What a week this has been. We had three amazing experiences that I’m going to write you about.
First, we belong to a little Branch in the Church. It is so small because the members speak English, and there isn’t very many of us. It is also located on the main road into Nuku'alofa. the street is really busy especially in the morning.
Our Branch sponsored a fireside for the Youth in our Stake, and the theme was “The Temple.” The Branch leaders had all the participants dress in white and represent spirits in the Spirit World waiting for their temple work to be done on earth. Each participant would tell their life story, and then ask if anyone in the audience had done the work for them. If the work was done, someone in the audience would come and get the participant, and they would sit in the congregation. If no one had done the work, the participant would return to their seat in the pulpit area.
The last person to tell the story of his simulated ancestors was our Branch President. Everyone in his family had had the temple work done for them except his 8 year old daughter, Tiki. She had to be left behind. And in real life she sat on the stage and just sobbed because she was not going with her family, and her family was crying because they were leaving her behind. It was so poignant; and such a powerful message. We want our families to be together forever, and we need to do the temple work for those who have passed on. It was a very emotional evening.
The leaders wanted John and me to tell true stories of our own ancestors. So I played the part of Grandma Jemina Olsen, and John represented his relative that came from Africa.
My name is Frederick George Kershaw. I was born in England in 1824. When I was a young man, I had the opportunity to go to Cape Cod, Africa to help colonize the country for England. I traveled to Africa by ship. While on the ship to Africa met a woman that eventually became my wife. Her name is Eliza Byard. We were married after arriving in Africa. We had six children while in Africa. One night I had a dream in which two young men from American met me and told me about a church founded in America. They said that the church was the true church of God and had the priesthood. About two years after this dream, I was working on the roof of a house when two young men walked by and yelled at me. They told me that they were from America. I told them that I knew who they were because I had seen them in a dream. They taught my wife and I the gospel. I joined immediately, but Eliza waited for a year before she joined the church.
When our children were able, we arranged to take the family to American. We boarded the Brig Mexicona Ship in April of 1865 and began sailing to American. They said it would take six weeks to arrive in America. I became a cook on the ship. We traveled with 30 other members of the church. About two weeks before we were to arrive in American I became very sick. The sickness became so bad that I could not get out of bed. Eventually, I died and was buried at sea. My wife had to travel to Salt Lake City, with six kids, without me. Because of my death, we were not able to be married in the temple. If you have my name, will you please make yourself known.
I threw in the part about Grandpa driving a stagecoach, the silver mines, and carrying a gun. I don’t think the Tongan audience related too well to that, but they liked the part about Grandma’s sister having to join Grandpa and Grandma on their dates.
It was so nice to be asked to be part of this activity. To thank us one of the leaders, Nia, gave us white, laced handkerchiefs to use at the Temple Rededication.
Secondly, the Temple is officially finished. The contractors handed the keys over to whoever they handed them over to, and it started to rain…and rain…and rain. (The farmers really need the rain because their crops were drying up.) The Temple Committee had set up many big tents on the temple grounds. They were draped with flowered garlands and the grounds looked very impressive. The King of Tonga was going to be the first person to officially take a tour, and the tents were set up especially for him and the Open House Devotional of which he was invited. Because of all the rain, the committee had to move the devotional into the church across the street.
Now there is special protocol to follow when the King shows up to an event. Everyone has to be lower than he. So church members removed the benches that are in back of the pulpit and replaced them with one large chair which was placed on a platform. Everyone else (the Temple President, the Area President, etc.) was seated sideways, facing the King.
The Queen Mother sat next to her son but not on the platform and in a much smaller chair.
The King’s noblemen sat on the floor in front of the pulpit.
The Tongan choir of about a hundred people sang, “Come, Come Ye Saints.” They sang with such strength and harmony. They were terrific to say the least. The president of the Temple, Eric Shumway, speaks perfect Tongan and gave a message in both languages.
This is Elder Condie, the area President and a member of the Seventy and President Sumway, the Temple President and also a member of the Seventy. Elder Shumway served as the Mission President here in Tonga several years ago.
Then the King spoke.
He has a British accent and spoke only in English. He said some very nice things about the Church and the beautiful temple.
After the devotional the VIPs were escorted to the temple for the tour. What does a king wear to something like this? A gray suit!
We sat on the second row of the chapel. So I guess you can say, “We met the King!” We certainly won’t get any closer than that! President McMurray and family sat on the first row next to the Prime Minister. The two McMurray daughters had the priviledge of presenting flowers to the queen mother.
Other members of the royal family also attended.
The next picture is the Kings sister. She is the princess.
The people on the Temple Committee said they were surprised that the King spent so much time in the Temple. He was very thoughtful and asked a lot of questions.
Whenever the king travels on the island he is proceeded by two officers on motor cycles with lights flashing, then a lead car(a land cruiser) with flashing lights, then his van (a ford van), then another land cruiser brings up the rear.
When they drive the roads of Tongan, they drive down the center of the road at a fairly fast speed with lights flashing and forcing everyone off the road. It is interesting to see everyone pull off (actually forced off the road) to the left to clear the road. One day we were heading towards Liahona on the main road when the kings fleet of protectors came at us. We didn't know what was going on, but at the time they got close to us we had cars and a telephone pole on our left side so John couldn't pull over much. They had their lights flashings, sirens on, then as the pasted, going fairly fast, they honked at us.
Thirdly, John was talking to some of the contractors and builders on the temple. He asked if they had any old tools that they wouldn’t mind leaving in Tonga now that the remodeling is done. (How can John survive without a few building tools?) The guys said they would see what they could round up. My…they didn’t just “round up.” They had several tools sent in from New Zealand, and they were brand new.
John has new saws, drills, and I don’t know what else. Pretty nice of those guys, huh? Now John needs to do some good things with those tools.
I know a school and some missionary homes that are calling out for help.
The four American Elders that we met in the Provo MTC (Elders Salt, Makai, Karatti, and Lyon) arrived this week. It was fun to see familiar faces, even if they aren’t very familiar. Elder Karatti and Lyon will stay on this island, and the other two are heading to two smaller islands. They are all biiiigggg boys! We’ve been involved in the Temple Open House. We will let you know more next time.
P.S. We are dealing with an internet technology that is overloaded, so our mail works one time and not the other. We will just keep trying. The system is like a having a 10 lane freeway going into a single lane and expecting no travel jams. We have an internet band width designed for a small group of users that now services the entire island. We are all frustrated because we can’t do our work and send it on to the church and other service centers.
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