Kenny & Becky Kapp: Our Queen Turns 80

Sister Heather Coombs
Queen of the Senior Missionaries

This week we were fortunate to be able to be part of a big surprise for one of our senior missionary sisters as Sister Coombs turned 80 on Friday. Elder Coombs had been planning a big surprise with their children who live in Australia. They decided it would be fun for them to visit Tonga for the week.

We met them at the airport and helped get them to their hotel on Monday. Then, at our Family Home Evening they showed up and surprised her. There were many moving parts that came together and I was a little bit surprised that everyone was able to keep it secret. In the end the family had a joyous reunion and are excited to be here to visit and see the sights of Tonga.

The Coombs are from England via Australia (for the past 35 years) so we made up a special invitation to a dinner and dance that will happen on Friday night (the actual day of her birthday). Since the Coombs are from England they often quip that we don't actually speak english so we made up the following invitation.

All of this translates to a pot-luck dinner followed by a dance. After dinner our promenade was a 60's stroll performed to the tune "Duke of Earl" which was the kick-off our 60's sock hop. As you can see, the "American English" version at the bottom is not quite as verbose and the Tongan (interspersed with English) version on the bottom line is the best of all ... dinner (umu) and dance (haka - not really a dance but close enough), at dusk (la'atō.) over there (loki fakataha - pointing with a slight head nod and raised eyebrows).

Chris Mataele, Timote (Mote) Kau, Sister Kapp, Sione Sopu
and Mosese (Mo) Tua'one

Liahona also had their Alumni week and people from Tonga and many other Pacific islands as well as Australia, New Zealand and the United States were here. We even had visits from some of our missionaries who have finished their missions and returned home. Becky prepared a quick lunch of 8 hamburgers along with chips and salsa. They must have all remembered their mission training as they all wanted bottled water to drink. It was fun to see them and catch up on their lives since their departure. We really appreciated that they took the time to come visit us. It really brightened our day and made us feel special.

Front doors to 12 Seafoods

We found a new restaurant on the wharf road. Well it isn't actually new, it's just new for us. It is hidden on the water side of a warehouse and can't be seen from the road. There is a sign painted on the side of the warehouse that you can see from the road "12 Seafoods" but we didn't know it was a restaurant. When we heard it had good fish and chips we had to check it out. Once we did locate it we were pleasantly surprised at the cleanliness and the quality of the fish and chips. I would say that it is the best fish and chips on the island however, there are a few places that give it a run for the money.

This is the Ferry to 'Eua just as it is leaving (referenced below).

Seketi Foko - owner and
operator of 12 Seafoods.

We were able to meet the owner Seketi Foko (photo on the right), who joined us for a few minutes to see who we were and where we were from. It seems she and her husband both retired from a government job a while ago at the age of 60 and wanted something to do so she opened their restaurant. The photo just above shows the entrance which is two large warehouse doors that open everything up to the dock. We could see the Ferry to 'Eua as it left loaded with people and cars.

Lepeka at our table in 12 Seafoods

Our fish today was from Yellowfin tuna and was cooked perfectly. The fish type can vary from day to day depending on the catch of the day. We're still not sure how the restaurant actually got its name but there were 12 items on the menu written on the small blackboard. Maybe next time we'll ask as I'm sure we'll be back often and soon over the next 4 months.

Our Chicken saga continues

Feeding time! Every once in a while there's a little spat over
food territory but for the most part they are pretty accepting.

We now have the hen with the 8 chicks of which all 8 are still alive after one whole week (we've been trying to run the cats away every chance we get so hopefully they'll start looking elsewhere for their 'free meal'. We also have 5 other chickens that frequent our front yard diner. If we're not out with food by 7:30 a.m. the crowing starts. There are many other chickens around the campus here but these seem to have adopted us. The mother hen and her babies will come right up to us but the others still keep their distance. We'll try to get a photo of them with us there by them. Maybe we'll see if they will eat from our hands.

On a personal note: This week marked the passing of my uncle Doug, Douglas Colton Perry from Provo. It is hard to be so far away and have such a desire to hug his wife (my aunt) and kids (my cousins) and to let them know how much I loved him and how special he was to me. I know he is experiencing joyous reunions with ancestors who have passed on before but he will leave a hole in my heart for a while. He has been quite sick for a while and I know that it is looked on as a blessing but uncle Doug will be missed.

Much loved and liked by all. Ofa 'atu Uncle Doug!

Elder Kavaefiafi from Australia
and ElderTuione from Oakland, Ca.
(a more natural pose)

Elder Kavaefiafi from Australia
and ElderTuione from Oakland, Ca.

Catholic Church in Vaotu'u

The latest HEFY project home in Vaotu'u. These groups do an amazing job
and really change the lives of the people they build homes for. This was a
very large group but they were all busy working.