Ako Fakakakato!

Signing you name to a white shirt is
probably the equivalent of yearbook
signing in the U.S.

Thursday was the last day of school for the year as Summer Break has finally arrived in Tonga.  It was fun to see the kids all out on the front lawn signing shirts and saying their goodbyes.  School will start again near the end of January.  We will enjoy the peace and quite while they are gone but we will also miss seeing them every day.  They are so friendly and treat us so well.

Front lawn of Liahona was swarming
with HS students on the last afternoon
of school for the year.
Aho Fakakakato (Schools out) 

Lest anyone think it is all fun and games here, we had 21 PCs arrive on Friday for the Family History Centers so that should make for some happy genealogists.  We will be deploying them over the next few weeks to various Centers around the island.  It will be a little additional work as we also go through the disposal process for the old PCs as they are at end of life.

We will also do our best to work through some of the ongoing issues around internet connectivity and reliability.  I am having to go about it a little bit differently now as I am on my own but in some ways it does make it easier to get something done.  There will also be an opportunity or two to teach the Family Search program at a few locations around the island.  This is one area where at least we have been able to get some traction related to helping with technology.  The genealogy team here and in Salt Lake City are excited to have some outside help to get them deployed in a timely manner.

Just the beginning of pineapple season.
These are pretty small, about the size of a
softball, but they cheap and very juicy and
soooo tasty!

We understand that pineapple season is just around the corner and we are so excited as the pineapple are so sweet and tasty (without the acid that we are used to).  Even the center of the core is edible and the juice is great in smoothies.  We bought these three for $5 TOP (about $2.50 USD) but they get much cheaper once they really start to come on.  During the off season we can pay $20 TOP for one large pineapple (about $10 USD).  These are one thing we will definitely miss when we return to the U.S.

Young kittens next door behind the
dentists home.

There are a few cats around the campus here with the chickens.  I guess they are harder to keep out than pigs and dogs so the few that are here pretty much have free reign.  One of the cats had a litter of kittens behind the dentists home about a week ago.  Sister Hudson started to put out milk for them but keeps getting hissed at by the kittens.  They don't seem to be very appreciative of the free food.

I also got a good short video of Peg (our one footed chicken).  You can see why we named her Peg, especially as she crosses the sidewalk.  It was sad when we realized that she had lost all of her baby chicks (probably to those ungrateful cats).  We weren't as sad to discover that the rooster (with no concept of day and night either moved on or has been invited to dinner somewhere (as the main course)).

"Peg" the one-footed chicken.

We have enjoyed getting to know the Gardners (our temporary Dentist for the past three weeks).  They had a one week overlap with the new dental clinic directors, the Hudson's.  They are from Spokane Washington and we enjoyed introducing them to Tonga.   The Gardners (Randy and JoAnn standing) and Elder Hudson (clinging to his leg) were able to have a one week over-lap which gave them some time to better organize the clinic (above photos).  Photo on the right L>R, Elder Hudson, Randy and JoAnn Gardner, Sister Hudson.  Sister Hudson is a Dental Hygienist and will also spend some time working in the clinic.

We took both of these couples to Oholei resort for some Tongan food and entertainment.  We have been there before and we enjoy the food, the atmosphere and the entertainment.  I've shared a few photos from the dinner followed by the entertainment which happens nearby in a cave on the beach.

The Tongan Buffet

No Tongan feast is complete without the Puaka (pig).

Plates are made from the stalk of the banana plant.  They did have a fork for us to use
but Tongans eat with their fingers so it was just something they have added for us outsiders.
The "table cloth" (use air quotes) is a banana leaf.  This is the first time we have had pumpkin
here.  Dessert was bread pudding.  I passed on the ota ika (raw fish) and the octopus.

Our security guards for the evening.  The one on the left works at the Hospital by day.
I don't think they are protecting us from anything as this is pretty remote.  Perhaps they
are protecting the island from some unruly outsiders ... sister Kapp can get pretty wild.

One of the dancers caught mid-step.  This is pretty entertaining and the cave
setting makes it wonderful!

Here he dances to protect his fair maiden.

Our pre-dinner entertainment.  The resort owner plays a ukulele and sings
while the others back him up.  They do a few Tongan songs but mostly some
oldie but goodie 60's and 70's music.

This is the highlight of the entertainment, the fire-dancers. 

I only have a few short clips and they were taken in a dark cave.

This is the owners 6 year old grandson who is learning the trade.

