Faith with a mission

I'm just reading about a missionary from the LDS church who has returned to Samoa, having served there in the early 1970s (on Samoa Observer).

Here's the thing, i don't belong to that church, but my goodness, they definitely got a few things right, or shall I say, they have such a healthy ongoing relationship with Samoa, not just their counterparts.

• I say this because if you think about it, they don't do the whole give $2000 and $3000 and how many more thousands to the church yearly. They only give a portion of what they earn.
• Investing in education: Wow...have you been to Vaiola? They have state of the art resources that a Savaii kid could only 'dream of''....and I won't mention my own denomination but lets just say getting a textbook with all the pages intact to yourself is a miracle.
• Breaking down cultural barriers/borders,...again, I refer you to the story about this missionary and be reminded that their presences in a village is testament to this open, healthy relationship. Learning another language and living like the people around them. Our church ministers are from our own community and they live mostly in 2 storey walled in mansions.
• Smoking, Drinking: They don't do this (ahem - when no one is looking lol) but this is one thing that is a blessing that the others could have benefited from.
• Relevance: What I enjoyed about this church is that during their services, they are split into groups, ...i think the moms and kids and the men break off and then they discuss issues that are relevant and share recipes and share real life scenarios....(PS My little sister and I used to go to the Vaisaulu LDS with a relative when my family were not paying attention haha)....in my actual church, we park our mulianas on the hard seat and listen for 2 hours to the church leader preaching and singing, zero movement to the bones or the brain.
• Missionaries who return and give back in one way or another: The most memorable missionaries I met returned to Savaii before the 2 cyclones ( I was a newborn at the time but my memory is amazing hah - nah, I was much older)., I remember Rex Maugh, because of a really childish reason, he had one green eye and one blue eye.(Did I mention I was a kid?) and I remember Paul Cox because he was passionate about the rainforest. Both gave back, Rex Maugh was involved in turning RLSS's residence into the Museum it is today and Paul Cox eventually supported the Falealupo people in retaining their lowlying rainforest through a 50 year lease instead of cutting it down for timber.

So yeah, ...I therefore am not suprised when I see the recent Bureau of Statistic stats  showing yet another increase in their numbers since the last census....although if you dig deeper, the increase is also due to natural births and not necessarily converts:

4.9 Fertility by religion
Religion is a major part of Samoa's social life and customs because the population is predominantly
Christian. Therefore, the children are seen as blessings from God Almighty hence big families are highly valued. It is most likely that the church teachings may influence the family size decisions and family planning practices made by couples, teenagers and young people. The 2011 results showed that LDS had the highest TFR(total fertility rates) of 5.4 followed closely by AOG with 5.1. The
same churches also had the same ranking in the census 2006.

copied from Samoa Bureau of Statistics 2011

There you have it....my religious post of the month,

Thank you for reading.

My goodness....yesterday, I was public announcer and now i'm sounding like a PR adviser from Utah.

A Pacific event you should attend if you are in Auckland this Sunday, 19th May 2013.

• Date: Sunday 19 May 2013
• Time: 05:30 p.m. - 06:45 p.m.
• Venue: ASB THEATRE, AOTEA CENTRE
• Category: BOOKS WE LOVE, FARAWAY LANDS, POETRY AND SPOKEN WORD, SPECIAL EVENTS
• Price: $20 EARLYBIRD $25 STANDARD
• Note: Under 18's will be eligible for a free ticket to this event, to be booked through THE EDGE ticketing service.

In 1973 an emerging writer by the name of Albert Wendt delivered his first novel. Sons For The Return Home was groundbreaking, exploring love, freedom and racism in Aotearoa New Zealand. It was made into a film and became a secondary school text. Forty years on, in the largest Polynesian city in the world, Maualaivao Albert Wendt CNZM, Emeritus Professor of English at The University of Auckland, continues to break new ground as a novelist, poet, playwright, short story writer and artist. In 2012 alone he published the poetry collection From A Manoa Garden to Ponsonby and the short story collection Ancestry. Wendt’s contribution to the literary landscape is immense; his body of work an inspiration to generations of readers; his contribution to a Pacific literature unmatched. To celebrate his accomplishments, this session will bring the sounds of the Pacific to the stage: live Samoan music; excerpts from Wendt’s writing read by leading writers; and Wendt himself, who will distil his life and writing in conversation with Robert Sullivan.

All above information copied without permission  from Writer's Festival.co.nz page

Another event this week is:

Climate change in the Pacific seminar at the Fale Pasifika, Faculty of Arts, The University of Auckland.

