8 / 16 / 2025

In 2018, the Carr Fire started, causing significant damage to Northern California. As the flames spread, our state needed help from different parts of the world. Fire crews from near and far answered the call, including the Samoa 61 fire crew. My uncle, who was in the Highway Patrol, met Samoa 61 while patrolling base camp. The crew initially approached him, intrigued by his Dodge Charger patrol car. What started as a conversation about the car quickly turned into a deeper exchange, and after spending time getting to know them, he wanted to extend our family's hospitality and invited them over for a BBQ. A couple of weeks after they met, the BBQ was finally here. All of the cousins lined up at the door to greet the firefighters as they arrived at my uncle's house. We gathered for a prayer, began serving the food, and the party started. While everyone was enjoying the meal, I approached Tonu’s table to see if they needed anything, and he asked for the WiFi password. After I gave it to him, he invited me to sit with him and the others. That’s when we started talking about our different lives—about how life on the island was compared to here. Tonu and I ended up talking the entire BBQ and never left each other's side. After the day of the BBQ, I would return to Redding on the weekends to visit with Tonu during his breaks. We had a few weeks, but when the fire crew’s mission ended, he had to return home to his island. Saying goodbye was difficult, and we weren’t sure if we would see each other again. After a few months of him being home and us talking every day, our connection remained strong. He soon asked his family for their blessing to move to California. One 10-hour plane ride later, we were reunited—and now, six years later, we're getting married!