All-in-all it was a great week.  We have our new neighbors for the next year and they are a lot of fun.  A few of the new missionaries are having some minor adjustment issues here and there but it looks like the ones who have been here for 2 months now are settling in and adjusting well.  It does take patience as they learn the language but it is still amazing how fast they do learn it.  We have been able to get to know some of them pretty well and we are grateful for that.  It brings a little bit of home here as we do our best to be "grandparents" to them and it makes us feel useful.  Oh how we love our missionaries and the powerful testimonies they share through their service.

One final photo ...

This is a photo of a Spider in one of the Sister missionaries bathrooms.
Not the biggest ones we've seen here but the others were all outside.

Parade Daredevils

Youth standing atop an airplane entry to the parade.

The Tax Revenue Day Parade.  We have seen more parades in the past month than the rest of our stay here combined.  To the best of our knowledge this parade was for Tax Revenue Day (whatever that means) and has something to do with the upcoming election.  This parade may have been the largest one we have seen in Tonga and there have been many lately.   It may have seemed that way due to the fact that we parked on the street before we knew it was coming and were stuck there until it ended.  They didn't block off the road and if there was a break in the parade others would drive off.  I couldn't bring myself to do that so we waited until the end.

Another Parade entry.  Parades always
bring lots of music and dancing.  There
is also lots of hootin' and hollerin' and
plenty of smiles to go around.

We also encountered a parade last Saturday but we were just driving through town and somehow made it through during the parade.  We drove through the intersection before we really knew it was a parade (right in front of the military entry).  Others were doing it as well so I guess it was okay.  No one tried to stop us or yelled or came running after us.  I didn't get any photos of that one so these are both Tax Revenue Day Parade entries.  I think they are trying to draw attention to the fact that they spend the tax dollars wisely.

This Military marching band was the first entry in the parade.

Elder and Sister Hudson  - the new
Dentist and Dental Hygenist at Abel
Tasman's landing

Osi ha'u ae Toketā Ngaohi Nifo fo'ou (the new Dentist has arrived)!  We have thoroughly enjoyed the temporary dentists that have served here during the interim since the John's left in July but at last the new permanent dentist has arrived (one year mission).  Elder and Sister Hudson from Washington State (Spokane) are here for the next year.  We have enjoyed showing them around and orienting them to Tonga as we got to know them better  They are going to be a great addition to the senior couples group here.  They bring lots of energy and great fun personalities.

Elder Hudson (Washington State)
getting fitted for his first Tupenu.

It is amazing the instant connection you feel to the other couples serving here.  We miss those couples who have finished up their service and returned home.  They will be lifelong friends and the community stays in touch with them all.  We also love our young missionaries.  We enjoy our interactions with them and it is fun to see them progress as they serve.  We get to laugh and cry with them and hopefully provide a touch of home for those serving far away from their loved ones.  We are grateful for their health and their testimonies.  We look forward to keeping track of them through the years as well and hope to be able to attend homecomings and weddings as they each move on to the next chapters of their lives.

We also had our senior couples dinner prepared by the cooking students at Liahona High school on Friday evening.  It was part of their final grade and there were people there to judge the food quality and presentation.   There was plenty of palangi food with a few Tongan dishes as well.

The Cooking class staff and our meal.

Presented in the Liahona HS cafeteria.

The dance in the gymnasium.

There was also a dance going on across the street in the gymnasium  so we were able to catch that for a few minutes after dinner.  Here are a couple of photos from the dance.  We were the recipient of several smiles and chuckles as we snuck in and took a couple of photos and were caught movin' to the beat on the sidelines.

A cute little girl at the dance.

These are some photos we took on Saturday.  We (all the senior missionary couples) went down to the coast (about 3K from here) to watch the sunset and see the waves crash into the coastline.  It's actually quite peaceful and Lepeka and I go there quite often.




























These last few photos are not for the fainthearted and they are very graphic in nature so you may want to turn your head away now.

Lepeka at the market on Saturday buying vegetables.

More veggies ... I know you're thinking, what is she going to do
with all of those vegetables ... I kid you not, we actually eat them.
I find it hard to believe myself but so far I am still able to find
enough good food that I can choke them down  (hehe).

Some flowers at the market.  I was relieved to discover that they were not on the
dinner menu.  Maybe if I was a little better husband they would have been on the
dinner table though.  Maybe I'll surprise Lepeka next week.

Skinny = Ugly

We had to get a photo of this.  It really makes
you want to keep close track of your pen.

