Journal of Mary Phyllis Fisher - Thomas Davies

Tom was glad to see Dan. He said they had prayer together before he left and Dan offered such
a lovely prayer and had such a sweet spirit although he was worried and discouraged because he
couldn’t learn the language. Dan had been in California five months. Tom was still waiting for
his boat to arrive when he wrote and hoped he’d soon be on his way because of hotel expenses,
etc.
We had a nice Thanksgiving. Sara, Anne, Lore and Lynn were home. Father and the boys
threshed on Monday. Frank Wills was helping them so had dinner with us on Thanksgiving.
Bill Smith, Dick Smith, Frank Will, Beverly Frank, and Dean McMurrary had dinner at our
house today because they were still threshing. They finished on our place tonight.
It is now October 14 and the days are just like summer. About 2 weeks ago we had a little skiff
of snow and rain and that is all the stormy weather we have had this fall. I have never seen such
ideal fall weather for harvesting. We had a much better crop than we ever expected since we got
it in so late. We grew a wonderful hay crop and garden. The Lord certainly answered our
prayers and has blessed the people with crops and ideal growing weather.
1953. Sunday, October 25th
This last week I have been suffering with a backache. On Wednesday after Primary I went to
bed and have been there ever since. On Thursday Father came over and he and Ren
administered to me. I hope the blessing they asked for me will be granted and I will soon be
well again.
We have not heard from Tom or Dan this last week. Tom should be in Samoa by now.
Lore sent us a big box of tomatoes, which he got for the picking in Barnwell. Sara put some of
them up yesterday.
The children went to Lois Wynder’s reception last night.
1953. Monday, October 26 th
We received a letter from Tom. His boat had landed at a little Island of Tahiti to unload cargo.
There were 6 missionaries on the boat. Three of them went to Samoa and two to New Zealand,
and one to Australia. They had been two weeks on the ocean and he had been sick only one day.
1954. January 24 th
It has been some time since I wrote in my diary. Christmas is past. We had a lovely Christmas
of course. Tom and Dan were not here but all the rest of the children were home and Grandpa
and Grandma Fisher had dinner with us. Father and I bought a present for each one and they
each bought a present for each other so it made a big Christmas. We sent Tom parcels the first
of December but he had not received them the last letter we received. I hope it is not lost. We
also sent two hundred and sixty dollars of his money from his Teachers Remittance fund. I sent
him a box of books too. Some were old textbooks, story books and church books-80 pounds of
them. I sent them to Salt Lake. Danny Bates from Cardston was going to Samoa and said he
would try to take them with him. I do hope he is able to do so because Tom says they are in
such need of textbooks. The Samoan children have never owned a textbook. Their lessons are
taught by the Samoan teacher through recitation. The teacher recites a line then the children
recite it. The school is long and open he says. It’s almost as hard to make himself heard as
understood.
It is very hot there now. Their summer holidays commenced in January. Tom has been made
Supervising Elder of the Pesego district. He is having such a hard time learning the language
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