You can't control the wind. You can only adjust your sails.

Elders helping Brent rescue our old printer

 Talofa Family and Friends,
     A friend gave me some good advice this week: "You can't control the wind, you can only adjust your sails."  That pretty much sums up my life here in the mission - learning to adjust my sails.  However, some things are easier to adjust to than others.  This week, with no warning, a company showed up with a new printer for the office.  I tried to explain that our printer was working just fine and that we had just paid almost $10,000 WST (approx. 4,500) to have it serviced.  That was too bad - the church had a contract with this company and everyone was going to use these new printers.

Market Day with Afalua

Maryon's Bread Store - Neighborhood landmark

I cannot even start to tell you everything I use the printer for, and I knew how to use the old printer.  The new printer came with no instruction manual and is a totally different kind than I am used to.  When I asked what they were going to do with our perfectly good old printer, I was told it was going to be discarded.  Over my dead body!  I had some missionaries help move it into the McBrides office, where hopefully we can get it set back up.  This new printer is going to cause some major adjustment to my sails.  I see a few melt downs in my near future as the new printer and I get acquainted.

Elder Gray & Elder Tupa'i 1st Spaghetti Dinner

 I decided this week to record some of the every day things I do.  Part of my responsibility is shopping for the mission.  I usually take Afalua, the mission cook and good friend, with me. We are regular customers for a few of the local fruit and vegetable vendors.  Brent and I shop here on Sat. for our own food.
         Another regular stop in my week is the neighborhood bakery.  It is close enough to campus that I can smell the bread baking when I walk in the mornings.  A lot of families buy bread everyday, as there are no preservatives and it goes moldy very quickly.  Every morning at 6 am there is a traffic jam around Maryons, as families come to get their bread for the day. When we are buying for the mission I will often order 30 loaves and pick them up the next day.  There are always vendors out front selling taro, cocoa Samoa, cocoa rice....and big pots of stuff -  I have no idea what is in them.  I don't buy food off of the street because I am afraid I'll get sick.
       This has been a week for dog bites.  Two sister missionaries had serious enough bites to require medical attention.  Elder Gray had eye surgery this week to remove something that was growing over his eye.  Since he is resting at the MRC for a couple of weeks, we had him and his companion over for dinner tonight.  They are both local Samoans, and this was the first time they ever ate Spaghetti.  They were a little hesitant to try it at first, but they seemed to enjoy it.  They were trying to teach Brent and I some Samoan words, and they helped me with my Samoan testimony that I want to use when we return home.  They both are hard workers and it was a pleasure to share a meal with them in our home.  I promised them I would buy them taro tomorrow, but also that next time they come to dinner we would serve them tacos, another first.

     My scripture for the week is another favorite and comes from my reading.   Alma 5:14-15:

14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?

 15 Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body.

It is sobering to know that at some point in the future we will all stand before God and account for our lives while we we lived on earth.  I will try this week to be less judgmental, and try a little harder to be happy while adjusting my sails.  Happy Sailing to all of you.

Love and God Bless!  Patty