TONGAN UPDATE 10 DECEMBER 2007 -CALMING THE SEAS

Tongan Update, 10 December 2007, Calming the Seas

Events during this past week reminded me of an experience I had during my boat building days. I’ll explain the experience I had years ago, then the event that occurred this week.

Have you ever asked the Lord to calm the waters that you were riding in because the rough waters made you scared or would stop something from happening that was important to you? I have.

When we were in the boating business, there was a time when we did not have money to pay expenses and payroll. I needed to sell a boat. I felt disparate. I had offered many prayers and tried different things to sell a boat. Things were not going well.

It was around Thanksgiving, a time when weather can be unpredictable. It could rain and/or snow. I received a phone call from a family who said they wanted to buy a boat. We agreed on a time and a place. If they liked the boat, they said, they would give me money for the boat at the lake and would take the boat home with them. If the sale went through it would be an answer to my prayers.

It was a cloudy day. As I drove north to Willard Bay the clouds got darker and darker. Then it began to rain. I met the family at the Flying J gas station. We waited inside the station for a while to see if the rain would stop. At times, it was a down pour. Quietly and privately, I said a prayer (actually many prayers). The rain stopped so we drove over to the lake. As we began to launch the boat, it began to rain again, then, it started to snow. We quickly put the top enclosure on the boat. It was our Calypso boat with a cuddy, so we were able to get out of the snow. After a few minutes it stopped snowing so we lunched the boat. As we pulled out of the harbor, I noticed that white caps were everywhere. The water was rough. We were going into rough water for the demonstration. It was windy and cold, it began to snow again, and I had an entire family with small children with me. The parents were trying to decide whether to buy the boat for cash. For me the sale meant that I would have enough money to pay the bills.

Secretly, I offered another prayer. “Oh God, please calm these waters that we may continue the demonstration. The boat will sale itself, if we can stay on the water and finish the demonstration”. I cleared the harbor entrance and punched it. I drove at a medium speed with the full top assembly up. I wanted the family to know that you could drive the boat with the top up. I made several turns showing them how the boat handled. I turned on the wipers to clear the slush. I showed them how to use trim tabs and how the radio worked. Everything worked as planned. I stopped and turned the boat over to the father. He gave it the throttle and made several turns. He went faster than I did, but everything was ok.

As I was sitting on the back seat watching the family, I looked out of the side panels, and I noticed something profound and magical. The water!! The water was calm where we were driving; but on both sides of the boat, the waves were high with white caps everywhere. God was answering my prayers. The water was calm where we were driving and remained calm until we returned to the harbor. The demonstration was complete. The family was impressed, and they bought the boat and took it home with them.

Does God calm the water when pleading hearts seek his power? Yes!! On many occasions he will calm the seas or waters. I testify to that. I saw it with my own eyes.

This past week was transfer week. Nearly 50 missionaries on various islands need to move to different locations. It was windy, and the seas were rough. If the seas were not calmed sufficiently to allow the boats to run, our transfer plans would become a disaster. We assembled ourselves, we discussed the problems, we pondered, and then we knelt in prayer. “Father in Heaven, we have done everything we know how to do to develop a transfer plan that solves problems

and addresses needs of the mission. The weather is working against us. Please, in the name of Jesus Christ, calm the seas sufficiently so that the boats can travel allowing the missionaries to get to their assigned areas”. Later in the evening we asked the Lord to bless one of the boats that missionaries were traveling on because the boat, which is designed for 500 people, left the port with over 600 people on it. They simply over-sold the tickets, but didn’t stop people from getting on. The overloaded boated added another concern for us.

Like my story mentioned above, our prayers were answered. The waters, where the boats needed to go, were sufficiently calmed so that the missionaries had no problem getting to their assigned areas even though, in other areas, the seas were rough.

Does God perform miracles? I testify that he does. In the first story he blessed me, a little unimportant boat builder. In the second situation, he protected his missionaries who were on an over loaded boat traveling in rough seas. Several missionaries said that the sea was rough, but the boat ride was smooth. How can that be? It was the same scenario as my experience mentioned above--rough waters, but smooth ride.

In both situations I am grateful for the Lord’s involvement. He really does care about us. He’ll answer prayers if we involve him in our problems with sincere pleadings. He can and does calm the water for those with pleading hearts.

Just thought you would like to know. Dad

TONGAN UPDATE DECEMBER 27, 2007 CHRISTMAS

Tongan Update, 27 December 2007, Christmas

Christmas in Tonga was very quiet and peaceful. There were very few lights on the houses and very few Christmas trees.

