Today is December 5, 2012.  Sorry I haven't posted for a couple of weeks but we have been so busy.  We had prize giving, graduation and then Power School training from 8:30 a.m. until late into the afternoon.  Reed finally went through the pictures and so today we are going to post about all those things.

 This is a picture of most of the senior couples serving here in Samoa.  On Monday, November 12, 2012 we had a farewell party for Elder and Sister Harker and a lot of people dressed up in polynesian attire.  Reed is looking good in his orange Samoan shirt.

This is our Mission President and his wife, President and Sister Leota. 

Reed doing a little farewell number for the Harkers.

You can see the table full of the prizes and trophies for the Sauniatu students.  We were under a big tent but the children are sitting on matts on the concrete.  They sat there for 11/2 hours.  The Year 8 students got to sit on chairs.

A closer look at the prizes.  They are school supplies for next year.  The parents are very grateful to have their kids receive these.  The kids are excited, also.

Elder and Sister Spencer were able to help give the Year 2 students their prizes.  It is fun to be with the children.  Reed is wearing his ie faitaga (lava lava with pockets) and Nada has on her Pula Tasi that she had made in American Samoa.  The man sitting down is Steve Mauigoa the principal of Sauniatu.

This is the Stake President Lorenzo Neria and the young man is the Salutatorian.                Below is the picture of the young girl who was the Validictorian.  The parents make candy leis to give to their children when they do special things.  You can see that she was showered with leis.  It is a fun tradition that we will take home with us for our grandkids!

On Friday, November 16, 2012 we went up to Sauniatu for their year eight graduation and prize giving day.  The year eight students were all dressed up and performed two songs.  They did a great job.  They give prizes to students from years one through eight for all different things.  They give them for top students in math, english, samoan, attendance and cleanliness are a few.  Not all students get an award or they call them prizes.  It made us feel a little sad but they all seemed to handle it just fine.

On Monday, November 19, 2012, Pesega had their awards assembly.  This is different than prize giving days.  These are awards for 3rd term.  Elder Spencer and Sister Spencer were asked to give out the award certificates for distinguished students.  GPA 3 to 3.27.  It was fun to shake hands with all these students and see them smile and get candy leis from their parents.

These students sat on this hard floor, no matts, for 21/2 hours.  Some of them when they stood up limped to the front because their legs had gone to sleep.  Thankfully, we were able to sit on chairs.

 

On Tuesday and Wednesday they did prize giving at the LDS Church College Pesega.  Tuesday the 20th was for years 7 - 9 and Wednesday the 21st was for years 10 - 13.  We did not stay for the 3 plus hours on these two days. 

These trophies went to the top students in each year in variuos subjects.  The man on the far left is Leo the principal of the College (high school) and the other is Mika Lolo principal of the new middle school.

 The pile of notebooks, binder, pencils and pens are the prizes that they receive.  Prizes are given for top 3 students in each subject and top 3 students of that year and a few other miscellaneous awards.  They call this prize giving, not awards.  The girl on the second row of the picture below is one of the students, Penina, that Nada did timed readings with.

 








Graduation was on Friday, November 2012.  They had 113 Year 13 students graduate.  It lasted about 11/2 hours.  They hold it in the big gym here and this time everyone was sitting on chairs.  No floor sitting today.  Elder Jessop from the Seventies was here and the main speaker was the Minister of Education for Samoa.

 The students are lining up for the processional.

The picture on the right are all the administrators and the Minister of Education in the yellow Aloha shirt and then Elder Jessop in the white shirt and tie holding the book.

The 2012 graduates from LDS Church College Pesega.

This young lady is the Validictorian.

Sister Schmidt in the green pula tasi announcing the graduates.

Reed just liked this picture with the young graduate and the beautiful floral arrangement of Teuila flowers.  After they all received their diplomas the graduates stood up and performed a great song that one of the boys graduating wrote.  Then they did a couple of other songs and dance moves.  They love their music.  It was very nice.

 The two young men are Alexander and Jasper.  They are both young men in our ward.  You can see how loved they are with all the leis that were presented to them.  Their moms, aunts and friends wanted to be in the pictures as much as the graduates did.

 This is the view we see every day when we go to the office.  Fabulous.  This is called a Flame Tree.  They are all over and aren't even in full bloom yet.

