Samoa

 What a GREAT week we had as we visited the first of  15 schools operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This week we were in Samoa, a four hour flight from Auckland. We were picked up upon our arrival by Elder and Sister Spencer and Elder and Sister Osborne, ITEP couples working in the schools in Samoa. The airport is an hour drive along the coast to Apia where the LDS Church College of Pesega is located on property right next to the Samoan LDS Temple. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Spencer's home on the Temple grounds (the church has housing for teachers, Pacific Area office visitors, and missionaries. The next day started with a Monday morning devotional for the faculty at the college (what we call high school in the U.S.)  where Elder Jacobsen and I were introduced and had a few minutes to talk with the faculty. To start the meeting a hymn was sung and I was overwhelmed at the beauty of the voices of the faculty as they sang perfectly in four-part harmony with no accompaniment. The Samoan people love to sing and do so with skill and "gusto".The devotional was followed by some Cocoa Samoa, a yummy dark chocolate drink with rice in it, and then we were on the road for the hour drive to  visit Sauniatu Primary School.  It is a very beautiful location and is quite remote. Elder Spencer explained to us that in the 1800's the persecution of members of the church was very severe, so property was purchased farther away to provide a refuge for those early members. President David O. McKay visited Sauniatu in 1955 to dedicate the chapel for the school and commented it was the most beautiful place he had seen. I think he was right. There is a very special feel to Sauniatu and the children at the school are special, too.



Elder and Sister Spencer and Elder Jacobsen at the spot where in 1921 Elder David O. McKay blessed this ground and dedicated it to the people as a refuge. 





Elder and Sister Jacobsen



On the Sauniatu school grounds heading towards the main school building. You can see some goats in the field on the left behind the fence.



Elder Spencer with Principal Steve and Elder Jacobsen just after we arrived at the school. The Spencers spend one day a week at Sauniatu teaching Education courses from BYU Hawaii to the teachers. They also provide workshops and work closely with the principal to increase teacher effectiveness.



This is the David O. McKay fale (Samoan place for gathering together or used as a home) built to honor the man who dedicated this land.

The posts are decoratively carved with each pole representing a story.

Taking a tour of the classrooms. Sauniatu has around 120 students and there is one class at each grade level.




These students love to get their picture taken! We had just spent a few minutes before this picture was taken listening to them read to us. All classes are taught in English but many students come to the school in Year 1 (Kindergarten) with no English. So they are very proud to show off their English skills.

 


The first building at Sauniatu.




There was a picture like this everywhere I turned!




On school property there is also a farm operated as a teaching facility for the local population to teach them, among other things, more effective ways to grow crops and sanitize their water (see the bottles on the roof in the picture below where they are taught to put the water on the roof and it will
sterilize it in the hot sun).

This beautiful waterfall is right on school property. We did not take a swim although we were tempted. :)



See what I mean about a beautiful picture every time I turned around?

The ITEP Missionary Couples from Left to Right: Elder and Sister Osborne who are working on Career and Technical Education programs in all of the schools, Elder and Sister Spencer, who are working with Sauniatu School and the LDS Church College of Pesega. You know us, Elder and Sister Jacobsen, ITEP Coordinators working with all 15 schools and 10 ITEP couples. We are based in Auckland, New Zealand.

On the grounds of a Bahai'i temple in Apia. The Spencers took us to see the grounds which are beautifully maintained. There are only 7 Bahai'i temples in the world.

 



Queenah and Lei are the two counselors at the LDS Church College of Pesega. Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance was just implemented about three years ago in the church schools. I will have the fun of working with all 10 of the school counselors in the church schools throughout the Paciific. Queenah and Lei are doing a wonderful job.




The Samoan Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints is located right next to the LDS Church College of Pesega. I took this picture while standing on the school grounds.



Elder and Sister Osborne in their office at Pesega. They will be in Samoa for three more months and then will head to Fiji to work on getting the TVET (Technical Vocational Education Training) programs up and running in the church school there. They have done amazing work in cleaning out old equipment and getting machines operational so students can have more options to pursue other pathways. They also have been establishing partnerships with the technical schools on the islands so more students can develop skills that will make them employable (17% of the population receives a paycheck) while they are still in high school.



The TVET classrooms are located in these buildings on Pesega's campus.



Thanks to Elder and Sister Spencer for taking us to see some of the sights around the island of Upolu, Samoa. The Spencers are working hard to train teachers and help students. They have great expertise in reading literacy and administration.


