TONGAN UPDATE 15 AUGUST 2008 MY GUARDIAN ANGEL

Tongan Update, 15 August 2008, My Guardian Angel

Do you remember how “lucky” I was to get into the Weslayan church and see the actual coronation of the king? I thought I was at the “right place at the right time.” It turns out that I had a guardian angel instead--Papiloa.

While she was sitting patiently waiting for the coronation to begin, she saw me outside the church on the street. When she recognized me, she told the usher to “go out and get the lady with the white hair.” So thanks to Papiloa, Sister Kinikini and I were part of the official ceremony. (About eight years ago Papiloa’s husband passed away. He was a prestigious Tongan doctor. When the missionaries knocked on Papiloa’s door and taught her about the Plan of Salvation and about eternal families, it sparked her interest in the Church. After further study and prayer, she eventually joined the Church. Many of the Tongan people were surprised because she was a “big wig” working in parliament at the time of her conversion. She is an amazing woman. Because of her credentials, she has traveled the world representing Tonga and speaking to women groups. She is a great ambassador for Tonga and the Church.)

Just one more thing about the coronation…

Elder Thompson and I went to the Fua’amotu airport to see April McMurray off for her trip home. As we were in line at the gate talking to her, three “plangi” (white) ladies came up to me and mentioned that they had seen me slip into the church at the coronation. They said they had dressed up in their best clothes, hats and all, and had arrived at the Church of Tonga at five o’clock in the morning hoping that they would be able to attend “the real thing.” “You were so lucky to get in!” they exclaimed jealously. I told them, “I just happen to have a guardian angel.”

My guardian angel makes the scene again…Not long after the coronation, the senior missionaries attended the funeral of Sister Vuki’s sister, Ane Pale. (Sister Vuki is a fellow senior missionary who submitted her papers to her bishop in Sandy, Utah and received a mission call to Tonga which she was nice for her because she grew up in Tonga.) When going to a Tongan Weslayan funeral, it is the custom to take off your shoe at the door as you enter the chapel because the benches are removed from the building, and large woven mats are placed on the floor. Most people attending the funeral sit on the floor. So following the tradition of removing your shoes, we missionaries left our sandals at the door. Once again Popiloa was sitting waiting patiently, this time for the funeral to begin. When she saw me traipsing barefooted through the church, she grabbed me. “Go back and get you shoes,” she snorted, “before someone steals them!” I guess she didn’t think I could handle that assignment by myself because she flipped me around and went with me to retrieve all of the missionaries’ shoes. To my surprise Papiloa was one of the speakers at the funeral.

Another custom for a Tongan Weslayan funeral is for the funeral party to follow the casket, the mourners, and the band to the cemetery. So at the conclusion of the program, we dutiful little seniors arose to follow the procession. Here comes Papiloa stomping over to me again. “Don’t follow! It’s not safe!” I didn’t know what she was talking about. She led us to the veranda of the church and told us to sit on the benches there. It just so happened that the cemetery was located adjacent to the church so from the veranda we could watch the funeral procession. The danger Papiloa was worried about was the weather. The clouds opened up, and the rain poured down…and there we sat…safe and sound under the veranda. (Now isn’t she an angel…kind of a grumpy angel?)

Papiloa owns The Friendly Islander which consists of fales (little cottages) for rent and a restaurant. Every Friday night she serves a buffet dinner for her guests and anyone else who would like to come. The cost is 30 pa’anga a plate. Elder Thompson and I have a standing invitation to come any Friday…dinner free! Now, how about that?

She also sends over food delicacies that we mere peons can’t scrounge up on the island…like real lettuce instead of Chinese cabbage. My, she is good to us! She truly is an angel!

‘Ofa ‘atu, John and Diane