Embracing a New Decade!

Charlotte, Candice, Dianne, Fila, Janita and I headed to Lalumanu to celebrate my 30th birthday. When we were eating dinner they presented me with a sheet of paper that had the following tasks that I had to complete before I left the next day to prove that I was ready to turn 30:

1. You have to get someone you don't know to sing you Happy Birthday publicly

2. Make yourself an ula out of things found on the beach

3. Wear your snorkel mask on your face during the whole of breakfast

4. Find out the official Crusaders semi final score

5. Do a Samoan Siva in front of strangers

6. Get a coconut from a tree and open it

7. Stop a car or bus and ask where Lalumanu beach is

After dinner we sat on the beach under the vibrant stars and Dianne whipped out the banana-dark chocolate chip-almond cake that she baked. After cake my friends asked me 30 questions about myself. They included “if you were a flower what would you be and why”, “what is your favorite Bible verse”, “what is your most embarrassing moment”, “what qualities are you seeking in a husband” and many more great questions!

Charlotte and I sat under the stars and talked for hours. It was incredible to lie on the soft sand, listen to the rolling waves and gaze into the Milky Way. She blessed me with a list of God’s promises and the verses that they are found in. The timing was perfect as the night before in ENLI we talked about knowing what the promises that God has for us so that we can claim them because He is always faithful and will never go back on a promise.

I woke up this morning and went for a walk on the beach. I just praised God and thanked Him for such an awesome birthday gift: a lovely sunrise on a spectacular white sand beach on a tropical island.

I started my tasks of the day during breakfast. I ate some of my breakfast with the snorkel mask (they had mercy on me because I could not taste my food). I asked a lady to sing “Happy Birthday” to me and she made an announcement at breakfast and got all the guests eating breakfast to sing. I went for a walk on the shore and made a necklace with a vine, leaves and purple flowers. After sunbathing and relaxing for a while I went to look for a guy to climb a coconut tree and husk the coconut for me, but gave up after asking one guy and then having him say “Bye Baby”. I was determined to climb a coconut tree and do it myself. Once I got my feet off the ground I realized that I had to have someone else do it for me. We went across the street to a faleoloa (small store) and asked the lady to help us. She brought us around the back and called over someone to climb the tree and throw us some coconuts. Then she taught us how to husk the coconuts and crack them open. It was a wonderful cultural experience. By the time we left I had finished all my tasks! As reluctant as I was in the beginning, it was so much fun and made my day quite interesting.