Zone Meetings

Our mission is organized several smaller zones, compared to the size of the zones in Scotland where I served.  The zones range in size from 4 missionaries to 14 missionaries.  There are 8 zones on Upolu, 3 on Savaii and 4 on Tutuila. 

We have been asked by President Leota to attend a different zone meeting each week. This is our second week of attending zone meetings and we have really enjoyed meeting with the missionaries. We know the zone leaders quite well because they come into the office every Monday to drop off mail and to pick up the mail for their zone.

This week we attended the zone meeting of the Faleasiu zone which consists of 8 elders all riding bikes. It is the only zone on Upolu that does not have a van so the zone leaders move their zone meeting around to a different area of the zone each week.  This week the zone meeting was held Nofoalii. In zones where there is a van, the zone leaders pick up the missionaries and take them to the zone meeting. The lesson was on "The Role of the Holy Ghost in Conversion."  As part of the lesson the missionaries do role plays or "real plays" as Elder Hamula likes to call them.  They usually ask Sister Partridge and I to participate in some way, usually sharing something we have presented in Zone Leader council.  It was a very warm day and the Elders that rode in from the east end of the zone were dripping with sweat when they arrived. So we offered to take as many home as we could in our air conditioned van.  We managed to fit 6 Elders and 6 bikes in the van.


Elders Payne, Iosua, Hanen, Alesana (Helmet) & Petelo
Elder Tauiliili is sitting next to Elder Iosua and not pictured

One of the Elders lost his mother late last week.  On Wednesday morning I was asked to pick him and his so'a up and take them to the wharf so they could go to Savaii to attend his mothers funeral.  I was impressed with the Elder and that he was in good spirits.  We picked them up from the wharf on Thursday prior to their zone meeting and again I was impressed with his attitude. He participated in zone meeting and made good comments to go along with the lesson. It is a testimony to me that the Plan of Salvation works and although this Elder has lost the companionship of his mother in this life he will see her again.  I was impressed that she will be watching over her son through out his mission.