Holthe Visit

We were blessed to have family come visit last week. Dan and Tammy Holthe spent a whole week with us in Tonga. They said their visit was not about a vacation but they wanted to see what we do. We did manage to get in some sightseeing and spent a day on 'Atata Island.

Penga, Loueni, Nunia Huni; Tammy and Dan, E/S Thomson

Dan and Tammy arrived Saturday 1 December at 8 pm on New Zealand Air. They were greeted by us and our Tongan family, Loueni and Nunia Huni and their daughter Penga and granddaughter Mana. Penga and Sister Huni had made 3 kahoa, one for Dan and Tammy and one for Sister Thomson.

Day One: Sunday. We attended our church services  at Liahona. Took a nap. Then we went to see Blow Holes, but it was a calm day and not an active tide.

Day Two: Monday. We needed to get the emergency container at Liahona better organized and get the chainsaws and generators started to be sure they were working. Dan and Elder Thomson had fun with this chore.
Tammy and Sister Thomson took inventory and reorganized the contents. A few weeks ago Huni and Elder Thomson had pulled the shelving forward about 6 feet to make room to store rolls of black plastic for covering roofs in the back of the container. That meant other contents needed to be reogranized. 

Afternoon saw us at Surfer's Beach snorkeling. It was a mid-tide so perfect timing. We saw many fish including the beautiful blue starfish. But the clown fish remained elusive today.

Day Three: Tuesday. Dan and Tammy spent the morning working in the Liahona Dental Clinic. Dan was able to do several restorations for patients as well as extractions on others. Dan learned several techniques from Elder Phil Hudson and Brother Thom Evans that he will use in Canada. 

In the afternoon we went to Folaha for a first inspection of a new chicken project. The first inspection is to ensure our donors have used the wire to build coops. Some of the coops in Folaha had chickens inside. Most families have their coops built. We will go back in January to see chickens inside and learn whether they are eating eggs or meat yet. It is a joy to watch the members grow in their understanding of raising chickens and see how the project improves their diets.

We next went Tokomolo to see a project that has been going for 9 months so they could see the difference. These ladies are all widows and help one another. They have a very good project.

Tammy with Sheli and Taina Huni

The Hunis invited us to their house for dinner . We went when we finished the chicken inspections. Sister Huni had made lu and Hawaii kumala, so the Holthes had their first taste of traditional Tongan food. They liked it! Huni brought out his fishing spear and told us some of his experiences. The grandkids love when we visit. They took to Tammy and Dan as well as evidenced by the picture to the left.

Day Four: Wednesday. One of our favorite projects is distributing desks and chairs, etc, to the schools. Our donors from Furniture for Schools in New Zealand, Callum Blair and John McLean, were in country and wanted to see some of the schools where we had donated furniture. Popua is a very poor community and one where we had recently donated. We took them there. Dan and Tammy were able to come with us to visit the schools. Tammy was able to give the a bag of children's books she had brought from Magrath to a teacher at Popua GPS. The principal and teacher were very appreciative. Good children's books are in big demand in Tonga.

Next we visited Hilliard Memorial Primary School. This school had been severely damaged by Cyclone Gita. When it reopened, we were able to fill their new building with desks and chairs.

In the afternoon, we went to the eastern side of Tongatapu, past the fishing pigs, to Ha'amonga. We took a watermelon to Kristitani and Tevita who live in a bus near Lavengatonga. Tevita led us to the beach behind their bus. Their back yard is the ocean. It was fun to "hike" down to the beach and spend some time on this private beach. We visited Anahulu Caves with its stalactites and stalagmites. Several locals were swimming in the fresh water pool and diving from the rocks. We did not have time to get in ourselves but we did walk around the caves and enjoyed watching the young men diving in. Dinner at Hina Caves for traditional Tongan food and dancing.

Day Five: Thursday. We went to the market to get a key made. We planned to do go to Tsunami Rock but Huni called and asked if we could be at his house at 11:30 to follow them to his niece's wedding. We had been planning on 2, so it was a change in our schedule. Attending the wedding and feast were a true Tongan experience for Tammy and Dan. We all loved the excitement and the traditional attire of the bride and groom, and Mana Huni danced for the bride and groom.

 

Manamoui-he-vai-ko-Niutoua Huni

Wedding couple

Mana Huni danced for the wedding couple, her cousins. She was in traditional Tongan dress, as were the wedding couple.

I did not know Mana could dance like this. I went up and put money on her and danced behind while she finished.

Temple night. We were able to attend the temple together for the English session.


Day Six: Friday. Today we went to 'Atata. We had not been there before but it has been on our bucket list. So happy to be able to have Dan and Tammy with us. This was a total get-away day. We needed it. The weather was so beautiful and the seas were calm.
We were greeted with a mango fruit drink as the island facilities were explained to us. To our surprise, we were the only visitors on the island today! We had the whole place to ourselves. First the boat took us to the reef for snorkeling. We saw huge clams, at least a foot across. Dan and Tammy tried out their go-pro to capture the beauty of the undersea world. There were lots of fish, and different from what we usually see at Ha'atafu Beach on Tongatapu. I pointed out an eel as it moved from one rock to another, Holthes were too far away but it was a great site for Elder and Sister Thomson to see.
When we got back to shore, the staff opened up a fale for us to use for changing, then our lunch awaited us. We found out where the kayaks were and made our way back to the beach. We each had our own kayak and paddled about in the sea. Tammy was the most adventurous and paddled out the furthest, but we all had fun. Dan enjoyed putting on his face mask and seeing the sea creatures/mollusks close to shore.

We had so much fun! I can't say enough for the day. I am ready to go back to 'Atata whenever anyone is going. The senior couples are planning to go in January. It will be different though with so many couples. Today it was just the 4 of us.


Day Seven: In the morning we went back to the market. Tammy wanted a few souvenirs. We had not bought a nativity last year, and it is definitely on my must buy list. We both bought the same nativity set, although the wisemen on mine were brown and hers white. They are made of tapa cloth so definitely Tongan handiwork. Dan wanted Tammy to see Tsunami Rock so we drove there before going home for lunch and final packing to go home. The Hunis came to the airport to see the Holthes off. We were so happy Dan and Tammy were able to meet them and see why we love the Hunis so much.

 
President and Sister Tuione were at the airport saying goodbye to a sister missionary who completed her mission and was going home to Fiji. The Tuione's love their missionaries. Of course, they draw close to them while they serve. They try to see each of their missionaries off when they complete their missions. Sister Korinamoa was on the same flight as Dan and Tammy. They will get to visit on the plane and a bit at the airport in Fiji, as Holthes have a layover there. Sister Korinamoa had a ukalele which she gave to Tammy for her children.


Thank you Dan and Tammy for coming to visit us. Family means so much to us and your visit has rejuvenated us. Six months left. How wonderful it would be if someone else surprised us with a visit.


Dan has finished dental school and Tammy came for Dan's graduation which will be Tuesday in Australia. They get to spend a few days with their friends in Australia and then return home. The family will be together; dental school has been a huge sacrifice and has had its challenges, but the Holthe family has made it through and now their new adventure begins.
                Families can be together forever