I spent most of my time trying to stay productive, and it worked. I worked out, snorkeled, and read almost every day, and I made sure to not have sweets or watch movies in the morning. It was relaxing but now boring. One night, Emily, Lance, Daniel, Karissa, and I decided to have a sleepover. To start off, we went snorkeling at night. that was actually really scary, and as we found out afterward, somewhat dangerous. We each had a glow stick bracelet and some flashlights in bags. The water was pretty clear, but everything was so dark. It felt like the beginning of Titanic. We saw a couple of Manta Rays, but when they started aggressively swimming at us, we decided to call it a night. Apparently, night time is when the sharks come out, and our lights could have attracted them. Who know. It was all fine though. I can’t recall if it was that night or the next, but we all put our mattresses in the living room and all 5 of us talked until we fell asleep. It was really nice.

Blake came back from Majuro on Tuesday afternoon, so we spent the rest of break with him. There was a plan to go camping for Thursday and Friday, but that didn’t happen. It was too expensive to rent a boat for two days. then we tried to just take a day trip on Friday, but because it was Good Friday, there were no water taxis. We were all really looking forward to going camping, so it was kind of a bummer not to get to go anywhere.

At the beginning of break, we  all got together and came up with a list of things we wanted to do over break. We did not actually accomplish most of them, but the few we did were quite fun. One of the things we planned was to have a Christmas party together. Lance was at home for Christmas, Daniel and I were in Pohnpei, and Emily, Blake, and Karissa had not yet come over here. so because of this, we decided that a family Christmas in April was needed. We did secret Santa, and the plan was that we would each get something small for everyone, but for our secret person, we would make them a really nice gift. Most of the gifts turned out to be homemade, but even the ones that weren’t were very thoughtful. We had all week to plan and make our gifts, and Saturday night was the set party. Well, Saturday turned out to be kind of an unusual day. first, Blake’s dad arrived to help with the construction project. He will be here for a month. That was really nice of him. the rest of Saturday was not so nice. Anyway, I started to feel kind of sicky during church, so I went home early. I felt worse before lunch, so I didn’t go to potluck. Instead, I just slept away the afternoon. I woke up for AY feeling quite a bit better. It was my group’s turn to plan AY, so we had worked hard on coming up with something nice to do. We planned out a few songs a game, and a three part devotional talk about Jesus crucifixion and resurrection.  Daniel, Blake, Lance, and I headed over. No one showed up for about half an hour, and then eventually 3 or 4 kids came and after 45 minutes or so, Karissa and Emily came. I don’t know where all of the other usual people were, but it was kind of frustrating to try and lead out such a small group with such varied ages and levels of understanding. It didn’t help that people kept leaving at random and some never came back. Then after it ended, Emily and Karissa didn’t come home right away and Blake was off doing something secret in his apartment. Daniel, Lance, and I just kind of waited around for about an hour and a half for everyone to come over. We had been planning on celebrating Christmas that night, so it was kind of upsetting that so much was left until the last minute.

The actual Christmas party was really nice. We made sugar cookies and listened to Christmas music. Later we drew numbers to see who would give their gift first and then we took our turns revealing our gifts. Blake had gotten my name and gave me a neat pair of earrings. Emily got Blake and got him a really sweet shirt. Karissa got Emily and made her a bracelet and gave her some earrings. Daniel got Karissa and he made her a photo book of Ebeye on blurb. Lance got Daniel and made him this really neat little island scene. I got Lance and I made him a stuffed animal. It was supposed to be a monster, but turned out looking more like a cat. I made him with a bow tie, a mustache, a monocle, and a spikey tail. Lance named him Mr. Revolution, and he seems to like him. it was a really nice Christmas party, and everyone seemed to like their gifts. It felt more like Christmas than real Christmas did. It was nice to celebrate Christmas the right way, even if it was Easter weekend.

