Talofa Lava from Samoa.  Today is June 20th.  We haven't blogged for almost two months.  We went home to be with Reed's family during his fathers struggle and death.  We will share a few of our traveling adventures and things that took place as soon as we got back to Samoa.

We left Samoa on May 4th and arrived in Honolulu on May 3rd.  We gained a whole day.  We had a 15 hour layover so we rented a car and drove around Oahu to see some sights.  First stop, a macadamia nut farm.  We bought some macadamias and enjoyed them.  We ran into some people that were on their way to the Temple to see a nephew get married.  Of course, us wearing our name badges was a dead give away who we were.

 Next stop was near a little island called China Man's Hat.  It was strange to us after being in Samoa to be on a free, public beach and people were sitting around enjoying the weather and beach.

 

Next stop was Kualoa Ranch.  We took a bus tour around to see where they filmed parts of different movies.  Jurassic Park, Godzilla, Pearl Harbor, 50 First Dates, Journey 2 to mention a few.  It was a very large and beautiful ranch.

 

Who are these famous movie stars?  Then we drove to the Laie Temple.  We took some pictures and went into the visitors center.  We ran into a Sister serving there from Samoa close to the school campus where we live and teach.  Such a small world.

 

 When we left the Temple grounds we headed to the North Shore and ate at Kahuku Grill.  Best coconut shrimp we've had in a very long time.  Yum!  We ran into a couple there who wanted to talk to us about our mission and said they we were getting ready to send two daughters on missions.  If you are ever in Oahu we would certainly recommend this food!  A Stake President owns and runs it.  We then stopped at North Shore and looked at the ocean and beach, stopped at Dole Plantation, took the car back and headed to the airport for another red eye to Phoenix then Salt Lake City

 

 
 
 

We arrived in Salt Lake City at 10:10 a.m. Saturday May 4th after two red eyes and a 15 hour layover.  We gained a day but we had still been up for 48 hours and were tired.  Sally, Bentley, Case and Jane surprised us at the airport.  It was so good to hug and kiss them.  Then Justin and Trevor met us with our car (and we were so glad to see them also) and we drove straight to Reed's parents house.  His Dad looked so sad to us.  He had not eaten or had any water for over 10 days.  He kind of raised his eyebrows and grunted when Reed touched him and told him we were home and that really was the last response we know for sure that he recognized any of us.

We left for a while and went to our house where all our children and grandchildren came to be with us.  It was so nice to see and hug and kiss everyone.  We have missed them so much.  We felt a little guilty because we know we are still on our mission but got to have a little touch of home for two weeks.  The kids brought all the foods we haven't been able to eat for a while like strawberries, broccoli, sloppy joes, grapes and fresh milk!  It was a delight.

For the next few days we spent as much time with Reed's Dad and family as possible.  We spent all of Sunday night taking our turn to give him medicine and be up with him so his Mom could rest.  On Wednesday night May 8th his Dad had a very bad choking fit.  He is so weak and seems to be more uncomfortable.  They had started giving him his medicines in an IV to see if it would help with his twitching.  Again it was our turn to stay with him.  Reed had given him his medicine at 12:30 a.m.  We talked a little, got him resettled and I turned out all the lights about 12:45 a.m.  I was sitting there in the dark wondering why he needed to keep suffering and saying a little prayer about if he could just go home to Heaven that would be so nice for him.  I could hear him breathing harshly and Reed snoring on the couch.  After a little while I thought, I don't hear his ragged breathing so I woke Reed up and we turned on the lights and he had slipped away.  We woke up Reed's Mom and called the Hospice Nurse and all the family.  This was 1:25 a.m. We had a nice family prayer and felt happiness for him to finally be free of all the discomfort. This was May 9th 2013 he was 89 and one half years old.

We had the viewing on Mother's Day, May 12th and the funeral on Monday, May 13th.  Reed spoke at the funeral and did a great job.  It was nice to see family and friends and celebrate a great man's life.


This fine mat and tapa cloth were given to Reed and Nada by Brother and Sister Lepule.  They said they wanted our family in Utah to know that they have a family here in Samoa who love them and care about them.