The things that we did observed were last-minute shopping, people remembering their ancestors by redecorating their loved ones’ grave sites,

family and friends eating together cooking the pig and vegetables in underground pits called ngaahi umu, a spiritual group of people honoring the Savior’s birth, and fireworks.

Elder Thompson and I had a wonderful (no, glorious) Christmas season.

I’m using the word “glorious” because I read an article by President Hinckley, and he said we can all have a wonderful Christmas. But to have a “glorious” Christmas, we need to remember the Lord Jesus Christ. He gave us the gift of eternal life and meaning to our earthly existence. So…we tried to have a glorious season.

Like most of you, we went to our Branch party. It was to start at 6:00 p.m., but it actually ended up starting at 8:00 p.m. Because Elder Thompson and I arrived two hours early, we didn’t quite know what to do with ourselves. So we joined the young people in our branch as they practiced singing Christmas songs. They were polishing their songs for caroling to the widows and needy the next day. A Tongan choir is incredible. They sing four part harmony, and the sounds blend beautifully. The party was much like we have at home, but on a smaller scale—fewer members, but a lot of food, games, Disney Christmas video for the kids, visiting, and laughing. We arrived early to the party, but we had to leave early. During the celebration the Office Elders telephoned us. The boat from one of the islands had docked a day early, and had left one of our elders stranded on the wharf in the rain. There were no available missionaries to pick up this elder. They asked if we could please do it. This was the beginning of “transfer week.”

The Sunday before Christmas John had to speak in Sacrament Meeting, he give the Sunday School Lesson, and taught the High Priest group. I was the backup speaker for Sacrament Meeting if I was needed. Whew…I didn’t have to talk. A sweet Tongan sister spoke. With tears streaming down her face, she talked about Christmas as the season to remember the Savior. Elder Thompson also gave a wonderful message about Christmas.

For Primary I had taken John’s “First Christmas” script and modified it for the children. It was cute to see the Tongan kids dressed up like wisemen, shepherds, cows, sheep, etc. and say their various parts. As they watched the DVD of the “First Christmas”, one child said, “I was that part!” As Mary came onto the screen, a little girl said, “Oh, that was me.”

Our Senior Family Home Evening was on Christmas Eve. So we picked up a couple of pizzas (there is one pizza place in town) , and enjoyed good, old, American food. We exchanged gifts with the bottle of Heinz ketchup being one of the most sought after item. (Ketchup, mayonnaise, pickles, olives and a lot of other things are hard to find here.) We shared stories of our favorite Christmases and ended with reading from the Bible about the birth of the baby Jesus and the events surrounding it.

When we got home that night, the two American Elders in the office complex, Elder Olsen and Elder Jones, challenged us to a game of “Sorry.” They “creamed” us, and they were not very good winners —high-fiving, talking about Rambo, etc. I must admit, we senior missionaries need to be a little more dignified playing the game ourselves. (We’ll get them next time.)

Christmas Day…we were all feeling a little homesick. (“we” meaning Elder Thompson and me, the two office elders, and two APs--Elders Finau, Olsen Jones, and Hikila.) We needed a diversion…we needed to do something different…unusual…we decided to explore Anahulu Cave. We drove across the island with our flashlights in ready positions. The cave is located next to the beach and consists of three main chambers. It has two fresh water pools in it. Most of the stalactites are broken off, but the cave is still interesting. The young elders helped pull and tug John and me up and over slippery rocks into the blacken core of the cave. When we got to the pools, it was like Disneyland. There were so many people there. One family had brought into the cave a generator so that the whole pool area was lighted up. They were jumping into the water, splashing, and just having a good time. Our young elders wanted to continue the exploration of the cave. We went as far back as we could without having to crawl. We’ll need to go back another time better prepared with different clothes, better flashlights, and string so we won’t get lost.

We had a turkey dinner with President McMurray and his children (April, Michelle, and Danny.) The president of the temple, the Shumways, were there and also a senior couple, the Talbots. Later that evening we took Elder and Sister Talbot to the airport. They are heading home to Snowflake Arizona. With the time change they had Christmas in Tonga with us and will return home in time to have Christmas with their children. Pretty fun! (Now we’re shrinking down to three senior couples and one sister.)

Our Christmas season continued on for two more days. We had a P-day where all the missionaries on the island met together for games, songs, food, and a movie. The part that I thought was the funniest was the singing. Each Zone of missionaries (about 20 kids in each zone) had to perform a song. One Zone had our brand new American elder included with them, Elder McCarty. As they stood on the stage, the Tongan missionaries gently kept nudging Elder McCarty to the front and center so he ended facing the microphone. Then the others stopped singing and poor Elder McCarty sang a solo. Believe me, he hasn’t had singing lessons from Tom Pike! He was so serious and still in a numb state trying to figure out the whole Tonga experience—this quiet, thin, computer-type, Texan elder among the big, dark Tongans. The office elders said some day Elder McCarty will laugh his head off when he thinks of this day. It was pretty funny from our point of view, not so for Elder McCarty!

