Elder Thompson and I have been in Tonga for almost eighteen months now, and my, how things have changed during that time.
August 2007 The Beginning January 2009 The Ending
Eighty percent of Nuku’alofa, the capital, was burned during the political riots about seven months before we arrived.
There were still gapping cement slabs where stores once stood. American food products were scarce and difficult to find. Heinz 76 ketchup was considered an “ideal” Christmas gift and was highly sought for.
Today, the town is a hubbub of building. The new bank (built where the old theatre was) is almost completed. A small mall built by the Princess is nearly complete with clothing stores and restaurants. A motel occupies the second floor. A new wharf
has been under construction ever since we arrived, but at the rate the progress is going…we’re thinking that in about ten years they will have it completed. The king’s “Nuku’alofa Hotel” is slowly decaying and becoming a “real eye sore”.
“Molisi”( a grocery store) has built a new store, and it is brim full of American products. There is also the “American Store” across the street from the market (the newly arrived senior missionaries are calling it “Cosco”) and “Cali” where any hungry palangi can find foods that they are used to. No one needs to grab a dog off the street.
Norattum (seniors call it Norstrom) has been enlarged twice. There is no room for parking in the front of the store because the parking lot is now part of the store. They sell kitchenware, furniture, and clothing. It is like the old variety store we used to go to.
There are several new roads, but the existing roads are still full of potholes. Oft times our driving speed is not much faster that a fast walk.
The Tonga Nuku’alofa Temple was closed due to renovation.
The senior missionaries were asked to help string the crystals for the chandeliers
in the Celestial Room
and Sealing Rooms
of the temple as one of the final projects to complete before the Open House. We also acted as hosts and hostesses at the Temple Open House. The “Cultural Show” celebrating the rededication of the temple was incredible,
and now Elder Thompson and I are Ordinance Workers in the completed and dedicated temple. We help conduct the English session on Thursday nights. Truck-loads of young adults come to do Baptisms for the Dead, bus-loads of villagers come to do Endowments, and boat-loads of islanders come to do all kinds of ordinances.
The Mission had 185 missionaries who had the luxury of 100 pa’anga per month. The Zone leaders drove cars, and the Office Elders were assigned to meet every need of the missionaries including taking items to them from the “mission store.” The Sisters wore uniforms which consisted of long-sleeved dresses over long black skirts. They then wore ta’ovalas (matted cloth) which was held up by a kafa (black woven belt) over the top of these two pieces of clothing.
All Sisters would arrange their hair in two braids like the Liahona school girls.
The Mission now has 115 missionaries.
The support fund has been decreased to 60 pa’anga a month per missionary. The Zone Leaders ride bikes, and there is no Mission Store. We are trying to stay closer to the rules outlined in the Mission Handbook.
The Office Elders have often teased Elder Thompson about getting him a t-shirt that says: “NO! READ THE HANDBOOK!”
An amazing thing is the change in the “Sisters’” clothing. They now wear the same attire as all woman missionaries around the world--the same as they wore to the New Zealand MTC. (They do wear kiakias -which are like mini ta’ovalas-over their skirts.)
The braids are gone, and they wear their hair in a variety of cute styles. There are discussion about having the elders where pants instead of the tupenus, a changes that will come sometime in the future.
The mission office complex was located in downtown Nuku’alofa.
The Mission Complex has moved to Liahona across the street from the temple.
It’s like a gated community over here where all the Church owned grounds are groomed and maintained similar to the temple grounds. Everything is so clean. Angel Moroni keeps an eye on us day and night.
From our apartment, it takes 30 seconds to be at the office, 30 seconds to be at the president’s house, and the same amount of time to walk across the street to the temple.
All animals on the island are domestic animals
Except the flying foxes (bats),
who stole and ate five of the sandwiches which were intended for the Zone Leaders, was threatened with his life by the hungry Elders. The pigs with their short stubby legs were the most entertaining animals here.
We couldn’t take enough photos of those guys, especially the babies.
Getting down to the smaller creatures here,
there were too many ants and cockroaches to even begin to count. Ugh!
