Samoa

Day of Relief and Fun

                 Okay, so we woke up around nine thirty the next morning, completely wiped out from the day before, but managed to wake up and get breakfast! Good news the breakfast was pretty okay! I had sticky bun of some sort. It was actually really good. I was a little bit nervous. After breakfast, Emily and I walked over to the other girls room and we were trying to decide a plan. We decided the first thing we should do was get ready and go over to the temple. We would try and go do some baptisms, and get some help!

                We quickly got ready then we were off to walk to the temple. The good news of this, is that the temple is only about a 5 minute walk straight down the road from us! This was a very comforting thing! It really is amazing how comforting the temple is for me, and how much safer that made me feel! We got on the temple grounds, and all of us were so much happier! It just felt like home! I’m going to be honest and say I started crying as soon as we saw the temple. It was just the best feeling of relief I have ever felt!  I was feeling so helpless in kind of a dirty city, but to see the temple and the cleanliness of it made me feel so at home! I don’t think I have ever been happier in my life. I was so grateful for the peace I felt.

                               We went inside and talked to the front desk, and they told us to come back to do baptisms a little later on in the evening. We said great and that we would be back! We walked back and then we were at square one again. We decided we would all feel better if we had a contact number from the mission home to call in case something happened.

                We got over to the mission home, and we ran into one of the couple missionaries! They were so sweet, they told us everything we needed to know, things to help us keep safe also gave us their number! They told us to go inside and relax for a minute! We went inside and another couple came out to talk to us. This was such a great person to talk to. They were Brother and Sister Eves. Sister Eves asked us where we were from, and when I said Brigham City Utah, she said, “Oh do you know any of the Frishknicks?” I know I didn’t spell that right, but I’m not sure how to spell it so I just sounded it out… I got really excited and said, “Yeah! My mom has taught them, and my family knows them pretty well.”  She got all excited and we talked about that for a little bit! That was so comforting to know that someone knew where I was from, and knew the same people I knew! The Frishknicks were their grandchildren! I was so happy!  After we had been there for a little and relaxed we walked outside, and then one of the Young Single Adults pulled up! She pulled over and started talking to us. Her name was Tina! Good news, Tina was our blessing from oh high! She said, “Get in I’ll help you guys out and show you what you want to see.” She asked our plans for the day, we said, “Only baptisms later that night.” So she said, “Here is the plan, I’m going to take you to get your Togs,  then we are going up to the sliding rocks. After I’ll bring you back down you can do baptisms. Tomorrow we’ll take you on a tour of this island, and we’ll take you to the really pretty beaches. Saturday we’ll go over to the big island and show you around the whole island, then Sunday, are you going to church?” We said, “We want to, we need a time and stuff.” She said, “Well perfect. You can come with me at noon, then after you can come over for a good Sunday meal. We are going to take care of you guys. We want you to have a good experience and love Samoa.”

                I was so grateful for her! I seriously wouldn’t have made it without her! If we wouldn’t have met her, we probably would have packed up and gone and taken a flight to anywhere we could have gotten! Anyway, she brings us back to the hotel we get our togs, and off we go! We go up past the temple about 10km and then we are in the middle of the tropical forest! It was gorgeous! She goes k right down these stairs are the sliding rocks! You’ll love them there are three pools to slide into and you can swim! So we walk down the stairs and guess what, it was GORGEOUS! We go sit on a rock, and we are a little scared! We are looking straight down into this little pool and these rocks that don’t look the safest and we are suppose to slide down them! We sit up top and stair and try and get the courage, then finally we decide to go!

 

                Oh my gosh! I am so glad we went! It was so much fun! It was just like a little natural waterslide! It was so much fun! You just slide down, then swim around, and then there is a little shallow part and you can stand up! Oh my gosh! It was incredible! It was gorgeous too! There were just pretty waterfalls and then pools! I was in heaven! Not only that, but then you could go and climb up a little farther in a different area and you could cliff jump! It was so much fun! Who would have thought only 10km out of the city would be this gorgeous place where you could do all of this! It was so much fun! We spent most of the afternoon up there just playing around! It was really funny, there were some other tourist that came up there with us, and they were as scared as us to go down the first time! Watching their faces was hilarious! They were guys so they were trying to be brave and excited, but their faces showed how scared they were! We had such a good time!

                Once we had finished their, we walked back up and Tina was there to get us, she took us down to the temple and we were able to go into the temple and do Baptisms for the Dead. This was a much needed time for us. We felt so at home, and it felt like such a change. Going in from the dirty city into a temple that was so clean and pure was amazing! Truthfully this was the most incredible feeling in the world! I am so grateful we were able to this.

                We finished up our baptisms, and Tina picked us up and took us back to the hotel. She asked if we wanted to go into town or anything and we decided that we didn’t want to be out after dark, so we would just go watch a movie. That’s sounds weird, and a little lame, but we just don’t feel safe after dark, so we just hung out and watched Hotrod. A movie I had never seen that was actually rather stupid, but really funny! It was such a great day though!

                I am so grateful for the blessing we were given and for the comforting feeling of the gospel and the temple! I am grateful for Tina, we would have been lost without her! I am so glad that we were able to meet her and be blessed. This was a TONS better day in Samoa and it was so much fun! I am glad we are here!