I don’t like to brag, especially since I am a missionary. But…did any of you know that I have won two gold medals? I know…it’s amazing! And one of the medals I earned was for basketball, no less! Everything lined up just perfectly during the heated competition. I shot with exactness and with precision, and my foot-work was fleet. I was like a swan swimming on water. To the surprise of everyone, including myself, I won the GOLD. (You’ll have to ask my sister, Julie, for the details. She’s still in shock!)
This week we were again assigned to inspect missionary houses on the outer islands. As we were cruising along in the mission boat to our destinations, my mind wondered to my outstanding athletic accomplishments (I’m being facetious) including the winning of my gold medals which, by the way, was on a cruise ship. It wasn’t “Olympic gold,” but…hey, it was still gold! During the 2008 Chinese Olympics, reporters communicated the medal tallies (number of medals each country earned) each day. I’m going to record the island tallies (number of islands we visited during this five day span) each day instead.
ISLAND COUNT
GOLD SILVER
Monday 7 0
Tuesday 6 2
Wednesday 4 0
Thursday 4 0
Friday 3 0
TOTAL 24 ISLANDS! WOW!
MONDAY HIGHLIGHTS: The islands:
Tongatapu,
Lifuka,
Foa,
O’ua,
Nomuka,
Tungua,
and Ha’afeva
Monday seemed like a day of food-gathering. On O’ua the village people gave us bananas and pineapple. On Nomuka, the Saints brought two buckets of mango. Then on Tungua freshly caught ocean fish was brought for us to take with us. We stayed overnight with our senior missionaries, Elder and Sister Finau, on the island of Ha’afeva. It was on the island of Ha’afeva that we cooked and ate the fish (no raw for us this time, although Elder Thompson has learned to like a raw fish dish that has lots of spices and is soaked in coconut milk. He says it is awesome).
TUESDAY HIGHLIGHTS: The islands: Ha’afeva,
Matau,
Kotu,
Fotaha’a,
‘Uiha,
Lofanga,
Tongatapu
This day we were “fishers of men.” When we stopped at Kotu, we had two hitch-hiking Tongans sneak on board and hide out until we were well out to sea. (It’s against Mission Rules to carry unauthorized passengers on any of our boats.) You’re probably asking yourself, “Where would two large Tongans hide on a little mission boat?” They had help. There definitely was some sabotage going on. Our boat drivers hid the stowaways inside the cuddy-cab under the bow of the boat. By the time we realized we had unwanted guests aboard, we had traveled quite a distance from their island. We couldn’t throw them over so they received free passage to Lifuka. “Fisher of men” sounds like we hooked them. If so, we were the bait. Actually they were very helpful in managing the boat especially when we were docking with rough seas.
The two “SILVER ISLANDS” were Matuku and Fotuha’a. The ocean was too rough for us to dock at either of these islands. We tried, but the waves would just crash up against the rocks of the cliffs and push our boat away from the island. There were no man-made docks at either island, and both have steep rock approaches—no beaches. We couldn’t inspect the missionary facilities there. John has been on these islands before.
At Fotaha’a you wait and count the waves then jump from the boat to a rocky ledge at the right time.
The Tongans tell you when to jump. From the landing you climb stairs cut into the cliff to the top of the island. Once on top there is a small village of about 25-30 people, a small chapel, and a missionary house.
At Matuku you simple jump out of the boat and wade to the shore.
Because the water was so rough, we couldn’t control the boat so we couldn’t wade to the shore.
WEDNESDAY HIGHLIGHTS: The islands: Tongatapu, Vava’u, Pangaimotu, and Hunga.
On these islands we visited missionary houses and inspected the chapels.
Our list of needed repairs is getting long. The president likes to have John take these trips because he knows John has an eye for seeing things that need to be fixed. At night we had dinner with President McMurray, Elder Makaafi, Elder Pasi, and Elder Ua’asila at a little restaurant called the Mango.
The sun was setting over the Vava’u bay with its still waters and numerous yachts,
and the sky was electrifying.
It turned from shades of yellow and oranges to a deep red. The colors were reflected in the water. (Wouldn’t you know, this would be the time we forgot our camera?)
THURSDAY HIGHLIGHTS: The islands: Vava’u,
By boat we drove out to Hunga,
Nuapapu,
and Otea
On the island of Hunga we (the Thompsons, the Woods, Elder Makaafi and Pasi) were greeted by a working crew. Most of the villagers (men, women, and children) were laying cement and cinder blocks to create a road, with flood barriers, a hundred meters long. It runs from the edge of the ocean, up the steep incline, and into the village. The Hunga islanders are going to purchase a community tractor and use it to transport ufi from their fields to the wharf. The road will aid them tremendously in that effort. What a great sight to see all those people working together for a common cause and with such rudimentary tools! It was definitely hard work for these people. The house on this island is not owned by the church, but is used by the elders when they are assigned to the island. The house is currently being used by the local women for weaving mats.
FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS: The islands: Vava’u,
Okoa,
and Tongatapu
It was an amazing week! We dissented onto many islands and were greeted so heartily by the islanders. They were friendly, kind, and giving. We inspected both missionary houses and church buildings. Our fellow boating crew and Elder Thompson made repairs on many of the structures. It’s wonderful to see what great effort the Church has done to provide places of worship for so many of these island people.
IT FELT GOOD TO COME HOME TO OUR LITTLE APARTMENT IN LIAHONA!
We were greeted with the spectacular view of Moroni blowing his trumpet on the Nuku’alofa temple,
and the Office Elders, (Karratti, Lyon, and Haltli), had taped a “WELCOME HOME, THOMPSONS” sign on our windows. (At the bottom of the sign it said, “50 days and counting.”)
When we have more time, I can go into more details about winning the gold!
‘Ofa ‘atu, Sister Thompson and Elder Thompson
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