The dogs still sleep under the old mission office carport.
They are excited to see us when we stop by to see how they are doing. In Nuku’alofa there are fewer roaming pigs, the dogs rule. The pigs are still fun to watch.
The dogs, except our old friends at the old mission offices, still look pathetic and beaten up.
John still smashes the bugs.
Bug bombs are still used to get rid of the little critters. Mini ants can be found everywhere. New senior missionaries are alarmed with all the bugs, old timers take it in stride. While eating dinner we just smash the ants on the table, talk about the gecko running about the walls or ceiling, and wonder what type of spider is on the ceiling in the corner.
The island is pretty much status quo on these items. The only thing that has changed is us. We’ve toughened up and have accepted the fact that this is a different culture and people think differently about their animals…and actually not that differently. We just go to Harmon or Albertson for our freshly wrapped meat. The Tongans step outside their homes into their front yards to procure theirs.
Robin Hood and Little John (we should have named her Maid Miriam) are the proud parents of six healthy stripling puppies. We know…we are worried about their fate too!
And we never get tired of watching the roaming, royal pigs. (Sister Kinikini calls them “royal” because they can go anywhere unbothered.)
Ants…ants…ants…ooooooo…that says it all!
Tonga was getting “cleaned up” with the help of the Church’s “helping hands project.”
Wow! This place is looking so much better! When we first arrived, we helped pick-up trash with the people in our Branch every Saturday at 6:00am until the opening of the temple. In fact, every ward on the island had an assigned area to keep sparkling clean. Now the Tongans have garbage cans along the streets and in town which really aid in keeping the place clean. The king has even hired a cleaning crew to clean the junk up along the waterfront and other tourist sites. The garbage dump in Popua is in the process of being turned into a tropical garden. They’ve come a long way, baby!
The people all looked the same—big, brown, and beautiful--with black hair.
We couldn’t distinguish one from another and couldn’t even begin to pronounce their names, let alone understand their English. We had each person that we came in contact with write down their name in hope that someday we would actually be able to first, remember it; secondly, say it somewhat correctly. The Tongans were friendly. We thought it was cute when we walked the streets of Nuku’alofa and people would call out to us, “Hello, Missionaries”.
Today the skin and hair still look the same, but we have come to recognize them and can pronounce (at least most of their names) their names. They are our friends and co-workers. We talk, laugh, and work together. We have come to love them.
Today, many call us by name, “Hi Elder or Sister Thompson”. Those that know who we are, but don’t know us by name, still continue to say “Hi Missionaries”.
After all that we have done or not done, they are still friendly to us.
Now every Stake has received a presentation on “Houses of Worship”. The phrase is like a puzz word throughout the Kingdom. Priesthood leaders now know what is going on in these houses and have been asked to help promote the concept of “Houses of Worship”. We have spoken to leaders with candor and have shown them pictures that support our words. Likewise we have spoken to missionaries. If the missionaries following their morning study programs, if they will treat their living quarters with respect, then the houses become “Houses of Worship”.
When we arrived the mission had three boats that were used to travel to the various islands. They were made of fiberglass
and were cracking and were unsafe.
Today, the missionaries travel in boats that are safe. The new boats are made of aluminum and have air pockets to prevent the boats from sinking, if damaged.
They are faster and able to handle the rough seas better. They can safely carry more people.
When we left Salt Lake City in August of 2007, we were a couple of bewildered, heart-broken people. We were leaving our loved-ones and our comfort zone, but we did have a testimony of the gospel and a desire to serve the Lord.
We now have stronger testimonies. We can truthfully say that we have loved our mission. We’ve had our emotional up and downs since we have been here, but we have survived the pain. Now we have emotions about leaving these people. They are our friends. We like being with them. Moments of sadness still exists in our minds. Tears still flow down our checks as we are doing things for our last time. We know we are going home soon. The future worries us. We have to suppress our excitement of seeing our family and keep focused. Fortunately our work keeps us busy.
The small island of “Eua" was shocked with the conversion of a high ranking member of the Tongan church.
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