Building Houses

One of the main concerns when Cyclone Gita struck 12 February 2018 was shelter. Short-term this was addressed with tents and tarps/plastic. We are now in the long-term plan. LDS Charities and Self Reliance along with Preisthood Projects have partnered with CARE Australia, Tonga Skills (funded by Australia), Tonga Institute of Science and Technology (TIST), MORDI, and Caritas (Catholic Church) for this project.

More than 250 houses will be built by 124 trainees. Each of the students will receive tool kits and safety gear valued at $1000 TOP for the project, which they will keep. Working alongside master tradesmen, the trainees will start building in November and continue through to February. They will receive certificate II in Carpentry from TIST. These students will then be able to find employment in carpentry, although many will go on to first earn certificate 3. These certificates are recognized not only in Tonga but also Australia and New Zealand.

Mobile mill used to cut coconut trees for use in building

Downed coconut trees have been logged and cut into timber to be used for the project. 






Some homes have already been built by men in the church. Each stake was asked to build a certain number of homes based on the amount of damage in that stake. The new project takes building of homes to a much larger scale. Homes will continue to be built throughout Tongatapu and 'Eua.

Francis Howes and Cynthia Ojiambo of Tonga Skills try on safety equipment

Tool kits arrived in a shipment this week. Representatives from the partners were present when LDS Charities unloaded the container with the help of missionaries. The boxes will be stored in our warehouse until Monday when the students will receive their kits. Each student will receive a tool belt, safety helmet, safety boots, tool box filled with tools including hammer, hand saw, screwdrivers, wrenches, etc. Tonga Skills has said they will also provide some power tools.

Students assembled for a discussion of the project and were shown the tool kits they will receive.

The students listened attentively as the partners addressed them. They learned how the project came to be and what is expected of them.

Students will be given life skills as they participate in this house-building project. They will be able to support their families.

Front row: Verna Tukuafu (Self Reliance), Talanoa Hafoka (TIST principal), Francis Howes (Tonga Skills), student, Cynthia Ojiambo (Tonga Skills), Elder K. Brett Nattress (Pacific Area Presidency), Elder 'Aisake Tukuafu (Area Seventy), President Etuate Toutai (Welfare agent stake president), Silongo Samani (Country Welfare Manager), Sister Thomson (LDS Charities), President Fifita (Liahona Stake)

Elder K. Brett Nattress (General Authority Seventy) was in Tonga when the tool kits arrived. We were pleased to hear from him at the meeting with students. Elder Nattress recited a family story. When his grandmother was a young girl, the family had come on hard times. The grandmother age 11 and a younger sister worked at a store. At the end of the day they swept the floor and picked up the crumbs to take home to eat. A lady noticed the girls, took them rice pudding, and saw their potential. She taught them to read and write, and later helped them fulfill their dream to move to America. Elder Nattress told the students they are now that person. They have been given tools to help others.

Elder Nattress also reiterated the parable of the Talents, wherein we are instructed to increase our talents. Elder Nattress encouraged the students to use the talents and skills they are being given in this project to bless not only their own lives but also the lives of others.

       Learning is a treasure that follows its owner everywhere.

                                                                              Chinese Proverb

Tongan Cooking with Elder/Sister Olive

We are blessed to have several Tongan missionary couples in our mission. The Olives approached us to do traditional Tongan cooking for a senior activity. Great idea! There is a large umu in Mission President Sione Tuione's back yard; Elder Olive got permission to use this for our cooking.

First step is to start the fire in the umu with wood. We then added coals and let them get hot. In this photo, Elder Olive is warming the banana leaves so they will be pliable later on when we place them over our lu.












While the umo got  ready to be filled, we visited on the patio, grated coconut and squeezed the fresh grated coconut for coconut cream to add to our lu. Fresh coconut cream makes all the difference in the taste. Elder Thomson grated quite a bit of the coconut we all used.

Each couple brought ingredients for lu ... meat, tomato, onion, manioke (supplied by Olives), mushrooms. The Olives had gathered taro and banana leaves.

Sister Olive, Sister/Brother Evans

Coombs

To make lu, we put meat or fish and vegetables on top of taro leaves. We next folded the taro leaves neatly and tied them with banana stem. We devised ways to identify our lu. Hudsons  tied theirs in a mattress suture. We just put the stem straight across the tie, not fancy but we knew it was ours.

Sister Heiner

Some of us then stuffed squash with manioke, tomato, onion, and again fresh-squeezed coconut cream. We identified ours with a T carved in the shell. I never had thought of stuffing squash before, but this was really good!