After all the presents were opened and pictures were taken, we all just sat around and hung out. Lance had a migraine before the party even started, so he was a bit messed up and needed to go to bed shortly after the excitement died down. Blake had already left, so Daniel decided to head to bed also. Emily, Karissa, and I decided to watch a movie together. Karissa’s family had sent “Ever After” to her and all of us loved that movie when we were younger, so we decided to watch it. if you have never seen it, it is a take on the Cinderella story. It had been a while since I had seen it, but it was still as good as I remember. After movie time, I headed off to sleep and who knows what those other two were up to.

Sunday was a very special day for Daniel and I. Some people at our school had been working on trying to get each of us teachers approved to go visit Kwaj for a day. Daniel and I were the first to get approved, so Sunday was the big day. Kwaj is only 20 minutes away by ferry, but it is worlds apart from Ebeye. Sadly, because it is a military base, security is tight and we have never been allowed to just go there and hang out, even though we are Americans. Well, the Chaplain and a few of his friends decided to sponsor us and give us a nice little break from Ebeye. The plan was to leave on the 12pm ferry and they would meet us at the dock in Kwaj and help us get through security. After that, they would show us around and find some fun for us. we didn’t know what sorts of things we would be able to do, but the mystery of it made it all the more exciting.

Those were the nicest people I have met in a very long time. they were such Christians, in the true sense of the word. They really appreciated what we were doing over here, so they decided  to treat us extra special to say thanks. When we first arrived, they got bikes for us to ride so we could get around. Kwaj is three miles long and half a mile wide, so it is a lot bigger than Ebeye. There are also under 1000 residents and there are no personal vehicles. Everyone rides bikes or walks everywhere, which is pretty cool. Anyway, we got on our bikes and they took us this cafeteria place for the people who don’t have kitchens in their homes. The food was really good. they actually had salad, fruit, and vegetables. Daniel and I were super excited when we saw that they had strawberry shortcake for dessert. Neither of us have had strawberries since being out here. Jack paid for our lunch, so it didn’t even cost us. at lunch Daniel and I just soaked it all in, I mean we talked, but we were quite overwhelmed and pleased, so mostly we sat and just listened. It was weird being around so many white people and so many people that speak English.

After lunch, they took us and showed us around some of the local stores and such. that was probably the worst part of the day actually. Because we are not military personal or residents of Kwaj, we can’t make purchases. Barb and Mary Lou bought us some stuff, but they still have it because we weren’t able to bring it back with us. I think they are going to try and bring it over, because apparently they are allowed to do that. the grocery store had so much stuff, it was just like being back home, and to make it worse, most of the stuff was pretty cheap. I hope they bring the stuff I bought, because I am really craving some new stuff.

Once we had finished looking around, Jack though it would be nice to take us to the small boat marina and check out the sharks. Whenever the fishermen come in, they clean their fish at the dock and toss the scraps in the water. Now there are probably 15 to 20 sharks that live there. most of them are nurse sharks, which are not dangerous or aggressive, but man are they intimidating. Some of the were 8 feet long and they were just a few feet away, swimming in the clear water. There are a few black tips, which are supposedly quite dangerous. Fortunately, the ones there were just babies, and they were scared of the bigger sharks. Patrick dropped his camera in the water and one of the guys who worked there went down and got it out. He wasn’t scared at all, but man were we all nervous for him. it ended up being no big deal, but it was pretty cool to see. There were some fishermen at the dock, and they cut cleaned a fish just so we could see the sharks eat. Then they gave us the fish to have for dinner. that was really nice of them.

While we were watching the sharks, it had gotten quite hot out, so we decided to take a little break and get some ice cream. They have a Baskin Robbins, Subway, and Burger King over there. we went to Baskin Robbins and Patrick and Mary Lou bought us the ice cream, so again, we didn’t pay for anything. They also took us to this thrift kind of store and gave us some clothes, again for free. After the ice cream break, we decided to go snorkeling at the beach. They have a super nice beach, and even a playground for the kids. It was like being in America. Sadly, the snorkeling off of Beach Park, by the apartments, is a lot better than there, but it was still nice.

