Tongan Update 20 February 2008 Gage Announcement

Tongan Update, 20 February 2008, We’ve Got a New Baby

Our third son, Troy, and his wife, Gretchen, just had their first baby (if you don’t count their two dogs!) He’s a little boy to be named Gage William Thompson.

He weighs six pounds and fourteen ounces so he isn’t exactly husky, but he’s a fighter, coming out swinging his arms. Wow, it’s a miracle how the birth thing works. One minute the mom-to-be is a pretty good sized lady thinking she’s going to be pregnant forever, and then…wala…a baby in her arms. (Isn’t that how it works?)

Gage has already got his parents fooled. He hasn’t cried much in the hospital so they are lulled into thinking they just might sleep at night. Ha! Troy and Gretchen have some fun times ahead of them—it’s only just begun.

It was extra exciting for us because we were able to talk to our children and grandchildren the day of Gage’s birth. Meg, our granddaughter, was bubbling over with the news of a new cousin. Luke, our grandson, played it a little cooler and told us about his basketball games. What a great day, and what a blessing to get Gage here safe and healthy. Gretchen is doing well too. And…the doctors didn’t have to pick Troy up off the floor during delivery so he did OK too.

This is the best news ever! “Tell everyone!” (Huh, Troy?)

‘Ofa lahi ‘atu (with much love), Diane and John

TONGAN UPDATE February 16 2008 TESTIMONIES OF THE PRIMARY CHILDREN

TESTIMONIES OF THE CHILDREN OF THE

NUKU’ALOFA TONGA 10^TH BRANCH

Remember to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and to forgive one another. Rika

Seek after good things. Be humble and obedient. Be kind to one another. Andrew

Don’t be angry and say bad things. Give thanks for what God has given you. Obey your parents. Alice

Be humble. Believe in Jesus and honor your parents. Buffy

Remember to pray all the time. Believe in Jesus. Stephnie

Be kind to everyone. Be humble. Seek after good things and love one another. Nelson

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 priestholders, 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. Joanne Mataele

Most of these sound like advice instead of testimonies. Are they OK or should we try again? Diane

TONGAN UPDATE FEB 10, 2008 Don't let the Rain Come Down

Tongan Update, 10 February 2008, Oh No, Don’t Let the Rain Come Down

You’ve sung the words to the song, “Oh no, don’t let the rain come down. My roof has a hole in it and I might drown…” Well, we pretty much drowned the other day.

It started raining about two o’clock in the afternoon. This wasn’t any light drizzle, this was sheets of water. At first we thought it was kind of fun watching this mass of rain. But when our center courtyard started to fill up, we got a little nervous. Hey no problem…it will stop soon.

No, it didn’t stop. The water ran off the grass in the courtyard and onto the sidewalks close to the doors to our apartment, the offices, the young missionary apartment, and the conferences rooms. We knew what to do! We got plastic and blankets to block the water from seeping under the doors. Our blockades leaked and we had to bail water, but they were holding.

The down-pour continued. Our neighbor’s yard flooded and the water flowed into our complex from the back.

The street flooded and the water flowed into our complex from the front. The FM (facility management) sent us some sandbags so we reinforced our blockades in front of our doors which were still holding back the water. We breathed a sigh of relief thinking all was well.

Now we built the blockade around the door so we could still enter our apartment. Feeling confident that the sandbags were stopping the water from flooding our living areas, Elder Thompson and I went into our apartment. To our amazement the bathroom, bedroom, and part of the living room was filled with water. We couldn’t believe it! Apparently the water table had risen so high, that water had come into the building through the foundation. What a mess!!! After rescuing a few things that were on the floor, WE GAVE UP!

The young missionaries had a water fight and slide around in the six inch deep water in the courtyard.

Not everyone was concerned about the rain. These girls stood under the overflowing rain gutter and took a shower. We saw people doing this all over the island. There is nothing like washing in rain water instead of the sea.

We oldie goldies decided to head to higher ground. The FM arranged for us to stay at one of the empty houses at Liahona, a village about fifteen miles away from the mission home. Driving there reminded us of cruising the main channel of Lake Powell.

We got behind a van, and it pushed the water to the sides breaking a way for us. The radio the next day said that it rained nine inches in about seven hours. Even the Tongans said this was a huge storm.

Many people besides us were dealing with flooding. In fact, when we got over to Liahona, the Temple President and his wife had also been flooded out of their home. Both of us couples stayed in “Fale 1” which is the house where the apostles stay when they come to Tonga. The house has two wings, and each of us had a wing to stay in with a joint kitchen. We ended up staying there two nights. It was nice to get to know the Shumways. They are “big wheels” down here. They talked about having the King’s brother over for dinner. They have met with the King.

They know the princess.

We talked about having the young elders over for pancakes.

You get the picture?

The next day we returned to the office. When we removed the sand and opened the door, water in the office flowed out of the room onto the courtyard. We were flooded in a big way in the office. In some places over 3 inches of water. You can see that the water flow was sufficient to wash the sand away.

