Thurs. With Andrew...The Forbidden Island

We had quite a busy day today. We visited Bro. C., Andrew, Inouyes and some friends in low income housing. I love it when it is busy and we visit, talk story and most of all share the gospel. We are so lucky to have such a beautiful place to do all these things. Today Andrew told us all about growing up in the village on Ni'ihau. I long to go there and see it but of course, you can't go without permission and then you can go to the beach area and not into the village. Andrew said it was the best place to grow up. Ni'ihau is just 18 miles of the coast of Kauai and it can be seen quite well from our beach on a clear day. Of course, you only see the shore line and the mountains. The village is on the other side. They still live without modern conveniences. No TV, cell phones, electricity or running water and they have outhouses. To have water they have water catchment systems using screens, charcoal, and sand to purify water that comes in the form of rain. There have been a few times when the people had to leave Ni'ihau because of draught. Everything is shipped to the village from Kauai on barges. It is sent from family members living here. Children go to school up to the eighth grade and then come to Kauai for higher grades. There used to be a cattle ranch and a sheep ranch on the island but they were closed down a few years ago. The people of Ni'ihau speak the old Hawaiian language as their first language. The island is owned by the Robinson family and has been passed down father to son. The Ni'ihauan's are makers of the beautiful Ni'ihau shell jewelry: leis, earrings, bracelets etc. Some of the leis can cost thousands of dollars. I know I have talked about them in earlier posts.