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.