Well we are starting week two here in Apia.  We are starting to get a little more used to the weather.  The humidity has been down a little because it has been clear blue skies.
Last week we visited Sauniatu Primary School. The school is grades K through 5 or they call it years 1 through 6. The children are being taught mostly in English but they don't speak it very well.

This is the area David O McKay visited as an apostle and called it the Nauvoo of the Pacific.  What a beautiful little village.  It is about a 45 minute drive from where we live and it is up in the mountains.  The area is green and lush with vegetation and a beautiful view of the ocean. We can see why.  It is quiet and preserved.  We will be visiting this school once a week and helping with the teachers and helping the children with their reading skills.  All but one of those teachers already have their ITEP Certificate but still need a lot of professional development.



This is the main school building of Saniatu.

We are digging into the files here at Pesega College (which is middle and high school in the United States).

We have been attending faculty and leadership meetings and trying to learn how things work.  There is a lot of work to be done but the people seem willing to learn and are very welcoming and friendly.


Sister Osborne, Sister & Elder Spencer and Father Chris Ford
who is going to be the new principal at Don Bosco.

Wewere able to attend a very special event on Thursday, August 2.  The Catholic Technology School was having a ribbon cutting ceremony for their new Electrical Engineering building.  Because Samoa is a third world country they get grants from other countries to help build new buildings and improve their economu.  Japan is the country that funded this new building at Don Bosco.  The Osborne's, a Senior Couple here working on technology, was invited and they invited us to go with them.  What a wonderful experience.  We were welcomed with leis and hugs, then we were placed in the front with the dignataries.  We were able to meet and greet the Prime Minister of Samoa, the Ambassador from Japan here in Samoa and the princapals of Don Bosco Tehnical School.  What a great PR move it was for our Church and our School.  They acknowledge us as representatives of the LDS Church and even presented us with gifts which is a big deal here in Samoan.  They fed us and then the boys from Don Bosco, about 200 of them, performed a traditional ceremonial dance.  It was fabulous and they were very well organized and all together.  It wasvery professional.  When we talked to our Principal about it he said they are the best in the the Country!



This performance by these young men was so good.  They performed for about 15 minutes.  It was something we will never forget and were so grateful that we were asked to be there.




Nada celebrated her 58th birthday here.  We went to a nation wide track and field event for high schools.  All the student bodies from all over the country attend.  It was held in Apia Park and it is a big sporting event park like Rice Stadium at the University of Utah.  (Put that in for Sally and Trevor.)  The kids cheer the entire time.  It was a great event to meet the kids and support the school.  It was like a gian pep rally for hours.  That evening we went out with 4 other Senior couples to celebrate Sister Spencer's birthday.  We had salad and pizza that was very good.  It was a great day.

Quite a few of the athletes did their events barefooted.

Saturday we went snorkeling at the Upolu Deep.  The water was clear and beautiful.  Reed snorkeled a lot and Nada snorkeled a little.  We saw beautiful fish and a very deep blue starfish and some beautiful corral.  The water was only waste deep until you got to the Deep so it was a safe place for Nada to snorkel for the first time here in Samoa.

Church is a little hard.  It is sitting through 3 hours of nothing but Samoan.  We are learning a little more every week but it is hard.  Most everywhere else we speak totally in English so we are not having to learn Samoan.  We will keep trying.  They asked us to teach the Young Single Adults so that will be good.  Most of them are returned missionaries and they all speak English.  Maybe they can help us with our Samoan and we can help them with their English.  After church we took a 3 hour drive across the Island of Upolu on the Cross Island Road.  We saw a beautiful waterfall, some beautiful vegetation, stopped at the Bahai Temple which had gorgeous grounds, and stood on a sandy beach and looked at the beautiful ocean on the other side.  We saw some people that live very humbly and saw some beautiful homes.  This is truly a country that has modern things and very 3rd world things.  The people are all very friendly no matter where you meet them.

We got different furniture yesterday which really helps brighten up our apartment.  It is newer and cleaner and Nada doesn't feel like she can't sit down.  We are settling in and things are getting better and more familiar every day.  That is all for this week.  We will try to keep this blog up every week but if nothing too exciting happens it will be every other week. We love you all. Reed and Nada