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One of my favorite trees on the way to Malaela

Roy is 100% better for anyone who doesn’t know.  We feel blessed to have all the help we have had. 

I have quite a few just random shots I am including in this post today.

Faleola and her mother Vaiola - bishop's wife at Vavau

A door in the middle of nowhere, into a plantation

Roy enjoying some lobster

 

a poinsettia bush at the Pesega campus

This is our last week in the Malaela Stake and we will miss the beautiful drive and the beautiful people we have come to know.  They have treated us so well and Roy has felt some progress in a couple of the units.  One is not going well as the bishop is the only one attending the sessions and as Roy puts it – he isn’t the brightest penny in the pot.  Oh well, we just try and hope the spirit of the mission will rub off on him.

The next, and last, area will be the North Stake, including Sauniatu and Uafato.  We will be checking out a pickup truck to be able to go to Uafato as the road is not doable with our Tuscon.  We went there with Ian and Sharleen in 2007 and that is the only time we have been there.  It is very calm and beautiful out there – not a lot of traffic and it is quiet.

Last week was phone bill time and it wasn’t quite as long as some other months but there were still a lot of errant calls.  I watch for any phone (of the junior missionaries) that complies with the rules we have set up and there wasn’t one that was within the limits.  A few are just barely over the time but it is sad.  This appears to be just a barometer of their spiritual lives.  We have a wonderful mission president who is completely dedicated to helping his missionaries achieve their best.  Sister Leota is great too – she can tell the missionary straight what they need to improve on and they still love her.

What a joy it is in the morning on Saturdays to drive up to the church and see the kids waiting for reading time.  We have about 15 who come regularly and 3-4 of us who do the reading.  We have a few children from the other ward that meets in our building who come also.

Sanonu (sitting) Ulanita and the twins, Johnson & Felicity gathering books to take home

Sanonu and Ulanita making cookies

A week ago Friday we had Ulanita and some of her family come over for supper and an evening of cookie baking and visiting.  She brought her son Lennie (RM from Colorado), his girlfriend Pa'i, Johnson and Filicity and Sanonu, her sister.  This was such a treat to have them here.  Sanonu is a grandmother herself (but her grandbaby died only a few months old) and goes to a different church.  She married a wannabe minister in another church and has been involved there for her adult life.  As we were singing around the piano and talking, she had tears in her eyes and said she remembers from her growing up years the songs and the spirit she felt.  I have spoken with her a few times in the past couple of weeks and she really wants to come back to the church.  Her family has also had some good talks with her about the church. Her father had been in the hospital (kidney stones) and she came back from her village to help and stay with him.  We will leave her with a primary songbook and some other materials we gather (triple combination, etc.) when we leave. I just wish she lived closer (she is on the way to the airport and we travel the opposite direction each day).  Miracles do happen in Samoa and this would be one we pray for.  It is so fun to have them come and see their joy in using an electric mixer to make cookies.  They have no ovens or means of cooking like this and they LOVE coming.  Can you imagine being 40 ish and never having the opportunity to make cookies?

It was the Teuila Festival last week and town was abuzz with tourists.  We attended the Sunday evening Church Choir Program at the EFKS building.  I love the choirs and actually videoed a couple, including our LDS choir.  We rushed back from Lotofaga and were just a tad late but we were still seated up in the front area.  They always treat the missionaries well and include us with the dignitaries.

not my idea of functional hands

The Thursday before the festival, we attended the Garden Party at the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum, an annual dinner and general meeting where they present awards, etc.  We officiated the early session at the temple, were excused and were late for the speeches but in time for dinner.  I had made a puletasi and wore that.  It was fun to meet with so many people, other than the missionaries.  Mr. Tiatia, the principal of AhMu Academy was at our table and we visited and also drove him home after.  There was a really interesting lady sitting at our table and I was almost embarrassed as she was hooting and calling while the Miss Samoa Contestants were speaking.  We found out later that she was on the founding committee of it and works with them still.  I was fascinated by her hands and she willing allowed me to photograph them.  The long thumb nail was something she decided to grow at the turn of the century, while visiting Falealupo – the last place the sun used to set before we jumped the dateline.  Well, they were to have a 10 year reunion and her nail was long and it broke in Oct. of 2009.  She has been growing it since.  One lady at the table was quite a card and said to her “it is obvious you don’t do any work, with a nail like that!”  Anyway, it was a very interesting evening and I was glad to be seated with people other than senior missionaries.  We need to be visible with others, not congregating together.

FHE to learn weaving - Tasi is our neighbour boy

Saturday we had an outing for the seniors to go to the Fagalii cemetery and Sauniatu with Brett MacDonald as our guide.  The weather was great, the info was great and we all enjoyed ourselves.  Brett had arranged for us to stop at a Samoan family’s home to see how they were growing their gardens amongst the rocks and how they lived very humbly.  President Hamula had visited there also and had authorized the church to build them a bigger fale, that is in progress.  As part of our activities this time, the church workers at the farm at Sauniatu prepared an umu, with us assisting in grating the coconut, making the palusami, scraping the taro, etc.  We had purchased a pig for them to roast as well and it was a delightful, informative time.  We finished off with some going swimming in the pool under the big waterfall and it was a perfect way to end a hot day.

Elder Mariner explaining about the to'oto'o (staff) and fue

watching the pig being prepared for the umu

Roy husking a coconut

I am just finished reading all of the Psalms in the Old Testament.  I plan to finish the whole old testament as well as the New Testament before we come home and we will finish our current Book of Mormon reading two days before we leave.  

We look forward to the reopening of the temple next Tuesday as it was closed for it's 2 week cleaning - sure miss it.   I have made some nice friendships through temple service.

Well, another episode is closed and I will get some pictures posted.