After snorkeling, it was dinner time, so we went over the Barb’s house to cook up the fish. She let me take a shower and wear some of her clothes while she dried my stuff. That was my first warm shower in over six months and it was heavenly. I am really looking forward to warm showers. Thank God for the little things. After my glorious shower, we had dinner and a really good talk. Then it was time to catch the ferry and head home. it was a really fantastic day and I am looking forward to being home so I can really appreciate American life.

Now it is back to school, so that is not as fun. Just a few more weeks until time to go back home, so I am counting it down. This year has been great, but I am ready to be done. I hope that where ever you are that God is blessing and guiding you. Until next time, God Bless.

Lonnie

Ebeye SDA Valentine’s Banquet <3

camping on Carlos!

Hello!

Life is pretty much life as usual. We are on spring break as of Wednesday afternoon. We have about ten days off, including two weekends. Back home, that wouldn’t be enough, but out here, that is plenty of time. there is really nothing to do on Ebeye besides swim, watch movies, and eat. Daniel and I decided we were not going to waste our break just watching movies, but instead we were going to be productive. Yesterday was our first full day off, and it was fantastic. we woke up at 6 and got together at 6:30 and worked out. Then we ate a healthy breakfast of oatmeal, yogurt, and a poached egg. We have both been eating a lot of junk food lately, so we need to get back on track. I have worked out meal plans for us and I am keeping a detailed food journal. It is really hard to eat healthy here, not only because food options are limited, but also because no one else eats healthy. Whenever we go anywhere, they serve food and it is always junk. Tomorrow we are having communion at church and then afterwards we are having a potluck. Hopefully there will be some healthy options for Daniel and I so we don’t get off track.

Anyway, yesterday after we ate, each of us went to our rooms and had devotions. It is so nice to be able to read and pray without a time constraint. Once we finished, it was about 9, so we decided to go for a swim and snorkel a bit. Neither of us had a snorkel until Phillip left, at which point he sold me his. We borrowed two more and Lance, Daniel, and I went snorkeling at the beach down the street. None of us had ever snorkeled there, so we weren’t sure what to expect, but we weren’t expecting what we got. It was the most beautiful snorkeling experience any of us had had since we have been here. I had no idea that 3 minutes down the road was such a beautiful place. We swam out a ways and ended up on a massive reef. The water over the reef wasn’t very deep, so we were very close to the coral and the fish. Some of the fish ignored us, while others stared at us. there were so many kinds and colors. Most of them were not too big, but they were at beautiful. I felt like I was at an aquarium, but I was inside the fish tank. A little ways out, the reef ended and there was 20 foot drop off or so. the open water is a bit scary because that is where the sharks are. I haven’t seen any yet, but the plan is to go snorkeling everyday over break, so maybe we’ll run into one. One of the teachers told us that a few years ago, some of the SMs saw string rays out by the drop off. Today we are going to go out there again and bring my underwater camera and do some filming. We are planning to make a documentary of our time here, so we hope to include some gorgeous shots of the ocean.

After snorkeling, we all showered and went off to the store to buy some healthy lunch food. when we got home, Daniel and I decided to deliver some hymnals to the pastor. One of his professors at Andrews send us a bunch of bibles and 5 new SDA hymnals. The church is really in need of hymnals, and the school in need of bibles, so they were an answer to prayer. We spent a good 40 minutes or so talking to the pastor and his wife about their plans for the church and such. the church is currently putting on an evangelistic series, and we are going to start one for the school when we get back from break. There are 7 groups around the island, and I heard about 60 people have been attending, which is about twice as many people as we have at church, so praise God. The pastor is a really great guy, and he has big plans to help evangelize the church more. Please pray for them as they start doing this and continue on.

