With God by my side, I can do all things

By Deidre Fanene 10 December 2016, 12:00AM

Soso Malofua Niu, from the village of Ululoloa/ Puipa’a, says that when you have God in your heart, there is nothing you need to worry about.

Aged 66, Soso spends his retirement running a small market stall business which provides a little extra money for the family.

Although the family doesn’t generate a lot of income, Soso is still happy with how his life is going and says that all he really needs is the Lord to provide for him.

“I have no worries whatsoever,” he told the Village Voice.

“Life is great and everything is going the way I want it to. To be very honest with you, I no longer go to church. I grew up in the Methodist church but now I just stay home and read my bible.

“I am still blessed even though I no longer go to the church. God provides because my faith is still intact. He provides food and money when we really need it.

“I am just very grateful to the Lord.”

Selling all sorts of crops from his small plantation behind his house gets him enough to live on. He says that the only way you can live a blessed life is through the Lord.

“Through the Lord, you will be blessed,” Soso said.

“I was working for the Government before and now that I am retired I am doing this small business to provide for my family.

“I grow pawpaws, pineapples, bananas and all sorts of other crops and then I sell them in the little stall by the house. I used to sell coconuts before.

“I would walk around looking for fallen coconuts then I would sell 100 coconuts for $30 and that money was what my family used to buy some sugar for the day.”

But when the occasional fa’alavelave’s, which is a menace for many Samoans, hits then Soso has to make a call overseas for a bit of financial help.

“We only have one person working right now under our roof,” he said.

“The money we get from that job is not nearly enough to cover the family’s many needs and that’s the other reason why I started up this business.

“I have some children overseas that we contact for some money when we are very desperate for it. The only time we are desperate is when we have family gatherings like fa’alavelave’s and what not.”

Soso says that even with the little money they make, life is still great and he feels as blessed as ever.

“Although we don’t make enough money, we still have enough to survive,” he said.

“We have food growing in the back and the little money we do make goes into buying some basic necessities from shops.

“I am eligible for my pensions right now and I use that to help out with the little ones’ schooling expenses. That’s how life is right now for my family.”

By Deidre Fanene 10 December 2016, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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