Only in Tonga- part 2

Sister Bean and I spend our mornings at the Welfare office at Ma’ufanga/Toliki.  This office is on the waterfront just across the street from the ocean.  The road is lined on the water side of the street with tall coconut palm trees.  One morning we were looking out from our office that faces the ocean when we saw a mini dump truck pull up on the other side of the road with 4 young men in the back.  Shortly thereafter one of these young men was climbing up one of the trees.  I went out to watch as this particular tree was probably 40 plus feet tall.  I thought he would stop below the crown of the tree and knock the coconuts off to the waiting crew below, who throw them in the back of the truck.  To my amazement he knocked aside fronds in the way and climbed up on top of the tree and proceeded to knock the coconuts down by kicking them with his feet.  He then climbed down and the whole crew moved 50 feet down the road to another tall coconut tree, where the process was repeated.

Another day Sister Ben and I looked out our office window and saw some quite large guys saunter by with athletic shoes in their hands.  Most were wearing the same kind of jersey.  Then it dawned on me that it was the Fiji National rugby team in Tonga for a tournament.  They were staying in a hotel just down the beach and they were going down the way to work out.  On their way back Sister Bean and I ran out and met some of them.  We took a picture with a couple players and wished them good luck.  They did indeed win the tournament beating Samoa and Tonga in the process.  The Bishop of our ward, Bishop Fifita, was a member of the Fijian National rugby team and then Tonga’s National team for 11 years.  He is a stout fellow and looks the part.  He is also an outstanding Bishop.

There are no real serious holidays in Tonga in the fall.  They don’t celebrate Halloween or Thanksgiving.  So, starting in September they start to play Christmas music on the radio and TV.  We think we start early in the states, but Tonga leads the league.  Sister Bean and I were sitting at our office one morning last month when we started doing the shimmy.  The blinds started swaying back and forth and it wasn’t because of the wind.  Yep.  We had just been in an earthquake.  We had known of another earthquake the month before that we did not feel, so I decided to check.  Tonga averages an earthquake a day.  There had been over 300 so far in the year.  Thankfully nothing too big that would create a tsunami.  Because the high point on the whole island is only 290 feet, a tsunami would be devastating.  As I sat there looking out at the ocean after the earthquake, I had thoughts of wondering where the earthquake had originated and was there a big wave headed our way.  Thankfully it was not big enough to create one.

Sister Bean stopped by the post office on the way to our office not long ago at about 8:40 am. The post office opens at 8:30 AM.  She mailed a post card and a letter for a fellow senior missionary.  She then asked if she could buy some stamps.  The guy at the window said just a minute and left the window and went into the back room.  After about 5 minutes the fellow had not returned so Sister Bean read the sign on the counter that says to ring bell for service.  Only there was no bell.  She yelled,” You who,” and the guy eventually came back.  He told her the woman who sells the stamps was late and would not be in for 10-15 minutes.  Cath asked if someone else could sell her the stamps.  He repeated that the only woman to sell stamps was not in yet.  This is the only post office on this island.  Evidently there is only one person who sells stamps at the post office.  A day later I went to buy the stamps.  There were several people at the window.  When I asked about stamps they yelled in the back and a nice lady came and sold me 10 stamps.  

Sister Bean and I teach the Gospel Doctrine class in Sunday School.  During one of our lessons about the house of Israel and the remnant in the Americas I asked the class about their heritage.  They fully believe they come from the House of Israel that was in the Americas.  They believe they come from those people that left in Hagoth’s ships and were not heard from again.  Their Patriarchal blessings have their lineage through Manasseh.  

Sister Bean signed up to feed the missionaries who are in our ward for a Monday.  Fully expecting them to come to dinner Monday night Cath planned a nice meal of mama’s chicken, one of our boy’s favorites.  She even had rice and corn and another veggie, fruit, plus bread.  However, we found out Sunday if you sign up for feeding the missionaries you feed them during the day as well.  So we took them food in the morning on the way into work too.  

Elder Groom is a big guy from the states.  Elder Halaliku is a Tongan from West Valley, Utah and not very big at all.  We figured Elder Groom would really put away the groceries.  Were we wrong.   Elder Groom put a nice portion on his plate, while Elder Halaliku piled it on like there was no tomorrow.  I looked at the pan of mama’s chicken and thought we’d still have some nice leftovers for later in the week.  Wrong.  Elder Halaliku finished off his plate of food that was literally 3 inches high, and proceeded to fill his plate again only a little higher, cleaning out the chicken, rice, and corn.  He had earlier cleaned up the bread and most of the fruit.  A few minutes later Elder Halaliku was cleaning the last of his plate.  Sister Bean was started to put away a couple slices of apple that was left and Elder Halaliku asked if he could have those as well.  We served them ice cream for dessert, and yes, Elder Halaliku piled it on.  My jaw was on the table.  Unbelievable!  Cath and I have laughed over and over about Elder Halaliku.  In speaking to the mission office couple Elder Halaliku has spent the first year of his mission on little islands in the north country, and had not had the opportunity to eat good American type food.  The night at the Beans is now legendary throughout the mission.

The mission has had a terrific year in convert baptisms.  The mission baptized about 1,000 in 2011.  They are on pace to baptize 1,100 in 2012.  When you consider that there are only 100,000 or so people in the whole country, and ½ of them are already members, they are baptizing 2% of the available non members in the kingdom each year.  Unbelievable!  The missionaries live in MQ’s(missionary quarters).  They are very small independent little huts usually in the yards of members.  No hot water or air conditioning.  They wash their clothes in a bucket.  They are all on foot except the zone leaders.  There are only about 10 cars in the whole mission.  The members feed the missionaries each day 2 meals.  Because the nation is poor and not many have cars, the Church has built lots of meetinghouses all over the islands.  There is a building in about every little area/village.  They are the nicest buildings in Tonga, and the temple is the nicest building by far.  These missionaries are pretty special.

In a more serious note, Sister Bean and I visited a beautiful part of the island known as the Pigeon Hole or Land Bridge.  It is a very pretty spot on the coast where there is a hole that the ocean has created going inland at the base of the cliffs.  There is another canyon like hole on the other side of the land bridge that meets the ocean as it roars through the cliff.  The canyon like hole is very steep and is probably 100-150 feet deep where the ocean comes in.  

The nursing students from BYU Idaho used to come to Tonga during the summer to provide service at the hospital.  Several years ago, a nursing professor and her husband took about 20 of these nursing students to the land bridge.  It is said the professor thought one of the students was getting too close to the edge and stepped forward to pull her back.  The earth gave way and she fell into the hole.  She hit the rocks below and then the ocean.  Her body was never recovered.  The tide was going out at the time and recovery was unsuccessful.  BYU Idaho has not been back since. This was a very sad event that everyone in Tonga knows about.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We took the morning off and got together with the other senior missionary couples and a few other people and had a full turkey dinner.  There were 24 of us.  We cooked one of the three turkeys and made gravy.  I also made a Dixie Salad with Craisins instead of pomegranates.  All of the couples brought their favorite Thanksgiving dishes.  We had mashed potatoes, stuffing, apple and pecan pies etc.  It was very nice to meet together and give thanks for all of our blessings.  Our family is really being blessed while we serve here in Tonga.  We miss them all, but love serving.  I’m attaching some photos that go with this.