Anyway, the rest of the day we mostly just hung out at my apartment either reading, napping, or watching Top Gear. We got together with Emily and Karissa later on and watched an episode of House. We try and watch one together every day or so, and it is a nice bonding time. Emily and Karissa went off to school to fill up their waters and send some emails, while Daniel, Lance, and I cooked dinner. they weren’t back at dinner time, so we just decided to eat without them. They came back about half an hour later very solemn. They told us they needed to tell us some bad news, so we sat back and waited. The police had shot three of the dogs near the school. one of them was a random dog, one belonged to the family across the street, and the other was Lucy’s best friend and twin, Lassie. That was pretty devastating news. The police shoot dogs every now and then when they are causing problems. The problem with Lassie and LoLo, was they had both had puppies recently and were territorial. Plus the kids would often throw rocks at them or chase them, which made it worse. Lassie had her puppies three weeks ago, under the shed at school. they are doing construction at school, so there are a lot of random men in and out of the campus. Lassie didn’t like a few of the guys and would bark at them, and once she even bit one of them. she wasn’t a mean dog at all, in fact she was the sweetest dog ever. She had a hard life and didn’t trust a lot of people. When she was a puppy, some of the neighborhood kids caught her and dumped boiling water on her. She was forever scared with those burn marks, and hair wouldn’t grow in little patches, so she looked pretty mangy and scary. LoLo bit one of the police officers last week when he was walking across her yard, so that is why they killed her. I didn’t see it happen, but I saw the evidence of it. there was blood on the ground next to the trailer where Lassie lived. There were also drag marks, so it looks like they shot her, she went under the trailer and then they dragged her out. We never saw her puppies, and sadly, I think they all died from the heat sometime last week. I had been taking care of Lassie since before Christmas. I fed her, gave her baths, and let her come home and play with Lucy. I can’t believe she is dead. Poor little thing.That put a damper in our day, and possibly the rest of break. I am worried for Lucy now because they are looking for dogs to shoot. Her collar is too big, so currently she is unmarked. Everyone knows she is my dog, and she never causes trouble, I am just worried they might shoot her anyway. I can’t imagine how that would feel. She is like my child. I need to bring her home with me, otherwise they probably will shoot her eventually.

Other than that, not much is going on here. there aren’t any big plans for break, but hopefully we can stay busy and having fun. I heard that we may go camping next week sometime, so that would be nice. Ryan and Blake are gone to Majuro with the seniors on their class trip. They will come back next Tuesday, so until then we are on our own. Blake’s dad is coming out here to help with the construction on the apartments and the school. that will be nice for him, especially since he has been homesick recently. I think we are all pretty homesick at this point. The new SMs have been here for almost three months. They have settled in now and have started to miss home. I don’t really feel bad for them at all though. three months is nothing compared to almost 7 and 9. Daniel, Lance, and I are really looking forward to going home. after spring break, we only have 5 weeks of school and then we are done. It is really hard to comprehend that in just two months I will be leaving Ebeye and heading home. there is so much I am  looking forward to, and every night I dream of home. sometimes it is hard to wake up to reality again, but we are getting closer.

Well that is all from here. I hope that wherever you are things are going well. Thank you for all the support and prayers. I think of you and pray for you also. Remember to always let God lead, and things will work out. Until next time, God bless.

Lonnie

Hello!

I feel like it has been forever since I actually wrote a blog update. I guess things have been busy, but not much more than usual. I think I have just been using my time differently. Fortunately, not a lot of exciting stuff happens here, so long spaces between updates don’t really matter. I think it much has been about a month since I wrote, so I will try and recall what has been happening.

I think I will start with the recent and move backwards as things come to me. today is Friday, and I am really looking forward to the weekend. Daniel is speaking for vespers tonight and for church tomorrow. On Sunday, we are going to a nearby island for the day. it is really nice to get off Ebeye, even if it is to a smaller, deserted island. On Monday, we are having our third round of parent-teacher conferences. By now, I feel like a pro, so I am not concerned at all. For Emily, Blake, and Karissa, this is their first time meeting the parents, so they may be a bit more nervous. It’s no big deal, so I think they will find it easy. The best part of having conferences, is that we don’t have school on Monday so we can prepare. We also get the next Monday off for a concert and then that Thursday is the start of our spring break. I am really looking forward to spring break. We are going to try and go camping, but even if we just stay on Ebeye, it will be really nice. After spring break, we only have a month and a half until school ends, and then a week after that I am coming home. it is moving fast, but sometimes it seems so slow. I still really like it here, but I am getting ready to go home.