This pillar shows the water depth in the center court.
Needless to say, the words "rain, rain go away" have greater meaning to us.

TONGAN UPDATE FEB 07, 2008 Cruise Ship and a Prophet Going Home

Tongan Update, 07 Feb 2008, Cruise Ship and a Prophet Going Home

This was a week of people heading home.

I was walking to the post office the other day and noticed a huge cruise ship docked in our harbor.

We don’t see many of those here. I raced up to talk to a couple who had just disembarked from the ship and asked them about their journey. They were on a “round the world” cruise starting from England, and this was the fifth week of their travels, having already gone through the Panama Canal and stopping at various Pacific Islands. They inquired what there was to see on Tongatapu. “Well, most tourists like to see the blow holes,” I replied. They countered that they had seen blow holes before.

“O.K., the flying foxes are kind of interesting,” I mentioned. “Oh, we saw those in New Zealand”, they said.

“My favorite part of the island is the east side where there are the little villages, the bush,

and the pigs rooting in the receding ocean,

the ancient stone arch,

the natural arch

.” The couple thought it was too far to rent a taxi and drive over there. “So what is your favorite part of the cruise?” I asked. You can guess the answer. I did. “GOING HOME!” They still had three weeks left on their cruise, and they were already anxious to go home.

Later, while I was typing away on the computer, a young Tongan wearing a University of Utah jacket walked into the office. He was a return missionary who served, no less, in the Millcreek area. Wow, it was fun talking to him as he told us about his experiences in our own neighborhood. One of his choice experiences was meeting the prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley.

Now released “Elder” Mohetau was invited to dinner at Richard Hinckley’s home. While the two missionaries were eating with the family, President Hinckley paid a surprise visit. Imagine this young missionary’s delight in actually shaking the hand of the prophet of the Church and visiting with him. Now here’s a kid that didn’t want to come home! He loved his mission and the USA. He is still “on fire” with the spirit to do missionary work and would like to head back to Salt Lake on the next plane and continue his mission!

Thirdly, going home was our prophet. Yep, party in heaven! Happy Day!! What a great man!

TONGAN UPDATE FEB 01, 2008 Opening a Can of Worms

Tongan Update, 01 February 2008, Opening a Can of Worms

“Opening a can of worms”-- What does that even mean? When our family goes fishing at Strawberry Reservoir, we stop in Heber and buy cans of worms for bait. The boys open a can of worms, scrunch the slimy creatures onto hooks, and throw them overboard where they are slowly drowned after being dragged for hours…unless, of course, John is fishing. Then the worm dies quickly due to being chomped on by a giant fish!

Meg, our granddaughter, doesn’t think opening a can of worms is so fun. She thinks it’s kind of gross…so does her grandmother...all those squiggling things in the moist dirt! Yuck!

“Opening a can of worms?” What do you think because I think we opened a can of worms here in the Mission Office? Do you remember poor, sick Elder Sanchez? He was the one with Dengue Fever. Doctor Ana told him he had to stay IN THE OFFICE until he was feeling better. We followed the doctor’s orders, and he stayed in the office. After the first few days of fever, dizziness, aching bones, throwing up, etc., he was feeling much better. It was nice to have another American Elder around the place so we feed him well, had good talks about home and the mission, played our marble game, and soon he was well enough to go back to doing the Lord’s work.

Well, word got out! “If you’re sick, you can stay at the office!”

Oh my, we had so many sick elders (especially American elders), and they all thought they had Dengue Fever. Sister Garrett (new nurse) arrived just in the knick of time.

I didn’t know what to do with all those faking elders! She just took over like the professional that she is, taking pulses, temperatures, and asking the right questions. No one had Dengue Fever so they were all sent out of the office and back to their own little houses in the villages. So sorry guys…………. that’s opening a can of worms!

Have a great day! Missionary Work is incredible! ‘Ofa ‘atu, John and Diane

TONGAN UPDATE JAN 28 JAN 2008 Singing Sisters

Tongan Update, 28 January 2008, Singing Sisters

This has been an enjoyable week. Our mission received a Tongan Sister missionary who had been released from the Colorado Springs Mission. Her mother passed away so the Church allowed her to come home early for the funeral and then finish her mission with us. Sister Fiefia is delightful, filled with enthusiasm for missionary work and the love of the gospel. What a great asset she will be for our mission, even if it’s for only eight weeks.

Elder Thompson and I have been driving the (for lack of better words) “AP Sisters” on exchanges for the last two weeks, with one more week to go for this transfer. (Exchanges: We pick up the two AP Sisters, drive to another village, drop one AP Sister off, pick up one of the sister from that village, then drive back to where we began. We do an exchange four nights a week for three weeks each transfer. Transfers are every six weeks.) Sister Fiefia was assigned to be with the AP Sisters until the next transfer so all three sisters crowded (These sweet sisters are not small girls!) into the backseat of our Toyota Corrola to make the exchange with the sisters at Hoi, a village about a forty-five minute drive from Nuku’alofa.

