An Awesome Party!

What a party! The Samoan People know how to eat, entertain & dance. We had memorable time. We also learned a little about their customs. The sister that sat next to us, (Lessa; this is said: Less+a) filled us in on some of the things being said, because most of it was said in Samoan. After the opening prayer the whole congregation sings a hymn in Samoan. It was beautiful! After that the Branch President's wife does a dance and then he joins her at the end. The tables were set up w/the front tables being in the shape of a "U" facing the stage. Behind the "U" was a serving table w/all the food (lots & lots of it too), and behind that was a bunch of other tables. Van & I sat up at the front while the kids sat at the back w/the other kids & guests. The basic difference was that we were served our food while we sat there and the kids had to wait in line for theirs. Van & I felt like royalty. The food was awesome! I even tried things I wouldn't normally try, but out of courteous I felt like I should. I actually liked most of what I tried. While we ate, there were dancers who entertained us. We ate for about an hour there was so much. After dinner they opened the floor for everyone to dance. It was a mixture of Samoan and American music. As you can tell from the slide show the dancing was very popular especially w/the kids. They had a great time and slept well that night. I still can't believe we danced for 2 hours after eating all that food. We had a great time & we are so grateful for our wonderful friends who invited us. "Thank You to "The Boys" and your family!"