More goodbyes’ and hello’s………

We had a busy week, but with Sauniatu and the Middle school out is seems a little slower. Elder Hamula said his final goodbye to his assignment as Pacific Area President with a talk to the students at Pesega College (our high school). His counsel; go on a mission, get married in the Temple, and get as much education and training as possible. He also stressed the importance of learning English. 

Here he is saying goodbye to Elder Fata the Area Seventy here in Samoa. 

The college here at Pesega had a visit from St. Johns College from New Zealand along with a girl’s college that traveled with them. Colleges here in the Pacific are what they call high schools. They put on a program and shared their talents with our students. Here the students are waiting for it to start and Sister Hammond is visiting with the Principal of St. Johns. 

You can’t tell with this picture, but the students are saying hello with a drumming cheer that is really quite enjoyable (and loud). 

First was a band number. 

Next a small strings group.   

Then a jazz band. 

A group guitar number. 

Then several choral numbers.   

They even had a drum line.   

They then did Hakka and the Samoans responded with several dances and chants and really out did all those Palagis. 

Here is one example of the missionary houses that are behind some of the chapels in Samoa. This is one of the nicer ones. 

The Elders or Sisters live there and do their laundry in the white bucket in this picture. 

This sunset almost cost me my life. On our way back from the airport where we had picked up the Goodlets from being at a conference in Fiji, Gramma and Siter Goodlet said stop we need a picture of this sunset. It was very dark and I had to drive off the road so we didn’t get hit. I said I would take the picture because I could see it was very overgrown along the road. I walked and caught my foot on the undergrowth, stepped forward to catch myself only to step on a round lava rock. It was like stepping on a roller skate and I went down like a ton of bricks. I hurt (and cut) my elbow, hip, and knee. I bounced up a little embarrassed and shaken, only to hear great laughter from the van. It was the kind of thing that Velma Hammond would have laughed at until tears were in her eyes. (She probably did anyway.) Here it is.   

The last picture is of a heavy rain storm we had on Saturday. It had not rained for 2 weeks and it was getting very dry. 

Our new mission president and his wife visited us last Sunday night and gave us an assignment to deliver bottles (big ones) of water and the mail to the missionaries in southeast Zone on Monday. It takes most of the day, but we will meet about 22 missionaries each week and that will be a good experience. We hope we have time to continue to do it the rest of our mission. We have to go to choir practice, (yes, 4 to 6 for the Ward 6 to 8 with the Stake) but I wanted to get this short blog to you before Monday when we will be so busy. We love you all, be safe this summer we want no more broken legs. We love our mission, we love the gospel, and we especially love all of you. Tofa Souifua, Grammpa and Gramma Hammond.