WOULD YOU LIKE A TOUR OF OUR APARTMENT?

It always seemed important to me whenever our children moved some distance away, to visit them in their new house/apartment/dorm. Somehow it helps erase the miles. When we think about them, talk with them, read their postings or emails, we can picture them almost as clearly as we could on skype; and there were plenty of moves before there was skype. We’re a little late in giving them that same consideration, and to be honest this may be more for us than for them or you. I want to remember as much as I can of this experience, and a fair bit of our time has been within these walls.

I must give a disclaimer before we begin the tour. I’ve been saying for weeks that I wanted to do this; take photos of our apartment, the rooms, what’s on the walls, what we see every day.  My idea was that we would do a quick pick up and straightening up and then take the pictures. What happened is that one day when I was engrossed in something else, Leon took the pictures. When I calmly said that I had expected that he would give some warning, or take it upon himself to do a little ‘staging’ first, he replied, “I want to picture it as it is every day”. Oh, great. I then, also calmly, (you can ask him) said, “Well if there are dishes in the rack, it is because I washed and it was your job to dry and put them away.” Didn’t phase him. It must be a gender difference. You can let me know.

This is Reality blog time.  What you see is, evidently what we see “every day”.  Not.  Right now, as I write this, the dish rack is empty. Mostly.

Here is our apartment from outside. Ours is the one on the left. Brother and Sister Sauni are on the right.

So won't you please come in?

Before we ever came, Sister Ho Ching took us through two available apartments via her ipad; apartment #4 has a lovely view of the temple. We were swayed by that. The disadvantage was that if you have guests, they must walk through the bedroom in order to reach the bathroom.  Well since you already have a suspicion about our housekeeping habits, you may think that was the deciding factor. Actually, the advantage that sold us on Apartment #1 is that it faces the parking lot and it is a short walk from the car to the front door when you are carrying bags of groceries. Now you know that not only do we leave dishes in the rack, but we're basically lazy.

Step into the living room a few feet and turn back to your left and you will see this. That is our front window. That is our coffee table that is undeniably always cluttered with books and papers. That is where we prepare our lessons, read, and occasionally watch a movie orTV.

That's our tv sitting at an angle in the corner under what you see directly above. That is such a great picture of the First Presidency. I begged it off of the worker at the distribution center here in the mission complex. It is the announcement of April General Conference. I was certain it would be removed from the window and thrown away after conference. He was nice enough to save it for me.

Keep going and you're in our little kitchen. Yep, there's the rack full of dishes.

Now you understand why we have our 'family' dinners at Sister Kamerath's apartment.

This is the wall opposite our kitchen table. Betsy and Justin gave us that 18 month calendar for Christmas before our mission. How perfect was that! As we passed each month, we cut the family pictures from the calendar and hang them all over our apartment. What joy that gives us to see their beautiful faces surrounding us.

Okay, go back outside and come in again, but look to your right this time. The map on the right is of Samoa. We live on the smaller island shown here; the one on the right, which is Upolu. Savaii is larger and less populated. We spent a day there when Leslie and James Merrell, Ben and Brianna were here last summer. Actually, the pictures between the maps are of Ben and Brianna.

This is our media center. ; )  From the Fife's we inherited a plethora of DVDs, many of which they had inherited from other missionaries. Leon set up an excel file on the computer; we distributed a list of titles, including some books, via email to all the senior missionaries. Quite a few couples drop in pretty regularly and 'check out' a flick, and sometimes a book. We don't send out reminders or charge fines for late returns, but he's a darn good librarian to keep track of where the movies are. We're not sure who will take over when we go home, but it's a good thing. We hope it keeps going. Maybe we should post a notice that we're accepting applications.

Down the hall is the bedroom. The bathroom is the first door on your right.
Actually, it's the only door on your right.

Not much to see; a stall shower, sink, toilet.

Note the ingenious solution Leon came up with to provide a clock in the bathroom:  One of his watches is duct taped to the wall. Again, notice the integrity of our Reality tour.

Our bed above.  Our bed below.  Colorful, don't you think?

