Easter in Paradise……

This is our second Easter in Samoa and it is an important part of their culture here. Good Friday is a national holiday as well as the Monday following Easter. We have been told that we are lucky to not have experienced a Cyclone. A couple of weeks ago the people in one of the neighboring south pacific islands were not so lucky. Vanuatu was clobbered and the pictures we have seen look like the ones in the movie cyclone in Tonga in “The Other Side of Heaven”. The Stakes here in Samoa have been working to gather clothes, taro, and bananas to send on a cargo ship next week. They are organizing things and loading the cargo containers here in Pesega.

 Gramma took a couple more pictures of here piano students. The first student is Josephine and the second Fatu.

They had another cultural day at the middle school each of the classes preformed a dance. I took a picture of several of them.

 Here are some of the middle school teachers. First is Sister Tulaga and Sister Filifili. The next picture is Sister Tanuvasa and Sister. Sister Tausava is the teacher that we luckily ran into walking on the road when we were searching for the home of the Samoan Sister serving in Matt and Cristina’s ward. She was an answer to prayers because we would have never found the fale in that village without her. The last picture is Sister Ah-Hoy, Sister Iaulualo (vice principal), and Sister Valele. 

We had a Easter dinner for the senior couples, the Assistance to the President, and President and Sister Tolman. The fourth picture is Gramma with the Stonehocker’s. The two Samoan couples are Elder and Sister Avei and Elder and Sister Satu. The Avei’s are auditors and the Satu’s work at the Temple. They are from the USA (Avei’s) and New Zealand. Of course whenever there is a dinner you know that Gramma will be helping clean up.

 It was a nice evening and the food was very good. This morning we found that BYUtv was working so if it holds up we will be able to see most of conference. It is such a blessing to be able to hear and see conference as it is happening. We hope all of you are enjoying it too. We have a big day with our missionary route tomorrow besides the mail, money, and bottled water; we also have to replace two filters in the water filters in the missionary apartments that have them. We hope you have had a great Easter and we hope all of us can remember the sacrifice of the Savior and the glory of His resurrection. We pray for each of you each day, may the Lord bless you as you go forward. Tofa Soifua, Grampa and Grampa Hammond