Love and Prayers to all!
 I have more to tell you about Samoa so look for more posts very soon. :)

Gannet Colony at Muriwai Regional Park

Well, it hit 20 degrees yesterday (yes, that's Centigrade so it was around 67 degrees Fahrenheit) and in celebration of the warmest day since our arrival we spent our Saturday at Muriwai Regional Park (only 45 minutes from Auckland) to see the Gannet Colony. The birds are also called Takapu and there are only three maintained colonies of them in New Zealand. The gannet mate and lay a single egg and the chicks arrive 45 days later. Check out the pictures below and you will be there with us. :)

 

The black sand of Muriwai Beach




The Gannet Colony
The gannets are perched on several rock ledges like this and there are three overlooks
 for sightseers like us to stand and watch.You can see the birds flying.
I had a video I wanted to post but it wouldn't load.

   



The Regional Parks are well maintained and have nice signage to help visitors enjoy the experience.



The view as we walked back from watching the Gannets. Beautiful!



Within an hour of Auckland there are 25 regional parks, most of which are on the coastline. New Zealand is made up of stunning coastline and beautiful beaches and in this area the coast is never very far away. You'll notice that the sand at Muriwai Beach is dark. On the west side of New Zealand the Tasman Sea is rougher and the sand is dark. In contrast, on the Pacific Ocean side (the east side) the sand is made of white shells and the water and currents more calm. Either way there are plenty of people who swim on either coast. We passed a surfing class in progress as we walked towards the beach yesterday. We saw quite a few surfers in the water.



On the way home as we drive the narrow roads in New Zealand.
 No, Elder Jacobsen is not driving on the "wrong side" of the road. :)
I haven't summoned up the courage yet to drive but I will...watch out NZ!

Love and Prayers 'til our next post. :)



A Day in Auckland



We spent a fun day in Auckland.You can see the Skye Tower in the background.
Like Seattle, it has a restaurant at the top.




A view of the city from the wharf.




There are so many sailboats moored around the harbor. This is a drawbridge so the sailboats can get out to the ocean.





In the background are some of the sailboats moored in the harbor. Only a few sailboats ventured out today. It was a little too cool  (around 60 degrees Fahrenheit).



Skye City



The harbor in Auckland where the ferry for Devonport  leaves every 15 minutes.
You can see the Hilton Hotel on the left..



  

The Auckland Fish Market
The first place any true fisherman goes when visiting a new city. :)

 



King Salmon which only grows to 22 lb. in this part of the world.



 

 

    

Anybody for a Lamb Burger?





This is a beautiful place to live!



The New Zealand Temple

We had a fun Saturday excursion with five other Senior Missionary Couples to the Temple in Hamilton, New Zealand. It is a two hour drive from Auckland to the temple through some beautiful countryside. We arrived to attend the 12:30 session in the temple and then took these pictures afterwards. The day started off sunny and ended up raining (which seems to happen frequently in the spring here). We stopped for dinner in Hamilton and headed for home. A fun day spent with new friends and in sacred places.



The New Zealand Temple

 

Here is Elder Jacobsen in the Visitors Center by the New Zealand Temple in Hamilton. I thought this was a great picture representing the work of a missionary....a Special Witness of Jesus Christ. In the background behind the glass are pictures of the 12 Apostles and the First Presidency, including President Thomas Monson, the man we recognize as a Prophet and the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.





Mission Update from New Zealand

 In the Missionary Training Center in Provo

 In front of the Provo Temple

 BYU Hawaii

 Elder and Sister Jacobsen, President Wheelwright, and Dean John Bailey

Brigham Young University Hawaii

 At the Polynesian Cultural Center

 With some "Kiwi" BYU Hawaii students

who perform in Aotearoa (Maori for New Zealand)

 The view of Auckland from where we live in Takapuna

Beautiful!

It has been almost two weeks since we arrived in Auckland, New Zealand. The first week was spent in training with the missionary couple who we would soon be replacing. Elder and Sister Ronnenkamp were gracious hosts and updated us on the two years of the work they had done as Coordinators of the International Teacher Education Program (ITEP). Our office is located in the Pacific Area Office for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The office is a four story building filled with employees who are managing and overseeing the multitude of programs the church sponsors in the Pacific. There are many departments and each department has responsibility for the entire Pacific area including Australia. The fifteen church schools fall under the umbrella of Seminaries and Institutes. Being here has made us realize the magnitude of the positive impact the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has world-wide. It is incredible in it's scope and Elder Jacobsen and I (as missionaries we are referred to as Elder and Sister) are so thrilled to be a part of it. More later!