OurReality dresser, and our entire wardrobe, visible from the closet door. 

Correction: our temple whites are in the hall closet.

We're back in the living room. This is our command center; our link to the outside world. 

So, now I am going to share with you the various signs and quotes you may have noticed that are all around.  Some of them are Samoan words and phrases from a time in the past when we were serious about learning Samoan. Somewhere along the way, we got distracted. The others are quotes that inspire and/or remind us of what we should be about. They have really been helpful.. Maybe you will find them so as well.  The first one is from President Monson. I have memorized this one.

So much in life depends on our attitude. The way we choose to see things and respond to others makes all the difference. To do the best we can and then choose to be happy about our circumstances, whatever they may be, can bring peace and contentment. 

                                                                                            ~ President Thomas S. Monson

Don't be gloomy. Do not dwell on unkind things. Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunshine. Even if you are not happy, put a smile on your face. Accentuate the positive. Look a little deeper for the good. Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, with great and strong purpose in your heart.  ~ President Hinckley

Think the best of others, especially those you say you love. Assume the good and doubt the bad.  ~ Unknown

O God, thy sea is so great, and my boat is so small. ~ Old fisherman's prayer, courtesy of son, Jesse. 

It's amazing what happens when you choose to let God shape your life and not let the bad things that happened be your present.  ~ Casey Anne Crowley, Argentina Neuquen Mission.

And last of all, the scripture that we chose for our missionary plaque. I've also memorized this one: 

And now my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you, to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build, they cannot fall.  Helaman 5:12

Thanks for stopping by. Notice the lovely landscaping as you leave.  This is what we see through our front window. (Remember the convenience factor before you judge.)

This is what we see from our side living room window. That's the mission home in the distance. Walk around our apartment to the right and you will see the Service Center across the parking lot.

Our apartment is connected to the temple president's home. If you look over their roof you can see part of the temple in the distance. This is they way we walk to the temple. We don't actually walk through the mission president's home, but we do walk through their car port.

If you head the other direction as you leave and walk around the Sauni's apartment, you get a better glimpse of the temple beyond. You can also see the back of Lavatai's apartment, which is connected to Lamoreaux's, which is connected to Fitisemanu's (temple president). We're all connected. And the laundry room is at the corner of the sidewalk, if you get what I mean. See the clothesline pole? Notice in the foreground at the corner of Sauni's apartment is a young and growing papaya tree.

They planted this tree at Christmas. These are big enough to pick. 
The oblong shape indicates they are Hawaiian papaya. When ripe they are yellow/gold.
Inside, they are a deeper color of orange than the local variety.

If you turn right from the papaya tree, the sidewalk will take you to Sister Kamerath's apartment. Hers is the door on the right.  What you don't see is chickens.  They've been banned from the complex because of the mess they create. Leon is most happy to have them gone. There are two individuals that miss them quite a lot: Sister Kamerath, aka, "Chicken Grandma", and Sister Sauni who regularly thins their feathers for them and dyes them brilliant colors - the feathers, not the chickens - to use in the gorgeous fans she weaves and exports to Pago Pago to sell. There are very few chickens around these days, and proportionately rather skimpily feathered. Sister Kamerath fed 'her' chicken pets from the 50 lb. bags of rice she regularly purchased for them. The main rooster would even come into her apartment if the door was open and stand on the little rug just inside. He was such a proud and cocky specimen. He's gone to a better place. Not what you might be thinking. The bunch of them are now residing in the yard of the mission home cook. . .Well, maybe it is what you're thinking.

Remember to drive on the left side of the road. And try not to use your windshield wipers as blinkers. No one will even notice. Well, that's not entirely accurate. The people in your car will get a good laugh. Trust me. 

Tofa soifua.  Thanks for dropping by. 

Where did April go?

April was the first month that I haven’t posted at least once in the fourteen months we’ve been here. I hope I can remember some highlights and figure out why I didn’t blog.

