Thanksgiving Week

Surprisingly enough, we had a fun and interesting week as we "celebrated" Thanksgiving with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for all of the senior missionaries.  Yes, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin (cooked like yams),  and pies.  Pretty much all the fixings.  The food was good as well as the company but we really missed our home, family, and friends.  I have to admit that I missed the left-overs as well (probably my favorite part of Thanksgiving).

We welcomed the new senior missionary couple the Coombs to Tonga and started showing them around the island as we try to get them acclimated to their new environment.  They are going to be a fun couple and seem to be settling in quite nicely.

We are also finishing up the second week of some dental student volunteers that are here from Arizona (two different groups, one each week).  There were about 15 students and instructors each week and the dental office was buzzing with  excitement as they were packed with patients all week.  They are also having serious issues with the vacuum pump in the clinic and had to actually purchase some shop vacs to keep the clinic running.

We were invited to attend a Tongan dinner and program put on by one of the local families where we had a typical Tongan meal prepared in an umu (earth oven).  The food was good but the entertainment was even better.  They provided some typical Tongan dances and songs and had the dental students get up and participate as well (which they really seemed to enjoy).  They even had yours truly get up and play the ukulele for one song ... unrehearsed and unwarned - but I think it worked out okay.

They had a coconut tree climbing demonstration by Brother Tonga's nephew (10 seconds up 3 seconds down).  A couple of the students went over to try but couldn't get up more than a couple of feet.  Probably a good thing as coming down may be easy but the sudden stop at the bottom can be fatal.

Brother Tonga beating the drum.

Coconut tree climbing exhibition.

Yours truly playing the ukulele (unrehearsed invited on the spot).

I'm glad it was an easy song in an easy key.

These nativity sets are really cute.
They are fixed and push back in the
box and close up when you store them.
They can be scarce but we had them
make several for the missionaries.

Photo with the artisan in the background.

Wednesday, we started to do a little bit of Christmas shopping for some of the missionaries.  It can be difficult for them to shop and ship so we are trying to help out a few that have asked.  It is fun to see some of the local handicrafts as they have a Nativity scene made from Tapa cloth and some Christmas ornaments with Mary Joseph and the baby in half a coconut shell.  There's really not much else in the way of Christmas themed purchases.

Tongan Christmas tree ... for two reasons;
1. the lovely bright red flowers and green leaves.
2. it blooms in late November through December.
This photo was taken on campus and you can see the Angel Moroni on
the Temple in the background just above the tree to the right of center.

Lepeka and I attended the Temple on our anniversary (Saturday) and did the Temple work for some pretty special family names.  It was a very humbling and Spiritual experience for both of us and we will never forget this day.

Young adults group of about 200 did a Temple walk from Camp Makeke to
the Temple in the rain (about 10k or 6 miles).  They all seemed happy and
were strung out over several kilometers when we saw them.

The Royal Palace in Nuku'alofa.

Missionaries on Nuku'alofa at the mission tour and zone conference.  I think
there are about 130 in this photo.  The missionaries on Eua joined us but the
missionaries on Ha'api and Vava'u did not attend.  They had a smaller
conference on their island.

We met this little guy at the hospital.  He was healing from
a severe gash on his leg he received while standing next to
his father who was opening a coconut with his machete.
He was in good spirits and was fascinated with the missionaries
who took time to talk to him.

Our view at dusk while we dined at Little Italy along the wharf.  We took two
missionaries there for pizza after a visit to the doctor since they missed their
fafanga (evening meal).  I tried to get a better photo but these 2 never left their
table.  You can see the wonderful dusk scene overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Lepeka took me out to Roby Anns (my favorite steak-house in Tonga) for a nice dinner on our anniversary (which was on Saturday).  She loves their mahi-mahi and I love the New Zealand steak so it was a win-win.  It was pretty quiet as there was only one other couple there.  I think most everyone in Tonga was glued to their TV sets watching the rugby match.

In conclusion, (for those of you who made it this far) a brief Rugby update.  Tonga lost in the World Rugby Cup Tournament semifinals to England on Saturday night.  They fell behind 20 - 0 and the match was basically considered over but in the last 5 minutes Tonga came storming back to trail by only 2 points at 20 - 18.  Tonga then scored on the final play of the game which would have given them the win but it was disallowed by a perceived knock-on (an infraction) which replay review would have overturned (in my opinion) but instant replay review was not used and time ran out.  The replay is used frequently on scoring plays so it's mystery to me why it was not used in the case.  What great heart the Tongan team showed and the country of Tonga and anyone with any kind of tie to  Tonga is so proud of these men who gave their all.  Mate ma'a Tonga!

Mate Ma'a Tonga

Mate Ma'a Tonga roughly translates to Die for Tonga!

Mate Ma'a Tonga roughly translates to Die for Tonga and it captures the sentiment of the nation of Tonga for the past month.  They are extremely proud of their heritage and culture (I don't blame them).

I'm sure that many of you are tired of hearing about Tonga and/or rugby but it's difficult to talk about anything else as Tonga won again last night, this time in it's quarter-finals matchup with the national team from Lebanon to advance to the semi-finals of the Rugby League World Cup tournament.  