It was time to fill the umu! -
lu wrapped in banana leaves and squash wrapped in foil - traditionally it would have also been wrapped in banana leaves.

Elder Olive carefully covered the food with banana leaves to add flavor and hold the heat in. The banana leaves were then covered with a metal lid which then was covered with wet fabric to hold the heat in and smoke the food.


All that was left was the cooking...about 2 hours for everything to be done and the flavors all mixed together. Again a great time was had visiting and telling stories. The Va'enukus arrived ... they had been picking up missionaries including President and Sister Tuione at the airport. We had made them lu so they did not go hungry. The squash was shared by all.
       Everyone helped remove the steaming banana leaves... very carefully not to get burned. Then it was time to eat ...   DELICIOUS!

This was such a fun activity. Thank you Olives for teaching us to cook Tongan style.

“Every person you meet knows something you don’t; learn from them.”

                                                                   —H Jackson Brown Jr.

Liahona High School Graduation 2018

We were privileged to attend Liahona High School graduation and dance this year. We did not go last year as we had only been here a few months and did not know any of the students. This year, we have grown close with the boys from Papua New Guinea and know others from our ward, and our country welfare manager's daughter.

The dance was held the Friday before graduation. Unlike at home, parents are encouraged to come and the students dance with their parents. Teachers and missionary couples also are invited.

The March pictured here is a traditional start of the ball. The excitement builds as the honored couple begins 2x2, couples join and they march around the room. Then they go down the middle, break off, and become 4x4, then 8x8, etc. It is fun to participate in The March. Excitement grows as the line gets longer.






Melenaite Samani, our country welfare manager's (Silongo) daughter  was the head girl for the class. Silongo is fun to work with and we were happy we got to take picture of him dancing with his daughter.

We also took pictures of a few of our Papua New Guinea boys. They have become friends. Monte is found visiting with them after church and they come find him to sit with during priesthood. Several times these boys have stopped in at our house. Once they had been out late and missed dinner. They had purchased some "top ramen." They knocked on our door about 9:30 and asked if they could boil some water. We let them in and they had their "dinner."       

Alfred Mathew, head boy

Mandella Douglas

Graduation was this week. Our office was closed so we were able to go to the ceremony. It is just like graduation anywhere else. The graduates seat in front, speeches are made, and cheers abound as the students are handed their diplomas.

Like students everywhere, the students wore the school colors of Liahona (green and white) with pride. I liked one of the statements made by the dux..."Success is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." It is following ideas such as this that the students will succeed as they go out into the world.

We were able to get a pictures of one of the PNG boys. They move through with their diplomas so fast that I was not prepared to take pictures as the other guys came through.

Another tradition in Tonga is piling leis on the graduates. These are made with candy and money. Sometimes the value is several hundred dollars.

Where is the graduate? 

Jack Benson and Bernice Rome

Mandella Douglas

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."
                                                                                                                  Henry David Thoreau

Food Delivery in Lavengatonga

We found out from Huni of a family living in an old bus in Lavengatonga. Father and 11-year-old son have returned from New Zealand; mom has gone back to New Zealand for the rest of the children. Christian (dad) and Tevita are living here in Lavengatonga. They have only been here a week or 2. Christian has not found work yet. He told us "Sometimes we don't have food. We will go 2-3 days without any food."

Bus family is living in.

We are very thankful Huni told us about this family. They just need help until Christian can find a job here in Tonga. Since all we knew was that they were living in a bus, in addition to food items we also purchased other items we thought they would need -- towels, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, mosquito coils. The Coombs gave us toilet paper, paper towels, and paper plates to take to this family.

Mom comes home in a couple weeks. Tevita is going to be baptized the end of the month when Mom returns back to Tonga. We are looking forward to attending his baptism. In the meantime, we will be back to check on their food needs. They do not need to go without food! We can help.

Elder Thomson, Christian, Sione (Tevita's friend), Siser Thomson, Tevita, Sister Huni

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do.

                                                                                                                                     Philippians 4:9

Popua GPS

The PTA President of Popua GPS came to our office a few weeks ago asking for help at their government primary school.We went to the school to assess the needs. The school is in much need of painting. School furniture is needed. Some children sit on the floor during classes; they do not have desks or chairs. These students sit on mats on the floor.

The teachers also need new chairs. We saw several which look ready to fall to the floor. This one at the right was leaning against the wall, and looked like it would crumble when someone sat on it. We brought the teachers rolling hydraulic chairs.

