Fathers And Sons Outing

Mike has wonderful memories of the Fathers and Sons Camp out. He stretched himself soooo far out of his comfort zone for this one.  I was amazed as I saw him gather together a sleeping mat, blankets, a mosquito net, insect repellent, and a large dose of courage.  He popped a garbage bag full of popcorn and I brought out a hidden box of Mickala's famous cookies (they are famous in Samoa now!) I was afraid that it might be all that he had to eat.  (As it turned out, he got none of it, but it was enjoyed by many others.)  The first picture was the evening when they finally arrived at Tafatafa.

This is the food line for dinner that evening.  Bishop is on the far left.  And guess what?!  In Samoa, the youth feed the adults before they eat, themselves.  These young men are making sure their dads are being taken care of.  Pretty cool tradition, wouldn't you say?!

This is the fale Mike slept in.  Heavenly Father rewarded Mike's willingness to sacrifice with a tender mercy.  This fale had mattresses!  And mosquito nets that were already up! He said they stayed up until midnight and then this obnoxious whistle started blowing at 6 the next morning.  Turns out the holder of the whistle was Bishop Joseph, calling everyone to get up for the day!

This next video is of one of the games Mike provided.  I think this one is called DONKEY.  The way everyone got into it, it maybe should have been called something else.

The next picture is when they played capture the flag.  Brother Toa has his arms wrapped around a pole on the fale.  These guys are built like tanks and Brother Toa was the biggest tank. 

Below is another video of the games.

The Capture the Flag winning team.  Yes, that is Bishop Joseph with the flag.

Tug-o-war. These are strong people!

The love vollyball here.  Everywhere you see them playing.  As soon as there was a spare minute they were playing another game.  They as so very competetive.

How would you like to have a Fathers and Sons on the edge of the ocean?!

Sand sculpture...

Burying in the sand.

The older priesthood holders would get around and just talk.  They would laugh and laugh.  They know how to enjoy life.

Time out for an afternoon siesta.  This is also how they sleep all the time in their fales at home.

That is one very sleepy bishop...with a cell phone close at hand.

Lunch was a long time in coming, but Mike says it was good, except that they piled all the raw chicken, sausages and pork all together in one pot and then BBQ'd it.

I guess that's all.  I would blog about what I was doing while this was going on, but cooking and cleaning and sewing and laundry don't make nearly as interesting a story.  But, believe me...I thoroughly enjoyed my day!