No Post This Week!

No posts this week due to the passing of a friend. Chris Mitton passed away and the sadness that I feel for Marina and her family is heartfelt. I know that Our Heavenly Father's love and compassion is with them at this time and although life will never be the same it will go on. There lives will go on with the sweet memories that they have for their husband, dad, son and friend. They are an eternal family. Jesus has given us the knowledge and the plan that we will be together again.

Samoan Festival Week

Last Saturday I blogged about the Samoan Devotional and the Samoan Festival. They had activities at the island PCC all week and it ended with two big festivals. The World FireKnife Championship and the local high school festival on Sat morning.

























These are the drummers at the Fireknife Championship on Thursday night. We watched nine of the performers and had to leave. Our eardrums couldn't handle much more and we had to get up and go to work the next morning. Yes! I do work 5 days a week but I can't write about that everyday. I do help Misi order thousands of dollars of food everyday. Oh , yes, drummers. They made lots and lots of noise. It was too dark to take pictures of the competition. Go to Facebook and look up PCC.

The following pictures are of the High School Samoan Festival on Saturday. Many of the high entertained us with traditional Samoan festivities and dances. It was truly remarkable and yes in some of the pictures that is money. Lots and lots and lots of money and people on stage throwing the money. Each school was able to keep the money that was thrown at them. The Taupa is usually the chief's daughter and is held in great respect. You are not allowed to walk in front of her or you will pay dearly. Many did not listen until the third or fourth time they were told. They were also not suppose to go on the stage and throw the money. They had baskets to hold the money. As with all good Samoans they did not listen. It was much more fun to watch them throw the money.
 

The costumes or native dress was very elaborate.





  

After the festival I took tickets at Island Buffet. We had over 732 people eat at the buffet that night. I met Lis Hardy who I taught at Wellsville. She was one of the hostesses. She just received her mission call. I am the short one. She used to be the short one. What time does to some people.

Mother's Day and Goodbye Parties

Monday started off with a goodbye to our "roomie" Diane Dykeman. She has served almost a year at the PCC in the Island Offices. She will be missed but as with all things we will soon have another sister to move into our Hale and then it will all start again. We have had some enjoyable times together and an especially fun week of goodbye's. This is FHE at the Grant Building. This is the chapel that Cecily and I attend Church in. I wish you could see the intricate artwork in the panels. It is beautiful and so is Diane.












Here we are having our "Ohana" farewell at Lei, Lei's restaurant.

On Sunday we had a wonderful Mother's Day Brunch. With each of us going to church at different times 11:00 was the only time we had to get together. We had french toast with bread from Tito's Grill. It was so good to hear from my family. We did FaceTime and I said hello and I love you face to face. I am so thankful for each one of them. That little Addie cakes took the cake with her antics. I love to see her.
Roses were on the agenda for the day. My family sent me roses, they planted a rosebush at my house and as the day progressed and we attended church each of us received roses from our wards. In our ward Bishop Mahoney had each of the mother's stand, (there were four of us), two single sister missionary and two couple missionaries. He had some of the young men give each of us three beautiful roses with baby's breath. It made me cry. They also added a hug. People here like to hug. I said it was a real hug from my family back home.
Rose bush that was planted in UT. It will be huge when I get home.

This is what the roses looked like at the beginning of the day an by evening this is what happened.They multiplied and divided. We all had a wonderful mother's day. It ended with a devotional at the visitors center at the Laie Temple. My roommate Polly and all the senior missionaries presented a mother's day veteran's day presentation.

May Day ends and other Festivals begin.

Saturday was a day of devotion to our Christ and Savior Jesus Christ. We started Saturday morning with a devotional hosted by the Samoan Island in the PCC. It was a tribute to His loving hands and how our hands are His. He uses our hands on earth and everything we do for good is reflected back to His love for us.
    
Testimonies were given by the BYU-H students who work at the Samoan Island at the PCC. The students are the life of the different islands and they share their cultures and talents with the guests at the PCC. It is part of their scholarships to work and then when they finish serving here they go back and serve their country for a specified amount of time. How can this not help the world become a better place?
 The students decorated all week to make this a special devotional. It also was the beginning of a week of festivities in which they will end with the Fireknife championships. It will be an exciting week here because the Samoans know how to celebrate.
Here are some of the decorations. Notice the poles weaved in tea leaves, the beautiful flowers, a different variety of Heliconia that I have not seen before. The canoe that was carved and brought to the PCC and finished here. It is beautiful.

Notice the beautiful tapia cloth in the background and the pole woven with the tea leaves. The woven rug rolled beneath the tapa cloth was woven by guests as they visited the PCC.

In this picture you can see a bit more of the beautiful restored canoe. It is at the front of the stage. It is very, very, large. I wonder if it could float?

President Grace talked to us about good, better, best. He said, "Most of us don't struggle between right and wrong but struggle with good, better and best. He gave many examples of good, better and best. It is sometimes hard for me to choose best when good is easy. Something more to work on as I serve my mission, always striving for the best.

Let the Samoan Festival begin:

After the devotional the Samoan FireKnife festival was ushered in by a traditional dance. The young lady below is a representative of the daughter of the chief and is wearing traditional festival wear.

                       

 

YES! That is money on the ground. Lots and lots of it. When people love the performances money is thrown everywhere. It is so fund to see it fly through the air. It is then picked up and used for various charities or in this case to help fund the FireKnife festivities.

I love the doors at Prime Dining and the Island buffet. Sister Hanrahan and I was taking tickets and I wanted a picture of the doors. This is a beautiful place to enjoy part of my time here on earth.

Diane is leaving to come back to Arizona next week so we visited the place she worked. When inside I saw the purple chair, the purple flowers and I was dressed in purple so just a picture with the royal color. This was after the Samoan Festival.

 

ALOHA FRIDAY

Aloha Friday usually means a party day of some sort and this Friday was not any different. The physical facilities department decided it was time to honor the missionaries who serve in their department and so it they did. They had a speech, leis and a wonderful traditional Hawaiian lunch for us. We had three types of meat, rice, potatoes, salad veggies and yummy banana cream pie. We visited and I got to know a few more people. A delightful time was had by all except we had to go back and finish our day by working. Bummer. Misi said a few words about me and about Elder Griffeth. He said that we make a good team. Here we are eating inside the warehouse. Plans changed at the last minute because of the rain. It has rained hard and solid for the past week. I can see the sun trying to peek through, today. Maybe a walk on the beach will be in order when I get home from church.

It takes everyone doing their part to help the PCC run. It is a big organization and this is just one part of it.



       
On the left are the "Ames" and on the right is the "Smiths." We were all in the MTC together.


During the week sales people came from Armstrong Produce, one of our biggest venders. I was happy to meet them as I send orders to them daily. It is always good  to put a name with a face. This is Paul and Fran. They also brought goodies that I have never had before. It was a delicious bread stuffed with pork and some other thing that was filled with ham. I will get the name of them. Oh my gosh, they were soooo good.


Life is starting to slow down and become a little more routine. I am getting into a groove. I hope there is not too much change during the coming months. This is good. Love to all of you back home. I know that I am missing a beautiful spring back home. It is one of the best times of the year. I would like to see some of your flower pictures. Text them to me 435-881-0877 Miss all of you.