April 21/2019

April 21/2019

Malo Lava,

Time is moving along so fast and we are busier than ever, no time to think about home which is a good thing right now! It’s hard to think that we’ve been gone for almost a year and a half. There have been times of sadness, frustration, home sickness but most of all times of love and gratefulness for the opportunity to be here in beautiful Samoa. To have worked side by side with my husband, who I have grown to love and appreciate more and more over the last 18 months. I especially want to say thank you to family and friends for your love and support that has helped me through the good and the difficult times, your words of wisdom have often helped me more than you know. I've included a lot of pictures because they say "A picture is worth a thousand words."

As we finish up a couple personal projects, I have looked back on some of the pictures I’ve taken and the ones we’ve taken recently, the hope and brightness I’ve been able to witness in others over the last few months has been tender. Imele’s oldest daughter has come back home to live with the family because now there is room for her, I saw the joy it brought to her mother and I see in Imele a hope that was not there when we first met her. It reaffirms to me how important ministering is and that we are truly our brother and sisters keepers.

Imele with her daughters

Scott's helpers

Missionary work

I have been talking a bit to the grandkids back home and listening to the excitement in their voices,as the count down as begun. They are all so busy with spring concerts, new calves, 4-H, soccer games, Caleb did a project for school on Canada, Rowen lost her first tooth. So much is going on and it is good to see so much enthusiasm, I only hope we can keep up to all of them when we get back.

What a chef

First tooth

4- H

Big Easter Winner!

New Calf

Life is good, this is a special time of year. I’m most thankful for my Savior, that through the atonement and resurrection of our Lord we can live again, we can be a forever family! Easter is a time to celebrate life, renewal and cleansing. What a wonderful, reflective time to do some Spring cleaning in our lives.

Wishing you a Happy Easter and a wonderful week full of blessings, love and a desire to be just a little bit better. Love you all!

An Exhausting day

One of our Eat Healthy and Be Active Groups

After the storm comes the rainbow

Conference Weekend, April 7/2019

Talofa family and friends,

Things are going great here in Samoa, it is hot, hot, and hot and we are busy wrapping up many loose ends. We had a couple handovers this past week, we’ve have been working on a few projects that are a bit personal for us and we even made sure we to spend a few hours enjoying some of the beauty of Samoa.

We were able to do a project for a special needs school here, they are were wanting to make a classroom into a Home Ec room to teach cooking and sewing to some of the students. They also have a great woodworking shop that we provided some tools for. The Principal, Lagi has become a good friend, we just love her kind, generous spirit and have enjoyed our friendship.

We also delivered tables and chairs for a library and tables and chairs for students in grades 1 and 2. It has been a great week of Handovers and we really appreciate the opportunity to serve and to help so many wonderful people.

Elder Cameron spent some time working on Emile’s bathroom and shower. I’ve written about her previously how sad and heartbroken she was when we first met, well when I saw her the other day in her new fale she had a beautiful smile on her face and a light in her eyes that I had not seen before. It was wonderful to see and it just touched my heart to know that we were able to help her and make her life just a little bit better. Just think, when that bathroom and shower in completed she is going to be over the moon excited. I can hardly wait! Times like this reinforces why we’re here and the importance of ministering.

With Emele's two daughters

Homework and an apple, life is good!

Elder Cameron working on the shower and bathroom

We also have been working on getting Leo’s family fale done and it was great to see that is coming along as well. Speaking of smiles, when I first met their oldest daughter she was not a very happy young woman, well this visit was way different. Look at her smile in the picture, wow that was again another great moment.

We took a few hours off and went to the beach on Saturday, it was a cloudy and an unsettled day,  different to the  kind of beach day we usually have but the waves were amazing, and it was a nice to just sit and relax and watch the water and warm rain fall.

now that's a fishing rod who needs a "Sage"

 Our little Nathan would have been 36 this year, on April 7th. Time goes by so quickly and yet many feelings and memories still remain. There is an empty spot that will never be filled during this lifetime but there will be celebrating in the next.  We are wishing Rowen a very Happy Birthday on the 8th, she is very excited and has been letting us know for over a month now that it is on the 8th. She also says she is going to beat me in a bike race when we get home (she probably will).

This week in the Come Follow Me I read a great talk by Elder Holland, he stated “The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue--it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know.” I loved this because the Lord loves us where we are and is willing help us get to where we need to be. Thank goodness cause I have so far to go, and sometimes it’s a bumpy road.

Conference this weekend, I can hardly wait to watch it and to feel of the strength and love our leaders have for us. I read something the other day about all the  changes and maybe instead of asking or talking about what changes are coming or guessing on what changes might be coming we need to ask ourselves “ how do I need to change to keep up and grow in the gospel.”

Well we have been spiritually feed at our Saturday conference today and I’m looking forward to a feast again tomorrow. How blessed we are to have a prophet and leaders who love us and care about each one of us and have given us direction and guidance that can help to strengthen us, keep us on the covenant path and renew our desire to be better and to do better.

President Eyring said today in conference “prayer in a family can reach across the world.” I know this is true as we pray for all of you everyday and can feel your love and prayers for us while we are away.
Have a wonderful week full of kindness, love and compassion for each other. Take a few minutes each day to look around and be thankful for what you have, what you can do and what you can see!
Love you all!

Sent from my iPad

March 24/2019

March 24/2019

Talofa family and friends, what a crazy but great week we had. There were moments of tears, heart break, laughter and fun this past week as we had a handover to a home that helps abused children, gave out school desks and chairs to a couple Primary Schools, visited our Little Sisters of the Poor, had an umu and got to finally go to the beach. Wow, I’m exhausted just thinking about it all. We seem to be running on overdrive right now as we try to get so many things finished and cleaned up.

