Dr. James and the Professor

 Talofa to all!

It has been too long since I have sent a letter about our mission. Needless to say, the last two months have been very busy. 

First, an update on my dog bite. It was healed by the middle of July. I have been able to get in the water to snorkel. It has been wonderful.

What it looked like in May

June healing

So let me begin with June. On May 26, just before the Memorial Day weekend, I received a call from the Director of Teacher Development at the American Samoa Community College. She asked if I would teach an Early Childhood Education class for the first Summer Term beginning on May 31. The island had just opened up and people could leave American Samoa for trips to the Mainland for the first time in two years. Several of her teachers decided to take a leave of absence unexpectedly. So I found myself preparing to teach the "Introduction to Parent Education" class, which is a subject I love and had taught many years ago. The class was online and was 5 days a week, 2 hours a day. I had 6 delightful students. It was a total time commitment for the next 5 weeks as I had so little time to prepare for the class. I was barely able to keep one step ahead of the class, not to mention all the writing assignments to grade. I was grateful for only 6 students. It was a challenge to grade papers with students writing in English, their second language.

I enjoyed meeting with these Samoan students. I was respectfully called, PROFESSOR. Whenever I asked for a response in class, they would say, "Yes, Professor." I was amused by being referred to as "Professor." Hopefully, they learned from me about being a better parent and helping teachers know how to help their parents with their children. I learned so much about the Samoan culture within the family and in the schools. We had some very interesting discussions about how we can maintain cultural traditions, but at the same time make changes that will improve cultural life.

Through the month of June, we had numerous speaking engagements along with the other medical missionaries. Jim and I were asked to speak in Sacrament meeting. We then participated in some youth devotionals in several stakes on the island as well as prepared talks for a stake conference. It has been wonderful to meet with members of the church all around the island; to feel of their faith, their love and to be able to help meet some of their medical needs. 

Our friend from Grand Junction, Ana, who is now back in American Samoa

 with her family

One of our "first experiences" was invitations to be guests of honor at several weddings. It was so interesting to experience these special occasions. One of the weddings was the Saturday morning of the Stake Conference where we had been asked to speak that same evening. I expected the wedding to be in the chapel followed by the reception in the gym. When we got out of the car, we could hear music blasting out of the gym. We were escorted to a table to await the wedding to begin. The music didn't stop until it was time for the wedding line to enter the building. Samoans love loud music, and they love to dance.

At Samoan weddings after the ceremony, the bridesmaids and groomsmen each do a dance for the bride and groom. We loved the Samoan cultural dances. Then the bride and groom do a dance as well as the traditional dance of the father with the bride and the bride; the groom and the mother. At this wedding the groom's mother was paralyzed from the waist down and was in a wheel chair. She was a patient of Jim's. Her son would bring the mother to the appointments; hence, our invitation to the wedding. It was so tender to watch the love and respect this groom had for his mother as they danced together with him pushing her in her wheelchair.

                       

We were served lunch which consisted of each guest receiving an enormous prepared tray with a number of meat and fish dishes along with taro and breadfruit. The wedding cake consisted of many individual cakes which were then given to the guests to take home. We had so much food along with the cake. We didn't have to cook for several days.

This is the money dance. Members of the bride's family do wild dances to encourage people to throw money onto the floor for the bride. The groom's family will do a dance as well.

Aside from these activities, we also have worked on establishing relationships with government agencies to begin an education program for diabetes prevention. With the focus on Covid, it has taken time to be able to meet with government employees, but that is slowly beginning to open up. We have also had interviews with the Public Relations representatives in New Zealand for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Pacific Area. There will be an article published about the work we are doing in American Samoa. We were honored at a dinner, followed by an interview with the local newspaper,  the Samoan News and the local TV station. Again, we left with big plates of food and Samoan desserts to enjoy for the rest of the week.

The Spine Doc is now called Dr. James as it is easier to pronounce than Gebhard. Jim has been busy seeing a lot of patients. He began doing some spinal injections; He did as many as he could until the medicine ran out. It has been hit and miss to get the medicine shipped to the island as there is a global supply shortage. He was not able to begin any surgery as the equipment had not arrived in June. Jim continues to do his best to maneuver through the channels at the Hospital to be able to get his equipment  to do surgery. Given the conditions of the hospital, it is to no easy undertaking and is very stressful.

Jim was asked to give a devotional thought for the workers on the temple being built in American Samoa. That was very interesting to meet with these workers and then to receive a short tour of the premises and hear about the issues and the progress of the Temple construction.

Everywhere we that we give talks and devotionals, people will line up to talk with Jim and the other doctors about their medical needs. Jim will take down their names and phone numbers and then arrange to have them come to the office to be diagnosed. They are so grateful to have this opportunity.  Jim is so generous and kind as he tries to help in the best way he can with the limited conditions and opportunities available at the hospital.

My thoughts to conclude this letter reflect my experience teaching at the American Samoa Community College. The first scripture is from 2 Thessalonians 3:13, "...be not weary in well doing." The second scripture is from the Book of Mormon, Mosiah 4:27, "And see that all things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength..." As missionaries, we want to do all we can to help the people we are serving. At the same time we need to pace ourselves so we have the energy and strength we need to serve.

Last sunset of the day on earth at Poloa, American Samoa.

Tofa soifua (Good bye),

Jim and Helen