apia, samoa temple

this is the view of the apia, samoa temple from the main road. it is right there, right in your face as you drive past. in fact, it is used frequently as a landmark for directions - and is mentioned as a "must-see" in every guide book on the island.

the original temple, on this same lot, was dedicated in 1983, but was destroyed by fire in 2003. the church rebuilt and the temple shown was dedicated in 2005, it is believed the fire was caused by an electrical fault, as it was during the routine maintenance that occurs on every temple around the world each year.

the building is stunning and is known by everyone in the islands. the beautiful placement allows it to stand proudly at the front of the church owned land, which contains the mission buildings, the distribution centre, temple accomodation, staff housing and of course pesega college - the church owned college here in samoa.

mum and dad's house is less than a five minute walk from the temple, all through the church grounds... you can see moroni standing proudly on the spire reaching heavenward from their house... and this became incredibly apparent to me when i got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night our first night here and happened to glance out the window and see him right there. what a wonderful blessing, to have a temple within walking distance.

it was a lovely time, being able to wander through the gardens at our own pace, the evening before we were leaving to return to australia, as a family. to be able to take photographs... and to simply stop and look at the effort and beautiful workmanship that goes into each and every temple that the church constructs.

it makes me so happy to know that there are temples built in all four corners of the globe. my favourite "mormon message" which brings me to tears every time i watch it, tells of the struggle of a family living in polynesia, to make it to the temple when they earned such a meagre living. you can watch it here. as more temples are built throughout the world, more people are able to obtain the blessings held within and i know there is nothing better on offer in this world, than to know i am able to spend not only time, but eternity - with my family.

a friends mother wrote in our wedding card, "any of you would go around the world for the sealing ordinance if you knew its importance., if you realized how great it is. no distance, no shortage of funds, no situation, would ever keep you from being married in the holy temple of the lord." (pres. spencer w. kimball - october 1979 ensign first presidency message.)

how true it is. the lord's house is where we need to be. there is no greater possible joy to be with one's family for time and all eternity and the sealing ordinance has made it possible for all worthy members of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints to enter in and partake of that blessing.

my camera certainly got a workout today... i hope you enjoy the pictures! ♥

e paia i le alii

o le maota o le alii

the house of the lord

holiness to the lord

i love this photograph of madeline, she can't wait until it's her turn to go in.

all the windows of the apia temple are set with polynesian inspired artwork. what a beautiful place for the islanders who enter therein. built to suit this gorgeous place.

please if you have time, read a talk entitled, "god's gifts to polynesia's people" by elder thomas s monson 1966. it tells of the faith and love of these amazing people, who love their lord.

fiafia night at le manumea

mum and dad had promised us that before we left, they would take us to a fiafia night at one of the local hotels. "fiafia" means celebration, get-together or happy... and this night was certainly all three!

we arrived to the hotel and were escorted to a table near the buffet table, where we were treated to many traditional samoan foods, such as taro & green bananas cooked in coconut cream, palusami (a dish with baked coconut cream and taro leaves) and oka (raw fish soup). what a treat!... you know because i haven't eaten enough while i've been here... everyone has spoiled us so much, with so much and such good food being served to us each and every day.

the dancers for the fiafia night were incredible at le manumea - the costumes so well made, the women smiling all the time (which unlike some dancers did not look in any way forced - they seemed so genuinely happy to be there and to be able to entertain.) and such an amazing portrayal of traditional polynesian dance. i loved watching them, with their fluent and effortless movement as they went from each dance to the next.

there was education included also as we were taught all the uses of the coconut. nothing is wasted. you can drink the water, eat the flesh, make cream and milk, make a wonderful natural oil that can be used for so many things including skincare and cooking, the stringy part can be used as a loofah and then the husk is burnt to cook umu once everything else is done. what an amazing tree to be blessed with!

we were also told about the malu, a sacred tattoo originally given only to the daughters of chiefs, which extends from the upper thigh to below the knee. they are now more common and even tattooed on some that would be considered "not worthy" of the honour, but are still held sacred to the samoan women.

the log drums used by the group were incredible. huge - with such a distinct sound. for doug it was love at first sight... we may have to look into getting him one!

a demonstration of 5 different ways to wear a lavalava (sarong) was done by the girls and as they displayed each one - i finally found mine! i had spent my time here looking at each one we came across... but just wasn't keen enough on any of them to buy one. however, in the demo a rainbow streaked purple one caught my eye, which was being sold in the hotel gift shop! yay. one more thing to check off the must-do/ must purchase list here in samoa.

the men in the group also performed during the evening doing tribal dances, a slap dance... and were even quite comical, dressing a little to demonstrate the fa'afafine... the "third gender" of the islands. (this is a little difficult for me to explain because it's new to me... take a minute and read about it here - it's genuinely quite interesting) they were so funny and had the audience roaring with laughter.

near the end of the evening, the fire dancers performed... it was like nothing i've ever seen before. i said to mum that i was amazed no one had burnt themselves - and she assured me that they do. all part of the job. one of the boys in their primary class at church is learning to be a fire dancer (he is 8) and has had plenty of little burns along the way.

i was even lucky enough to snap a few good shots. what an amazing thing to watch.

after the finale, doug and madeline were lucky enough to have their photo taken with the cast who were ever so kind, very obliging and very attractive haha. what an awesome experience, i would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting upolo.

sauniatu

in the early days of the church in samoa, the members faced a lot of persecution and were driven out of many villages, ridiculed for their beliefs. it became so bad, that the church eventually purchased land in the crater made by a long extinct volcano, where the saints assembled in a safe haven they called "sauniatu". the name translated means "prepare to go forth" and that is what the saints did, they prepared. the road into the village is only just under 6.5km from the main road, but is an awfully slow drive... you could probably walk almost as fast... it's twisty and terribly uneven, making it very difficult to get into.

when elder david o. mckay visited the village in 1921 he pronounced an apostolic blessing on the village, proclaiming that the faith of the saints in sauniatu would lead to their crops being fruitful, that they would have an abundance of food and that peace would abide in their hearts and homes. this promise has certainly been kept... with the village having a good, large crop year after year and even the church owned farm now offering education to others among the islands about how best to grow their crops.

the church members in the area have such a love for david o. mckay, that a fale was erected in his honour, with a carved bust of his likeness placed in the centre.

the amazing ceiling... all handtied with rope to  hold the fale together.

the plaque reads: the house of david o. mckay, dedicated on july 13, 1968 - built by willing hands and loving hearts.

there are so many wonderful stories about the village (including one about the carving pictured above...), which you can read here on the church website. it is an amazing place, truly dedicated to the building of the gospel on the earth. a church school was also established in sauniatu and still runs to this day, educating the local children.

there is also an amazing waterfall where you are able to swim, after descending the steep staircase into the grotto. the water is cool and clear, bubbling along fresh and clean as anything. dad held joseph for us and the rest of us went in... it was just amazing! i even swam over to the waterfall and let it wash over me... i truly feel so blessed to be experiencing this little bit of paradise with the people i love the most.

everything just feels so real here. days are bright and warm, the water is perfect for swimming, the food is fresh and delicious and the people are so kind. it amazes me that doug was born in such a beautiful place and that we finally have been given a perfect opportunity to get to know it.

what a beautiful view! tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the capital, in it's own little place.

enjoying the water with the family 

what a wonderful day. sauniatu is truly a place of refuge for the saints and i am so glad we made the drive up that awful road. it was worth every single bump!