The DJ4 Phantom - Another Great Birthday Present

We have been trying for over a year to have Bill and Donna Flake come to visit with us.  We served with them in Jamaica and found out then that Bill had served his mission in Samoa in the early 1960s. When we received our call to Samoa, we told them to come and visit.  Well, in December 2015, Bill had a heart attack so he had to recover.  With one more try, they decided that July 2016 was a good time, Bill was strong, the stars were aligned and so they came.

Knowing this, Theron could proceed with his plans to buy a DJ4 Phantom (drone) and Bill could bring it down.  The plans went well - the Phantom was delivered to Flake's home, they cleared enough room in their suitcase for the equipment and arranged the flights.  They arrived July 7.  No sooner did we reach our house from the airport when Theron commandeered Bill's suitcase and found his Phantom.  He has been having fun ever since!  I'll pat myself on the back for giving approval for this birthday, Father's day and Christmas present.  We have been deprived for the last 16 months living on a Pacific island. :)

 The set-up

The first flight

Adrian and Todd's visit gave us a good itinerary for the Flakes to follow, except, Donna was affected with allergies/asthma almost from the moment of their arrival.  We were able to get her some prednisone and other allergy and asthma medications so she could breathe.  Most of the time, she was able to wear a dust mask and enjoy the trip.  Samoa has great air quality except for the continuous weed burnings, umu cooking and bus exhaust.

After a few days of medication, the trip can be declared a success.  They were able to atend a faifai at Traditions, travel to Savaii for two days, an excursion with the turtles, help us do a training at Sauniatu and a swim in the falls, enjoying the artists at the Cultural Center, shopping and even snorkeling at the clams!  Donna is a great photographer so we just let her take lots of pictures.  She got shots we wouldn't normally get - especially ones in homes.  In the next few blogs, we'll post some of them, and maybe a couple of photos from the drone.  We had a great time hosting the Flakes and were very glad they could come while we were here to give them the tour.  We were able to show Bill a lot of the islands that he (and most young missionaries)  never know existed.