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.

Today was the national Father's Day holiday so we didn't work.  We'd heard about a wonderful hike along the Coastal Trail which is in a national forest preserve which we wanted to cross off our list.  It was spectacular.  After our hike we cooled off in the To Sua Trench swimming hole.  Great day!

The roar of the waves was unbelievable
We thought sometimes it sounded like a dump truck unloading boulders.

The ocean is way cool

We ventured to the south of the Island to Siumu to teach at the Palalaua college.  I heard from Bob Hayes that his son was in Siumu so I got his number from his zone leaders who were in the office last week with a tooth problem.  They told me he was a great elder.  He had been recently ill with Dengue fever, a mosquito bourne virus that makes on very ill.  I met up with him before the school gig.  He sure looks like his dad.  He talks so much like a Samoan I had to ask twice if he was an American.

The experience at the college was great.  After we taught, the students sang to us and performed the traditional slap dance.  Man, those kids can sing.  I have some great videos I'll have to show later.  for some reason I can't make them fly overseas.

Dr. Larsen's family was with us and they gave his grandaughter a lava lava and put flower leis around our necks and fed us lunch.  What a nice day.

We took the Olsen's to Sauniatu to see the David O McKay Fale and as we were walking around the village a lady came out and gave us some of their Sunday dinner.  They had cooked it in their Samoan oven (hot rocks covered in banana leaves.  It was delicious.  Really sweet people.

I'll leave you tonight with a few random photos including a ward party for fathers day.  Father's Day here is a national holiday and everything shuts down on Monday including our clinic.