The couples who are serving missions here are all people you would be happy to call your friends. Each contributes their unique personalities, talents, interests and testimonies to the enrichment of all, including Sister Carolyn Kamerath, who had the spunk to come here alone to serve as mission nurse years after she had been active in nursing.  And we can’t forget our volunteer dentists – yes, dentists. With the arrival of Mark and Jane Thomas, freshly retired from his practice in Salem, Oregon, we now have two dentists to care for the entire population, and they do it for free. Elder and Sister Layne are most thankful for this help. Dr. Layne was not really prepared for the patient load after being in semi retirement in Florida before coming here to serve an 18 month mission with his wife as his assistant. It was quite a shock to find a long line of people waiting for the clinic door to open at 8:00 a.m. each day.

Close friendships form within this group of dedicated people; usually it seems to be geographic, neighbors sharing with neighbors. In our case, it is the same. We are closest as far as time spent together and shared experiences with those who live in temple housing, namely the Lamoreaux’s and Sister Kamerath, as well as the Lavata’i’s.  Our time spent (outside the temple) with Lavata’i’s is limited due to the fact that they have lots of family close by. Their Sundays especially are spent with family, while we palagi’s become family to each other. We attend the English speaking ward together and often share Sunday dinner, as well as occasional evenings playing dominoes, crazy card games or watching a movie together.

So when Sister Kamerath got word that her beloved young adult grandson Justin, a recovering addict, had died of an overdose, we were with her. That was April 1^st. We lived through that trauma with her. She has shown great faith and courage to finish her mission, saying that is what Justin would want her to do. And she does it with grace and good humor.

Other April news of significance (to us) is that with all the growth of the church and a new stake being formed recently, the meeting house we had attended was aligned into a different stake and the Pesega Lima ward was assigned to hold meetings in the Pesega High School (not called that here, but that’s what it is). We hold sacrament meeting in the gymnasium and classes are held in the air conditioned classrooms. It could be worse. This English speaking ward first began in the high school gymnasium, so it has come full circle.

April saw the end of an abundant avocado harvest of which we were the grateful beneficiaries. Mark and Pat Moors, members of our ward and Mark is a temple worker, have a grove of avocado trees that kept us and all the missionaries supplied for a couple of months. Moors delivered bags of avocados to us regularly to distribute to other missionaries. And these are huge compared to the ones we get at home. They keep far better, retaining their color and texture for days in the refrigerator. 

General Conference was - as always - anticipated, appreciated and devoured. We saw some sessions live on BYUTV and attended all sessions of the delayed broadcast the following weekend in our stake center. We’ve enjoyed revisiting some talks online at lds.org. I am finding Elder Corbridge of the Seventy to be one of my favorite speakers. His messages are delivered with passion and punch. Why, indeed, did they not leave Joseph alone? Truth is always opposed. I was touched by Elder Packer’s talk and his rare show of emotion. How long will he be with us, we wonder.

The senior missionaries are organized into a zone under the mission president with three districts. We are district leaders of the temple housing district. It was our turn in April to provide the lesson/activity of our bi-weekly FHE. We did a Samoan cooking demo and served the food after. Can you guess that I demo-ed how to make cocosamoa and supoese? We also had demo’s of fa’alifu talo, baked taro, and palusami. It was very well received and lots of fun. There were several Samoan senior missionaries there and I was the first to demo. I was a bit intimidated, so I began by relating a scene from the movie, ELF. Do you remember the conversation between Will Ferrell and the little girl in the doctor’s office waiting room? She compliments him on his elf costume and he corrects her. “This isn’t a costume. I’m an elf…. raised by humans.”  She responds, “I’m a human, … raised by humans.”  Then I explained my reluctance to teach with Samoans present by saying, “I’m a palagi, … raised by palagi’s.” It was a good evening.

Sunday dinners, including Easter Sunday, with Lamoreaux's at Sister Kamerath's (she always hosts because she is the only one with a dining room table) sums up the highlights of the month of April.

Since today is Mothers Day with all of you, may I share our experience of yesterday, which was our Mothers Day? We were invited by one of the temple workers, Brother Tiatia, to attend his ward at Mulifanua which is about an hours drive to the west end of the island. Most of the other seniors are assigned to regularly attend Samoan wards. Since we fall under the authority of the temple president, we were free to attend whatever ward we chose. Pesega Lima draws its membership of English speaking saints from anywhere on the island. We are grateful to have callings and serve in Pesega Lima ward.