Walking around campus last week, the Gardners (temporary dentist couple) discovered a sign in the window of one of the classrooms.  It started with "Lost your pen = No pen", and ends with "Sickness = Death.  It's hard to argue against any of the step-by-step logic, and I think the math is all correct.  I especially liked the skinny = ugly line (no offense to all you skinny people, I don't write the rules I just get to warp them to coincide with my way of thinking).  That really seems to be the thinking over here and I continue to be royal and healthy (translation - not skinny).  

Okay here's a little bit of fun for you.  You might even have to break out your Buck Rogers decoder ring.  Try pronouncing the words out loud so you can understand part of the challenge we face.

Our pongipongi started out with an ‘a'ahi to Elder Vakautakakala.   We then proceeded to faka'uli Elder Tukuhaukava to Vaiola fale mahaki for a faka'ata of his hui tu'a.  

Two things come to mind; 

1. I sincerely apologize to my Tongan friends for the Tongan/English mix (I should be doing better with the language by now).  
2. At least our Tongan vocabulary is actually growing and the names are getting easier for us to pronounce.

For reference:

• pongipongi       =  morning
• 'a'ahi                 =  visit
• Vakautakakala  =  a name you can't say without spraining your tongue.
• faka'uli              =  drive
• Tukuhaukava   =  another name ... I call him Elder Malomi (dimples).
• faka'ata            =  xray
• hui tu'a             =  back
• Vaiola fale mahaki  =  Vaiolo hospital

Putting all that together in a Tongan sentence structure is where we really struggle.  We are thinking of hiring a Tongan tutor to work with us once or twice a week for a little while to see if we're teachable.  We'll see how that goes.

Speaking of the fali mahaki (hospital), here are a couple of photos of the billboard campaign that is going on around the island related to smoking.  We don't see very many people smoking but there certainly are some and their campaign may help prevent some of the young kids from smoking.  These billboard ads seem a little bit graphic (too graphic to post here) but I guess they are trying to make a strong point.  If you're interested in seeing them send me a self-addressed self-stamped email and I'll send you a couple of photos (that way you have to work for them).

Cars with severely broken windshields are everywhere.  We
understand it is from coconuts falling from trees.  This chip in
the windshield if probably not repairable but they just keep driving
even though this one is not on the driver's side (the right
side in Tonga), we see plenty of them that are.

I have a dashboard video camera that I brought with us and have set it up even though there really didn't seem to be a need for it.  A few days ago after we parked at one of the missionary quarters I had a local Tongan come accuse me of hitting his car on the side while parking.  I was glad I had the camera to show that we were not even close.  I think he must have thought we'd give him money or something. He didn't stick around to see the video but I saved it just in case we need it and will keep it running in the car at all times now.  I guess we have a few dishonest people in just about every society.  


Tomorrow is transfers, they seem to come around too quickly.  We're pretty sure that some of the missionaries we have grown close too will be going to some of the other islands and we won't get to see them until they come back.  That is a little bit hard for us as we get so close to them but we know they'll be alright and bless the lives of others who can benefit from their spirit.  We also have our largest group of new missionaries coming in since we have been here, 20 new missionaries.  That means we will have replaced more than 25% of our missionaries in the past 2 months.  Most of the new missionaries are non native which just means more education on health is required.

Mark aka. 标记 from Mark's repair shop.

You might also recognize Mark (photo on the right) from Marks watch repair shop (we posted about him a few weeks ago).  Well, it turns out that after the watch repair to replace the second hand I found that it was now running slow and losing several minutes each day so I took it back in to get the battery replaced (hoping that would solve the problem).  It turns out that the coil inside was broken (surprise) and needed replaced.  He just happened to have one and with a grimace and $70 more dollars it could be repaired.  So now ... it does keep the correct time but the day never changes.  I think I'll live with that until we return to the states.

We also just learned that we may be getting three new senior missionary couples in the next 5-6 months.  One may be a transfer from another mission and we have two additional couples that just received their calls to Tonga.  Lepeka sees them in the medical system as soon as they have accepted their call so we're excited to have new help on the way.

The longer we are in Tonga, the more we grow to love the people and the culture.  It gives us a small glimpse of how life could be if we all genuinely learned to love our neighbors and treat them with respect and understanding.

We attended Church in Longolongo today with Elder Woods and Elder Lomu.

One of Lepeka's little Church friends.  Her smiles seem to capture their attention
wherever we go.

Maui's fish hook stands for everything that is good and promises
prosperity, strength and good luck.

