Dodging Pigs

Bob and I were up very early and got to the mission home at 7:30 AM.  We went with the zone leaders, Elder Rose and Elder Pau’u to deliver money to the elders and sisters in their zone.  They are allotted $90.00 per month.  A senior missionary couple always goes with the zone leaders to deliver the money.  They drove along the east side of the island, which we hadn’t seen much of.  There were 3 sets of sister missionaries, and I was able to deliver money to them. Bob and the zone leaders delivered to the elders.   We also checked to make sure their phones and DVD players were working.  

The missionaries live in what we call MQ’s (missionary quarters).  They are very small homes consisting of a small living area, a bedroom and a bathroom. The MQ’s are usually on a member’s property.   The MQ’s do not have kitchens and they do not have warm water.  There is a water tank near the MQ’s which provides cold water for them.  The missionaries eat two meals a day with the members.  They do not normally eat lunch.   The main course that the members cook can be a dog.  Most of the missionaries I talk to really like cooked dog.  That includes the missionaries from America.   

I took a photo of the missionary’s washing machine.  It is a bucket and a PVC pipe.  They put cold water in the bucket, and use the PVC pipe to wash their dirty clothes by hand.  Then they hang them out on the clothesline to dry like we do. The missionary’s clothes always look very neat and clean.  The MQ’s are always inside a gate.  There is a very large cement block that you need to climb over to open the gate.  I was wearing an A-line shirt, and it was a challenge to climb over the cement block. I told the missionaries I should have worn my hurdling skirt.   

I asked the missionaries why the MQ’s all have those cement blocks in front of the gate.  They said it was so the pigs won’t get in their yard and eat everything.  We did see pigs running all over.  You see large pigs in the streets, and lots of little pigs.  Roasted pigs are always served at special occasions.  At one MQ that was in a member’s yard, there were 2 return missionaries roasting a whole pig on a stick over a fire.  The sad thing was that there was a pigpen right behind them that had lots of pigs in it.  The pigs in the pigpen could actually see the other pig being roasted.  I wondered what they were thinking.  It could not be good.  

People over here cook in the ground.  You can see smoke from outdoor kitchens all the time. Last week Bob and I were driving down a bumpy road on the way home from the airport.  We heard a very loud bam on the passenger side car door.  We could not figure out what we hit.  Bob looked in the rear view mirror and saw a black chicken wobble across the street.  It had flown right into our car door.  It left a black mark, but no dent.  We just hope we don’t hit a big pig.  There are also lots of dogs running all over.  Bob does a real good job of driving on the left side of Tonga’s bumpy roads, dodging pigs, chickens and dogs.  

   We are really enjoying our time in Tonga.  It is a privilege to be missionaries.  We certainly appreciate the things we take for granted in the USA.  I am attaching some pictures of our trip with the missionaries.

Love, Sister Bean