In Samoa, some people wrap their loved ones up in Tapa Cloths to be buried.  Some of them cover the caskets with fine mats and tapa and cloths to show love and respect.  We felt very honored that they would share these beautiful items with us.

 Reed's Father was a World War II Veteran.  He receive military honors at his funeral.  Two of his grandsons, Blair and Matt are active in the Navy and Marine Corp and were able to stand with the honor guard.

 This picture is of all of Reed's brothers, sisters spouses and his Mother and Aunt Cleo.  It was nice to be able to be with everyone.  We are grateful they allowed us to go home and then return back to our Mission

 

We left Salt Lake City on May 19th, flew to Los Angeles where we had a 15 hour layover again.  That was a very long, tiring day.  Then we flew to Fiji all night and had a 14 hour layover there.  We decided to see a little of Fiji while we were there.  People were very helpful and we took a city bus and went into Nadi and then caught another bus to Port Denarau.  We took a three hour cruise out to South Sea Island.  We felt a little self conscious because we were in church clothes and everyone else had swimming suits on. We took a little submarine ride and just enjoyed the very small island.  It was fun to see a little of Fiji.  We can see why people go there for vacations.  There is a lot to do and there were resorts all over the place.  We ate lunch at the Hard Rock Café and then took the bus back to Nadi and then to the airport.  We arrived in Samoa at 9:00 p.m. and Tuesday, May 22, 2013.  It was a lot of long travel hours but we are glad to be back and busy as ever!

Nada standing next to the cruise ship that took us out to the South Sea Island.  We were able to look at some of the other islands and just some beautiful scenery on the way.  It was about a 40 minute ride to the island.

 The island was very small.  They had a pool you could swim in and some beach to play on.  They had a little place that you could buy a drink and that was about it.  We ate lunch at the Hard Rock Café below.  It was good food and a fun time.

 

On Friday, May 24, 2013 the middle school held a science fair.  They did a great job.  The students set up their projects under tents to protect themselves and their projects.  We walked around and had the students show us how their projects worked.  They were so excited to talk about them and share them with us.  Their were lots of volcanoes and blowing up balloons with gases but their were some very different ones we had never seen before.  We especially liked one girls on the environment.  She did a great job.  They all did well and some were much better prepared than others but all in all we were very impressed.  They are such cute kids.

Looking at the picture, the young man on the right is Samuel Kaleopa and is in our Ward.  He is using colors to show something about fat in milk.

 We thought this young lady did a great job.  She presented her material well and spoke clearly and confidently.  It was quite a good project how trash, factories, smoke and things cause erosion and affect the environment.

We were sorry to have to go home under such sad circumstances.  We are grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ that teaches us about Eternal Life and Eternal Families.  We know we will be able to see Reed's Dad again some day and that now he is not suffering and has been reunited with his family who passed on before him. 

We were so glad to see all of our children and grandchildren and eat familiar food for a few days.  We enjoyed seeing some of our good friends and neighbors.  We did not enjoy our long nights on airplanes or long layovers sitting in airports.  We did try to take advantage of some layovers and see some beautiful things in Fiji and Hawaii.

We are glad to be back in Samoa and able to teach and rub shoulders with the good people here.
Alofa until next time.  Elder and Sister Spencer

Talofa Lava from Samoa,

Today is May 1, 2013.  Wow, time just seems to fly by.  We had a very interesting couple of weeks.

On April 19, 2013 we got to our office and there were emails from people saying Grandpa fell and call home.  Reed's Dad fell and broke his hip.  They had to operate but had to wait a couple of days because his blood was too thin.  He was in a lot of pain and very uncomfortable.  They operated on Saturday, April 20th in Utah.  They said the surgery was successful but he just never fully responded after that.  He couldn't swallow or drink very well, he didn't wake up for long periods and he really couldn't speak well.  On Tuesday, April 23, the family met with the hospital social worker and doctor who said there really wasn't much more they could do for him.  We were able to attend the family meeting through Skype.  Modern technology has been such a blessing for us on our mission. 

