Sister Sherrie & Elder Bryce Holbrook in Savaii

 A lot has happened in the last two weeks. May 31^st we again judged impromptu speeches, this time for Level 2 (first grade).  The teacher gave them objects to assist them in details about their topics.  It is a young age and they were tentative in their speeches although they tried in front of the large audience.

June 1^st is Samoa's Independence Day and this year the government added the Monday to supplement the Friday holiday.  Our ward had a campout on the rugby field (we weren't able to attend). Instead, we ferried to Upolu On June 1^st and returned June 4^th.   As usual we take advantage of the break time to connect with other senior missionaries.  

Breaker waves were unusual.  Waves from two directions collided together.

We had a day of hiking the Ma Tree trail with Elder & Sister Little, Sister Kirkham, and Sister Westenskow.  

Elder Little, Karla, Ron, Sister Kirkham, Sister Westenskow
Roots are structured like walls!

Sister & Elder Little, Sister Kirkham, & Sister Westenskow

Roots are taller than Sister Westenskow.

After hiking we visited the Togitogiga Waterfall and wouldn't you know, our group grew as Brother & Sister Fisher (temporary dentist) and Sister Kalama and her family showed up.  Such is the typical way a senior missionary outing grows.  We shared the usual snacks and some swimming in the waterfall ponds.  It was a great day!

Surrounded by jungle growth---so beautiful!

Ferns grow so large!

Brother & Sister Fisher

We are always awed by the churches we see...these are on Upolu.

Sunday was a “Break the Fast” potluck dinner and was well attended to say farewell to friends leaving the mission field:  Sister Barnes, mission nurse; Elder & Sister Kalama, CES missionaries, and Elder & Sister Foley, ITEP missionaries at Sauniatu.  We have loved serving with them.

Our “Literacy and the Fluent Reader” class took their final exam this week.

The blog would never be complete without more breathtaking cloud pictures.

This past week we enjoyed having Elder & Sister Holbrook here from the Area Office in Auckland, New Zealand.  They are our immediate coordinators but came more as Area representatives.  Thursday was a full day of Professional Development for staff.  Under the auspices of Holbrooks, the administrators made training presentations and we were invited to train on classroom observations.  Other topics were “Seeing the One”, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), Deeper Learning, and the 9 Pacific School Standards.  The Pesega church school in Upolu had their training earlier in the week.

Disembarking off the Ferry.

Clouds at the Wharf.

Elder Holbrook

Sister Holbrook & Staff

This trip afforded Elder & Sister Holbrook the opportunity to take some extra time so on Friday we were privileged to show them the island of Savaii.    We toured a full day and loved the time together before putting them on the ferry for their return.

This was the first time we'd seen cricket being played in Samoa!

It was unique to see the outfield covering in the road because there isn't a ball park as we know it.

Feeding the Turtles again.

The owner indicated they have 20 turtles now.

Karla and Elder & Sister Holbrook feeding papaya to the turtles.

Little fishes swimming among the turtles.

We stopped at the beach of Lagoto Resort

Sister & Elder Holbrook at the entrance of the Peapea Cave.
Small pea birds live in the blackness of this lave tube.  They navigate by a clicking sound.
We were lucky to see three peapea bird mud nests---two each with one egg in it.

Yes, those are Poinsettias at the entrance of the Peapea Cave.

Elder & Sister Holbrook crossing the Canopy Walk at Falelaupo.

Ron, Karla, Sister Sherrie & Elder Bryce Holbrook in the Banyan "treehouse" 

Blowholes!

Ron, Karla, & Sister Holbrook

The guide drops the palm branch into the blowhole...

...and here you see it spew way up in the air.
They do it with coconuts too.

 For safety reasons only the guide is allowed to stand this close.

At the Afu Aau Waterfall

Saturday we took a short hike with Elder & Sister Deffense to access a secluded sandy beach.  It is called the “Secret Beach” because few are of aware of it.  We followed two young ladies down the trail that the “men” take to gather bananas and to fish.  At the end, the descent was beyond us!  We backtracked and the family directed us down the road to other relatives who knew a better trail.  The dad, mom, and 10-year old son were so kind and accommodating.  The dad insisted on going ahead with his jungle knife to trim the trail for us----the trail was certainly recognizable.  The mom walked with us.  We reached a rocky beach; in order to cross over to the sandy section, we have to walk across lava rock, swim a ways, and then access the beach.  Because high tide was moving in, we opted to come back another day.  However, we sat on the rocky beach, ate sandwiches, visited, and enjoyed the ocean view.  After hiking back up to the house, the dad had niu for us---young coconuts.  The coconut water was refreshing.  They gave us their time, accommodated us, and did it with nothing expected in return.  They epitomize a typical Samoan: warm, friendly, and kind.  It is the people who make our experiences memorable.

Looking down at the Secret Beach.

Elder Deffense shares his magic trick with the kids.

Here's the family that was so gracious to us.

Father blazing the trail.

Hiking.

Ocean View

In the video below, the young boy rounded up a log to use like a floatation device.

June 10^th marks our 44-year wedding anniversary.  We celebrated by having a steak dinner with Deffenses after our day of adventure. We are happy to be in Samoa at this time in our lives.