It's Raining it's Pouring, and Pouring and.......Pouring

Talofa Family and Friends,

Well, one word sums up our week - RAIN!  Every day since Monday we have had periods of torrential rain - sometimes lasting for hours.  In our back yard there is a drainage channel that up until this week was dry.  Now it is a raging river.  Waterfalls have appeared, streets have turned into rivers, lakes have appeared in low lying areas and there has been almost a constant flash flood warning.  Houses have been devastated with mud slides and others have been flooded.  Another consequence of all this water is that toads are appearing everywhere.  Apparently in the 1950's the Cane Toad was brought over from Hawaii to help control mosquitoes and the pests that eat Taro.  (Apparently that pre-dated the commercial that warned about fooling around with Mother Nature.)  Not only are they disgusting when you almost step on them in the driveway , they are also highly toxic.  They secrete a milky substance from glands on their shoulders that can kill a dog and make humans sick.

Samoan Tie factory back in business

Because of the weather we have spent much of the week in the house.  Brent took the opportunity to pull out  the sewing machine to make his famous ties.  I have had a few skirts made, so he is using the left-over material for his ties.  He thinks it's a great idea for us to match- his ties with my skirts.  There is beautiful Samoan patterned material here for sell in many shops.  The patterns are different here than in Western Samoa. There is a Filipino family in Mapusaga Fou that will sew up a skirt for $10, so it's hard to resist buying materal when you see something you like.

Another consequence of the weather is more sick missionaries.  We've had one elder stay at the mission home for a day and a night with a strep throat and two sisters with sore throats.  I expect more with more rain.  Luckily, Sister Tele Hill, a nurse practitioner, is back on the island and is always willing to make house calls.

Also this week we met Sister Foster, a Samoan Sister missionary from New Zealand.  Her job is to take care of the fleet of cars/trucks/vans in the mission.  She flew over Wednesday to inspect the cars on the island.  Because of the rain she was not able to complete everything she needed to do before returning to Apia on Thursday.  She will be back next month.  She is a pretty amazing lady.  She joined the church 3 years ago and is a power house when it comes to taking care of her responsibilities. 

House damaged in last cyclone - 2017

I've been wanting to get a picture of this house which is about a block from where we live.  If you look closely you can see that the front and back are in tact but the whole middle of the house is missing.  You can also see the remaining foundations of another home that was totally destroyed.  Driving around the island we often see numbers spray painted on homes.  These are FEMA markings from the cyclone in 2017.  As the FEMA people went from door to door they marked the houses after they were checked.

Example of one of many floral arrangements
at the baptism  - When I mentioned how
beautiful they were they insisted we take one
home.  

East Zone Leaders - Elders Bailey and Smith
These guys are awesome missionaries!

 We had made plans to go on an excursion with Ropeti Lesa and his wife yesterday, but plans were cancelled due to the weather.  However, the day was not wasted as we attended two baptismal meetings - one in the morning in Leone and the other in the evening at Aua.  Elder Smith baptized a young woman who had waited 7 years to get baptized.  She was living with her boyfriend but they were not married.  Saturday morning they got married and that evening she was baptized.

Elders Teisina, Faletau, Jensen and Wilkey

The baptism in Leone was pretty amazing.  Elder Teisina baptized a grandmother who only had one leg.  Getting her in and out of the font was a challenge for the three men who tenderly lifted her in and out. I admire the courage it took for her to be baptized.  She was baptized the same day as her 8 yr. old grandson.  Her husband was already a member.  So, what's really neat about both baptisms is that two families were put together who are now planning on attending the temple.  We believe families can be together forever if they are sealed in a temple.

The best thing that happened this week is that we got a new internet provider that boosted our internet speed to about 10 x's faster than we had before.  That's been a tender mercy as Brent and I were always frustrated when we were trying to get our work done. 

Forever friends!  Love these two!

 Don't know how I forgot to mention the visit from the Avei's last week.  A week ago last Tuesday I was surprised to answer a knock at the door and find Brother and Sister Avei.  They had served as auditors in Apia when we were there.  They were on there way to visit family in Upolu and since they missed Brent, they promised to stop on their way back home.  Will look forward to seeing them again.

I have loved studying the New Testament this year.  The past couple of weeks I've been studying the Book of Acts.  I wish I could be as bold as Paul in declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here he is in Athens:

 ¶ Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are ^atoo superstitious.

23 For as I passed by, and beheld your ^adevotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE ^bUNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ^cignorantly worship, him ^ddeclare I unto you.

24 God that ^amade the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, ^bdwelleth not in temples made with hands;

25 Neither is ^aworshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and ^bbreath, and all things;

26 And hath ^amade of ^bone ^cblood ^dall ^enations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath ^fdetermined the ^gtimes before ^happointed, and the ⁱbounds of their habitation;

27 That they should ^aseek the Lord, ^bif haply they might ^cfeel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

28 For in him we ^alive, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his ^boffspring.

29 Forasmuch then as we are the ^aoffspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto ^bgold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s ^cdevice.

30 And the times of this ^aignorance God ^bwinked at; but now ^ccommandeth all men every where to ^drepent:

31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will ^ajudge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ^bordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath ^craised him from the dead. 

I testify that I know also that we are the literal offspring of God - we are His children.  It is no accident that you and I are alive at this time and at each of our places.  Again, here is the promise that all men will be resurrected.  I hope each of you take time out of every day to contemplate things of the Spirit.  If you have questions - pray and ask God.  If you ask with real intent I know he will answer you.  He has promised us that.  Have a wonderful week!

Alofa atu - Patty