Yesterday was our first experience attending a Samoan speaking ward. We gained empathy for the missionaries who never hear a talk, a lesson, or sing a hymn in English. Since it was Mothers Day, as sacrament meeting began, all the mothers and grandmothers were asked to go to the back of the chapel and form a line. As we walked in, a young man of the priesthood shook each hand and placed around our necks an ulu (lei in Hawaii) of candy. I learned that some years it is made of flowers and some years it is candy. Leon just took it apart to share the candy with our home teaching family, so I can’t show you, but it is all wrapped in plastic wrap and tied between each candy with a short piece of curly ribbon.  Rather than return to our seats, we sat in front seats reserved for the mothers. I saw that Leon had been asked to sit on the stand. A mongrel looking dog wandered down the aisle from back to front three different times, exiting at the open door at the front of the chapel. No one even noticed. Sharing that with  Laynes later that day, they reported that in the ward they attend, the bishop’s dog wanders in and out of the chapel or sits in the door during the meeting. 

After church, we were invited by the Tiatia family to have dinner with them. Their home was just three houses from the church on the sea side of the road.  I wish we would have taken pictures. Their property is gated. The large palagi-style home sits on maybe four feet of concrete with a semi circle of steps leading up to a tiled deck of approximately 20 X 30 feet, with a 10 foot ceiling supported on three sides by pillars.The eves are decorated with geometric patterns of terra cotta on the light tan of the structure. The floor tiles, also terra cotta and light tan, are eighteen inches of detailed geometric design, set on the diagonal. These tiles continue into the large, open living area and kitchen of the house. The many louvered windows on all sides of the home, and the fact that the property sets right against the seawall, contribute to cooling breezes and a comfortable temperature inside as well as on the deck.

These living conditions were totally unexpected. Most people live in far more modest dwellings. We learned that Sister Tiatia’s father, whose property this is, is in the travel and tourism business and actually has a travel agency in Riverton.  He owns extensive property by the wharf, has subdivided and sold many parcels, and plans to build a hotel. Here is another example of a successful Samoan saint who uses his wealth to benefit and serve others. He purchased a full sized bus and gives free transportation to ward members. His family donated the land upon which stands the near by LMS Church. The full time sister missionaries were also invited dinner guests, as they often are.

But here is the most amazing part of this family. Sister Tiatia’s first name is Kelly Joyce, and therefore I thought before meeting her that she was a palagi. Not so. She was born in American Samoa, educated in New Zealand, and while still single, worked in Victorville, CA, as a county case worker with foster children.  Among her case load, she was responsible for the five American kids that are now part of the Tiatia family. It seems that there was a shortage of foster homes (a problem in Utah as well), and when it became apparent that there was nowhere to place these children, she decided to adopt them. When she moved back to Samoa, she brought with her five very fair children as her own. When she and Brother Tiatia began dating, she made it very clear to him and especially to her five children, that there would be no marriage unless everyone involved was in favor of it. 

And so it was that in 2012, Savea Tiatia and Kelly Joyce ___________ (we never asked her father’s name!!!) were sealed to each other and to their five palagi children in our beautiful Samoan temple. Since then they have had a baby boy who is now 17 months old, making them parents of six children in two years.  The ages of the other children range from eight to twelve. They speak Samoan at home, so it has become their first language. From their drug infested homes in America, they are now enjoying an idyllic childhood of simplicity and peace in a loving home and a most beautiful setting.  Sister Tiatia proudly told me that they are doing very well in school. She drives them to the Pesega Middle School and Pesega Fou, which is the elementary school. So that is an hour drive each way every day.

On this Mother’s Day that seems a fitting end to this post. If you happen to open this today, Happy Mothers Day to you!

The Land Down Under

A brief history of our fascination with Australia:

1.       The 1969 movie, Support Your Local Sheriff, staring James Garner who plays the reluctant sheriff  of a wild west town, insisting regularly that he is not to be counted on to hang around for long. “Basically I’m on my way to Australia”, is his mantra.  Leon has quoted that line too many times to count in the years since James Garner made it famous (in our family).

