where to start??

I can't decide how to tell you all about Palmerston. We continue to be amazed and taken in by the people here. On Saturday, per a request, we participated in a traditionally cooked meal. Banana and taro leaves were used to wrap fish, chicken and vegetables. A bread/pudding made from coconut also got wrapped in leaf packets. The packets are tied shut with palm leaves and then all is placed in the underground oven. The men started the fire with coconut husks in 55 gallon drums which are sunk in the sand inside a "umu" hut, made of flattened metal drums and a palm thatch roof. The husks burn to coals and rocks are placed on top to hold the heat. The rocks, by the way, came from the ballast of a ship wreck. The top of the oven is covered with layers of insulation and the contents cook for 2 hours. The women prepared buns, donuts and fried fish in the kitchen. More men husked coconuts and filled a wheelbarrow with them for us to drink with the meal. All the cruisers brought side dishes and we loaded a table to near the breaking point. Parrot fish and coconuts sustain the islanders between supply shipments, so they are pleased to share our chicken and pasta from the boats. We in turn are thrilled to eat fish and coconut bread.

On Sunday, our host picked us up and delivered us to the island in time for church. The church holds about 60 people. The cruisers made up more than half of the congregation. We giggled at our inability to figure out that they seat men on one side and women on the other. Quite a few people ducked across the aisle until we got ourselves settled. The people of Palmerston are descended from a British man, so they speak English, but the hymns were sang in Maori, even though most of them don't understand it. After church most of us accepted an invitation to a thank you lunch for bringing supplies from Rarotonga. The women had been up since 3 a.m. cooking chicken, cakes, salads, fish, poisson cru (raw fish in coconut milk), banana sauce, rice, coconut buns, and drinks for 18 cruisers and themselves. We feasted until we stuffed ourselves and then they insisted we take the leftovers home for dinner. The generosity here is unbelievable.

Later in the afternoon we went to the home of the school principal and her husband who is the island administrator. His father grew up here, but he grew up in New Zealand and married a woman there. Since then they have come back to Palmerston for good and feel that God has prepared them to minister here. Not many of the islanders are Christian, but they have accepted an American curriculum called ACE, which is evangelical. The parents are noticing a difference in their children as values such as love, kindness, contentment and forgiveness are instilled. Tere, who is a pastor, chose to be the island administrator rather than clergy here, because he feels he can make more of a difference working to bring transportation, communication and community togetherness to this remote place. His job is immense, but in the last year he has seen God at work and already brought some solutions. We hope to stay linked with the island long term by setting up a "Pray for Palmerston" page on our website. We'll let you know when it is up and running. Rob on Dolphins is also helping to set up a Palmerston informational website with Tere. www.palmerstonisland.com should be up and running by the end of the week. Please remember the Marsters in your prayers.

Today, we had a boat chore day. Pete cleaned out the fresh water system and I prepared to start school tomorrow. Yikes, please pray for us too. We've been so busy ashore since coming here that boat chores have been ignored. Somehow though, the floor still got dirty. I did trade a chocolate cake for my laundry being done. Our host family always does the laundry for their guests, but she had little trouble making a deal for the cake with me. I was told the next morning that she shared the cake with her family of 6 and her sister in law's family of 9. I think I got the better end of that deal when I got 2 bags of clean folded laundry back. This afternoon we enjoyed a couple of peaceful hours on the island socializing with other cruisers and then back out for dinner before dark.

I do want to share a lot more about the islanders themselves, their way of life and our impressions. I think I'll save it for our Palmerston page, so if you are interested, keep watching.

Happy Labor Day, Kellie