Tongan Update, 29 April 2008, Top 10
“Come on baby, light that fire!” We only want to burn a tie and a dress, not all of Nuku’alofa. About eight months before we arrived in Tonga, a political demonstration got out of control. A group of Tongans burned down eighty percent of their capital city of Nuku’alofa. So to torch a tie and a dress doesn’t sound very dramatic…burn baby! It’s traditional for Elders to burn a tie and Sisters to burn a dress to celebrate the “Half Your Mission” mark. We didn’t think it was very practical to douse our clothing and set them to flames. So we had a picnic by the Ha’amonga (Stonehedge) with another senior couple, the Garretts, and toasted the big event with cans of A&W root beer instead. (Whoa!)
Now that we have been in the Kingdom of Tonga for nine months, we thought we’d give you a few of our feelings about our mission. John laughed at me when I said, “Let’s do a ‘Jay’ Letterman list of Top 10.” Anyway, here’s our top 10:
Most Challenging Things about Tonga
10. Crawling creatures—ants, cockroaches, centipedes, misquitoes
9. Too many cars and too many chuck holes in the roads
8. No Albertsons, Dans or Smiths—we have to hunt high and low for American food
7. “Being on time” is a lost art
6. Missionaries doing stupid things and dirty missionary houses
5. Senior missionaries leaving to return home
4. Hitting a pig
3. Pathetic animals especially the wounded dogs
2. The poverty of the people
1. Not being with our family—missing Meg’s baptism, Gage’s birth, Valentine Day, and Christmas are just a few
Best Things about Tonga
10. We have a registered nurse for the missionaries, Sister Garrett
9. So many people speak English
8. Emails, letters, and packages from home
7. The new mission boats.
6. It’s an adventure—newness and unpredictability
5. Beauty of the islands
4. Missionaries, Church leaders, the seniors missionaries, full time missionaries, and the young kids
Elder Russell Nelson, Qourum of the Twelve
Elder Condie, of the Seventy
President and Sister McMurray
Elders Makai and Naeata Elders Fonua and Mohenoa
Elders Hikila, Jones, Olsen, Fonua Elders Jones and Sanchez
3. The Tongan people who have such faith and their beautiful music
2. Temple Open House, Cultural Event, Temple Rededication
1. Knowing we are 2 of 55,000 missionaries who are trying to do their best to serve the Lord
** We have to add one more wonderful thing about Tonga. Today we had a small part in aiding a young woman to be baptized. Elder Jones and Elder Hikila had taught Tupoufalemei (yep, that’s her first name) most of the lessons, but then they were transferred to other islands. For whatever reasons, no one followed up with teaching Tupoufalemei. After a couple of months the branch missionary leader asked us to review the lessons with this sweet gal and determine if she was ready for baptism. We were thrilled to do it, and she did want to get baptized.
She had been attending church with her member husband, and they are reading the Book of Mormon together. What a wonderful blessing for us to meet this couple and watch the spirit work on their hearts.THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO BE! John and Diane
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