2.       A not-so-distant relative of mine came to America via Australia, and it appears he met his wife either there or on the voyage to America. 

3.       Our Aussie friends, Neal and Barbara Goodlet, senior missionary couple serving as teachers in the Pesega high school, have endeared themselves to us for many reasons. We share many interests, including for Leon and Neal the fascination with all things mechanical. Goodlets are lovers of good books and music and we share books with each other.  I’ve introduced them to Jesse’s music and they’ve shared with their daughters back home in Aussie land. They are funny and fun people. Sister Goodlet knows all the good thrift shops in Apia. You would be amazed at what she finds – and what I find when I tag along. Their home is near Perth, in Western Australia. Their accent is quite strong and we sometimes have to think in context to understand what they are saying. Sometimes I try to imitate the accent and it is hard to do. I say a word over and over again to discover what it is they do with their mouth.  Leon just thinks I’m mumbling, but it does have a purpose.

Sorry about going on about Goodlets. I said our history was brief, and I made it longer than necessary. So that’s it. Somehow it has always been on the periphery of our consciousness. It’s really quite amazing to us that we have actually been there. Of course we only set our foot on a small area of New South Wales, which is one of six states on the continent, and then mostly in and around the city of Sydney. 

Some Interesting Facts as per Wikipedia: (You can skip this part if you like.)

Australia has six states—New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), South Australia (SA), Tasmania (TAS), Victoria (VIC) and Western Australia (WA)—and two major mainland territories—the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory (NT).

Before the first British settlement in the late 18th century Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians who spoke languages grouped into roughly 250 language groups.  After the discovery of the continent by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788.

Australia is a developed country and one of the wealthiest in the world, with the world's 12th-largest economy. In 2012 Australia had the world's fifth-highest per capita income, Australia's military expenditure is the world's 13th-largest. With the second-highest human development index globally, Australia ranks highly in many international comparisons of national performance, such as quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, and the protection of civil liberties and political rights. On 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. Since Federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy.

The indigenous population, estimated to have been between 750,000 and 1,000,000 at the time European settlement began, declined for 150 years following settlement, mainly due to infectious disease.  A government policy of "assimilation" beginning with the Aboriginal Protection Act 1869 resulted in the removal of many Aboriginal children from their families and communities—often referred to as the Stolen Generations—a practice which may also have contributed to the decline in the indigenous population. The Federal government gained the power to make laws with respect to Aborigines following the 1967 referendum. Traditional ownership of land—aboriginal title—was not recognised until 1992, when the High Court case Mabo v Queensland (No 2) overturned the legal doctrine that Australia had been terra nullius ("land belonging to no one") before the European occupation. [End of edited Wilipedia source material.]

I found that very interesting.  The only thing I knew for sure about Australia was that Kangaroos, Koala Bears, and Aborigine’s lived there. Goodlets have them hopping through their backyard - kangaroos, that is. Evidently the only place you can count on seeing them in NSW is in the zoo. We have a documentary film at home focusing on the government removal of Aboriginal children from their families as mentioned above.The film title is Rabbit Proof Fences.

On with our story: Our hotel was in the heart of downtown Sydney, overlooking Hyde Park. Free city buses made travel around the city possible, mostly because of the high cost and limited space for parking. So many shops, restaurants and interesting people made walking about the city enjoyable. This is a multi-cultural city. Many beautiful old buildings and churches give character to the otherwise modern cityscape.  Hyde Park is lovely, St Mary’s Cathedral, and the Queen Victoria Building are beautiful. The area known as The Rocks is a good place to learn of the earliest settlement of Australia. We had heard of the world famous Sydney Opera House, but knew nothing of its fascinating history. It was on everyone’s ‘what to see’ list. We were not disappointed. An impressively efficient ferry system makes the beautiful bays and beaches of Sydney Harbor very accessable. The Sydney Australia Temple is about a forty-five minute drive from downtown and was one of our first destination stops. 