The other day, Daniel and I were talking about how it is going to feel so strange to be back home, especially after so long. Ebeye is not like the US in most ways, so it will be kind of culture shock. I think the two things that will be the most strange is all the space and all the kids that speak English. I hope to come back to Ebeye someday though, but not too soon. It has been a good year, and I have grown and learned a lot, but I am ready to come home.

School is pretty the same as always. Some days are really challenging, while others are easy breezy. We haven’t had the use of our copy machine for the past month, so I have been doing a lot of improvising. God has really come through for me these past few weeks. I am really seeing an improvement in most of my kids. They are actually learning and being better behaved-sometimes. we had a spelling bee a couple weeks back. The whole school took part. Kindergarten was the first to do their competition, and surprisingly, they were ready. My kids are actually starting to spell and to read. Some are even talking to me in English a bit. I am really proud of them. they are good kids, but they are wild monsters too. I hope that they remember me and remember what I have taught them. it would be cool to come back and see them someday, when they are older. Maybe I will.

Aside from school, there isn’t much to life. I cook, eat, sleep, workout, and attend vespers and church. two weeks ago, I actually spoke for mid-week prayer meeting, so that was kind of cool. My topic was Joshua 22. It is a really interesting story, and though I am not a public speaker of any kind, I think God made a blessing out of it. Things with the other SMs are better now also. I think we needed to get to know each other and see how things would work. I think we are getting along pretty well these days. of course not every day is perfectly harmonious, but for the most part we are becoming a family. we miss Philipp and still talk about him every day. we tell funny stories and memories about him and stuff. I hope he is well and his mom is getting better. Things are settling down and we are all used to the way it works now. 

At the end of February, the high school had a late Valentine’s banquet. They went all out on everything except the food. The decorations were beautiful and everyone was so dressed up. The food was just cookies and chips, which was pretty lame, but everything else made up for it. each of us teachers went with one of the other teachers. I went with Daniel, because he is the best. Haha. He performed a song that didn’t go as he had planned, but the students liked it. it was like being back in high school again, which was pretty fun for an evening. Even better, we didn’t have school the next day, so we were ab.e tl stay up late and not have any worries. Besides the banquet and few day s off, February was not terribly eventful.

Oops, I lied, there were two or so other pretty neat things to happen recently. In February, some guys came from the US to fix up our school. they are also fixing up the apartments, so we have been benefiting from them even more. Last Sunday, they replaced the floors in the apartments with a wood looking floor. It makes the girls apartment look fantastic. it is like a whole new place. They also brought new fridges and stoves for us and a couch. I will have to upload some pictures. Also last Sunday, we had a dinner guest. There is a volunteer teacher at another school. his name is also Daniel and he is 24, from New Jersey, and deaf. We met him a while ago, but we never hung out. We saw him on Saturday night and decided to invite him for dinner on Sunday. He came and ate with us and played Banana Grams, which is our favorite game, and then we just hung out. He is super cool, so we plan to hang out again. Daniel’s birthday is on Tuesday, so we invited him to come and celebrate with us. we’ll be making pizza, red velvet cake, and ice cream. It is going to be quite a feast. That will be my first time eating sugar in over a week. I realized I was addicted to it, so I decided to detox from it. so far, it has been 5 days and it has been quite tough. I crave sugar, but I am trying to stay strong. I am also working out, so it is more incentive to eat better. It is really hard to not eat sugar here. everything is junk food. I refuse to gain weight from being here.

