This will be my last post before coming home.  I leave next Monday morning at 1:30 am.  I will miss this place and the loving people but I am excited to return and see my family.  Yesterday we were invited by a family to join them at their home for a day of fishing and food.  The invitation was too great to pass up.  1st, we stopped by the church in their village of Safaatoa where they were having a young men/young women cultural activity.  The were having an umu (native cooking) followed by singing and Samoan cultural dance.  They killed and cooked chickens, a pig, and cooked taro, samoan noodles, cocoa Samoa.  They gave us a soup/drink appetizer made from bananas and tapioca served in a coconut shell.  Drinking it was like kissing a woman with a mustache.

We then went to the families home then to the sea.  The ocean was too rough beyond the reef so we just had a ride in the outrigger canoe and Tasi did the fishing, free diving with a spear gun.

He got a mess of colorful fish.  Then we went back to his plantation.  He and his brother cooked the fish and some taro in coconut cream.  The best taro I had eaten in Samoa.  I even took seconds.  The cooking was done in a separate kitchen fale over an open fire.  Water is taken from a tap in the middle of the yard.  There is no indoor plumbing.  They do have a shower but no hot water.  It's like camping out all the time.  Tasi hunts wild pigs and fishes to supply the family with meat.  They also raise pigs and chickens, and everything else is supplied by their plantation, ie, papaya, bananas, mangos, taro, pineapple, and breadfruit.  They have no mortgage because the property is handed down to families for generations, so they sell their produce at market to provide money for electricity, water, gasoline, clothing, and automobiles.  Very simple life but they are happy.

Some images from the last few days.

About an hour ago the mission nurse called and needed help with an elder who had cut his finger on a mirror.  I went to the mission home, stitched up his finger, cleaned it up and sent him on his way.  10 minutes after I got home she called again about a missionary sister who stepped into some tree stumps and got a sliver in her leg.  This was yesterday and already her leg was red and draining pus.  We numbed the area and felt around and found two good sized splinters in her leg.  Cleaned her up, gave her antibiotics and sent her home.  It seems sister Casita, the nurse, will resort to magic before she sends someone to the hospital.  Just don't tell the authorities Cidne.
     This week Samoa is the host to the Youth Commonwealth Games and the Teulia Festival, which is a celebration of Samoan traditional music and dance.  The festival

is a competition with groups competing from all around Samoa.  Dr. Larsen and I went Thursday evening and sat on the lawn surrounding the stage and enjoyed the performances very much.  These are talented, musical people.  Two girls came into our office this week just to sing to us.
     We went to the opening ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games.  It's like the olympics but not as grand.  There were participants from all over the world, countries who are or used to be part of the British commonwealth.  The British really got around.

The Gillettes, foreground are farmers from Gooding, Idaho, the Jacobs behind them are from California and they are our zone leaders, and next to them are the Whittles, horse ranchers from Ferrin, Utah.  The lady in red, standing, is a patient of mine as are the children directly behind us.  They're everywhere.

Wednesday I went golfing for 9 holes just to check that off my list.  It cost 3 tala for nine holes, or about $1.25.  I rented clubs and a cart which brought it up to $20.  The clubs were almost unrecognizable and the putter was pink.  Along the way a kid came out to sell me some golf balls.  I bought one just so I could take his picture.  He's got a way better swing than I do.  These guys are not only musical but athletic.

I don't think the video works and I can't erase it...........So long for now

Good evening..We just returned home from taking a new missionary couple on a tour of the island.  They are the Whittle's from Ferrin, Utah.  They were patients of Dr. Larsen's and friends so we agreed to take them for a ride.  We left about 9:30 this morning, stopped here and there for pictures, walked in to see some waterfalls. stopped for lunch at a seaside fale cafe ( where incidentally one of my patients works and his family are the owners.  He came over and greeted us like old friends.  People seem to know us wherever we go.  One of the workers came over to see if he could come in to get a front tooth fixed.  He's the ward clerk in his ward), and stopped for more pictures.  We gave them a good overview of all there is to see and do.  We explored a road that we had seen and wanted to see where it led.  It went down the mountain by the seaside.  What a gorgeous little village.  We found a small LDS chapel there among other churches.  I took a picture of it from the mountain top a couple of months ago and we said then that someday we should go down there.  Well, today was the day and our guests were so impressed with the beauty.

