Somoan drought

 Talofa!

This week has been a dry one!  We haven't had any rainstorms in Apia. It's the first time the grass in our front yard has looked brown in many areas.  There's no sprinkling system so when it doesn't rain, it doesn't get watered.  It's been a little less humid too so that's nice. The funny thing about no rain is that it actually makes it cooler because the air is driver.  We've been in the 80's lately.  

We started out our week last Monday by driving to our Zone's district meeting.  It took us over an hour to get there.  The district leader focused on the importance of learning the language so you can be more effective inviting investigators and teaching the lessons in Samoan. A lot of the off-island missionaries are not fluent in their Samoan because it's a hard language to learn. The missionaries were encouraged to take advantage of their daily language study time and work a little harder on improving their language skills.  The missionaries cooked lunch after the district meeting, Spam and egg (sunny side up) on toast.  They made them for us too!  By the time we got back to Apia it was mid-afternoon so that took up most of our day.  We had MLC (mission leadership council) meetings on Thursday and Friday.. The missionaries always stayed overnight in a nearby hotel for MLC when President Purcell was here, but President Reid decided he wanted them to all stay with Senior couples instead.  So we got to host two Elders at our place on Thursday night.  Not sure I'm fond of this idea, but you do what you're asked to do II guess.  It's just hard with only one bathroom.  Elder G. had to run over to the office Friday morning because when he has to go, he HAS to go, and our bathroom was occupied! HAHA. 

MLC was a little different this time because we had a harder time understanding anything.  President Purcell always was really good at saying things in Samoan, then translating them in English, but now they just speak Samoan.  Someone must have said something to the President because on the second day he tried having one of the missionaries translate over a zoom meeting, but it wasn't real succssful. It was still hard to hear what was being said.  On Saturday, Elder G. took on a demolition project at the office entrance.  There was a big metal enclosure over a big display that covers the whole wall in the entryway.  Anyway, the glass has been missing for a long time so President Reid wanted the metal encasement removed.  Elder G. did it on Saturday so the office missionaries wouldn't be around and he could make noise and mess without bothering anyone.  Now it will need to be repainted where the metal used to be and holes filled in.  Later in the day we attended a baptism for a Sister who lives in Tacoma Washington but is married to a member from Samoa so she came here for three weeks and had the missionary discussions and then got baptized before she goes back to Tacoma.  She was very friendly and it was nice visiting with her because she spoke great English! On Sunday we got up early and drove over to our zone to attend church at one of the chapels there.  We went to one of the wards that Elder Fox and Elder AhYou are over. Since we were there , we delivered needs to all the MQ's in the zone so it took us a while longer to get back to Apia.   It was 2:30 when we finally got back.  We fixed the freeze-dried dutch oven potatoes for dinner.  And Sister Schofield brought us rolls.  She said they were for Elder G for Father's day.  It was Father's day in Samoa this Sunday.  

It was fun watching a little bit of soccer last week.  Thanks to Bayli for video chatting us during Jagger and Lainee's game.  Then we ran across a picture of Tucker that was posted on Cache Valley daily of him playing football in the blue/white scrimmage.  It was also fun to watch Conner Mantz run the marathon in the Olympics!  Thanks for sharing that event with us too!  

Elder G. read a church news article this week about Kenneth Rooks, the Olympic steeplechase silver medal winner who is a member of the church.  It said , 

"Before the 3000-meter steeplechase prelims of the 2024 Olympics on Monday, Aug. 5, Kenneth Rooks worried he might not be able to compete with the top runners in his event. The 24-year-old returned missionary found comfort and inspiration in the Book of Mormon, specifically Alma Chapter 26.  In that chapter, Ammon glories in the Lord.  When his brother, Aaron rebukes him for boasting, Ammon replies, 'I Know that I am nothing, as to my strength I am weak, therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things'(verse 12).

Rooks siad those passages reminded him to be humble and trust in the Lord.

'That didn't necessarily mean that I was going to win,' he said,"But I know I could access His power if I put my trust in Him.  The strength of the Lord is a real thing.'

Rooks not only qualified for the finals, but then surprised the steeplechase world by earning the silver medal on Wednesday, Aug. 7.

'It was incredible,' Rooks said.  'It was a special moment to make that gutsy move, just go for it, to open up that gap and for a little bit of time be like: these guys aren't catching me. I might just win this thing, and then like, OK, I got to finish and fight all the way to the finish line.  It was awesome and surreal.'"

He also said that prior to competing in this event, he took inspiration from spiritual messages shared by his fellow LDS Olympians at a devotional on Sunday, Aug.4. 

He especially appreciated a thought shared by Conner Mantz, who is competing in the men's Marathon.  Mantz said he is often recognized for his athletic accomplishments, but his true identity is "Child of God" and " Disciple of Jesus Christ."

Rooks said, "Yes, I'm an Olympic silver medalist, and that is cool, but that is not the title or identity that is most important to me...I was thinking about being an instrument in the hands of God (Alma 26), and how being here at the Olympics is an opportunity for me to do that."

Good inspiration for us all!  Remember who you are--a Child of God and Disciple of Christ! 

We love you guys and hope your last couple of weeks of summer vacation will be good ones.  Summer went by fast!  

No pics this week.  I've been slacking on the picture taking.