We were able to attend three sessions on our first Saturday in Sydney. Our former temple missionary friend, Sister Nele Moaga was working that day in the temple. How fun it was to connect with her again.

The next day in search of a church to attend, our GPS sent us back to the Sydney temple. Unsuccessful in attempts to find a regular chapel, we sent up a prayer for assistance, and settled on taking pictures of the temple. No sooner had we walked to the front with our camera, than a couple out for their morning walk happened by and offered to take our picture. Further conversation revealed them to be Elder and Sister Tanner from Payson, UT, serving as public affairs missionaries for the church in Australia.

They generously offered to take us to church with them and then join them afterwards for dinner in their home adjacent to the temple. We enjoyed a wonderful Sabbath experience due to the Tanner's kindness and hospitality, and an answer to our prayer.

From a distance, the Sydney Tower Eye looks all alone in the city. However, it is right in the midst of buildings on every side. We left our hotel and asked someone what direction  to walk to get to the tower. They motioned for us to step out towards the street and look up past a highrise in the next block and there it was. We learned that it is one of the safest buildings in the world, capable of withstanding earthquakes and extreme wind conditions. That is comforting when you are standing on the skywalk 880 feet from the ground. From there you get a 360 degree view of Sydney, Sydney Harbor, and many landmarks, including a glimpse of the Opera House.

Using the zoom feature, this is the ANZAC memorial in Hyde Park. The building directly behind in the photo is the location of the ward we attended the last Sunday we were there.

Looking down on St. Mary's Cathedral, just through the block from our hotel. Hyde Park is in between.

 Sydney Harbor as seen from the tower.

A ferry like this one took us to Manly Beach, Bondi Beach, and Watson Bay, home of the lighthouse and military installation constructed during WWI to protect the harbor.

Bondi Beach  Glorious surf.

Watson Bay (left).

All the benches along the beachfront at Bondi Beach were covered with mosaic tiles.

The Sydney Opera House as seen from the ferry.

Enterprising Aborigines selling their CD down by the harbor. Every song sounds the same to our unaccustomed ears, with the doleful, drone of the didjeridu. Just to their left, we enter the historic area called The Rocks, referring to the rocky coastline from which many buildings were constructed by convicts. No photos, but a fun place to wander, and a museum of sorts giving the history of the original inhabitants and the first European settlers.

I can't end this post without mentioning this incredible icon.

The Queen Victoria Building (right) takes up an entire city block in downtown Sydney. Originally built in 1898 as a tribute to Queen Victoria, 

it has seen many uses, including a city library. Now it is houses upscale retail shops and eateries. But you don't have to spend a penny to wander and gaze in awe at the architectural artistry. 

To learn and see more of this fabulous building, go to 

http://www.qvb.com.au/About-QVB

Thanks for letting us share these memories with you. There is so much more to see than can be seen in a few days visit. I'm not sure what Leon will use as his new movie quote, but if he sticks to the old one, I'll be happy to go along with him again.

We Interrupt this Travel Log . . .

With a special announcement experience of last Sunday, March 24, 2014.

Sunday was our annual ward conference with its attendant stake visitors on the stand. The second counselor released the bishopric of our ward, then read the names of general, stake and ward officers for a sustaining vote. He then announced the names of our new bishop and his counselors, asking for a sustaining vote. NEWS FLASH: In all my years in the church this is the first time a change in a ward bishopric has not been preceded by speculative conversations among members of who they thought would be called as the new bishop.  I could attribute that to our somewhat unique connection with the ward, but we have enough contact in settings other than Sunday meetings that I find it very impressive that not one word or allusion to this change was obvious to me.

