Alan and Sharyn - Sunday worship in Samoa

Sunday 13th August
This is the big day. There is a worship service at 7.30am and then the main service at 8.30am. The President of the Methodist Conference of Samoa, the Rev. Samuelu and his wife, are special guests. He led the prayers and preached. All worshippers are dressed in white, the women with white hats. The singing is inspirational. Afterwards there was a feast to welcome the President and present him with gifts. The cooking had begun at 4.00am on the heated umus (hot stones). It provided much good food and a unique experience of a blend of church and traditional Samoan culture. This includes generous and formalised gift giving.
At 5.00pm the annual Sunday School prize giving was held. It was reminiscent of our experience of such events in our childhood. The children performed an upbeat song with actions accompanied very well by an electric keyboard. We were then invited to another communal meal which consisted of delicious desserts.
Tomorrow the semester commences. Sharyn will be teaching classes on Mondays and Tuesdays. Alan is timetabled for Wednesdays and Thursdays. We’ve met with the teaching staff in our subject areas and feel very appreciated and supported. Alan will teach the first six weeks of “Christian moral formation in a changing society” with Rev. Iakopo Taituave taking the six weeks remaining. Sharyn had been asked by Rev. Matatia, the lecturer she is working with (her course is in “Study and library skills” which includes academic writing) to lead the prayers at the early morning devotions for the college tomorrow. We discovered tonight that this will now be delayed as tomorrow is a public holiday following Samoan Father’s Day which was celebrated today. Piula celebrates Father’s Day in September in line with Australia.

For more news, check out Sharyn and Alan's blogsite, http://alanandsharyn.blogspot.com

For more information about the People in Mission program, contact Kathy Periera, kathyp@nat.uca.org.au, 02 8267 4230.