“Leute’s Home,” Friend, Aug. 2012, 24–25
Leute’s Home
Every night Leute’s family gathers in their traditional Samoan fale (fah-leh), an oval-shaped hut on stilts. It is about 15 feet (4.6 m) long and 10 feet (3 m) wide and has no walls, though sometimes they put up sheets for privacy.
Leute, age 10, and her family members sit in a circle on the floor and have family scripture study. They sing hymns and discuss family matters before going to sleep.
This time they spend together each night is called sā, meaning “sacred.” It is a time that most families in Samoa spend together.
Prophets have taught that our homes should be sacred like the temple. No matter what our home looks like, there are things we can do to help invite the Holy Ghost into our home and to make it a beautiful, happy place of peace and learning.
Illustration by Steven Keele; photograph by Adam C. Olson
After rolling out her bed mat and hanging her mosquito netting, Leute says her personal prayers.
The family gathers in their fale for family prayer, scripture study, and family discussions almost every night.
When Leute wants to study the scriptures by herself, she often sits outside under a tree.
Often the family will gather at Leute’s grandparents’ fale for family home evening.
The family displays a picture of the Savior to remind themselves of Him.
The family keeps their scriptures, manuals, and Church magazines on a table.
Mealtimes are important family times. The family cooks over an open fire or using hot stones in a ground oven called an umu kuka.
We have a picture of the Savior in my house too—it reminds me to be like Him.