There were fewer speakers than has been our experience back home. Our Relief Society president, Rebecca Lolo, was given five minutes to bear her testimony. She chose to use her five minutes to share counsel received in a recent leadership training given by our Area Presidency under the heading, Annual Plan for Strengthening the Church and Hastening the Work in the Pacific where Elder Pearson, counselor in the area presidency, taught that at the heart of strengthening the church, is the need for each of us as members to Deepen Our Personal Conversion to Christ and His Gospel. Our bishop of the past six years, Uele Vaaulu, gave the most beautiful, insightful and candid reflection of what it means to be a bishop that I have ever heard. He had written it out and stayed with the text of his talk. We have learned to have great respect for this good man and his leadership. Our new bishop, Ete (Edward) Pauga, who’s father is counselor in the temple presidency, and his first counselor, Andrew Craig (sounds palagi, but he is Samoan), were both counselors to Bishop Va'aulu. Bishop Vaaulu was followed by his counselors, newly sustained Bishop Pauga and Brother Craig. After a beautiful interlude of young women’s voices singing a new-to-me song of their commitment to the Lord and His work, our stake president Lake Ah Chong spoke to us of the price of liberty and conversion, comparing the two.  I will share some of his talk with you as that is really the point of this post.

President Ah Chong related to us a story of conversion.  At the time of the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, he had two young daughters serving in the US military. Shaken at the imminent reality of war with the country they had sworn to defend with their lives, they called him, pleading to come home.  As their father, he too shared their fear.  In a soul-searching process, his daughters chose to be true to their commitment to serve. That process led them to the realization that theirs had not been a casual commitment, allowing them the advantages of a uniform without the duty it represented. Likewise, they determined that the cause they had espoused and pledged to defend was worthy of sacrifice. They serve still today along with another of President and Sister Ah Chong’s daughters, converted to the cause of liberty, not counting the personal cost. Their fields of operation include Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.

It is the same, he said, with the gospel. Echoing Sister Lolo’s message, he challenged us to deepen our commitment, our conversion to Christ and His work. As his daughters learned, we too either have faced, or will yet face the reality that we are at war against the powers of darkness in this world. We face the same choice his daughters and their parents faced;  the words we sing (perhaps without thought) ask, “Shall [we] falter when defending truth and right? When the enemy assailed, shall we shrink or shun the fight?”  Truly, the war that began before the earth was formed is the war of bondage vs. liberty, and continues to thwart the work of God whenever fear overcomes faith.  I receive strength personally from the scriptures which remind me that when we stand firm for truth and righteousness, we never stand alone. The spirit in our meeting bore witness of the truth that was spoken.

Alma 46:12,36

IN OTHER NEWS:  We are experiencing an epidemic of PINK EYE in Samoa.  Our mission nurse, Sister Kamerath is inundated with providing meds for the young infected missionaries. Pesega schools are closed this week in hope of limiting contact and containing its spread. It has been estimated that half of Samoa is infected. That estimate was made by a medical doctor, which may have influenced his perspective. It is reasonable to assume that most if not all families have someone in their family with pink eye. President Pauga, counselor in the temple presidency is out this week as a result of contact with an infected patron. The joke is that if you see a person wearing sunglasses before the sun is up or after it sets, they are hiding something. They have posted a placard at the recommend desk, advising anyone with pink eye to wait until it has cleared up before coming to the temple.

That’s all the news from Lake Wobegon where the missionaries are strong, the temple stands as a beacon, and most of the patrons are not wearing sunglasses. (Shout-out to Garrison Keillor fans. TLB)

RE-ENTRY

     I have to admit it. It was hard to come back. Our time in New Zealand and Australia was refreshing in every way. The weather was mild, cool breezes and temperatures in the 70’s with only occasional overcast skies and one day of – how can I call it rain when it came so softly? And then there were the “motorways”, aka highways, and freeways. Can you imagine how it felt, especially for Leon, to drive at speeds well in excess of 35 miles an hour? The food, everywhere we went, was excellent and reasonably priced.  Everyone understood us and we understood everyone!  And the chocolate!

I struggled with coming back. I think we both did. But we didn’t dwell on it. After all, we’re adults, right? And we can do hard things. So we packed our bags, tucked in the few souvenirs we bought, crammed my carry on with Cadbury chocolate for our temple and missionary friends, and we were on our way.

