We love the ocean and the beach!

The mission office told us that they had opened a box of ours at customs and took some items out that we would have to pick up personally. We had no idea what or what box they were talking about, but we headed to the airport. After the run around at the airport we finally got to talk to customs and they told us they had to have a paper or the number off the paper. We had neither, and all we got from the mission office was voice mail. So we took a few pictures and headed back. (They still haven’t found the paperwork at the office). This is Samoa you go with the flow. Here are some sculptures in the airport.

 

This van is our fourth vehicle. The big van, the one we broke, the sedan, and now this one. We hope if we have to have a van this will be it. It’s not too bad. 

 

This is the big airport that we arrived at when we came to Samoa. It looks different from this side (you should see the small one).

 

The next pictures are the waves crashing into the reef. A coral reef surrounds almost all of the island of Upolu.

Here’s our new Ford dealership. I emailed this picture to Uncle Phil and told him he missed his chance for a Ford dealership in a third world country with 100 miles of paved roads.

Here’s “forever young” Gramma doing Zumba with the school staff on Friday afternoon. She barely worked up a sweat!

 

We went to our first ward party (and we forgot the camera), a welcome home of a missionary. They had a 2 hour meeting first everyone in the family talked and the Bishop. Then we went to the cultural hall and they danced with really loud music, the returning sister missionary danced alone first. Then they put candy leis around our neck. Then they served big bowls of ice cream (they eat dessert first), we thought it was over and was getting late so we got up and they handed us these two big boxes of food. They weighed about 10 pounds each. I gave mine to the guard at the gate and Gramma kept hers to share with me, but I passed on it. By the way, we have been called to teach the young single adult Sunday school class. It’s a big group, but most of them understand English. Gramma is also called as the Ward Music chairman. She is getting a reputation as the music go to lady.

On Saturday (P-day) we went to go swimming with the Goodlets, the couple from Australia. We stopped at the Papapai-uta waterfalls and took some pictures.

 

Here’s Gramma and Goodlets bobbing in the ocean. It was too choppy to snorkel.

Here is looking east down the beach and then west back at Goodlets van.

Here is Ester Williams side kick (Gramma) and me. Does a wet untucked shirt make me look fat?

Here is a hermit crab. They were all over the beach and were fun to pick up and watch.

 

The next picture is of an outlet that runs into the ocean and then a little resort farther down the beach. Tourist facilities here are really shabby. They could learn a lot from some of the other island countries about tourism.

After we got home we went out with five other senior missionary couples and ate Chinese food. We had a good time, we all work hard and it good to support one another. Don’t get the wrong idea we are not on vacation we are on a mission and we had a busy hard week. It is great to serve as missionaries and we are building some eternal relationships with those we serve with and with those we serve. Tofa Soifua, Elder and Sister Hammond.