Kava bowl carved from one piece of wood.  This one is on 12" floor tiles
so you can tell it's close to 24" (diameter).  The Kava ceremony is similar on
many of the Pacific islands and is described in detail by clicking here.

The carver of our Kava bowl and several of our trinkets we have purchased
to take home with us.  He also carves jewelry out of wood, cow bone and whale
bone.  He does some pretty incredible work.  He is a member of the Church but
I forgot his name so I'll add that here later.

Randy and JoAnn Gardner arriving from California.  He is a temporary Dentist
they are here for three weeks.  We have enjoyed showing them around the island.

Not Enough Candles.

We had a great time celebrating Lepeka's birthday yesterday.  She woke up early and spent most of the next 3-4 hours thanking the missionaries for her Happy birthday wishes (they either sent text messages or called and sang to her).  It is fun to see how much they genuinely care for her and freely express their gratitude for her service.  Other than that it was a pretty uneventful morning.  We went to the market and did a little bit of shopping then came home and ate lunch.  We then took the temporary dentist (for the past 2 weeks) to the airport for their flight home and picked-up the next temporary dentist (for the next 3 weeks).  Even though they are here for short periods of time it is fun to get to know them and watch them as they experience Tonga for the first time.  It reminds us of how much we have settled in and some of the things we now take for granted.

Lepeka wouldn't let me take her photo
but this is a pretty close representation.
We really know how to party!

Lepeka also picked up some chick peas today (Saturday) and made some humus.  That along with her veggie tray consisting of carrots, cucumbers and green bell peppers seemed to make her day.  She also shared it with a couple of sister missionaries who dropped in to wish her a happy birthday and they seemed to like it too.  I don't know what that means for the future of mankind but she seems pretty happy about it.  It was a wild day of visiting missionaries and traveling to and from the airport with new arrivals.  She says that her sister doesn't likes to lie about her age.  She says, "I tell them I'm 70 because I look bad for a 40 year old but great for 70".

We missed President Monson
and pray for him every day.

We really enjoyed listening to conference this week.  We missed hearing President Monson and Elder Hales speak and were saddened by the news of President Hales death.   Due to the challenges of the time differences we only caught one session live last week but have downloaded them all and have listened to them throughout the week.  We listened to several of the talks multiple times as they were so inspiring.  I think General Conferences are my favorite times of the year.  

I was in tears as I listened to Elder Hollands talk from the Saturday morning session as it hit home with how I feel.  While I always strive to be a good person and do the right things, I have often worried that others might look at my faults and judge the Church thinking, "His church can't be true since he does this and this and this.  I can assure everyone that if you judge the LDS Church by my faults it will never get a fair shake.  However, if you judge the Church by how it inspires me to be better in every facet of my life, you might get a better feel for its truthfulness.  First of all, it teaches me to Love the Lord.  Real love shown by more than just believing but by inspiring me to serve my fellowmen and exercising Faith.  It teaches me how to repent of my sins and move forward forsaking them (yes, I do have to repent of the same sins at times but I do keep getting better).  I feel so happy when I lose myself in the service of others, something again taught me throughout my life in the Church.  I am humbled to have been blessed with so much that I might be able to share with others who are in need.

I could go on and on as I strive to let the teachings of the Gospel permeate my life.  We should each look into our own lives and decide what it is that inspires us to become a better person and teaches us how and why it is important.  For me the Church is so much more than that as it also answers every question I have about where I came from; why am I here; and where am I going.  As I have progressed in my understanding of the Gospel, I am always amazed at how everything fits together so perfectly in one cosmic understanding and Eternal truth.  Some may find faults and pick apart the lives of previous and current leaders it really serves no purpose but to drag us down but in no case should that take away from the truthfulness of the Gospel.

There are so many people that could have a life changing experience if they would simply take an opportunity to prayerfully listen (or read) the messages of conference with an open heart and mind.  As mentioned before, I always love Elder Holland's talks but this one was particularly poignant to me.  I encourage my friends and family to read or listen to it.  You can access it by clicking here and either reading or listening to it.  There are so many other talks that also carried a similar theme and other inspiring messages so it is worth taking time to receive those messages as well.  

We also were able to attend the Temple this week and took advantage of the opportunity to do some initiatory work for about 12 people that Diana Hill sent to us.  This along with a few of my family names will give us plenty to do over the next couple of months.  When you don’t speak the language well enough to understand it makes you concentrate extra hard to remember everything and seems to really invite the Spirit in.