They took him home on Thursday and he seemed to rally a little.  They have brought hospice in and the family is taking turns staying with Reed's Mom.  We were able to Skype and talk to him for a short minute.  When Reed said,  "Hello Dad, this is Reed," he opened his eyes, looked right into the ipad and said hello.  He told Reed he loved him and that meant a lot.  He is still with us as we write this blog but his time will be short.  He is on no life support and has had no food, or water for over a week now.  He seems to be peaceful so we hope Heavenly Father will release him from this mortal body soon.  We are headed to Utah on the early morning plane on Saturday, May 4, 2013.  It is hard to be away at this time but we know that we have work here to do and will return on May 21, 2013.  The Mission President has given us permission to leave and return so we are grateful for that.

Something good that happened to us on Friday, April 19, 2013 is we were able to attend a mission conference.  We were so blessed to have five General Authorities here.  We had Elder Dallin H. Oaks, an apostle, President Hamula and President Pearson from the Area Presidency, and Elder Jessop and Elder Fata from the Seventies.  Elder Oaks stood in the front of the chapel and had every missionary in attendance walk by and shake his hand along with President and Sister Leota, our Mission President and wife.  That was done very reverently and quickly.  The talks were all very inspiring and motivating.  Elder Oaks' Great Grandfather served a mission here in Samoa in the 1890's so he said he has a special place in his heart for these people.  You should hear these young missionaries sing the mission hymn.  It is very powerful.  Elder and Sister Oaks were overwhelmed by the spirit as were we.  It is something we wish everyone could hear.

That evening they had a special cultural event for the visiting authorities,

all the senior missionaries, all the Stake Presidents and their wives and local people who wanted to attend.  They had a stake from the South side of Upolu perform.  They did a very nice job of singing and dancing and sharing their culture with us.
Front row left to right, President Hamula, Elder and Sister Oaks, Sister and President Pearson.

Elder Oaks spoke to us for a few minutes at the end of the evening.

We listened to these General Authorities talk, along with their wives, to a YSA group on Saturday evening, also.  That was a very good evening.

On Sunday, there were three different Stake Conferences.  Elder Oaks went to one, President Hamula went to a different one and President Pearson went to the third.  We were blessed because Elder Oaks and his wife came to our Stake Conference.  It was actually held in our ward meeting house and we sat with the choir because our ward choir sang.  They came and got us as we entered and said you are part of our choir because you belong to our ward family.  That made us feel great and we did sing with them.  Half of the ward sings in the choir, they are fabulous.  Elder Oaks arrived 45 minutes early and walked around the chapel, cultural hall and where chairs were set up on the stage and in the hallway and shook every single persons hand.  What a wonderful opportunity for these people to shake the hand of an Apostle of the Lord.  It was a very spiritual weekend.  One we will never forget.

Before Stake Conference began Reed went around taking pictures of the choir.  They took up the whole main section of the chapel.  A lot of the young women and young men sing in the choir.

 This picture was taken after conference was over.  The woman walking across the front is the choir director.  She has a beautiful voice and really knows how to get the most out of the choir!

After the meeting the choir wanted their picture taken so Reed got them all organized.  This is in the front of our church building the Motootua Ward.  They made these outfits to sing today.  They looked great and sounded wonderful!


On Saturday, April 27, 2013, we decided to drive over to the South side of Upolu and look for sea shells and spend some time snorkeling.  Reed and Elder and Sister Rotz snorkeled.  Nada looked for shells with Elder and Sister Gertsch and we just played in the water.  We didn't find very many really cool sea shells but had a fun day. 

 Reed took this picture of this coral so he could show people to stay away from it.  He got caught in some of it a couple of months ago and it took him weeks before it stopped the stinging and itching and for the swelling to go away.

 We have never seen one of these fish before.  It is very interesting.

We stopped at Papapapaitai waterfall on the way back to Apia.  Since the cyclone you can see so much more of it.  We never knew there was the lower falls and two pools until after the cyclone blew done some of the foliage.  They have put in a big drain and cleared an area that looks like it is maybe going to be a picnic area.  Much nicer now.