Anyway, I did find a new dog, well actually a really tiny puppy. She was so tiny and precious, so I had to save her. Luckily, I found a student who wanted to take her, so I didn’t have her for too long. The other puppy, Puppy, is still with us, even though we tried to lose her and give her away. She is really no fun and I don’t enjoy having her around. She has been fighting with Lucy, which is really annoying. Lucy is like my child, so when puppy bothers her, it bothers me. we tried to give her away yesterday. One on the workers at the grocery store saw her and wanted to keep her. I guess he let her out or something, because last night she found her way back to my apartment. She is such a floppy dog. This week I also found a dog about Lucy’s age, who was just like Lucy, except she was dark brown. She was a really sweet dog and was way to clean and obedient to not have an owner. She followed us home after school and we let her stay with us for the afternoon, but then we put her out at night to go back home. I don’t know where she is from and I have never seen her before, but I hope to see her again.

I will stop talking about dogs now, because when I talk about them I sound kind of obsessed. They are just everywhere, so they are a big part of life here. anyway, that is pretty much all that has happened here the past month or so. I will try and be more regular with my blog again, but for now this is all. I hope that things are well with you, wherever you are and that God is blessing and guiding you. Thank you for your prayers and support. Until next time, God bless.

Lonnie

Reflection

I don’t mean to sound morbid at all, but recently I have been thinking a lot about if I were to die randomly. I’m not suicidal or anything like that, I have just been trying to think of death in the most logical way possible. It may be partly because I have been watching House a lot, or it may be due to the sudden appearance of death in/around my life this year. Up until this past year or so, I haven’t really known anyone who died. I mean of course I have known of people that die, but it hasn’t really been anyone close to me. Maybe those are the reasons I have been reflecting on death of late, who knows for sure.

The conclusion I have reached is that I am not ready to die. Profound right? No, not really, I mean who is actually ready to die? There may be some people, but I would wager that the vast majority of people are pretty darn scared of dying. For most it isn’t the act of dying that is so terrifying, it is more the nature of death. Rarely does death let you know it is coming, and due to this most are not prepared. There are so many things that we realize we want to accomplish when we are faced with the idea of not getting another day. So many people we don’t want to leave behind or hurt.

My personal thoughts recently have been focused on the things I would miss out on if I died tomorrow and the legacy I would leave behind. I am only 21 years old, and there is so much I haven’t done yet. I mean like most people, I want to get married, have kids and a house. I don’t look forward to old age, but I would prefer to experience it than not to. I want to get done with school and have a career. I hate school, so the idea of that being the last endeavor of my life is quite an annoying thought. I think the most upsetting thought has been, what kind of impact will I have made? I don’t want to just go out with a fizzle; I want to change the world in a big way. Some may say we can’t change the world, but we do, all the time, just by existing. My mom and I had a talk once about helping people and how it seems so insignificant in the grander scheme of things and that can be depressing. The conclusion we came to was that you probably won’t change the world as a whole, but by the way you live and the interactions you have with people, you can change someone’s world. Isn’t that what really matters anyway?

I think that is what God has called us to. Jesus left his followers with the challenge of spreading the gospel to the world. While it seems clear that he meant to let the whole world know about, I also feel like he meant take extra care and focus on individuals. As people, we thrive on social interaction and relationships, and it seems we can have more effect on people when we are close with them. God gave us each a different personality blessed with unique talents. We aren’t supposed to keep those talents to ourselves; we were given them for the purpose of using them to glorify God.

If this makes you think about your life and your impact, then great, but the only person I am calling out here is me. As I look over my short life, I realize that my impact is minuscule in relation to its potential. I’m not great, but God is, and he wants to use me. There are people I need to connect with, people whose lives I can change through the influence and grace of God. I have these plans for a few years from now, but a few years is not guaranteed. I’m still not sure what I all I can do now, but I know one thing I can do, and that is start living today for the kingdom. There is no point on living in tomorrow if it never happens. Today is the day, the day I am going to make I change. Every day should be lived with a purpose, God’s purpose. So as I sit here at 3 am and contemplate the day ahead of me, I don’t know what it has in store, but I am giving it over to God and asking, begging him to use me. Because if I die tomorrow, nothing I ever do on my own will be worth beans, but anything I let God do through me will change the world.