Local Pages
Little Helping Hands in Samoa
Children joyfully care for the environment in their Samoan community.
It has been said that children are our hope for the future. The wonderful youngsters of the Navu 1st Ward in Samoa are already making the future brighter.
On the cool, foggy morning of March 25, they planted 300 small trees at Malololelei Recreational Reserve with the help of their Church leaders and parents.
The children’s service project was in conjunction with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Three Million Tree Planting Campaign, an initiative to protect the biodiversity of Samoa.
The children were happy to serve in a hands-on way. They experienced what it feels like to contribute something good to their community and to make a difference.
Ten-year-old Charity said with a smile, “I really loved the tree-planting activity. I learned that trees provide us with air to breathe every day and for birds to live in. By planting trees, we are helping the environment and the different animals and birds in the forest. I felt happy and I loved this activity.”
“I had so much fun,” eight years-old Jonnie said. “I was happy to be with my friends and to help the world by planting the trees. It made me happy to know that this is what our Heavenly Father wants us to do, and it will make Him happy. I love this activity.”
Falefatu, age nine years, agreed, adding, “When I was told what to do, I was really happy and excited to learn how to plant trees and now I know that trees protect the world. I learned that they give us air, medicine and wood to build our houses. I wish to have more activities like this because trees are really important for everyone.”
The adult Church leaders who accompanied the children were pleased to see them enjoying the opportunity to serve.
“The tree-planting activity was such an amazing experience,” noted Eric U.J Tuia. “From the beginning, we could see the excitement in the eyes of the children. It was great to see them participate in doing community service.”
He continued, “I really felt a strong presence of the Spirit of Christ with us during this project. The children radiated joy and happiness as they planted their first tree and quickly ran to get more trees to plant. Even as it started to rain later that day, their enthusiasm for trying to plant as many trees as they could seemed unaffected. What a sight to see that day, and what a fantastic experience it was. The children will never forget it.”
Eseese Moke Ah Sam added, “It was a privilege to witness the excitement of our children planting the trees. I felt very blessed and had a sense of overwhelming joy that these children learned to invest themselves in caring for the environment. They now understand that it is God’s will that they nurture and care for the planet that He blessed us with.”
The children and the small trees will grow up together, and in their own way, will make their world a better place to live. The trees will beautify and give more oxygen to the world and the children learned that they, too, can serve to enrich and add life to their communities.