Samoans Gather Together to Worship and Grieve; Prime Minister Seeks Blessings of God, Asks for Prayer

Teresa Neumann : Oct 6, 2009
Audrey McAvoy & Rod McGuirk - AP

"Samoa is a deeply Christian country where Sunday church services are an integral part of life."

(Lalomanu, Samoa)—The AP reports that Samoans gathered at churches en masse on Sunday to mourn victims of the recent tsunami. In American Samoa, residents were "set to hold a national prayer service that territorial Gov. Togiola Tulafono said would bring the community together. It was reportedly to be held at the headquarters of the Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa, the largest religious denomination in the U.S. territory." (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

An APIA report noted that Samoa's Prime Minister Hon. Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi was "near tears" when he addressed his nation shortly after the tsunami hit. He reportedly ended his address by encouraging people to pray, especially Church leaders. According to the report, "Tuilaepa, in Chiefly language, acknowledged the power of nature and sought the blessings of God."

Some descriptions of the earthquake that preceded the tsunami defy the imagination. "It shook the whole place. It was like the earth was a bouncy ball," said one eye-witness Keisha Brown, to the New Zealand Herald.

As reported in the Honolulu Advertiser, another eye-witness told his son, "Have you ever seen a mountain move?"

Please keep the storm and tsunami ravaged Pacific Island nations in your prayers.