Our week started with a hand over of food supplies to a home for orphans, neglected and abused children and unwed mothers. There are around 70 children that live there, they sang, danced and some spoke to us of the hurt they have suffered but also spoke of the hope they have through the Campus of Hope and the good people that work with them. The children ranged in ages from newborn to 18 years. Pictured are some of the older girls that are now helping and leading the way for many of the younger ones. It was really a very emotional and moving experience.  I am so grateful for all I have.

We had the opportunity to go see one of the favorite Sisters this past week, Sister Christina and take some supplies to the elderly. She and a few other nuns look after the older people here that have nowhere to go and their families don't want them. They do not have homes here for the aged as families are to take care of their own but sometimes it just doesn't work that way. They offer a great volunteer service and are as humble and sweet as I have ever met.

Our last school container came and we will not see another one before we go home. We were able to deliver the contents to 2 Primary Schools. One of them was a newly built school that had nothing in the way of desks, chairs, books, tables or shelves. The other little school had only a few desks, so both were really happy with their new to them supplies. I am always amazed at how thankful they are for the used school furniture that they receive. The children at this last school were so excited and happy, they sang songs for us and could hardly wait to sit in a chair at their school.

On Friday we had an umu( Samoan Cooking) for some people from New Zealand that were visiting, so much food. It was quite a feast, with lamb, fish, taro, palusami, cooked bananas, Faiai Pilikaki, breadfruit, platters of  fruits, lots of niu, and I made a lettuce salad (lol). They sure know to party here, who needs an expensive barbecue?

We were able to finally take some time to go to the beach Saturday afternoon. It was wonderful to swim in the ocean, walk along the beach and just enjoy all the beauty that Samoa has. I never tire of the views and the beauty that is here. Although I hear the snow is melting at home and the water is running in the ditches. I always love springtime, hearing the water run and seeing the baby calves that have just been born running around. So much beauty wherever you live.

We’ve been reading about parables in the New Testament from the  Come Follow Me manual.

To me, the parables are inspirational because they are puzzling and sometimes hard to understand. They force us to think and ponder. And in the process of our pondering, the Lord inspires our hearts and teaches us the things we must do in our own lives. We learn from the bad examples in the parables as well as from the good. There are so many Christ like characteristics that I would like to follow and put into my life like, love, acceptance, humility, and devotion.  So much to learn!

I hope you are all well and life is being good to you, sometimes it is an uphill battle but we never have to go through it alone. We love you and you are always in our thoughts and prayers. Give our grandkids a really big hug and tell them that we love and adore each one of them. They make us smile!

Have a wonderful week and remember to Be Happy and Be kind!

March 10/2019

March 10/2019

Well it’s been quite a week, Elder Cameron and I caught the Samoan flu bug and have been sick now for several days but are thankfully returning to the land of the living. It’s been a slow process but are grateful for thoughts and prayers. More and more I’m grateful for my wonderful husband and how he takes such good care of me and is so patient with me!

We spent several days in American Samoa doing some teaching and facilitating about the Eat Healthy and Be Active program. We are hoping that we can get this program going so that when we leave the service missionaries can take over and continue on. It’s such an important program for the Polynesian people as Type 2 Diabetes is extremely high and American Samoa has the highest number of all Polynesian Islands according to stats. 

We were able to take some Home Ec supplies out to the school that burnt down and do some more school site visits. With time going by so quickly and we just received our last container of school equipment we want to make sure that it goes to the neediest. We aren’t sure if there will be to many more containers coming after we leave which is a bit of a disappointment because there are still so many kids still needing desks and chairs.

In my last blog, I talked about Emele’s Fale, I am so excited to tell you that things are moving along and it won’t be long before Emele and her children will be in their new home. Still a few more things to do but we are so thrilled with the progress that has been made so far.

With that wonderful news our hearts were saddened by this families hard times. Leo and his wife and 3 daughters ages 2,5 and 13  live in the home below which is located in a swamp by a Grove of mangroves on the coast, and the picture with the sheets is their shower. We knew that we needed to help them in some way and plans are now underway to provide help this family. 

 More and more I am grateful for all I have and how the Lord continues to bless our lives and the lives of our families. I read this message today from my sister and am always grateful for the gentle reminders. “I was watching the sunrise this morning (a little early morning meditation) and feeling very blessed even in this winter cold but knowing soon the signs of spring and new life will begin.”

We had a Umu (traditional Samoan cooking) this past week, the Welfare Farm Team did the cooking for the Senior missionaries, they really enjoyed it and were able to see first-hand how Samoans still do most of their cooking.

Little #2 Pig

Ali has a new profession, official neighbourhood dog patrol, way to keep those pets safe Ali! Lots of family involved with basketball playoffs this past couple weekends and some are off to Zones, we wish you all good luck. It’s great to see the kids now doing the coaching and doing a great job. They must’ve had amazing coaches growing up!

This quote is for the grandkids because I think you are all truly one of a kind, and I love and appreciate each one of you!

I’m really enjoying the Come Follow Me lessons, this past week lesson, “Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole” Lesson 10, Matthew 8-9 and Mark 2-5.

If you want to spend a day in the Life of the Savior read Matthew 9.

I was touched by the Savior’s love and compassion for all. The many miracles he performed all the great teaching moments! I think of the many miracles and tender moments we have seen since being on our mission. I’ve seen the Lord’s hand help and guide us many times to where we needed to be and who was in need of our help and service. There are still miracles all around us, just as important as the mighty miracles are the smaller private and personal ones. They have strengthened my faith and my testimony that God and our Savior live, they hear and answers our prayers and that they care about each one of us.

I hope your week will be full of little miracles (like some warmer weather) and you will be able to recognize where they come from. Love you all!

Remember to Be Kind and Be Happy!