Saturday, February 13, 2010


Another week gone by already How time flies when you are having fun! We had a good week We had eight new missionaries arrive from the MTC. Dad met them when we were there in priesthood one Sunday. They looked very happy when he walked in and said "Hi Elders welcome to paradise" it was a face they recognised among all the strange faces lots of hand shaking and slaps on backs etc. We are very impressed with the quality of these young men. So this week we started a garden, Flowers only to start. Herb garden next then, after that we'll have to see. We only have so much space. A sister at Church promised us some mint, basil and dill. We often come home and find a bag of bananas or advacados or whatever, hanging from our door knob, no note or anything?? We had time the rest of the week to catch up with office work , reports etc sorting out the drug cupboard, throwing out all sorts of outdated meds. So a routine has started to form.
We are still getting up at 5am and walking around the football field several times then showering and having breakfast Dad gets 1/2 hour of Samoan study in and some scripture study time. Starting work at eight with a devotional with the MP his wife the AP's the office couple, the elder couple in charge of vehicles and housing. Then back to the grindstone, seeing Elders and sisters as they come in with health problems. We have been able to rest up a little in the evenings this week which is nice. On Friday we went to a local Chinese resturant for a meal with three other couples. It has rained most days but it is soon over and the rain is warm, the locals don't worry about it ,they just carry on with what they are doing rain or shine. We have also discovered a family of geckos that we are sharing the house with, they just run around on the walls and mind their own business as tho' we weren't there. There are about 7 or 8 of them all different sizes from an inch long to about 5 inches. We think they live in the air conditioner as we don't use it, or can't afford to use it, Electricity is very expensive.
Saturday, P-Day, we cleaned up the house then Mom went shopping early for fabrics to make a table cloth and napkins while Dad started a compost heap, found and washed down two plastic white chairs to sit on our front step and ironed all his pants and shirts for next week. Later we went on a tour of the island or part of it with our neighbours the Bells, taking a picnic for lunch and meeting up with some other senior missionaries who were snorkeling. We who had no equipment or bathing suits so we walked along the beach collecting pieces of coral and seashells The coral had been washed up by the psunami. We saw lots of devastation along the coast line, Fales (houses) all broken up and cars and trucks destroyed and abandoned and families still living in tents and makeshift shacks. The people are moving up to higher ground and living on their small plantations, were they grow bananas, coconuts, Tara, breadfruit, etc. Most homes are just one room with several posts around the outside and a roof. Some have built a small closed in area out back. you will see some examples in the next lot of photo's we send. There are some that are living in block built houses with windows. These are called Palogi (whitemans) houses. mainly used by those who have lived in New Zealand and come back to the islands.
We are very impressed by the fact that even though they have lived through an earthquake and a psunami athe people are so concerned about those who are suffering in Haiti and starting fund raising sceams for them. The average Samoan has very little worldly goods except a TV here and there, yet they are a happy people, always smiling and singing. They grow their own food some keep cows or pigs and chickens you see, especially in the villages mini-pigs and chickens roaming around loose the cows are kept fenced in tho'. Samoa only has one town, 'Apia' the rest are villages scattered around the islands mainly along the coast. If you Google Samoa you will see very few roads inland except a couple of roads that cut across from north to south These are called cross island roads.
We were given our Home Teaching assignments today two active and one less active, for now. Then the Bishop called us in and extended a call to serve in primary, that will be a new experience for Dad we don't know who we will be teaching yet.

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