Well that catches you up with what has been going on in our lives the last few weeks.  We have finished up a semester of classes and will have someone give the finals to them next week.  We will wrap everything up and turn in grades when we get back to Samoa on May 21st.  We are grateful to serve and are having a hard time leaving even for a couple of weeks.  We know we need to go and be with Reed's family at this time.  May the Lord continue to bless and watch over all of you.  Until next time.            
                                              Tofa Soifua!  Alofa Tele, Elder and Sister Spencer

Another post for Wednesday, April 10, 2013.  We had so much going on in the last week that we decided to do two separate posts.  The other was getting so long and this post is all about fun Teacher Retreats.  Every other year here in Samoa, the teachers get to have a retreat that is totally paid for by the schools.

On Thursday evening, April, 4, 2013, the Sauniatu teachers did their evening activity because they wanted to see the show at the La Manumea Hotel and they only perform on Thursday evenings.  We all met together and ate a very nice Samoan buffet then they had dancers, singers, drum players and fire dancers perform for over an hour.

 They had this group playing and singing as you came in and sat down for dinner.  They were also the drummers and performers during the fia fia.

 This lady is making kava in the kava bowl.  It is a ceremonial drink that has been used for hundreds of  years.  It is made from kava root. They served it to a few guests.  They did not offer it to any of us. 

 The girls performing a traditional Samoan dance.

 This man shucked a coconut, cracked it open, grated it, made coconut milk all within a couple of minutes.

 Girl on left spreading the coconut milk on her tattoo.  The female tattoo like this is called a malu.

The girl on the right is showing one of the many ways to tie and wear a lava lava.

 The fire dancers performed in the dark which made it a little harder to take pictures.  You can see that the one on the left has fire in his mouth.

 They danced and twirled their fire sticks around.

 At one point all three of the different ones came out and performed together.

 Brother and Sister Gase.  He did not come and get in the group photo.
The photo on the right was all the performers at the end of the fia fia (performance.)  Some of them were the waitresses and office help.  The picture below is all the teachers, staff and spouses at Sauniatu except for Brother Gase.

 

 

On Friday morning, April 5, 2013, LDS Church College Pesega and Pesega Middle School had their retreat together.  As we were walking to the gym we saw this beautiful rainbow, nice way to start the day! We met at the gym for breakfast at 8:00 a.m. then drove out to Aggie Grey's Resort in Mulifanua by the main airport.  It took us 40 minutes to get there.  We drove some of the teachers in our van.  They played all kinds of games at the Aquatic Center area right off the beach then had lunch at Aggie Grey's.  It was not a very good lunch but the games were fun.  Then some people swam. Reed snorkeled but said the water was so full of organisms you could not see anything.

 The men were sitting outside and said it was a chiefs meeting, no women allowed!

 The women were inside the room eating.






The picture below is a dish called faausi, it is taro with coconut milk and brown sugar over it.  The brown sugar mixture almost has a burnt taste to it.  Not our favorite.

 This was the t-shirt they gave everyone to wear.  It had a scripture on the front side 2 Nephi 1:21.

 When we got to Aggie Grey's they divided us into teams.  Reed was our team captain and we were called the Hurricanes.

 This is our team, the Hurricanes, huddled up doing a math quiz.

 Doing a scripture game that includes math equations.

 This is our team the Hurricanes.

 Leo, the high school principal is in the middle and Brother Lolo the middle school principal has the hat on.  Brother Iafeta, with the turban, is one of the teachers.  People here, especially the men, cover their heads with shirts, lava lavas or whatever to keep the sun off.

 They had people tie their legs together and then tie balloons on their ankles and then you tried to step on the other teams balloons to pop them.

 They did races with straws that had a bongo, like a round chip with a hole, on them.  You had to get the bongo from your straw to your teammates straw without touching or dropping it.  It was very clever and they had a lot of fun.  This is Joyce, one of the high school secretaries and Reed.

 They played a game where you had to pass the ball over, under, over, under and then run to the front.  It was hard to get a turn to play.  Nobody wanted to ever sit out.  They loved playing the games.

