A Week of New Beginnings

New Missionaries arrived Monday & Tuesday

Talofa Family and Friends,
This has been a crazy week with new missionaries arriving, old missionaries returning home, several trips to the airport, a severe pain in my neck (almost certainly stress related) my 65th birthday,  a cyclone that could have been devastating, but wasn't, and a visit from the Area President.  Next week has to be a cake walk in comparison!

It is hard not to get attached to these young missionaries, and as they leave the mission we wish them the very best as they start these new chapters in their lives. It is an amazing experience to be at the mission home when the families arrive to both drop new missionaries off, and then two years later come to pick them up.  Only mothers who have sent missionaries off can understand the aching you feel for them while they are gone.  As a mother of four missionaries myself, I know exactly what these families are going through.   The elders that are in the office a lot for one reason or another are the ones we really get attached to.  Elder Tiatia and Elder Pati were two of these missionaries.  It broke my heart to see them go, (both on my BD) but I know Elder Tiatia will be back soon, and Elder Pati is going to be an awesome missionary in PNG.  The other seven who left this week are to be commended in every way for the many sacrifices, rejections and deprivations they have faced the last two years.  My father, who was not a member, always said that missions were great for young people, as there was nothing worse that life could throw at them than what they experienced on a mission. However, there is nothing greater in this world than being an instrument in the Lord's hands, in helping someone  to come to Christ and recognize the truth.  I know all of you see these young men and women, wherever you live, and I pray that you will feel moved on to listen to their message.

Our 7 Missionaries returning home with Honor
Two to the States and Five to Samoa

Saying Goodbye to two of our favorites

Cyclone Amos Game Night
(I told Brent to look scared!)

I was not prepared for the jolt it was to my pschye to turn 65.  Somehow in my mind 64 still seemed pretty young, but 65!!! Well that is a whole other matter!  Maybe it's that I had to sign up for medicare - or that my dad always said he hoped he would live to be 65 (He lived to be 97) but anyway I am not happy about it.  However, to ease the pain, my sister Shauna and friend Marilyn made me a BD cake when they were here, Brent bought be a beautiful black pearl necklace, and many friends sent BD wishes both here and over FB. This evening (Sunday) the Spencers had a delicious dinner with another BD cake for some of us who shared April birthdays.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   The other big event of the week was Cyclone Amos, who started out as a Category 1 - went to a Category 4 - and when it finally hit Samoa last night was a Category 2 Cyclone.  Now on a scale from 1-5, that might not sound like much, but there was some serious rain and wind.  We had the Callahans over for dinner and games to help take our minds off the weather, but after they left the wind really picked up.  At times it sounded like our roof might come off.  To cover up the noise, Brent loaded "Shrek 3" onto his laptop, and we laid in bed and watched that until I fell asleep.  This morning there are a lot of trees down (mostly banana), there was flooding downtown and in some of our missionary housing, but as of tonight all missionaries are accounted for and safe.  The sky tonight is a beautiful blue touched with streaks of pink and orange.

My Scripture for the week is Mosiah 5: 7-8 " And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.

 8 And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.

The people who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints make covenants with the Lord, just as Abraham did in the Old Testament.  That is why we build temples.  We promise to learn and do His will, to follow his prophet; in turn God promises us that we will be saved with our families.  If you want to know how you can be with your family forever talk to one of our missionaries, or visit Mormon.org.  

I feel blessed to be here in this beautiful land of Samoa.  I am grateful that we were spared from the devastating cyclone that passed very close.  I love you all, and again appreciate the thoughts and prayers that came my way this week.  God Bless You and Keep You!  Patty