Talofa!
We are here in Pesega (Apia, Samoa) and trying to get settled in . It has been a whirlwind of activity and learning and confusion. Going back a few days...

The Auckland skyline.

We arrived in Auckland, New Zealand after a long flight on Monday, July 23rd, at about six in the morning. Elder and Sister Ronnenkamp picked us up (we were traveling with Elder and Sister Budgett, who are now in Vaiola on the island of Savai'i). It was rainy and a little cool, and we just did not pack anything for the cold! Nada was freezing for three days. We saw a little of the city, but spent most of the time in training at the Pacific Area Office in a suburb of Auckland called Takapuna.



On Thursday morning we flew to Samoa on the island of Upolu. Going from the cool winter of Auckland to the heat and humidity of Samoa...we could hardly breathe when we got off the plane (which we did onto the tarmac). The mission president and his wife and some other senior missionaries and the assistant to the president met us there. It was awesome. They took us directly to our residence (the senior couples call them the senior condos) on the church compound in a suburb of Apia called Pesega. The compound is huge! Temple and temple grounds, regional service center, mission home, Church College (over a thousand students), and all it takes to make it all run--distribution center, grounds, facilities management, motor pool, etc. The photo below is the first picture we took in Samoa, taken standing on our front lawn and looking south (inland). At the top of the hill you can see is the burial site of Robert Louis Stevenson. Here are some other photos of our street.

Friday we spent the whole day getting our licenses and doing some shopping and in general getting the lay of the land. Elder and Sister Osbourne, who are from Davis County, took us all over and helped us in so many ways. Saturday we took off on our own (driving on the left side for the first time!!!) Then our neighbors asked if we wantred to go on a little expedition with them and one other couple who are here for just one month on their own expense (Brother and Sister Bills). I drove across the island to a place called Vanau Beach. It was a resort before the tsunami, and now there are no buildings at all. I snorkeled, and the bottom of the ocean is completely devastated, with piles and piles of huge broken-up, dead coral. Anyway, the area is idyllic, just so beautiful. The pictures will not do it justice.

Today we went to church in our new ward, the Motootua Ward, where we will be attending for the duration of our mission. All meetings are conducted in Samoan...  We met some wonderful people and will try hard to become a part of them. Tomorrow we go up to Sauniatu, about 45 minutes up into the mountains, and then Tuesday will begin to get settled into our own office here at the Church College (in the South Seas a college is what we refer to as a high school). We have met the principal and various other folks, and will figure out what needs to be done as quickly as possible.

The Samoan people are so kind to us. It is a curious combination of first world and third world, of poverty and contentment. We are hot and humid and hate the bugs, but love the people and love our work here. Goodbye for now!!