Because Sister Fiefia can speak great English, we could talk and visit easily with all three sisters, Sister Fieifa acting as the go-between. She asked each us about our favorite hymn, and then we proceeded to sing them. The girls knew the English words better than John and me, and they sang with harmony and LOUD. So we sang Church hymns at the top of our voices all the way home from Hoi… And we sounded pretty good, if I say so myself! It was a real Brady Bunch Setting.

Ooo...it’s raining again! While you have been shoveling snow, we’ve had rain—three weeks of rain. Then for two days there were no clouds, and it was HOT and MUGGY. But the rain is really coming down now—I can hear it.

The nurse and her husband, the Garretts, arrived Thursday from Salt Lake City. Already we put them to work, and am I ever grateful! She saw or talked to four Elders her first day here. One Elder thought he had Dengue Fever, two the flu, and one a broken leg. They called me, and I referred them all to the Nurse. Yeah!

President McMurray wanted us to show Elder and Sister Garrett around the island. So while John was having a root canal (Fun, huh? We do have an American dentist in Tonga until May.), I walked the Garretts around town. It was a sunny day, they got sunburned, and I think I pretty well wore them out. Of course, they had been on a plane for 15 hours the night before. Do you think that might have contributed to their tiredness? They also liked the walk along the ocean front—the various shades of blues in the water, the little islands that dot the horizon, the small fishing boats, and the kids diving off the wharf. Elder Thompson finally made the scene, and we took them for a mini tour of the island. We loved this assignment!

The president’s daughter, April, was called on a mini-mission this week.

She’ll be serving on one of the little islands north of Tongatapu and is really excited about the call. At this point she is only serving for six weeks, but it will give her a taste of being a Tongan missionary. Her Mom, Charlene, has been busy making her the traditional Sister Tongan missionary uniforms. April is an amazing gal, and she’ll have a great experience! (I’d worry a little about the cleanliness of the drinking water and the cold showers on Ha’afeva, but they’ll figure it out!)

Another week has gone by!! Wow!

‘Ofa ‘atu, John and Diane

TONGAN UPDATE JAN 22, 2008 Elder Sanchez and Dengue Fever

Tongan Update 22, January 2008, Another Wild Week- Elder Sanchez and Dengue Fever

We received a phone call from a member of the Church in the village of Houma. She was concerned about one of the missionaries in the area. “He doesn’t look healthy,” she said. Elder Thompson and I drove the half hour to Houma, and sure enough, Elder Sanchez looked white and had a huge boil on his foot. His flip-flop wouldn’t even fit because his foot was so swollen, and he was complaining about aching joints, dizziness, and headaches. Now, Nurse Thompson went into gear. “This could be the flu. Take a Tylenol, and if you’re not better in the morning, call me.” NO PHONE CALL, at least not from the Elder! We did receive a phone call from a different member of the ward, and she also said, “Elder Sanchez doesn’t look good.” We sent the Office Elders out to retrieve him and take him to the local doctor, Doctor Ana (I don’t know her last name). It turns out that he has Dengue Fever which is caused by a mosquito bite so he has been recuperating at the office complex the whole week…and his darn boil has been draining all over the carpet. (So much for Nurse Thompson—what does she know?) I find it a frightening thought that I’m supposed to be the medical expert for the missionaries. What do you do? My strategy is to give the Elders two of my home-made remedies, then, if that doesn’t work, I send them to Dr. Ana. A real nurse from the LDS Hospital in Salt Lake is coming to my rescue soon! That is good news for everyone!

When we went to Houma to check Elder Sanchez, a sweet member of the Church gave us not one, but three 3-foot ufi’s. These are huge sweet potatoes. I pulled out my potato peeler, but it wouldn’t make a dent in the tough covering of the ufi. (Dusty, now we need that machete of yours!) So what do we do with 3 ufi’s? We gave one to Pele, the office complex cleaner. We’re giving one to the neighbors. Don’t tell me we have to eat the last one! Maybe one of the Tongan missionaries will help us cut the thing up.

Every Monday we have Family Home Evening with the other senior missionaries. We usually have lessons from out of the book “Preach My Gospel”. This Monday the couple (Embleys) in charge of the evening decided to show a video. It turns out that there have been quite a few videos left on the island as senior missionaries return home and do not want to take the movies with them. We watched “Joseph and His Brothers”. I can guarantee that none of you have seen it. It was filmed in Italy in about 1945. The English had been dubbed in. What surprised me is that we sat through the entire movie, and the actors didn’t sing a single song!

Elder Thompson is excited. He learned today that the three new mission boats have been manufactured and should be delivered within thirty days! Yahoo! He has been asked to train the drivers so we will be flying to Ha’apai. We’ll schedule missionary housing inspections at the same time so we will travel to the surrounding islands in the new boat. John is anxious to see if my stomach is stronger than those people who went with him last time. You know, they all got sick while he stood in the front of the boat singing, “Yo ho, Yo ho, a pirate’s life for me!” Great?!?

Hope your week was a fun one too! We love the Lord, and the gospel is true!

‘Ofa ‘atu, John and Diane