Chapter 5 - Getting Acquainted With Our New Home

We got here on Saturday (our 2nd for the week) and had to go through customs.  The missionaries had our van waiting for us in the parking lot.  Brother Partridge was our chauffeur.  He had to get used to driving on the left side of the road again, because in Apia they drive on the right side...  The Partridges had been to the island once before, so they knew where most things were - our home, the grocery store, the PBO office (the church office for the island).  After our crazy plane ride we all needed something to eat - at least we thought we did...  We had our choice of KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonalds and Carl's Jr.  We told the Partridge's to choose.  They chose Carl's Jr. because it was close to the grocery store.  Can you believe it - we ate at Carl's Jr.????  We would never do that at home.  But we chose the Mexican Fare and it was actually very good.  We then headed for the store to get things for Sunday Dinner.  We decided that we would eat out on Saturday night.  There is a place called the Koko Bean and they have really good food and great prices.  It is also in the same shopping complex as Carl's and the grocery store... Then they took us to the mission home - where we are living.  It is really nice.  There are three bedrooms.  Two with king-size beds and a smaller one with a single bed.  This room has a cabinet with medical supplies, a small freezer and a desk.  We have set this room up as an office for the seminary and institute materials.  There is a desk in the front room area and bookcases with missionary supplies.  We have a TV, DVD and VCR and a washer and dryer and air conditioning!  We were told to  leave it on all the time to protect the carpets and drapes from the humidity.  Most places - even large homes don't have carpet or drapes...   The kitchen is well stocked as far as dishes and appliances.  We have a water purifier so we don't have to worry about the water.  I will send pictures of the inside of the house on a future blog.  We have all the comforts of home...
We finally got to unpack our suitcases after three weeks, and try to get settled in.  Partridges were so awesome.  They fixed dinner on Sunday while we tired to get used to our new surroundings.  We attended church (on our 2nd Sunday of the week).  The ward is great, and the people are so friendly.  We were told they treated the missionaries really good, and that is no exaggeration.  It felt kind of

This is the front of the house.  It is kind of "L" shaped.

funny being on the receiving end though.  Even now when we are with the young elders and sisters (there are 20 of them) it feels like we should be the ones doing for them...
We have a beautiful yard.  It is gated, and every night 2 different men from the village where we live take turns sitting in front of the gate from about 9:00 to 11:00.  Some of them are not even members of the church, but missionaries are very honored here and so they do it to show respect.  They even have different people assigned to empty our garbage can for us.  We are really spoiled!   We have a lemon tree, two banana trees and lots of flowers...  Everything is so green.  It only rained once the first week we were here.  It was on the first day.

This is the flower bed in the center of the front lawn

 Then it didn't rain for a week, but it has rained a little each day this last week.  It rained and the wind blow so hard one night that I was sure we were going to be blown away - but it only lasted for about an hour, and by the next morning, except for the ruts in the road (and there are lots of them), being filled with water, you could hardly tell it rained.  When you get off the main road however, it can be pretty muddy...
Next posting will be about the island and the wonderful people and experiences we are having.
We have already been to several baptisms, shared family home evening with a family investigating the church (they are being baptized Sunday night), and have been called to teach the Temple Preparation Class in the ward.  We will also share with you our day to day schedule...

This is one of our banana trees.  The bananas are so sweet!  There will be ready to pick in a few weeks.  They grow year round.  So do the lemons... 

This is looking at our back door.  We have a shed for storage - it is the area behind the garbage can.  

This is the other banana tree.   Notice the pod growing at the bottom.  That is how it starts out when a new bunch of bananas start to grow.

This is our backyard.  The house behind is where the patriarch lives.  They rent the bottom floor out...  They have not air conditioning.   The lemon tree is on the left...