Eleven members of the U.S. Peace Corps joined members of the Congregational Christian Church Samoa (C.C.C.S.)  Fuailoloo Mulifanua on Sunday to celebrate Father's Day.

There was an air of excitement as worship got underway at the church on Sunday morning. Located west of Upolu Island, the congregation members were elated at the presence of the American volunteers, most of them staying with their adopted families in the village, as they all celebrated the occasion recognising the role of fathers in the Samoan family.

The Father's Day celebrations on Sunday revolved around the theme "tama lelei e manuia ai aiga" [a good father makes for a prosperous family]

The EFKS Fuailolo’o Mulifanua church minister, Rev. Hemi Fa’atonu told the Samoa Observer after the church service that they were blessed to have the members of the U.S. Peace Corps join them for the Father's Day celebrations this year.

"Our village is very fortunate to host them again this year and we will continue to do our part as a host village," said Rev. Hemi. "There is no doubt about the significance of their contribution to the growth of our nation, and as a church, we feel strongly obliged to assist in giving them the best homes, opportunities to learn about the fa'a Samoa through our language and culture, and the best experiences of their lives."

Rev. Hemi said the village will be the home of the American volunteers for the foreseeable future and they intend to keep in touch with them, even after they completed their mission.

He said during the stay of the volunteers in their village the locals had the opportunity to share Samoan culture which helped them to understand its intricacies as well as the language before they are deployed permanently to their postings in various parts of Samoa.

"Ole isi Vaegaa taua ole tatou aganu’u, ole fa’asoa – we share our culture and our fa’a-Samoa and that’s the beauty of these programs not only that we help them learn the language and our culture but we’re also learning a lot from their involvement. 

"We wish them all the best and I want to let them know that where ever they might be called to work at after their training session in the next couple of months, our homes and our church especially will always have a place for them in Samoa. Fa’amanuia tele le Aso SA o tama I tama uma o Samoa."

The volunteers, during their stay in the village, attended Sunday school classes as well as choir practice and church services and had already begun to form friendships with families and members of the local community. Their participation in church activities included reading the scriptures from the bible, dancing and acting the biblical drama with one of them also playing the character of "Eve" in a church skit that was also performed on Sunday. 

The volunteer who played Eve in the church drama told this newspaper that her name is Leilua and her participation in the church activities was an amazing experience.

"It was amazing, I loved the dancing, I loved interacting with the community and it was so much fun," said the American. "Living here with my host family and coming to church every day, they really encourage me to get engaged with everyone and join the choir. 

"You know, be a part of all that, and so it is a really good way to get to know people and to learn more about the Bible. To just be a part of the community."

Asked about what she thought of her first Samoan drama participation, she said: "It was really fun and my mother is from Tutuilla and so I grew up hearing stories and to be able to see and the play was just really good, it was a great experience and I really enjoyed it.

"Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there, I hope you have a lovely day and everyone gets to enjoy the day with their families."

Rev. Hemi then thanked the U.S. Peace Corps office in Samoa for accepting their invitation so the volunteers could participate in their church activities despite their busy schedules.

"All of them are also invited to our sports day for fathers’ day during the public holiday tomorrow [Monday]," he added.

• Photojournalist Piui Simi contributed to this reporting.