Pohnpei, Part 9, Sabbath Morning and My Pohnpeian Mothers

 

 As I walked up to the front porch porch of Pohnpei SDA Church, I was very happy to find piles of and piles of zorries still there.  Church is considered a holy place, the place to meet with God, and just like Moses at the burning bush, shoes are removed before entering the church.  For those of you not from the islands, zorries are what Americans call flip flops,  except for the Pohnpeian ones are much more durable, and cost less then those at cheap department stores in the states.  Unfortunately I missed getting a photo of those practical foot protectors, but I have the memory strong in my mind.

The church looks much the same as when I taught at the school in the late 80's.  They added a lovely stained glass window, and some new curtains.  But the benches are still the same, as is the fellowship hall, which was just built when I was there before.  I sat down and a flood of memories overwhelmed me.  Did anyone else sense what a precious privilege it was to be in church, in Kolonia, Pohnpei, that morning?

 

In the pews are hymnals in Pohneipan and English.  Some ladies led singing out of the Pohnpeian hymnal.  I was so excited when one lady shared hers with me.  I love the sound of Pohnpeian singing. 

And when groups of youth got up and sang, I'll tell the truth.  I cried.  It touched me down into my deepest middle to hear them sing.

It has been too many years since I heard singing like that, and I know it will be too long before I hear it again, if ever.  The only thing they could do to make me happier was if they had sang for a whole hour or two.  Then, maybe I would have been satisfied. 

During Sabbath School I looked out the windows at the jungle, and thought about all the lovely people there, many whose faces I still recognized.  I loved this place.  And I cried again.

And then there are the new friends I was making just then.  Essie was already our friend, and we would be leaving her way too soon.

But I'll tell you what I was really doing.  I was scanning faces for two ladies in particular.  I was looking for two ladies who had been my island mothers when I was a student Missionary.  They had been so kind to me, making me Pohnpeian dresses, giving beautiful hair combs to hold up my long hair, island style.

Inez Jano (on the left), and Elvira (on the right) had been my Pohnpeian mothers for one year, and in the photo above you can see them welcoming me to the island, back when I was 22 years old.  I had searched faces in the congregation at the evening week of prayer meetings, but hadn't found either of them.  I went around greeting every older woman I could find, asking them their names, in hope of finding my precious ladies, but I had not found them.  But during Sabbath School, a lady came and sat in the pew in front of me.  At an appropriate moment, I asked her her name, and oh, the joy, it was Elvira! (Shown here with her great-granddaughter.

Then she told me this sad story.  She had had a daughter, that I remembered to be not much different in age then myself.  She had gotten cancer, and died, just a month before.  Now Elvira has no one left, except her granddaughter and great-grandchildren.  She is very poor, and feels so alone.  She wondered if anyone remembered her at all.  Then she remembered her American daughters.  And she remembered me.  Would I remember her?  And then, I came, and here I was right now, sitting behind her.  I quickly moved to sit beside her, and bring her some comfort.  And once again, I was in tears.  How did I get to play such a role in the life of a lonely woman in her late 70s.  There I was.  I had found her, and she had me.  At least for a little while.

But where was Inez?  She hadn't seen Inez for a long time.  They used to be best friends, doing everything together, back when they were young.

Pastor Bill Roberts gave the sermon about the second coming, and getting ready for Jesus to come.  There will be no sickness or dying then.  No crying.  No separation.  No leaving friends.

I sat there wondering about Inez.  Would I see her again?

Pastor Bill had been an SM to Pohnpei a couple years before me.  I had known him at college and working at Sunset Lake Camp.  And now he was back on island giving a week of prayer at the school and church, and making me long for heaven.

After church I talked with Elvira and asked her again about Inez, who hadn't come to church.

"Does she live far away?"  "No, she lives close."

"Do you think we could go see her?"  "Yes!"

"Do you think she might come back with us to the potluck?"  "I don't know", she replied, but she thought that it would be fun to go see.

Frankie agreed to help us out, driving us over to Inez's house.

Inez came out, but she wasn't sure who I was, or what was going on, until I showed her the above photo, on my computer, from 1988, of the three of us together.  She got excited too, and agreed to come with us back to the church to eat.

While we were there talking, a very touching thing happened.  I presented Inez with a little gift, a small token of my love and thankfulness to her for her kindness to me in the past.  It was a piece of red fabric, a tropical/Hawaii type print, with hibiscus and leaves outlined in white.  I had already given Elvira a blue fabric with golden hibiscus and green leaves.  I heard Elvira standing behind me gasp, "Oh, it's red!"  I thought, she must have thought that was terrible, and that Inez didn't like red, or something.  But Araya heard the whole thing that I couldn't hear.

"She remembered!  Red is Inez's favorite color and blue is mine."

How did that happen?  Only God could have helped me choose the right colors for the two ladies, after so many years.

Earlier when I gave Elvira her piece of fabric, she told me she was so happy, because now she could make herself a nice church dress.  She had no money now, and couldn't afford one, but now she could.

Inez changed clothes, and then we loaded up and headed back to the church, in the old blue Toyota van, me, surrounded by two happy grandmas.   They walked me into the church, one on each arm.  I felt like I was royalty at a royal gathering.

 "Make way.  Make way.  Our daughter has come home."

The crowd of people moved aside like the red sea parted.  Inez and Elvira took me up to the front of the line, chattering to everyone in Pohnpeian, telling them who I was and why I was there and how happy they were.

 Inez is just shorter then me, and Elvira is just taller then I.  It seemed we belonged together.  I savored every second with them.  They made sure I got more then enough food.

I ate taro, breadfruit, rice, curry, bananas, pineapple, and a bunch of things I wasn't certain about, at least a bite, for memories sake, and to please all the ladies who brought something special to potluck.

I stop the story for now, and will continue on with Sabbath afternoon and branch Sabbath School in another post.

If you would like to read the previous parts of the story, which I posted in a more timely way, back in April, look in the side bar to find links to each chapter.