My goodness, I'm beginning to feel like a public announcements blog...or a 2AP.  Aue Malia e!

I love my mom

Called my mother to wish her Happy Mothers Day.

She is in Savaii with our old aunt So'o this weekend, having a relaxing Sunday, they went to church and had toonai.

When I write about my mom, I try to be emotive about it, but in truth, our conversations are really matter of fact, casual as.

But, I remain grateful and proud of my mom for raising me, and my six siblings, and many of our relations that we grew up with. 

My father died in 1984, my youngest sister was just 2.

I forget sometimes but my goodness, what a burden...losing your husband and left with 7 children to raise, along with the rest of your family. 

Growing up, I never once thought I was deprived or disadvantaged, and for that, I am every so grateful to my mother. 

We shared and lived and grew up with cousins and relatives, I was truly blessed. 

Again, she's not the emotive type, my mother.

When we came first in class or won something, it was not ours to claim, it was 'It's not your viiga (glory)but humble yourself and thank God, thank your family, and work harder". 

When we were in trouble, or someone was mean to us, she didn't pick us up and hold us close, but rather ...let us fight our own battles and then say..."But what did you do to get that treatment?"

She is a giver. She does things for everyone. She receives money and gifts and it gets given away immediately.

She cuddles her grandchildren to sleep but she is more in tune with them when they are a bit older, and she totally ignites the creativity in people. Children love her for this, when she makes them weave pales (head pieces) and tend gardens and draw pictures, make witch hats, draw tattoos on kids and  draw stick figures with chalk...she makes children get creative and sing songs and tell stories. 

I had a shock when my then 5 year old said to me in the car last month "Did you know Tui Fiti means the King of Fiji and he lived in Samoa?" or when she tells me about "Apelaamo" because her granma read her the Bible story book.

Another thing I thank my mother for is, she took us places. We played under many a conference table, we volunteered as Red Cross kids after Cyclones and floods, we played in villages with other children while she was in meetings, we spent hours in rainforests while researchers collected seeds and interviewed people, we learnt so many things about the environment when we were in primary school. 

I am ever so grateful for having such an enterprising, hard working and amazing mother. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I love my mom.

  

Injustice in Samoa

Have a read of this sad sad story about a Samoan citizen who worked hard, paid taxes and in return, was wronged by MNRE (then Department of Lands Survey and Environment).
This is the Ombudsman's Report...I love reading his reports,...he cuts to the chase like no one's business.

It's a lengthy report but its an intriquing (if not worrying) read.

Here's the Ombudsman Recommendations

Recommendation


There are two wrongs from past actions of MNRE that need to be addressed. The oldest of these is the wrongful disposal of a valuable natural resource that should have been conserved. It is not possible to fully right this wrong. It is considered a reasonable responsibility for Government however to establish by proper study what can usefully be retrieved of the Fugalei mangrove swamp and to conserve it for future generations. Government could do this if it wishes by means of the Taking of Lands Act. It would naturally observe the requirements of the Constitution with regard to compensation for the bona fide owners of the lands involved.

The situation with regard to any land still in the possession of Theresa McCarthy may be different. She was after all not a purchaser for value as she was simply conveyed the land by the Public Trustee back in 1993. Mr Chan Tung‟s treatment at the hands of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has cost him a great deal in financial and human terms. No attempt will be made here to tally these things as the Ombudsman is not in the compensation business. Noting however the direct involvement of Government‟s agents in causing Mr Chan Tung‟s situation and woes, the Ombudsman would urge Government, with a view to contributing financially on an ex-gratia basis, to commit to a genuine conversation with Mr Chan Tung, the Development Bank and SLC as appropriate to deal with Mr Chan Tung‟s indebtedness to the Development Bank, and if possible and in a manner agreeable to all, to place him on a footing where he could begin again to be a productive person.

A way forward presents itself should Government choose to salvage the mangrove swamp and to purchase identified plots for that purpose by way of the Taking of Lands Act. The land owned and sub-divided by Mr Chan Tung in 2002 will undoubtedly be wanted for conservation. In the taking of lands exercise, fairness and everything else point to the rightness of treating Mr Chan Tung as if there were no problems with his ownership of the land and of paying him on an ex-gratia basis for the 4 acres he purchased and subdivided in 2002 and for which he holds the de-registered Deed of Conveyance.   I recommend as above.

Maiava Iulai Toma

Ombudsman

6 May 2013