     
World Service Day was coming up. Havelu LDS Middle School elected to paint Popua GPS as their service project this year. In the past they have usually cleaned up the neighborhood around Havelu Middle School. They wanted to do a bigger more meaningful project this year, and it was elected to paint the school in Popua. The students worked really hard Friday morning. Members of Tonga Stake completed the painting on Saturday. What a difference a little paint makes!

Monday LDS Charities brought 32 desks and chairs for class 5, and 9 small tables with 54 little chairs for class 1 and 2 classrooms. It was these young children who had mostly been sitting on the floor. These furnishing will provide a much more comfortable learning environment for these little ones.

Of course, class 6 boys were eager to help unload the truck!





We popped in on Tuesday and found the children at lunch recess. When they saw us, they clamored to their rooms and sat on their new chairs at the pretty orange tables. There are 27 students in each of the class 1 and 2 rooms.

They gave us 5 and sang a couple songs of gratitude...."Thank you, thank you" and also "Jesus loves Me."

They said "We are so happy for chairs!"







At the handover ceremony, a brother and sister danced. The children learn the traditional Tongan dancing young. We always are amazed at the talents the students show at these handover ceremonies.

The grade 5 class read a poem they wrote of thankfulness. 

All the children sang several songs.

And of course there were talks by the Deputy Minister of Education, the school principal, and Elder and Sister Thomson.

We know there are more needs for desks and chairs. We will keep our eyes open and hopefully earmark some more for this school with our next delivery in 2019.

Popua is an area of much poverty. There are homes made of corrugated roofing, others made with what types of wood they can find to nail together to provide some shelter. We are very happy to help this village. The children are so fun to be around. They are happy. They say they love school. I hope they always will.

Every day of our lives we are given opportunities to show love and kindness to those around us. 
 President Thomas S. Monson                                                                                                       

Prevention of Childhood Obesity

Our projection School Gardens and Prevention of Childhood Obesity has been approved. We are partnered with Ministry of Health (MoH)- Healthy Promotions Unit and The World Health Organization (WHO). This program started last year with 8 preschools.This year there are 11 schools. LDS Charities is providing for 3 preschools - Kologna, Folaha, and Upper Room Kindergarten in Ha'ateiho.

We are excited about this project. Diabetes and other NCDs continue to rise in Tonga. Overweight and obesity are modifiable risk factors, with unhealthy eating and physical inactivity major contributing factors. Tonga Global Health Survey 2017 indicates 55% of Tonga young population already overweight. A significant change in diet and exercise is needed to change this trend.

MoH is directing their efforts toward young children to improve health knowledge, attitude, and behavior by promoting healthy eating and physical activity at early childhood education centers and also to increase access to healthy food and water. We have been asked to help bring forward their plan for vegetable gardening, healthy eating at school, drinking water rather than sugary drinks, and exercise equipment to promote physical activity. 

We visited a preschool in Fangaloto that benefited from the project last year. They were so excited to see us (even though we did not provide equipment to them -- WHO did). They sang songs to us with much gusto. 

We are in the process of getting things ordered. Each school will receive a water tank and guttering on the building. The teacher will be asked to only allow water for drinks in the school -- essentially a NO SUGAR ZONE. 

We will help teachers, children, and parents build a garden. They will plant, weed, harvest, and eat the vegetables for snacks at school. We will provide a 2-burner counter-top stove for cooking lunches.

We will provide slide, jumping balls, hula hoops, little trampoline (a foot high), a teeter totter that converts to a walking board like a balance beam, rugby and net balls.

Once all the equipment arrives from New Zealand, we will go to the schools and have a handover. We hope to set up an obstacle course with the equipment -- climb up the walking board, jump down, hop through some hula hoops, jump on the trampoline, jump off, throw balls through hula hoops, run over to the slide - climb up and slide down. Start over again. We think this will be a fun way to include the children in the handover.

This week the Prevention of Childhood Obesity Program was launched. WHO was on board for this project before we were asked to help so their equipment has arrived and they wanted to get it to their schools. We were invited to the launch as it is for the whole program. We were very pleased the launch was at Ma'amalo Kindergarten because it is connected to the Methodist School we did a project in last October. Good memories, friendships renewed.

        

WHO Dr Yutaro Setoya

Ma'amalo Kindergarten

As we lose ourselves in the service of others we discover our own lives and our own happiness.                                                                                         Dieter F Uchtdorf