Outtake / intake craziness

 Talofa Lava aiga!

Today is Monday. I'm just getting around to my weekly email. It was a crazy weekend for Elder Godderidge trying to get all the new missionaries and transferred missionaries  settled in their new areas. We were busy putting up curtains, hauling beds to MQ's, putting up more outdoor lights, repairing, delivering things that disappeared with the missionaries that moved out, like toilet brushes, mops, brooms, garbage cans, and cleaning supplies.  Two of the transfers each lost one of their suitcases--how does that happen?   Sometimes I wonder about the maturity of some of these 18+ year-old missionaries!  

Last week started out with getting things ready for the outtake and intake that would be happening. We had one Elder going home and 7 elders and sisters who were leaving to go to their assigned missions after serving here as "visa workers". A couple of the visa workers have been in our mission for over a year!  They are finally going to Papua New Guinea where they were originally called. One of the sisters is heading to the Ogden Utah mission!  Her name is Sister Banse, so watch for her! Maybe she'll get assigned to Smithfield!   There was a dinner and testimony meeting for them at the mission home on Tuesday evening, but no big outtake meeting on Wednesday morning anymore.  So no more singing and Hakas! The new mission leaders have a different vision for outtakes.   On Wednesday, most of them flew home or to their new mission assignments.  Thursday some of our new missionaries arrived from the New Zealand MTC and Friday all of the Provo MTC arrived as well as 6 local Samoan missionaries who are starting their missions here while they wait for Visa's to their assigned missions.  So there were 17 new missionaries total.  We've got another football player in this group--Elder Manumaleuna from Salem Oregon, signed with Oregon Ducks, recruited as a quarterback.  He said his jersey number was 6, for his six sisters!  (he's the only boy in the family).  There are more sisters than Elders again, and only one white missionary this intake, a farm boy from Tropic, Utah (down by Bryce Canyon)

Because of so many new missionaries coming in, it was a big transfer!  Lots of missionaries got moved around.  Elder Christensen, the one from Nibley, is back in Upolu so we might see a little more of him now.

On Sunday, we drove to our zone and attended Church at a ward in our zone.  We got flower necklaces again and they tried to get us to sit on the stand, but we declined.  We like to just be normal members.  It was a pretty exhausting week. But we survived.

Samoa is gearing up for a huge event coming in October! It's the  "CHOGM", which stands for "Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting". It is an annual meeting of the leaders of the British Commonwealth (56 member countries) and this year it is being held in Samoa.  They.ve been preparing for it all year but lately we've been noticing how all the villages are sprucing up their streets. painting rocks and planters and poles, building decorative walls, planting more flowers and shrubs, putting up flags, etc.  Every village has their own unique designs.  I guess there will be a day when King Charles will be driving through the villages in a motorcade-- he's only going to be here for a day or two-- but many of the heads of government from different countries in the commonwealth will be here.  So it's going to be an interesting couple of weeks.  They're closing schools and shutting down roads and things. Some say there's going to be a shortage of food for the locals so we should stock up.  Anyway, it's been fun watching the creativity of the villagers in decorating their towns.  I'll have to send some pictures when it gets closer.  

So that's the assignment for the grandkids this week- look up "British Commonwealth" and learn about what it is and what countries belong to it, and what their purpose is. 

At our district meeting last Tuesday, we watched the Birthday celebration for President Nelson since it was on Tuesday for us. We took 6 pizzas to our district for lunch after the meeting and they devoured them!  Everyone was supposed to share something that they  learned or that stood out to them from the devotional.  I liked the message His Granddaughter gave about three things that stsnd out to her about her grandfather. First was his LOVE for everyone, second was his STEADFASTNESS--he show's up, educates himself, is dedicated to his family, and third was his RESPECT FOR WOMEN.  I also didn't know that he was the one who said "Gather Israel on Both Sides of the Veil"

What stood out to Elder Godderidge was President Holland's tribute and his comment that under President Nelson's leadership there has been "productive unity" in the quorum; Pastor Amos Brown's tribute that President Nelson has "Justified his existence" and called him "a brother from another mother"; and the song by his grandchildren, "I Will Be What I Believe". 

 What stood out to you?