Three couples that currently serve in the office, will be leaving for home over the next 8 weeks and we will really miss them.  I'm sure we will connect with them again when we return home in 14 more months.  We have one new couple coming in but they have no computer experience and will most likely spend time shuttling missionaries around and maybe doing some MQ repair work.  The couple coming back is the Va’enukus who were here serving when we arrived and went home to the U.S. for 6 months before submitting papers for another mission with the hope of coming back to Tonga.  There is a possibility that one of the three couples going home will also be coming back in December but I guess we’ll have to wait and see how that works out.

Some of my responsibilities have changed and I will be helping out more in the Mission office as needed.  I will still spend most of my time assisting Lepeka as the missionaries and their health are our #1 priority.  Our relationships with the missionaries continue to be the highlight of our mission as well so that all works out great.  Most of them work so hard and bear powerful testimonies of the Gospel.  President and Sister Tui’one work harder than any of them and they are always on the go but they never complain.  They have their hands full but are definitely up to the task.  We hope that they feel of our love and support.  President and Sister Makai (2nd counselor in the Mission Presidency) are pretty amazing as well.  We don't see them very often as they are in Vava'u taking care of the needs of the mission in that area.

It takes forever to get computer equipment here.  We ordered some Family History computers in July that still have not arrived.  Hopefully, they will come in soon as people are getting pretty antsy to use them.  Everyone on the island has been challenged to take family names to the Temple.  It’s a struggle to improve things if you can’t even get the broken ones fixed.  I hope bringing some of the challenges to light will aid in conversations that need to take place to promote some of the changes needed here.  There are some pretty good solutions if the issues are better understood (pretty cryptic huh?).  In any case, I am feeling good about what has been done to this point and my frustrations have been lost in getting to know and love the culture and people of Tonga.

I'll conclude this week with a few photos of some to the more North American type stores that are here in Tonga.  If you select the photos you can see some of the products and prices (all prices ar in Tongan Pa'anga - about 2 to 1 for the U.S. dollar ... viz. $2.00 TOP = $1.00 USD approx).  Two different stores are represented in the photos.  Our 4 aisle Costlo, and the 2 aisle U.S.A. Store, both on the outskirts of Nuku'alofa.  Prices are for single items not bulk purchases.  We feel fortunate to have these stores here.  There are a few other stores like the U.S.A. Mini-mart and an additional U.S.A Store in Nukunuku but you get the idea from these photos of some of the products we have access to.

Costlo - Aisle #1 (front of the store)
The light from the right side is the front entrance and the cash register in
on the right (one person is in line to check-out)

Costlo - Aisle #2 (back side of isle #1)
The cold storage is in front of the person standing in the aisle.

Costlo - Aisle #3 (perpendicular to aisles #1 & #2)
No room for shopping carts only shopping baskets.

Costlo - Aisle #4 (back of isle #3)
Gotta love that Spam!

Costlo - (corner where I took the other photos from)
Cereal and chips can be pretty expensive here.

U.S.A. Store (both aisles)
I'm standing in the front doorway and Lepeka is checking out.

Lahi pea Lōlōa!

I'm not sure if this is our offensive line, our basketball team
or our Guardian Angels but in any case, we're in good hands!
L>R, Elder Lavaka (Austrailia), Elder Moala (California)
(Lepeka), Elder Mapa (Utah), Elder Fifita (California)

Lahi pea Lōlōa! (Big and Tall) 

As we were pulling up to attend one of the District conferences this past week we watched as four of our missionaries got out of a compact mission car.  I decided that I needed to get a photo of these four missionaries but wanted to make sure there was some perspective so I asked Lepeka to join them for the photo.

Our missionary friends in this photo are 6'6, 6'8, 6'5, 6'6 (in flip-flops, actual NBA height may be 2-3 inches taller) and Tongan wide.  They could be pretty intimidating to almost anyone but these young men are gentle giants (which is the Tongan way).

Peggy the Chicken

Our one-legged chicken, who we affectionately call "Peggy" (it's really just her foot that is missing) had baby chicks this past week.  We followed them around the front yard and were able to count 7 baby chicks.  It was a little bit disappointing a few days later to see that she only had 4 left.  They do a pretty good job of keeping the dogs off-campus here but there are a few cats that lounge around and we suspect that one or two of them are well fed this week.

Elder Woods surprise birthday party.  L>R Elder Wilson (Utah
Elder Vaisa (NZ), Elder Lomu (Arizona),  the birthday boy
Elder Woods (Tennessee)

Happy Birthday!

