Third week here!

Well, we are into our third week! Cathy continues in the boutique, doing lots of folding and meeting lots of people. I continue to do laundry, clean rooms, and serve lunches for up to 100 staff! I think we are going to make banana bread for next Tues. Wish I had my home recipe. Didn't know I had to pack my cookbook!
Today is Cathy's birthday so we are going to go to an ice cream place, called Coldstone, a bunch of us, while the rest are at Wal-Mart. She has to drive the van there tonight. I stuck "quite a few" Canadian flags in her supper, to take the place of candles!
You can pray that my cough and sore throat and neck get better. Too late nights, too early mornings, too much talking!
Wow! I wish you were here right now to see the view out this window where I am sitting. The sun is big and round, just above a row of fern palm trees and over the ocean! It is gorgeous! It will set about 6:00.
Did you know that the Hawaiian language only has 12 letters? Can you guess what they are?
I went snorkelling for the first time on Sunday! Saw yellow fish and blue fish and loved it! Now I need an underwater camera!
Everything is so open air here. We eat outdoors. Cut hair outdoors. Serve food outdoors. Have no windows some places. Leave doors open all day. Put gecko covers (an extra sheet) over guest beds so that they are protected from gecko poop! Ride on scooters (well, not me yet, but everyone else does). Mow grass in the rain. Walk in the rain. Run fans 24 hours a day. Laugh a lot. Play cockroach jokes on the other couples in our building on our floor. (I bought a fake one!)
Last night 2 of the girls from Switzerland left. That is not easy to do, for them or for the friends they have made. The couples on our floor leave this weekend, and I am already wondering what we will do without them.
Last night we had our weekly Mission Builder meeting, and we prayed over the ones who were leaving. So many prayed, and all in their own language. It was amazing and so uplifting, but I couldn't help but get all choked up. I will never forget it or the people I have met here. It is more about the relationships than the work I think. And sharing our faith and our joys and struggles and learning from each other. There have been some very wise people we have met who have been a help to me already.
I have been in touch with Melody and David Brager at Haggai on Maui by email. One of the fellows here, worked there for 4 months this summer, when Amy's good friend from LCBI and Calgary was there. So I have seen pictures of her, and Amy probably saw pictures of this man before I even got here. He was there with his son. It is a small world. And yesterday 9 people came from Shaunavon, where Mom was born. They know many people I know, and I am even related in a way to them!
They know Kara's CLBI roommate, Lynnae, from Shaunavon too!
It is hard to post more pictures unless I borrow a laptop, so for now this will have to do.
You are in my prayers, and I think of you lots!
I would love to share more with any of you when I get home! It is going fast, and we are getting panicky about all the things we still want to do! Especially when our guys come!!
Thanks for your continued prayers for us and the Mission Builder and YWAM work here.
Oh, yes, we went to the Lutheran Church last Sunday, because we had rented a car and had a way there. It was just like home, but we got knitted leis as visitors!
Haven't been to my room yet so need so better go before I miss the van!
Love, Marlys (and Cathy, the birthday gal)