Samoan "Mother's Dae"

In our Samoan ward, Mother's Day was celebrated all week long. Early in the week, there was a mother-daughter Primary event (that we unfortuantely missed because we didn't know about it...the joys of not speaking the language!) I was heartbroken when I found out because all the mothers and their children performed talents, which I would love to have seen. This is a banner left over from the program. They used it for decorations at all the other events.


The elders and high priests organized an event on Saturday. It was one of our favorites yet. The potluck was scheduled to start at noon. As we arrived with our hot chicken rice caserole, we were delighted to listen to this band serenade us! Different people would come up and take a turn singing.

People began arriving and putting their food on the tables there in the back. We love these people. They have become our family away from home.

Brother and Sister Toa. He is in the bishopric and she is the seminary teacher. See how the husbands and wives wear matching clothes!

Here is Bishop Joseph, along with a few sisters in the ward. This game required that the husbands pick our their wives by looking at their feet. He ran out of fabric, so the sister on the end is inside a plastic garbage...yes, he really did make her put her head inside that bag!

This is the before picture...

In between games was lots of singing and dancing...oh, and these good people are fanning the flies on the food table. My caserole, as well as all the rest of the food, sat on these tables for three hours before the meal was blessed. (I admit that Elder Merrell and I did not have enough faith in that prayer to stay for the meal. Thanks goodness his cell phone called us away at just the right moment!)

Everyone loves to have their picture taken!

Sister Key is on the right. She translated for me at every meeting for the first couple of weeks. I have grown to love her and her family very much.

Two more sisters that I love. Sister Pine, on the left, is the matriarch of the family we have been fellowshipping (more on that later) and Sister Ao is my favorite Relief Society teacher.
She teaches the fourth Sunday lesson and always runs me off a copy in English.

My dear, dear friend, Tomai Manoa. She is our Relief Society President. She and her family lived in St. George for a few year. Their daugher, Kahaolani knows Nate Stevenson! How cool is that!

On the left is Sister Joseph, the bishop's wife. One of the kindest, gentlest woman I have ever known. I do not remember the name of the sister on the right, but she was in charge of the musical fireside we had last week. I think she is the ward music director. Another very wonderful person.

Also during our Mother's Day week there was a fireside put on by the Young women. They sang several musical numbers, gave inspirational messages and had a slide show running of pictures they had taken of all the mothers in the ward. My favorite was the fresh flower leis they made for each mother to wear. I wish I could have figured out a way to keep it.

I will leave you with two videos Mike took, at the Mother's Day party on Saturday. I laughed so hard, there were tears running down my cheeks during the musical chairs.