Our last full week in Samoa

 Talofa Lava!

Busy Week!  Packing, cleaning, making "lists" and notes for our replacements, saying good-byes, plus all the other stuff we normally do every week! And trying not to get too wet!  It rained A LOT this past week! 

On Monday morning, Elder Godderidge delivered needs to the UC zone and I worked most of the day in my office.  On Tuesday, it started raining--more than usual--like most of the day.  I started putting everything into the intake bags for next week's intakes. There's 28 new missionaries coming, so the bags are taking up a lot of space in the office.  We went to dinner with Sister Schofield and the Purcells.  It was fun catching up with the Purcells. After dinner, we went to see their home that they're in the process of remodeling and the additional home that 's being built on their property that  Sister's Purcell's wealthy sister is having built for a vacation home. It's going to be nice when it's all completed.  Wednesday was a pretty quiet p-day.  We were supposed to be picking up the Tutilla sisters from the airport for their temple trip, but the flights got cancelled because of the severe weather.  It rained all day Wednesday too and was kind of windy so the small planes couldn't fly from Tutuilla.  So Elder G. and I went to the temple session that they had booked cause we figured there'd be plenty of open seats.  Thursday there was a severe weather alert in  Samoa so President Reid told all missionaries to stay in their MQ's and not to go out proselyting in the storm. They did a zoom devotional for them.  On Friday, we had our district come to the office for their district meeting and PPI interviews.  So we attended district meeting on Friday morning.  They asked us to bear our testimonies during district meeting.  We went and got them pizza for their lunch and I made them homemade cookies for the last time.  I used up all of my flour so I'm not going to buy anymore since we're going home.  Elder Katoa came to pick up lab orders so he could have bloodwork done one more time before I go home.  I'm really hoping to see his RBC's come up  before I leave.

Since he was here at the office, Elder G. took him to our house and pretty much cleaned out his closet! He gave him some of his pants and most of his white shirts!  I'm sure the pants will be floods on him, but that might be a good thing with all this rain we're getting, haha!

We made him take a picture with us.  It's a bit sad as we're starting to realize we might be seeing these missionaries for the last time as we are approaching the end of our mission. I'll miss some of them more than others--Elder Katoa is one I'll miss! It continued to rain on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and today it's finally eased up a bit. On Saturday, after our morning run, Elder G. went to move bunkbeds to a different MQ, treated mattresses for bedbugs, and then did his last demolition job at the office.  They're replacing the desks in the big main office so he tore out the old ones to make room for the new.

I spent most of the afternoon at home , defrosted the freezer, did some cleaning, and tried to pack up as much as I could so we won't be rushed doing it next week. I also typed up a list of things I felt like I needed to tell the new nurse so it will hopefully make the transition a little smoother for her. 

This morning we attended our last Samoan speaking Sacrament meeting. Can you guess what I'm going to miss most about Samoan church meetings? Yep, the singing!!! Nobody sings like Samoans do!

In Come Follow Me this week, I really liked what was taught about service.

"...service in God's work has always been about how we serve, not about who notices.  However small or unseen your contribution may seem at times, you too are a fellow servant in the Lord's 'great and marvelous work'".

Alma 37:6-7 says: "...behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls. "  

I often think I'm really not doing much here to help bring salvation to souls, but I have to remind myself that my small acts of service are a tiny, often unseen or unnoticed piece in helping move God's work forward in the mission.  

Can't wait to see you all in 10 days and counting down!!!