Pictures: our first drenching morning walk, flower hedge near our apartment, little boys carrying their harvested coconuts home, how Samoans use their old tires (these are EVERYWHERE), a sampling of the typical colorful homes (they like bright happy colors here!), President and assistants at the temple site in Savaii, and a bunch of pictures of Sauniatu.
We hit our one-month mark last week. It seems like we are finally getting into a pretty good routine and figuring out what we're doing. Still, every day is different. I can tell that we'll never really be on a schedule. There are just too many unexpected interruptions and things that come up which cause a change of plans. But we're getting more familiar with the island and the areas so we can at least plan our trips to accomplish more than one task each time we venture out. I've got my traveling medical supply bag pretty well stocked now and we end up making quite a few house calls because most of the missionaries don't have vehicles and they're not supposed to leave their assigned area boundaries unless their zone leader drives them. There's usually something Elder G. needs to fix in the same area I need to go to, so it's working out that we can go together most of the time. Last week I did have to drive one of the Senior sisters to the Doctor's office one morning so I borrowed the mission secretary's car for that trip. Last week was also the first trip to the hospital with a missionary. It was just for a minor emergency--he broke a Q-tip off inside his ear and it was stuck so far in there that I couldn't get it out so we had to go to the ENT dept. at the hospital to get it removed. DON'T stick Q-tips in your ears! I've had a few issues with Senior couples this week. They're harder and more complex issues than the young missionaries, so I'm not really enjoying that because I don't have a lot of knowledge about what's here on the island as far as specialists and technology to treat these complex health issues.
The 3 Sisters that were victims of the home invasion and assault last week have been staying here at the mission home since it happened. The police were able to arrest the perpetrator on Thursday. He had stolen the car that he left at the scene from a nightclub that night and someone had a picture of him. So thankfully, he's off the street and can't victimize anyone else. I arranged for the Sisters to meet with our Area Mental Health Advisor, and The Area General Authority over the Pacific Area, Elder Jaggi flew to Samoa on Friday just to meet with the Sisters and give each of them a blessing! He told them that their names were on the prayer roll of the General Authorities weekly meeting and they were prayed for at that meeting last week. They all seem to be coping quite well and should be getting reassigned this week. On Friday we took a little detour on our way to some Mission Quarters and drove up to a place called Sauniatu. It is an 800 acre property that was purchased by the Church in the early 1800's. It's high up in the mountains in a beautiful spot! There is a school there as well as an activity area where they do youth camps and things. There is a monument that tells the story of President David O' Mckay visiting the site on horseback in 1921 and leaving an apostolic blessing on the people and the land of Sauniatu. There was a cool waterfall and swimming hole there too!
Saturday afternoon we went to a baptism and they asked Elder G. to be the witness right before she got baptized and then the sisters asked me to sing with them for the little program after the baptism. HaHa, nothing like "winging it"! Saturday nightwe went to a chinese restaurant with some of the senior missionary couples. It was pretty good food! Better than Panda Express, I thought. Yesterday, Sunday, after church we got to meet the new Mission President and his family who will be starting their service here in July. They were in Upolo for a youth temple trip with their stake from American Samoa. So they came to the mission home for desserts and to visit and tour the mission home and campus. They seem like wonderful people! It will be a breath of fresh air having a younger couple and their four children living here! I'm guessing they will bring a lot of energy to the mission!
At church yesterday, a sister shared a poem in her talk that I really liked.
Apparently it's a classic poem entitled "The Bridge Builder". I looked it up when I got home so I could share it with you.
The Bridge Builder
An old man, going a lone highway,
Came at evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
The sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide.
"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near,
"You are wasting strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way;
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide--
Why build you the bridge at eventide?"
The builder lifted his old gray head:
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."
-Will Allen Dramgoole
I had a couple of thoughts when I heard, and then reread the poem.
First, as we serve others, we are building bridges for them. Right now, we're trying to do our part to build some bridges in Samoa.
My second thought, (paraphrasing President Monson) Jesus Christ was the master bridge builder. He spanned the vast chasm we call death. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Because of him, all mankind can cross the bridge he built, if we so choose, into eternal life.
" For as in Adam, all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." 1 Corinthians 15:22
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