Lavalavas and Sauniatu

School is back in session and we are back in the swing of things.  We are teaching three nights a week again.  We have started teaching an Introduction to Special Education course.  Janice and I are not real "deep" in this area so we are sticking to the book so we don't stray very far.  The Church schools do not currently have a special education program so it is mainly to help teachers become aware of how they might help students who might have diagnosed learning problems in their classes.  We are also teaching the teachers in Sauniatu on Fridays.  Janice woke up in the middle of the night with a strong feeling that we needed to be up there on a regular basis helping them.  There is one teacher who needs a class.  While we typically wouldn't teach a class for just one teacher, we are combining our teacher professional development there with the class.

Pineapple Field near Sauniatu

Road to Sauniatu

Kids on the street in Sauniatu

I took a picture of the road up to Sauniatu.  It takes 30 minutes to go 4.3 miles.  You have to go pretty slow.  At one time, it was paved but it has been washed out and now it is mainly rocks and potholes.  The drive is worth it however as you reach the remote center of an old volcano and find the beautiful campus of Sauniatu.  It was a sanctuary for early members of the Church in Samoa who were being persecuted here.

Saturday, we helped the Senior missionaries make lavalavas with paint and stencils.  It is a fun process that is similar to screen printing but only uses stencils cut from xray film and paint on a roller.  You can see that Elder Semu (from New Zealand) and Elder Swanger (from Vancouver, Washington) are quite proud of their work!

Lavalavas that we made this weekend

Lavalava Men!

My little papaya tree is going to bear some fruit.  I am pretty excited to harvest some.  Who would have thought we could grow such things?

We just passed the point of our mission where we have a year left to go.  Time has gone so fast so one year should be here before we know it.  We do miss everyone so much and can't wait to be with you again.  We love you and pray God will bless you!