Running a full-time business while juggling a family can be a challenge for Malamalama and Samantha Manu.
But for the Manu family from Lotopa in Samoa- their lives have been made easier through keeping the Sabbath day holy.
Malamalama and Samantha have three children; Sala-Marie, Isaac, Robert and they also care for their niece Louisa.
They run one of Samoa’s top publishing companies, Marfleet printing. They took over the business after Sam’s parents fell sick.
“There’s a lot of demand,” Sam said.
“It’s not just book printing- cheques, receipts, posters. We run 4-5 different jobs per day,” Lama said.
It is through keeping the Sabbath day holy - a choice they made when they both became members of the church- where they have seen their business and family reap the blessings.
“Keeping the Sabbath day holy helps replenish the spirit and mind,” Sam said.
“Our week tends to be a lot more smoother and we are able to cope. We can get through the week. We tend to have a lot of patience.
We just know keeping the Sabbath brings blessings to the business as well as to our family.”
Sam said it can be a temptation to work on Sunday.
“There’s so much to do and not enough time in the day to do it,” she said.
“Catching up on invoices, accounts. Getting things organized. It’s more about time.
“But Sunday is a day of rest, a day for the soul. We know it should be done. We reap the blessings, it benefits us not just physically but spiritually. It’s something we want to teach our children too.”
Lama and Sam’s top five tips for keeping the Sabbath day holy.
1. Plan ahead- As a Samoan family, one of the things we love to do is eat on Sundays! Samoans are always worrying about that. We buy the food on Saturday, cook it Saturday night and when we get home from church on Sunday, microwave it and then eat. It means we don’t need to go shopping on Sunday and don’t have to worry.
2. Do everything on Saturday- so you can relax on Sunday.
3. Make a commitment and stick to it- Let your family and friends know where you stand and don’t let anyone else try and change your values. Our families are not members of the Church but they respect our values.
4. Teach kids by your actions- Actions speak louder than words. When kids are young, they don’t really understand. What we have tried to do is make it a habit so they know what to expect on Sunday. For example, Sala has exams this week and she knows she can’t study on Sunday. The kids know Sunday is a different day and as they get older, they will understand more.
5. Bible stories- It’s hard to keep the television off for the kids but instead we will go on YouTube and watch bible stories.