We also helped one of our missionaries mom surprise her son with a birthday cake this past week.  His birthday was actually Saturday and since we were already committed to a whale watching tour we set things up for Friday night.  We told them we had some things we needed their help with and that we would bring them their meal that night.  We also invited their zone leader to join us but asked them to keep it a surprise as well.

After looking all over for a red-velvet cake mix (his favorite) we are just about to give in and go with chocolate when Lepeka found one in our local Costlo store.  She also made sloppy-joes and baked beans and we also bought some Doritos to add to the meal. We were originally going to serve some Mac-n-cheese (one of Elder Woods favorites) but when Lepeka dumped the boxes of macaroni into the boiling water the last one had bugs in it so we settled for baked beans.  We'll get him some mac-n-cheese and get it to him one night this week.  We had fun surprising him and learned that this will be the only birthday he celebrates while in the Tonga.  He got here just after his last birthday and goes home just before his next one.  It's fun being surrogate grandparents for these missionaries and they are all so appreciative of anything that reminds them of home.

Our boat is the white one on the far side.
We had to cross over the blue boat to
board.  (For David and Angela ... the
cross-boat shuffle was uneventful.

Whale Watching

We also had the opportunity this yesterday (Saturday) to take a full fledged P-day and go whale watching and snorkeling with the other senior missionary couples and a few of the palangi employees of Liahona.   There were 17 all together in our group and we had the boat to our selves.   We arrived at the port at 9:00 AM, signed the appropriate waver to allow us to board the boat and we were soon headed for the open sea.

L>R, Skipper, Professor, Mr. Howell,
MaryAnn and Gilligan. Ginger was
sitting next to me and wouldn't let me
use her photo.

It was almost a perfect day weather-wize, the sky was clear and we could see for many miles so it was pretty easy to locate the whales and we were soon close enough that one of the few members actually got out and started to swim with them (the president asked that the missionaries not do that). We enjoyed going from one side of the boat to the other trying to capture the perfect shot but mostly just caught the tail end of them surfacing on video.
We did get to see several whales actually breach even though they were a little far away it was pretty spectacular to see.

Our small deserted island.  Love that
beautiful coral blue water!

With boats in tow (3) it was a much
slower trip back to port.

We then anchored just off the beach near a small deserted island so those who wanted to snorkel could do so.  They also had a smaller boat that would take any who didn't want to snorkel over to the island to the sandy beach.  As we finished up and were ready to head back to port we learned that the other two boats who were at the same island had broken down and needed help so our crew got them hooked up behind us (along with our small boat) and towed them back to port.  Their passengers joined us on our boat and we learned that they had not been able to see any whales before their boats broke down.   All-in-all we had a pretty fun day and saw some whales pretty up-close and personal.

The missionaries remain healthy and unchanged for the most part.  There are always a few that we are working closely with and we do our best to make sure they get the treatment and care they need.  We are constantly praying for them and worry over the smallest maladies but so far things have gone very well here from a health perspective.

Our testimonies are constantly being strengthened and we know that the best way to be happy is by serving others and learning to love them with a Christ-like love.  We feel so blessed and encourage all to come closer to Christ.  It is the answer to all of lives problems and even the most spiritual among us can continue along that path.

We do read of the social upheaval and political stress in the USA that permeates the news and hope each of you can find peace.  We pray that love, peace, and kindness to rise to the top and know that can best obtained by following Christ's example.   I love the phrase "Come unto Christ" as that is the only way we can return to live in His presence someday.

Ofa lahi 'atu!


Miscellaneous shots from Tonga

I've included a couple of short video clips from our whale watching excursion.  The best one was too large to use on the blog but I will upload it to YouTube and provide a link in a future blog (I have to upload large files at night when the internet is free ... it can take up to an hour to upload at the incredible connection speed we have at our apartment.

Whale watching excursion September 30, 2017

Disregard the middle section of the video.

More whale watching September 30, 2017

Sea view of the new cruise terminal that is nearing completion.

Land view of the new cruise terminal.

Kentuki, Laise, and Diet Coke at the Mata Fale Kai.
(Fried chicken, rice, and Diet Coke at the Green restaurant)

Lasange for the masses (okay it's for me).
Lepeka does a great job of cooking with the small
range we have in our apartment.  A full sized
cookie sheet won't fit.

Monday morning headed into Nuku'alofa.  You can see the smoke cloud
(a result of some burning brush) hovering over the road (taken through the windshield).