Elder DaBell and Pres. Hanks, the Temple President. He has been in Samoa for 13 cummulative years as a young missionary, then mission president, an area president, and now temple president.

This is the beautiful guest room at the mission home where we received royal treatment for 4 days.

Finally we arrived in Apia. Our mission president and his wife waited patiently at 4:30 a.m. while we were the VERY last people through customs. We waited in one line as the others grew shorter and shorter. All those behind us jumped in the shorter lines, leaving us to be the last ones out. We had been traveling about 20 hours.

A Samoan band greeted us upon arrival in Apia, Wednesday morning, July 22, 2009.

In Los Angeles we ran into this group of returned missionaries traveling back to their mission in Samoa. Bro. Merrill teaches Samoan at the MTC, and one young man brought his new bride back. We were glad to have company traveling all night with us.

Our last day at the MTC with one of our favorite couples: Paul and Jael Meier from Switzerland going to Italy to work with the youth in the outreach program. This program offers opportunities for young people tomeet and marry members of the church in the temple. 7-21-09