Chapels of Tarawa

I thought that I would give you an idea on just what the chapels here look like.  On just this tiny strip of land, there are six Chapels, two that also serve as Stake Centers.  They are all the same color, and same building design, and really stand out in the communities.  

 This is our Chapel and also the Stake Center, and is used by Moroni High School.  It is very hot for Sacrament Meeting, even with the ceiling fans going.  They have a small keyboard, as there is no way a piano would survive this climate.  Would be out of tune in a New York minute.   

 This Chapel is out on the "point",  Just behind it is the ocean.  The Elders live in a little small one room house on the land.  In the foreground is the basketball court that also doubles as a parking lot on Sunday.  It is down a dirt road, right next door to the prison, so I'm sure some of the Spirit crosses over to the prison. 

 This is a way cool Chapel..literally.  It has no sides.  We went to visit the Elders who live next door.  We had to drive over a new bridge, (which used to be a road that was only passable during low tide), and down a dirt  road that was full of pot holes the size of Texas.  Then just around the corner was this beautiful Chapel.  It was unbelievable that something so beautiful was just plopped there.      

 This is the Chapel on the "west end" in the village of Betio, said as Baso.    When "ti" are together, they make an "s" sound.  That is about as much of the language as I have figured out.  We went to our first Baptism here.  The font is located in the courtyard.  We had to wait for about 2 hours for all the people to show.  Things move a bit slower in Kiribati.  There is that "ti" again.  You pronounce it kir (like ear) i (like short i) ba (same sound as a sheep makes) then add the s for the ti. KIRIBAHS.    Or for short, pronounced kee-ree-bass.

This is the Stake Center.  It has a big Chapel on the back and a rather unique cultural hall.  They built a Manuaba like the one below.  The one below is right next door to our Flat.  These are built on stilts or pillars and the wind comes under and cools the inside.  Interesting, but you have to 'duck' under to get in, there are no doors.  The distance from floor to ceiling/wall is about 39 inches.  There must be hundreds of these on the island from modern built like this or those with a thatched roof.  Sister Bonnemort taught a lesson to the whole Ward last Sunday on Cleanliness and her voice carried through the whole place.  Think of it as the Mormon Tabernacle of Kiribati.....

We love the people of Tarawa.  It has been a short three weeks, but we have made many friends.  The Kiribati people seem shy, but they have big smiles and huge hearts.  The missionaries say that they always have plenty of offers for dinner each night and they never go without a good meal.  We love the Lord, but we miss our family and friends.