Hello from Samoa!
T hanks for any and all emails from family and friends. We
are limited in our access to the internet as we do not yet have it in our
apartment. We are kept very busy and finding time to go to the mission home
when it is open to use the internet is more difficult than we would have
imagined. I will try to imagine what
questions you may have and attempt to answer them.
Our travel here
actually took about 29 hours and was as pleasant as possible. We are very
impressed with Air New Zealand. I hope if you are able to make the trip to
Samoa you will come via ANZ. We arrived Wednesday, March 20th, and
were met at the airport by Temple President Fitisemanu and his wife, who have
been so helpful to us. All the temple
missionaries are housed in apartments next to the temple. The mission home and pbo offices are also
right here in a gated complex with security guards. Samoa is a peaceful place,
so no need to assume anything ominous. The church is proactive in preserving
property and workers.
President Sonny Ho Ching and his wife Karen are neighbors
here in the temple apartments, and drive the temple mission van. They include us on all shopping trips as we
don’t have Samoan drivers licenses. We have been surprised to find many
American products on the shelves. Things have changed a lot in Apia and
surrounding areas. There are many hotels and resorts on the island now, lots of
restaurants and stores. The exchange
rate is good. For $2 American we get $4.25 Samoan tala. The cost
of food and goods is high. We buy milk in quart cartons that have an
amazing shelf life. I know what you’re thinking, but you are wrong. It is very good. We have yet to eat fresh seafood but taro and
palusami are available from local people who set up a table in front of some of
the grocery stores and sell their produce. Another favorite of mine is the
clear liquid in young coconuts, called niu (sounds like new). It has also been
offered at these storefront tables. We
were sad to learn that many fresh fruits were destroyed in the cyclone which caused devastation on
this island. There are no bananas, pineapple or mangoes as a result of the
storm. It will be many months before we
can find those.
Our friends, Chuck and Joann Fife who are also ordinance
workers, arrived eight months ago and experienced the cyclone and the aftermath. They, with other
missionaries, gathered food and traveled out to villages delivering cookies and
crackers, water, whatever they could easily eat. The chapels were full of the
homeless. They found a family who had
taken shelter in a large water tank. The father had gone to find work for
food. A young boy had a laceration on
his leg that needed medical attention, so they took him where that could be
found. Huge trees were uprooted. Others
lost branches and foliage. The storm occurred
two weeks before Christmas and lasted about 3 days. Everywhere we see the destruction. We saw
cars upturned and were told one was in a tree.
Life goes on. Trees will grow back. Fruit will be harvested again and,
we hope, before we leave. Taro grows in the ground, so it is still abundant and
is a mainstay in their diet.
Because Samoa is across the international date line, we are one day ahead of you. So today
is our Saturday and your Friday. You in Utah and Idaho are 4 hours later than
we. It’s a little confusing, but I’m
getting used to it. Something I still
haven’t become accustomed to is that here we drive on the left as in England,
New Zealand and Australia. It’s a good think I don’t have a license! I would be
a definite hazard!
We paid a visit to Sauniatu
this week, which is the village visited by President David O. McKay, and which
he said was one of the most beautiful places on earth. This first picture was
taken with our backs to the river where David was baptized 40 years ago.
The other two pictures are of the house we lived in all that
long time ago when Leon taught at the church school here in Pesega (pronounced
Pay-seng-a). We were the first family to live in this house. It wasn’t landscaped
as it is now. The street is so beautiful now.
We send our love and assure you that we are so very happy to be here
serving is the beautiful Apia Samoa Temple.
Alofa atu,
Elder and Sister Crowley
