What a week! Lots of emotions and fun and change in the routine this past week. On Monday night, we had fun helping The Mission Leaders host a "FHE" party for all the past missionaries who have served with the Purcell's. Since the majority of them are from Samoa, they wanted to have a little gathering to give them a chance to say good-byes. We helped out with the set-up and serving food and passing out T-shirts,and then the clean-up afterwards. We didn't know most of the returned missionaries, but it was fun to get acquainted with many of them. They played some trivia games and some of them "roasted" the President. We couldn't understand what they were saying, but it must have been some pretty funny stuff because everyone sure did laugh a lot! They took pictures in front of a big balloon arch and sang and danced. On Tuesday, we went out to dinner with The Purcell's, Sister Schofield, and Elder and Sister Smith who are missionaries serving in the Area office in New Zealand. Elder Smith is the Area Dental Advisor and was here to help set up a mobile dental clinic for the Island of Savaii. We ate at the Taumeasina Resort which is not far from downtown Apia. We can see it when we jog along the seawall path, but this was the first time we've actually been to see what it looks like close up. .It's pretty fancy!
We spent Wednesday and Thursday mostly at the office working and helping get ready for the mission leaders to leave and arrive on Friday. Thursday night I spent 3 hours in the kitchen making a huge bowl of potato salad for a welcome luncheon on Friday. Thursday night we had Savaii STL's stay overnight with us.t They had brought their car to get serviced and it wasn't finished in time to make the ferry back so they had to spend the night somewhere. There are no extra rooms for that now because the new mission leaders are going to be taking up more of the space in the mission home for their family.
Friday morning we went to the airport to welcome the Reids,They flew in at around 10:00 AM. They went to the mission home and spent about an hour in the mission president's office with the Purcell's. Then they came out and everyone said good-bye to the Purcell's. They asked us to drive all of their luggage to the airport because they didn't want the AP missionaries to leave the new president there without them. So we missed the luncheon with the new mission leaders. That was fine though because we were able to give the Purcell's a good-bye hug at the airport.
Saturday morning we had our first experience with going to the wharf to pick up packages from Pago Pago that come weekly on a ferry.There were so many this week that they needed an extra vehicle to fit all of them so they asked us to help. I got one little package from the huge pile! A cute bracelet from Bayli with the initials of all of my grandchildren on it! Thanke Bayli!
When we got back from the Wharf, Elder G. had 3 bored kids come and ask him if they could ride some of the bikes because someone had told them he had some in a shed. So Talia, Eta, and Toa cruised around the campus on the bikes for a while. Guess we're going to have to share the bikes with them now, /haha.! Saturday afternoon we went on the road to do some repairs and hang some curtains at MQ''s on the Northeast side of the Island. We didn't get back until close to dark, but made one more stop at one of the churches to put up a basketball hoop so our friend Steven could play with a net! He's a kid that has been there shooting baskets almost everytime we go to that church so when we saw him out there shooting, we stopped and put up a net for him. He was so thankful and so excited! The missionaries saw us and came out of their MQ. so Elder G. challenged them to a 2 on 2 against him and Steven. Guess who won? Elder G. and Steven! Sunday was a good rest day. We needed it.
President Purcell left this message on the Samoa Apia Mission WhatsApp to all the missionaries at 4:00 AM Friday (the day he was leaving) :
"Talofa Samoa Apia Mission,
Today, Sister Purcell and I will be traveling home to California to see our children and grandchildren. But with that yearning for home, our hearts ache with the realization that our mission is ending. And that we will be leaving you all behind to gather the wheat in Samoa and take them to the garners (temples) (Alma 26:5). The emotional roller coaster is real and it is bittersweet. Three years has gone by fast and we are forever grateful for the blessing of having you all in our lives forever. This separation is temporary. And that same sociality which exists among us here will be forever etched in the fleshy tables of our hearts. (2 Corinthians 3:3). You will be in our earnest sincere prayers daily. WE will see your faces in our 5 o'clockprayers. Never forget to have The Savior as the focal point of your lives daily. He lives. He loves you. He needs you. He will always be there with outstretched arms. (2 Nephi 1:15). Look continuously to Him with His image engraven upon your countenances. (Alma 5:19). Sisters and Elders, continue to be anxiously engaged in his most sacred and majestic Work.(D&C 58:27). Keep going hard. Be strong, steadfast, and immovable (Mosiah 5:15). Think Celestial, always. Stay holy. Remember which way you face. The heavens are open for each of you for personal revelation. Look for the rays of light daily so that you will create your pillars of light. Keep studying the BOM. It has power to bind you to the Lord Jesus Christ...
Sisters and Elders, we love you all very much. We will miss you all tremendously. Stay safe out there. Plan on our mission reunion in September of 2025 here in Samoa. May Father's abundant blessings be with you all. Alofa tele mo outou uma. Tofa Soifua ma ia Manuia."
Here's some pictures from our week. You'll figure them all out.
No comments:
Post a Comment