The return trip from Australia to NZ and then on to Samoa was a piece of cake compared to getting there. The day we left Samoa for New Zealand was a Saturday (February 22^nd). We had been up since 3 a.m. for our morning shift at the temple. Our flight left at 9:40 p.m.. By the time we checked into our hotel in Auckland, we had been up for 25 hours.  In contrast to that, we had a good night’s sleep before heading home, not much time between flights, and felt quite rested when we arrived at Faleolo Airport.

Here’s the amazing thing. Walking down the steps from the plane and across the tarmac to the terminal, the moonlit Samoan night felt like a warm embrace. As we entered the terminal, we could hear the familiar sounds of Samoan harmonies and guitars. Not since we arrived one year ago had I remembered the live music that greets visitors.  I don’t know if they are always on hand, or if we were just fortunate to have come back when they were playing. It was irresistible. We were home. And we were happy to be here again. Lamoreaux’s were there to welcome us and take us back to the temple complex. We laughed and shared each other's highlights of the two weeks since we had seen them.

Before I go there, I have to tell you that our dear little friend, Sister Tavete, took an unexpected early release from her temple mission and a quickly arranged flight home to Australia during our first week back. She had received word that her 45 year old son was bleeding internally and awaiting surgery. She was to have served until May. We should be accustomed by now to unexpectedly hasty good-byes, but we’re not.

The time away has proven to have been good for body and soul. We are happy to be serving in one of the most beautiful temples on earth, among some of God’s most beautiful children, in one of the most beautiful places on earth. We seem to have a clearer perspective of the work we are engaged in and the rare opportunity we’ve been given to serve here – again.

I do hope you will indulge us in sharing some of our experiences and photos of our trip. For those who abhor travel logs, you are free to click the white-on-red X at the top left of your screen. I will never know. 

So, here are some highlights of New Zealand:

Early morning hot air balloon ride, Hamilton, NZ.

Everyone was included in launch preparations.

Launch site at take-off.

Idylic countryside with the Hamilton, NZ temple, center.

Happy Landing!!

Dinner Cruise Auckland Harbor

"That's our boat in the center there? For our dinner cruise? Will we fit?  

Yes! All seventeen guests, plus a crew of two. And what a lovely meal it was!

Our able Captain, Jason and First Mate, Makala

Hoisting the sail.

Sailing under the Harbor Bridge.  Wait..
"Who's drivin' this fly umbrella?" (Name the movie.)

We thought for sure our sail would hit the bridge (pictured above). Notice the two extensions on either side of the bridge. These were designed by a Japanese firm and 'hung' onto the existing bridge when it became obvious that bridge traffic demanded four lanes instead of the original two.

Altogether a lovely evening on the water.

Rotorua

Rotorua is home to world famous Pohutu Geyser which erupts on average once or twice each hour and can reach heights of up to ninety feet. It is also the location of a Maori cultural education center with a carving school, weaving school, and a traditional fully carved meeting house where we were entertained by traditional dances of the haka and the female poi dance. This is also where we found our little glass kiwi bird.

In both pictures you can see the detailed carvings that grace
 both interior and exterior of the meetinghouse.


Hamilton New Zealand Temple

The Hamilton New Zealand Temple was also closed for the same two weeks as the Apia Samoan Temple. We took advantage of the visitors center, chatting with the missionaries serving there, and taking the tour. Sister Brown from Rigby, Idaho was nice enought to take our picture. The temple is located on a hill with picturesque bucolic views all around; rolling hills, trees, and lovely flowers on the grounds. We were happy to at least have seen it and felt the peace that surrounds it.

That's our New Zealand experience. Or at least some important highlights. Oh, and the picture at the beginning of this post, is a picture of the Sky Tower in downtown Auckland. We had a great lunch in the restaurant at the top and a panoramic view of Auckland, which is a lovely city, the harbor, and the blue mountains in the distance. 

Australia will have to wait for another day. Please pardon the crazy placement of pictures. I'm sure I aged another year before I wrapped this up and decided it would do just the way it is.

Anyway, we're 'home' now and glad to be back.

I know, its a tough assignment, but someone has to do it, right?. Wait, Leon! I'm coming.(Actually, we're on the early shift this week and we're heading straight to bed!)