Thursday night we were invited along with the senior missionaries to a special evening and reception at the  Robert Louis Stevenson home and museum.  Government and other dignitaries were there.  It was an evening of delicious food and entertainment.  A string ensemble from the symphony, a cultural dancing troop performing native dances and songs, and a piano man entertainer.  There was traditional food of taro, breadfruit, fish and palusame, and also lobster, clams, roast pork, ham salads and trifle.  The two American men who do this every year are returned missionaries from Samoa who live in Provo, Jim Winegar and Fred Maughn (who also has a Samoan Chief's name.)  They restored the museum to its original splendor and have contributed much to the Samoan society.

Earlier in the week we went up the street to a place called sliding rocks.  It's a creek that flows over several falls and in the rainy season its a natural water slide.  we didn't dar do it because there was so little water, but a few brave young men were showing us how.  Along the way we met this cowboy with a machete.  The really like big knives around here.

We met the former Consul to Samoa from England and his wife the former Consul from Chile at the party Thursday night.  We had made friends with them earlier when they visited our home and brought us fruits from their plantation.  They had met Dr. and Sister Layne and had become friends. They invited us to visit them at their plantation so we plan to go sometime in the next two weeks.  I'll tell you how it goes.  Goodby for now..............Duane

Today is Sunday.  We went to church today in the stake center right next to our house.  We'll be meeting there from now on instead of the college.  I don't know why.  Our mission president, President Tolman was released Thursday for medical reasons and left Saturday for his home in Mesa. He has an appointment Monday at the Mayo clinic, so won't know until then what's wrong with him. An interim Pesident has been called.  A couple serving in American Samoa who are from Canada.  We had a farewell pot luck dinner at the mission office Thurs. evening.  Clyde and I took a green salad.

President and Sister Tolman on the left and President and Sister Saunders on the right

Hard clinic days this week.  Worked long days and got sore backs.  One of the couple missionaries  who walk early in the mornings told us they see patients lining up at our clinic at 5:30 AM.  I know we see a lot of patients who have been in pain for days.  They're the ones who hug us and say God bless you.  The senior missionaries planned a trip yesterday near Siumu at the black sand beach.  You almost need a four wheel drive vehicle to get to get to it so it's very isolated.  It is a beautiful stretch of beach covered in fine black sand.  The swimming was excellent and the snorkeling superb.

We had to stop at a home along the road to pay our entry fee of 10 tala per vehicle.  Their fale also serves as the local pool hall.

Not many people here today!

Saw some pineapples growing along the way.  This is the first scarecrow I've seen in Samoa.

It was a very relaxing enjoyable day for us old dudes.  I wouldn't mind doing it again.

Our X-ray machine finally arrived.  A big relief.  We have been 21/2 months without one.  We have been flying by the seat of our pants at times.  Now we have to worry about getting it installed.  The Facilities Management people are pretty bright so I don't think there will be a great problem.  We also got some other important equipment that we sorely needed.
     We took another island trip yesterday, this time to Manono, which is located at the western tip of Opolu.  It is the third most populated island in Western Samoa.  There are no cars, no bicycles, and no dogs.  With the exception of the dogs and electricity, it is most like old time Samoa.  Very slow easy going life style.  Everyone we met asked where are you going?  We replied that we were just here for a walk and a swim and they looked at us like we were crazy.  We found a secluded cove to snorkel in away from the trail, and after we were there for a while a young man came thru the trees to see what we were doing.  He said the people said we had disappeared so he came looking for us.  All property, beach included is private property, and you must pay a few tala to use it so I suppose that is why everyone wanted to know where we were going.  Most people there grow their own food, taro, breadfruit, papaya, coconuts, and cocoa, and go fishing often.  We saw people digging clams and chasing crabs as well.  Here are a few pictures from our excursion.

Our boatman and his son.  Notice the parka on the kid.  It got down to 70 degrees.

Opolu from the shores of Manono

These little girls were off with their to clean the Methodist church.  Methodist missionaries landed on the island in 1832.

This was our secluded swimming hole

Thru the breadfruit tree.

Good night.