Happy new year……….

Christmas was very low key compared to home with grandkids, presents, and trees. Speaking of trees here are two that we walked by on our Christmas day stroll along Apia Harbor. These are Banyan trees like the big ones they built the Tree House Resort in. We are looking down from the sea wall, they are only a few feet from the sea. They have been through many serious cyclones in their life time. 

We got quite a few minutes of skyping in during the holidays. Here we were in the mission conference room (our office internet was down), talking to either the Despain's or Kenny. Those two families had to watch us upside down. Our computer camera was messed up. We down loaded another camera and that solved the problem after hanging up.

 The day after Christmas we took a ride to visit the Sinalei Resort. We found a drum bigger than the one Gramma bought that we have no idea how we are getting home.

It is a pricey place to stay, but very nice, and they said we could walk around and take pictures.

The still had the Christmas tree up (wish I had tucked in my shirt and comb my hair). There were several wooden carvings. I thought Gramma was praying, or had fallen to sleep, but she said she was just trying to look like the carving.

New Year’s Eve there was a dance. It was decorated and ready to go, but our stake was the next night so we didn’t stay for the excitement. 

The next night we had a farewell meeting for nine missionaries going home. The Sister Memea in the white blouse and Elder Gasio behind her are missionaries we had on our route. The second picture is Elder Gasio (pronounced Nasio in Samoan) who went home the next day to Salt Lake City.

 Gramma had me take this picture of the humid, misty mountain behind our apartment. It was one of those evenings you feel like you could melt.

On Friday we had another missionary return at the Motootua Lua Ward. Lincoln is our Bishops son and he served in the Philippines. They have a special meeting; the missionary speaks in the chapel along with others and then they end the meeting, go to the cultural hall, and party. First the missionary dances alone, then dances with his mom, then everybody dances. Then they eat tons of food until it is gone! We left before the meal because we were going to the Temple early Saturday morning. 

I sent a picture of Dewayne one of our ward members a few months ago. I developed a friendship with him because he looked a little like my friend John Smith at home, and he speaks good English because he spent a lot of time in New Zealand. He rides home from church with us each week and updates us on Rugby and other Samoan subjects. Last week he wasn't feeling very good and said very little as we took him home. He struggled to get out of the car and we wished him well. We went early to Church today Gramma had to play the piano and as I was visiting with the members I ask Fred, Dewayne's brother how he was doing. He told me he had died on Friday from an infection that they could not treat effectively. He was only in his forties. We will miss him. 

This experience is why if you get very sick here, the Church sends you to New Zealand or the States for medical help. It is one of the down sides of living in a third world country even if it is Paradise.This coming week we are going to American Samoa for 3 days and 2 nights. We hope to have some good pictures. We are anxious to drive on the right side of the road, be in the same day as the USA (it’s on the Idaho side of the international dateline), and spend real money (USA $). It was good to Skype with most of you (we have Ben's family left to see) and Gramma enjoyed visiting on Skype with her sisters even though the connect was not the best.We love all of you and hope the Lord will bless you in the coming New Year. Tofa Soifua, Elder and Sister Hammond