The grand finale of the season was calling home and talking to Mom and Dad, our kids, and grandkids. With only a few tears on my part, we listened to the experiences they are having. We have such a great family, and we love each and every one of them. We are all trying to do our best…what more can you ask?

We love the Lord…and we love the work. We had a "glorious" Christmas season!

‘Ofa ‘atu, Diane and John

TONGAN UPDATE DECEMBER 1, 2007 "wHO DONE IT/"

Tongan Update, 01 December 2007, Mystery: Who “Done” It?

Hi Everyone,

We have a real mystery on our hands. It’s the “Case of the Disappearing Items from the Mission Office.”

It all started about two weeks ago when the Primary President in our Branch asked me if I would like a squash. “Well, sure,” I said. She proceeded to drop off about twenty squash at the Mission Office. We stacked them up on the bench in our courtyard just outside our apartment door. We knew we would never eat all those squash, so we decided to give some to the senior missionaries. But in our rush to get to Family Home Evening, we forgot to take the squash. No problem…we’d just take those green veggies out to the missionaries the next day. On arrival home from the meeting, we were surprised to see an empty bench where the squash once were. Being the sleuths that we are, we questioned the Office Elders and the APs, Elders Olsen, Finau, Jones, and Hikila. No one knew anything about the squash. They had vanished!

“Oh, it’s just squash,” you might say. No, we’ve had bananas out of the missionaries’ kitchen disappear too. So now you’re thinking only food is missing. No, much more.

We had a little kitten stroll into the complex the other day, and she decided to take up residency here. We know that pets are against the Mission Rules, but what do you do if she wouldn’t leave? She was only about eight weeks old, and she kept following Elder Jones around so he named the cat “Jonesey.” (We just want you to know that we senior missionaries were having nothing to do with the cat. We obey the rules!) Anyway, we were just getting use to having the little gal around, when…GONE! Vanished!

We also have noticed that some of the unlocked rooms in the office complex have been rummaged through.

What’s the deal? Who is snooping around the place and swiping our things? Elder Holloway says that Tongans do not come into missionary living quarters because they think God will strike them. So who is taking our stuff?

We think we got a clue yesterday. John and I asked the Elders if they wanted to play a hot game of Sorry. We had inherited the game from the other office couple, the Christensens, before they went home. They had had the students at Liahona make this game for them in their wood-working class. You need a dice and sixteen marbles to play the game. Back to the events at hand… we pulled out the game, and over half of the marbles and a dice were missing. Who “done” it?

I had last played the game with a couple of neighbor kids in the courtyard. I remember that I had been called to the office for some emergency. After I handled the problem, I paniced thinking I had left my apartment door unlocked with the little darlin’s still outside our door. I rushed back to find the kids gone and everything looking OK. Is it a coincidence that the next time we brought out the game that the marbles and dice were missing? Furthermore, we haven’t seen the children since? Hmmm……

How do we solve this case?

The work is good!! We love the Lord!! We’re hanging in there!

‘Ofa ‘atu, Diane and John

Tongan Update, 09 December 2007, Meg’s Baptism

Our grand-daughter, Meg, got baptized today! We are so proud of her…the newest member of the Church in our family. Now that’s exciting.

We wished we could have been with Meg and our family for her special day, but I guess we did the next best thing. We were invited to the baptism of someone here. The Office Elders have been giving the “Preach My Gospel” lessons to a seventeen year old Tongan gal, and she was baptized yesterday. It was a thrill for us to be included on this wonderful occasion with her and her family, especially since we weren’t able to attend Meg’s. A baptism is wonderful any time, but it’s a really nice moment in the mission field especially for us. Being the Office Couple, we don’t have the opportunity to work with the local people very often. Most of our time is with computers, housing, and missionaries.

We were proud of our Office Elders too. Those two goofy missionaries did a great job of conducting the meeting and bearing their testimonies. It was interesting and surprising to see those guys when “the Spirit” is working through them. What a great evening!