 They seem to play music for every event.  Rather it is a game, activity, assembly, dinner, they always have music.  Brother Fa'aola just started dancing while we were getting ready to start the next game.

 Sister Te'o lives right behind us and has been in some of our classes.  You had to put the egg on your spoon and carry it in your mouth to the other side.  They were not hard boiled eggs.

 Another relay race.  You had to toss it to every member on your team and they had to toss it back to you.  Then the first person in line had to run and take your place and then throw it back and forth to every member on your team until every member had a turn.

 They had a speed walking relay race.

 This was the funniest game.  They put a lava lava in the middle then called numbers.  A member from each team with that number would go to the middle and try to get the lava lava back to their side.  Some got it fast and others they kept calling numbers until it looked like a football scrum.

 Reed got right in there with the rest of them.  He got pushed around but he did his fair share of pushing, too.

 Some people ended up on the ground.  They were all laughing and having a great time.  A little too rough for Nada, she sat this one out.

 No matter the age or size they all love to play volleyball.  They play it on cement, sand, grass and in the middle of a hot sunny day.  It doesn't matter.


Below is a picture of the beach.  The water was very warm.  It looks nice from the top but Reed said you couldn't see anything.  It was a lot of fun.  That night we went to Kokobana's for dinner.  It was the best Samoan food we have had so far.  The teachers and spouses visited, ate and danced.  It was a great retreat.  We forgot our camera so we have not pictures of the dinner.  We were tired when we got home just after 10 p.m.

 

 Saturday, April 6, 2013 we got up early and headed to the South side of Upolu to meet up with the Sauniatu teachers and spouses for the rest of their retreat.  We went to Hideaway Beach which took us a little over an hour to drive to.  We had a little devotional and then breakfast.  They, too, played a lot of fun games and then we went swimming and snorkeling.  Reed and Nada snorkeled and then we let some of the teachers use our equipment.

 

 Nada getting ready to get in the water.  You can see the big dining area of the resort.  It was very cool with a light breeze under there.

 You can see how beautiful the water and beach are here.  This was a very nice beach and the water was warm.  Okay snorkeling but great for swimming.

 Sister Filifili showing us how to tie and wear a lava lava.  Her version from the fia fia on Thursday night.  She is a crack up and a lot of fun.

This is the whole group that was there.  This was a great location for pictures.

Brother Gase in the middle.  He is a very large Samoan man and a very great guy.  He is the only male teacher and the women teachers really cater to him.

We played matt volleyball.  You have to sit and you cannot see the ball coming until it is almost to your side.  It was a lot of fun and actually kind of hard to just sit and hit the ball.

 Reed falling backwards after hitting the ball.

They played the game where you call a number from each team to get the ball in the middle and try to get it back to your side.  It was much more fun and harder to play it with the lava lava yesterday.

 Teachers sitting around after Sister Peresetene got a bunch of sand kicked into her eyes.  We were waiting for her to get it cleaned out.  She has had eye surgery and is having her other eye done next week so everyone was a little tense.

They played hockey on the sand.  It was hard to hit the ball and run in the sand but fun.

 

We saw this lion fish while we were snorkeling.  It was very cool to see.  However, when we got back to our office we looked it up.  They are poisonous and very harmful to reef fish.  Reed kept poking at it trying to get it to move.  Good thing it never attacked or he would have been very sick!

 

Sister Peresetene with a fish in her mouth.  Her husband and Steve, the principal, caught this fish and she wanted Reed to take her picture with it in her mouth.  She said she likes to just eat these fish raw!  She loves her picture to be taken.

 

We were able to watch some of conference from our house live.  We really enjoyed that.  We have watched the rest of conference on our computer in our office.  It is always great to hear and learn from our leaders. 

 

We have a two week break right now so we have no classes.  We have been working on classes for next semester and trying to get a little ahead while there are no teachers or students around.

 

We hope you enjoy seeing what our lives are like.  We had a lot of fun on these retreats getting to know the teachers in a whole new way and getting to meet their spouses.  We love our mission and love the gospel.  We hope you are all well and busy doing good things.  Until next time.

 

Love, Elder and Sister Spencer.