Samoa Apia Mission - Take 2

Talofa Family and Friends,

On our Way - Am. Samoa or Bust!

We have arrived safely in American Samoa and have been busy getting settled in.  We have been warmly welcomed by President and Sister Ho Ching, and the other Senior missionaries here, the Abbotts, Edwards and President and Sister Mulisefulu.  Most of them met us at the airport late last Tuesday night with candy leis and Kukui beads.
         We will be living in the Mission Home in the village of Mesepa.  It's a nice 3 bedroom home that doubles as living quarters and the office.  We have an ocean view from our front porch and in the back beautiful green mountains.  I feel fortunate to have air conditioning, but it has to be set at 70 to keep the black mold at bay, so I generally have to wear a sweater at home so I don't freeze. We have a beautiful large fenced yard with our own banana trees and a lemon tree that we were told was blessed by President McKay to always bear fruit to bless the village.  It is loaded now and apparently always has fruit.  The local village people consider the land our house sits on as sacred.  We're told to expect many people asking if they can pick lemons. The nice part about the yard is that someone else does the yard work.

Our Front Yard

 The Abbotts have been here for two months, filling in until we arrived.  Monday they will be flying to Apia where they will be serving in the office.  They have been wonderful hosts and teachers, trying to help us learn our duties. Last night they hosted a dinner for us, the Edwards and Muliselus so we could get to know each other better.  The Edwards are here on a medical mission.  He is an orthopedic surgeon and is working with the local hospital getting it ready to do knee replacements.  Currently people needing that surgery have to go to New Zealand.  (He also said he would be glad to give me my cortisone injections as needed - YEAH!)   Sister Edwards will be working with mental health issues for missionaries who are serving in several different Pacific countries.  Brother Muliselu is the 1st counselor in the mission presidency.  We are looking forward to working closely with him  and the Edwards during our stay here.

Banana Tree - not quite ripe

The best part of our mission will be supporting the young missionaries on the island.  At the present there are 28 of them including 6 sisters. We have met some of them and they are amazing young people! We will do apartment inspections, take sick missionaries to the clinic, get them needed supplies, take care of the finances, and help in any way needed.   Our other responsibilities include transferring incoming mail/packages from the states to Apia and sending out mail/packages to the States from Apia.  Around Christmas this will be a huge job!  Starting in August we will be teaching classes four mornings a week at the Institute here.

Our first week here we have been trying to get a feel for the major roads and where things are.  Luckily we visited here for a couple of days when we were serving in Apia, and it's pretty amazing how much Brent remembers.  We also did some missionary apartment checks, installed a few smoke/C02 detectors, changed water filters, and Brent fixed a leaky toilet in missionary apartments, we helped with a BYU sponsored summer school one morning for elementary kids and got our driver's licenses.  Getting our licenses involved 3 trips to the DMV and a trip to the District Court.  The court building had a metal detector but no one manning it.  It went off every time someone came in, but no one paid any attention.  We had to have our passports, birth certificates, social security cards, and a valid driver's license from the states.  It was pretty much a bureaucracy nightmare!  When we finally got everything they wanted their camera was broken so they told us just to use our Nevada Licenses for 30 days and come back.  Welcome to American Samoa.

BYU Summer School

Before leaving I was feeling anxious about being gone from our family and home.  I was sitting at the piano playing through some of the hymns and came across "When Faith Endures."  It was exactly the message I needed to hear then and today as I feel so inadequate and a little overwhelmed.

"I will not doubt, I will not fear;
God's love and strength are always near.
His promised gift helps me to find an inner strength and peace of mind.
I give the Father willingly, my trust, my prayers, humility.                                                                      His Spirit guides; his love assures, that fear departs
                                                       When faith endures."

I am here in Samoa because I have a testimony of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm just finishing the Book of Mormon (I've lost count how many times I've read it) and again it has been confirmed to me that it is a true book that testifies of a living Christ.  Please read it and find out for yourself!   I appreciate the love and support from family and friends to be able to be here and share the message that has brought me joy and peace.  Have a blessed week!   Alofa Atu - Mom, Nana, Patty

#1 Priority - Keeping ourselves and the Missionaries safe
and healthy.  All water is filtered.