Methodist School in Maamaloa Renovations

 North Stake and the elder and sister missionaries in the zone helped.

Kautai Taunauta and Joseph Tuitakau

The wall needed replacing

Sisters Matakaiongo and Fa'aui sweep the grounds.                                Unoloto Vea                            

  

                

                          Leon Mafileo               

Uatesoni Kalonihea Ccrefully reaching to paint the trim

Uatesoni Kalonihea and Timote Kalonihea

Many hands lighten the load

Sitting on the job

Handover luncheon. Tongan food cooked by the Methodist ladies.

Methodist minister, Stake President Ian Tu'ihalangignie, Brother Helu, Elder and Sister Thomson

 The Project                                                                           

North Stake approached us to help them with a service project. This little Methodist school in Maamaloa needed repair work. The principal and the church accepted the help from Nuko'alofa North Stake and LDS Charities. The school needed a leaky roof repaired, gutters, bathroom fixed, eavestrough from the water tank to the building for rain water catchment, and a new paint job. North Stake purchased the paint and provided the manpower. LDS Charities provided the supplies for the roof repair, gutter, and blue coloring for the paint. The missionaries in the zone also came to provide service. The PTA will fix the bathroom and they also provided food for the turnover luncheon.

I loved this project! We interacted with principal, minister, members of the Methodist church, as well as the members of North Stake and missionaries in the zone. What fun we had in providing this service. I asked the principal if he was happy; his reply was "VERY happy." 

At the turnover luncheon we talked about God's love for all his children. We help all the people who need our help. I love this calling. I feel like I am the Lord's hands doing what He would do if He were here.

Luke 10:25-37   The Good Samaritan
Who was the neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the thief?
And the Savior said "Go and do likewise."

Matthew 22:39  Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself?

WHO IS THY NEIGHBOR?

In the Office

We spent this week getting proposals ready to submit for approval. Success! We submitted 3 projects and all were approved. Now for the work. 






1. Forget Me Not.  We LOVE this project. The people in the outer villages of Tongatapu and the islands of Ha'apai, Vava'u, Niuas, and Eua have to travel far distances at much expense to receive medical management for diabetes. Many do not have the money or time to do so. Some have never been to a doctor. This project provides modern equipment to be placed in the clinics and health centers away from the main hospital in Nuku'alofa. Thus bringing equal care to the people no matter where they live.


2. Ha'afeva water project. People in this village in Ha'apai island group have struggled for years with inadequate water. This project will provide good clean water.

3. Methodist school renovation. This little school is in need of some repair. Nuku'alofa North Stake will provide the paint and do the work as a service project. LDS Charities (that's us) will provide materials for replacing a leaky roof, gutters (eavestrough) and attaching the water tank to the building so there can be clean water. PTA will fix the bathroom. I am so looking forward to this week, as the work begins Tuesday! We will be taking pictures and helping in the work. We will make many new friends.

Whale Watching Friends

After watching the whales frolicking in the sea, we had our time on the beach.

Busby, Kapp, Thomson, Zemp, Wright, Oldroyd, Lisiate and Ione Lauloto

Scanning the sea for water spouts

Sisters Thomson, Busby, Zemp

The island we went ashore on

Sister Shelly Wright and me

We pulled 3 boats ashore. 2 had engine troubles. The last one was our emergency boat.
Must have been quite the site.

Whale Watching

Our senior activity for this month was whale watching. It was amazing! There were many whales playing in the water, diving, and rolling. 

A fin was flapping as though the whale was welcoming us to its playground.




Taking a dive.

We did not see a breech but this may have been the closest to one.

Towards the end, I spotted a poof of water. The skipper steered to it. Soon we came upon 3 whales.

One was a baby

Hurricane Season is Coming

Elder Thomson had fun checking the chainsaws

With hurricane season right around the corner, we have been instructed to get the emergency container in working order. Chainsaws need sharpening. Generator needs repair. First Aid kits need updating. More equipment needs to be added, such as hammers, bow saws, rope, and eye/ear protection. We have spent several full days preparing the container. We hope there is not a hurricane, but we must prepare.

Emergency container

The container has been tidied up and repair work is being done.

Tsunami risk is rated extreme according to National Emergency 

Management Office. This is because Tonga lies 200 km west

of the Tonga Trench fault zone. This area is a potential source

for a marine landslide caused by an earthquake or volcanic

eruptions which could trigger a tsunami. Tonga also lies in the

Pacific Ring of Fire that runs around the Pacific Ocean and

where most seismic activities occur.

It is not uncommon for a tsunami to effect Tonga. When we are home at Liahona we are on a high point of the island. However, at work in Ma'ufunga, we are across the street from the ocean. Our route is a 2 kg run/walk from the office.

“If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30).

Playing Guitar

We have been working very hard, with hardly a day off. Papa said "I can't relax, I wish I had my guitar." Thus began the search for a guitar.

Elder Kapp also plays guitar and gave us the name of a couple music stores. He said he had bought himself a cheap one.

We found a couple cheap guitars. Then stopped at Ukulele Hut. They had 2 steel string guitars and 1 nylon guitar. Elder Thomson played the nylon string guitar, which had been traded in to Ukulele Hut. It is a good quality guitar. Nice sound, but of course Papa had to wait a bit. We went back 3 times.

We had dinner out with the senior couples at Marco's Italian Restaurant with live entertainment - 2 guys playing guitar and singing country music. That was the clincher.

Next day, we went back to the Ukulele Hut to purchase the guitar.

I love it! Not only does playing guitar relax Papa but me as well as I listen to quiet guitar music. It was a great purchase.

Royal Palace and a Bit of History

Tonga has never been under the rule of another country. All the other Polynesian countries have been under control by England, France, or the United States. Tonga is a Kingdom and is ruled over by a King. King George Tupou I was born 4 Dec 1797 and died 18 Feb 1893. 

Between 1799 and 1852 Tonga went through a period of war and disorder. This was finally ended by Taufaʿahau, who was converted to Christianity in 1831 by the Methodist missionaries. He became Tuʿi Kanokupolu and subsequently took the title King George Tupou I in 1845. During the king’s long reign (1845–93), Tonga became a unified and independent country with a modern constitution (1875), legal code, and administrative structure. With King George I as its most important convert, Christianity spread rapidly. ,

Brigham Smoot and Alva J. Butler were the first Latter-day Saints to attempt to bring the gospel to the Tongan islands. They landed on July 15, 1891, at Nuku’alofa, Tongatapu, but the mission was closed in 1897 after only 16 baptisms in 6 years. It was reopened 10 years later. This time the missionaries were accepted and the church flourished. Today approximately 60% of the population is LDS.
************************************************
The picture to the right was taken in front of the Royal Palace. We had climbed a short maybe 3-foot wall to get a picture from a different angle and in full view. We were chased away by the guards. We were not supposed to be there. Oops! We did not try to break the rules, there was no sign. We quickly obeyed.