They held a luncheon in the library after graduation for all the teachers and administrators.  The Validictorian and the two Salutatorians and their families were also invited.  They had the library all decorated for Christmas.  These have been two wild, busy weeks but very interesting to see how they do awards and graduation.

 

On Saturday, November 24, 2012 we picked the Jordans up at the airport.  They came in for an S&I Conference and are going to stay with us.  We took them to the flea market and then we went to Palolo Deep to snorkel for a while.  We had a lot of fun.  It was great to see them again and have them stay with us.  Beautiful sunset that night.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner with all the senior missionaries on Monday, November 26, 2012 and all of them were here.  So we took another picture because every single senior missionary and the Mission President and his wife were at the dinner.  We took it on the Temple stairs.

Well, that catches up our blog for the last couple of weeks.  We hope you enjoyed learning about graduation and prize giving here at the church schools in Samoa.  From the seniors picture, you can see that we have a very diverse group.  It is nice to be able to serve with so many willing capable senior missionaries.  

Until next time, Love Reed and Nada 

 

 

 

Wednesday November14, 2012

Hello dear family and friends.  We are still busy with classes.  We did the last professional development for 2012 on Monday.  All the teachers are finished with school on November 23rd which is graduation day.  Only the year 12 and 13 students have been in school this week finishing exams. 

On Friday November 9th Reed's Dad had his 89th birthday.  We were able to skype with him and sing to him.  Yeah for skype.  It really does make life better as Senior Missionaries when you can see and hear your family.

On Frdiay November 9, 2012 we drove up to Sauniatu for Sauniatu days.  They were celebrating 107 years since the village of Sauniatu was settled.  They had the bridge and street decorated welcoming all visitors.  They had a devotional in the chapel.  They had the Stake Presidency, Bishops of the two wards and the Patriach all on the stand and some of them spoke.  A member of the Temple Presidency, and a man who use to be the princiapl at Sauniatu many years ago spoke.  The program lasted for 1 and 1/2 hours.  The children were quite well behaved.

They used shredded paper and teuila flowers to decorate the bridge that leads to the main street of Sauniatu where the chapel and school are.

This is the chapel at Sauniatu.  They had pictures of Samoan birds, flowers and fresh plants on the stand.

 When the devotional finished everyone went out back for the celebrating to begin. They had tents and chairs set up so people could be comfortable. They had people from the Sauniatu 1st and 2nd Wards dance and sing. The year 4 through 8 students performed as well. They all did a great job. Halfway through the fesitivites it started to pour rain. Luckily most people were under some kind of cover. They were able to finish all their performances but not play the games because it was just too wet and muddy.

 These young ladies are from one of the wards doing a traditional Samoan dance.

These are the students from Sauniatu singing and dancing.  The boys here participate as much as the girls do and seem to really get into it.

 Brother Gase is the big guy and the master of ceremony and Steve, the principal is on the right singing.

Another picture of the Sauniatu kids performing.  Even this young the girls are so graceful with their hands.

 This is the tray of food they brought to everyone sitting at the tables.  There is taro, palu sami, beef, shrimp (with their eyes) crab stick, potatoe salad, curry, some kind of stew.  The stuff in the middle is a soup with chinese cabbage and lamb.

 On the left is Sister Pauga she is a hoot and very graceful.  Her husband is in the Temple Presidency.  On the right is Sister Ah hoy (her husband owns the water company where we all get our drinking water)  They paid to get up there and dance.

 The Sauniatu students are doing a song where they sing and do all the movements sitting down.
The little girl in front is Susan Gounder her parents both teach here and she lives right behind us on the Pesega campus.

 Men from one of the wards.

 This is the country flower the Teuila.  You can see the rain coming down.

Sister Peresetene, our year 2 teacher at Sauniatu, doing a dance to raise money.

A lot of times when groups are performing they have someone that dances around them and acts like a clown.  The crowds seem to love this.  This young man belongs to one of the wards and is dancing all around the group that is doing the serious dancing and singing.

 Sister Spencer, Sister and Elder Harker, some gentleman we don't know, President Leung Wo, Sister and Elder Osborne and lots of other people eating and watching the performers.  They gave each of us a niu (young coconut full of milk) to drink along with our tray of food.  We really like this drink.  It is very refreshing when it is cold.

