There is a very pressing matter at hand. Not only to me but many other Samoans who reside in American Samoa or have big ties to the island through family or business. My parents left to American Samoa in February 2020 to re-plant a church and receive the Pastoral Baton from my grandfather who has Pastored that church for over 40+ years. The original plan was to come home after 2 weeks of being there but Covid hit and the borders were shut down. That was very understandable as this virus hit our nation hard. However, since then, Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga has been making empty promises to the island and those stuck off island about the borders reopening. First it was said to reopen in July, then August, then September and now another empty promise made for October.

8 months later, my parents are still on the island and have missed their grandkids birthdays, anniversaries, pregnancy announcements, family time together and so forth. As a strong Christian, even when I don’t agree with the decision of Government Authority, it is still my due diligence to pray for them and I will continue to do so. But I believe that our word is our bond. Governor Lolo has made promises and has not kept one—whether it's out of fear or out of the love of power and control, it has and still is, affecting MANY FAMILIES, including mine!

In closing, isolation is one of the devil's biggest tactics to keep us under and to keep us enslaved. Right now, American Samoa is isolated. No one can come in and no one can go out. This isolation has taken the lives of so many young people ON THE ISLAND! If we are suppose to "protect the children", how do we do that by keeping them isolated with literally NO WHERE TO GO!? How many more young people are we waiting for to kill themselves??!! The bloodshed of those who have taken their lives during this lockdown is on the hands of our American Samoa Government! I am writing to our people out of desperation. I know that God has a plan for EVERYTHING but the island of American Samoa needs our help. We cannot just go with everything that is handed to us. We need to rise up and stand for what is right. Generation after generation has been affected by our simple mindset to just go with the flow! We have been given power and authority to stand for justice and what is right. We cannot keep being spoon fed with unrighteousness and evil agendas. NOTHING WILL CHANGE IF WE DON'T FIRST CHANGE OUR MINDSET! We cannot go on any longer keeping families separated for months at a time. Kids need their parents. Families need to be together. The house is not a home when the Parents are out of touch and out of reach. As our babies grow up, how do you explain this kind of separation to them? We have no words. And in a time where we feel hopeless, yes, we call on God, but we also are looking to our people to stand UNITED and not to be bullied around by fear! Together, we can put families back together again!