Another surprising testimony we heard was from an eleven year old girl who is in my Primary class. I asked the children to write their testimonies like the Apostle Paul did while he was in a Roman prison. Most of the kids needed a lot of help, but Joanne (her English name) went to work on her own, and this is what she wrote:

“Today I would like to have my testimony to you about the church I go to. My church is very kind. They are kind to one another. Our church is fun. Our church has humble people, kind people, and some people are preaching the gospel. We have preistholders and they are very good in preaching. One of our members just left on a mission there to America but at California. Now we’ve got two new members who are preaching our gospel which they come from Utah. They are two missionaries Elder and Sister Thompson. They are kind. As I finish, remember to preach the gospel all the time, forgive people, love them, be honest, and live peace with others. Have faith, hope, and charity. As I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”

Sincerely,

Joanne S. Matael

My, she says it all. What a perfect Christmas message.

Love to you all, John and Diane

TONGAN UPDATE DECEMBER 13,2997 CAT CAPERS

Tongan Update, 13 December 2007, Cat Capers

John and I were puttering around our apartment the other day when we heard the mewing sounds of a cat in distress. After hitting the pig while on inspections last week, we set out to rescue THIS cat. We walked all around our complex and could not find the feline. So we thought all must be OK and went back to the apartment. Again we heard the meowing, and again we went into “search and rescue mode.” No cat!! Once again we returned to the apartment only to hear the same desperate sounds again. Enough was enough…we weren’t going crazy because some of the young Elders heard it too, and decided they would help us with the hunt.

We finally decided the noise was coming from the attic. One of our courageous Elders (Elder Olsen) climbed the ladder and slithered around in the crawl space, with a flashlight in hand, and found the cat. But the cat was too quick for him and escaped out of the Elder’s grasp.

So this cat didn’t need to be rescued after all, and John and I went back to a nice, quiet apartment. Well, it was quiet for about an hour then the meowing started up in stereo. As we listened, we realized there were two cats singing a duet. A second Elder climbs up the ladder, crawls around, and grabs one cat. It turned out to be a baby kitten with its eyes barely opened.

Now we had to use some cat psychology. The plan…we’d put the baby in a box on the back porch, the mother would come rescue it, and the family would find a home someplace else, and everyone would live happy ever after.

The baby in the attic quit crying, but the baby in the box meowed and meowed. No mother came to help her. Finally at 4:00 in the morning, we placed the crying kitten back into the attic with its sibling. We decided we would put up with the noise in the attic, and let the mother take care of her kittens. And that is what she has done! It’s amazing…we can hear them a little bit, but nothing like all the distressed crying there had been earlier. Thinking like a cat, we believe the mother cat had left her babies too long and they had gotten hungry. She must not be leaving them as long now because they are very quiet. The next interesting problem is—how is the mom going to get those little kittens out of the attic and down onto the ground? It seems like a long ways down. Oh, the life of another animal in Tonga…yikes!

To get into the Christmas Spirit, the APs, Office Elders ( Olsen, Finau, Jones, Hikila), and we decided to put up and decorate the Mission Office tree, and hang a few lights. We couldn’t do the decorations without a little food in our stomachs first. So John fixed French toast. It was a hit. The Elders went back for seconds…thirds… and fourths.

Our experience was no different than at home. Those little lights are the pits. John and two elders spent a lot of time trying to make the lights work. Eventually, two sets of lights were merged into one set.

In the court yard, all the plugs that are low are for 240v power. With the merging of two strands of light into one, we had lights for the tree. Just one strand instead of two, but this set of lights came with a transformer so we were ok.

Next problem-- we have six sets of lights, but they run on 110v power. The plugs are 240v. What to do? Well, we looked and looked for additional plugs. We found a plug for 110 power. We were excited, but the plug had no power, so John traced the power from the plug and found that it went into the kitchen, down the wall, and onto the top of the cabinet. What was on the cabinet top?-- a cord that we could plug into a transformer sitting on the kitchen countertop. Bingo, we had 110 power to plug the lights into. Now we had power to hang light around the roof edge of the inner court yard.

We started to unpack the six boxes of lights. Someone had written “don’t work” on the boxes. Why keep the lights if they don’t work? We found a small transformer and plugged them in. They all worked. What’s the problem? Well, each set of lights worked, but none of them had plugs on the end in order to link another set to one another. Now we have six sets of lights that can’t be linked together, and we have only one plug. So, what do you do? We strung one set of lights in one direction and another set in another direction. We were finished with hanging lights.

Diane placed some small trees and a manger set in our offices. In her office, the tree was complete with small decorations and decorative coverings around the bases. The manger set was complete with colorful boxes and trimming. I went into my office and on the file cabinet was a tree. It was bare. No trimmings, just a tree. The elders and I went back into her office then back to mine. I asked them, “Do you notice the difference in the decorations”. We just laughed. It was so funny to us…Beautiful decorations in one room and a tree in the other. Well, we’ll have to do something about this problem, tomorrow.

We hope you’re having fun getting your Christmas decorations up too.

‘Ofa atu, John and Diane