 The hat they put out to collect money during the money dances.

Brother Lolo in the blue shirt is the Vice Principal at The LDS Church College of Pesega along with Brother Gase and Steve.

We walked down to the waterfall after the festivities were completed.  These kids were jumping off the rocks into the pool by the waterfall.  Reed decided to pass on a swim today because it was a little cool and the water was dirty from all the rain.

 

On Saturday November 10, 2012 five of us senior couples decided to go to Vavau beach for the Harkers final beach trip.  They are leaving for home, which is Canada, on Wednesday the 14th.  They have been our Zone leaders since we have been here in Samoa.

 

Harker's final farewell to Samoa.

We arrived at Vavau Beach around 12:30 p.m. and ended up eating our picnic in the van because it was raining so hard.  It let up a little so we got out to do a little swimming.  It started to rain so hard it felt like hail coming down.  After a while we just decided to stay out because we were wet from the rain and the ocean was warmer.  There was lightning and thunder like crazy, but we still had a good time. 

These are the biggest waves we've seen since we've been here.  They were tossing us around even though we stayed close to shore.  Some people got thrown into the rocks.

You can see how hard it was raining.  It rained like this most of the 1 and 1/2 hours we were here.

This was our group.  We are the only ones with a van so we drive whenever there are three or more couples.                                                      Budgett, Gertsch, Harker, Spencer and Osborne.

 

We decided it was time to leave.  We stopped to see the Sopoaga Waterfall which was on the way home. 

It was a great last memory for the Harkers and all of us.  We are grateful to be serving here Samoa. Tofa Suifua.  Love Reed and Nada

November 7, 2012

We have been on our mission for 4 months on November 9th. 

This past week we have been busy teaching, doing professional development and doing firesides.  The firesides are to talk to the parents about the changes coming toThe LDS Church College at Pesega which is where we are 90% of our time.  In 2013 they will have a Form 7 which is their Universtiy Preparation Year which is a level between high school and university to make sure they are up to university level.  They have been taking this at the National University of Samoa or the University of the South Pacific but they feel like it will be more beneficial for the students to teach it here.  It will cost less money and they will  be able to receive more individual help which they hope will help the studetns be more successful when they do go to University. They are working on some additional Technical Vocational programs to help the students get certified so they can get into the working world.  They will also have a middle school beginning 2013 so a lot of changes.  We have traveled all over Samoa to present these informative firesides.  We still have 7 more firesides to present.  It makes for busy weekends.

 The fun thing last week was on Halloween night.  Most of the people in Samoa do not celebrate Halloween but there were two Wards (both have quite a few Americans in them) that emailed us and asked if they could bring their children trick or treating to the Seniors.  Of course we said YES!  Most of the Senior Missionaries met at the PBO Conference room and we had a potluck dinner.  About 7:00 p.m. vans full of children began arriving.  The last group came around 9:00 p.m.  It was fun to see them.  Some were dressed up and most of them had to be taught to say Trick or Treat.  Thank goodness Reed's Mom had sent us so much candy.  We are giving most of it to the children at Sauniatu but we were able to share it with these young children on Halloween.

 You can see that some of them had elaborate costumes and some wore maskes and others just came.  It was fun to see them all.

 Elder and Sister Hanson.  Elder Hanson is singing waiting for the children to get to his car.

 Elder and Sister Spencer.  Elder Spencer started the music and Elder Hanson wanted to get in on the action.  The first group we did trunk or treat and then as it got later we had them come into the conference center.  We all sat around the edges and had the cute ghouls parade around to each of us for their treats.

 Let the candy giving begin.

 Nada loved talking to the children.  She has always loved seeing the costumes and kids on Halloween.  They were so cute!  It helped the lonley feeling of not being able to see our own grandchildren except on skype.  Yeah for skype!

 The Primary leaders insisted on a group picture with the missionaries.

 Some of othe leaders even dressed up and were into it.  They wanted candy as well.

It was a fun evening.  When we got home at 9:15 p.m. the Gounder family, that lives behind us, brought their children over so they could get their treats. 

Hope you enjoyed seeing some of our Samoan friends and members of the church here.  Isn't it great to share the gospel in so many different ways.  Till next time. 

Love Elder and Sister Spencer.