Re-building Samoa

The Senior Elders had a great experience last Saturday. Our ward adopted a family that was devastated by the tsunami. The Vi'iga family lost two children when the tsunami hit. They lost everything except a cupboard that saved their son's life (he clung to it when the wave hit) and a refrigerator (which they found several hundred yards away) that is a little rusty and dented but works. They say they thank God every day for those two things; essentially, it is all they have left. Our ward decided to try to build them a house in one day. They moved up the mountain to their plantation land so they will be out of harm's way if there is another tsunami. (Who could blame them?) They'll have to change their diets a little -- less fish and more chickens and pigs. Samoans pass land from generation to generation (for the most part, land is not sold here) so they bury their dead on their land. We built the house next to the grave sites of their two lost children. It was both a very sad and a very happy day. We had to finish the house before dark, which we did.

I want you all to know I worked very hard despite appearances in this picture.

We left home at 4:00 am; the home site is about an hour and a half drive away. We started out clean, as you can see in this picture, but before long we were filthy.

It's been years since I've worked this hard, but it was a lot of fun working along side the Samoans and other missionaries serving in this kind of a cause. It was fascinating watching the Samoan construction techniques. We saw lots of improvisation. I never knew a machete could be used for so many tasks. At the end of the day, we were so dirty we had to bathe in the ocean with our clothes on.

Although it was a long drive home after an exhausting day, we had to stop to see a waterfall. It's hard to pass on opportunities to see scenes like this, even if for just a few seconds.