Spirits were high as Tonga
led through the match.

The past several weeks, Tonga has been buzzing with excitement as the pride of this small country towards it national pastime builds as victory after victory after victory pile up to bring it to a fever pitch.  The air on the island is simply electric as this tiny island in the Pacific puts down some of the Rugby giants of the world to advance!  

To put this in perspective, the total population of Tonga from all of it's islands (107K) is less than the population of Provo City Utah (116K).   It would be kind of like a Junior College football team beating some of the best NCAA Division 1 football teams in consecutive weeks (like Miami Fl and Ohio State).  If you are one of my Tongan friends, please don't let this comparison upset you I'm just trying to find a way for my friends in the U.S. to relate to these epic victories.

Red was the color of the day, young
and old, even at the airport.

People everywhere are decked out in red and white (even at Church), their cars are decorated with balloons, slogans, and posters ... again in red and white and even some houses have been repainted in ... you guessed it RED and WHITE!

We went to dinner at a restaurant on the wharf and right next to us was a large group on a boat that was docked with the big screen TV tuned to the match.  They were loud and proud and showed their enthusiasm with each positive turn in the match, especially as it started to get close to the end of the game.  Then even the smallest advantageous play brought a boisterous response ... and yes, the boat just happened to be RED and WHITE!

Tonga party boat watching the rugby match near our restaurant on the wharf last night.
The group on the boat was loud and proud and the ship was rockin' even though it was docked!

As we drove home from dinner we had to navigate the back streets to avoid all of the traffic and crowds as they again celebrated the big win.  As we drove through these back streets, we did notice throngs of people headed for the downtown area (walking) to join in the festivities and celebrate I'm sure until the wee hours of the morning.

Scene from downtown last night
as we wended our way home after
dinner.

Horns were blaring, flags were
waving, and people were cheering
at the top of their lungs.

I had a good vantage point to capture their arrival
but at the last second people started passing in
front of me so I had to reach up high for the shot
and it turned out a little bit blurry with someone's
head in the way but it will have to suffice.

We had a new senior couple (the Coombs) arrive yesterday and we all welcomed them at the airport.  They are from England (originally) via Australia (moved there in 1972) via Marshall Islands (first 5 months of their mission).  They had been serving for about 5 months as an office couple in the Marshall Islands when they got notice that their assignment had been changed to serve as a dentist in Tonga (as luck would have it he just happened to be a dentist).  They were quite shocked but we hope they feel needed and loved here.  They are also good friends with Craig and Nancy Preston, our friends currently serving in the Marshall Islands.

We first heard they might be coming about a month ago so we were excited at that possibility.  Our new dentist who has been here for about a month is really happy to have help.  Elder Coombs is an oral surgeon and Sister Coombs is a nurse.  Lepeka is also glad to have someone else to bounce things off of.  Elder and Sister Coombs are 79 and 80 years old (respectively) but still going strong.

New Costlow superstore in Pea

Guess what else is happening here in Tonga that is a first.  Shortly after we moved to Bountiful, they started construction on a brand new Costco store.  Lepeka's brother Sam asked her, "Just exactly how much do you have to spend at Costco to get them to put in a store just for you?"  Well I guess he wasn't kidding as now there is a new "Costlow Superstore" (the first in Tonga) going in

We caught this photo just after they
finished installing the name.

about 2 miles from us.  Maybe their stock has gone down since we left Bountiful in January.  Costlow is actually just a knock-off of Costco but it sell Kirkland products.  We think it may actually open this week as their old small store had a half price sale on Saturday to deplete their inventory so it wouldn't have to be moved.  It will be interesting to see what impact this has on some of the smaller local stores.

Young girl at the hospital
who snuggled right up to
me while waiting for tests.

While we were waiting for a doctor to arrive (for over 2 hours), this young girl seemed to take a liking to me.  Maybe it was the camera as she took about 40 selfies but in any case she snuggled right up to me and was actually very well behaved.

Getting ready for church on Sunday morning, now where's my RED tie??

Feeling the spirit of Tonga!
I found my red tie to go with my white shirt.

Photos from around the island during the past week in Tonga

Anybody who doesn't just love fresh tropical pineapple ...

well, I just don't even want to know.

The Missionary Quarters in Lakepa all decked out and ready
for Christmas.  L>R, Elder Savou (Tonga) Elder Leka (Tonga)

Our best count was 8 kids in the back of this truck headed home on Saturday.

Stump and root removal done by hand.

Zone conference.  This photo shows the missionaries on Tongatapu
and Eua as they joined for a zone conference where Elder and Sister
Cardon spoke along with President and Sister Tui'one.  I didn't count
them but there should be around 110 missionaries.

L>R, Elder Chandler (Utah), Elder Mafi (Washington St) and Sister Kapp
Typical Tongan folded arm pose without the somber face.

Six missionaries having lunch at our home while waiting for the dental
clinic to open back up at 1:00 pm.  Lepeka scrambles to feed them and
they all seemed to find something they liked.

Pride over Money

Tonga Rugby Team

I'm not sure where to start as this week has been absolutely crazy (in good ways).  I suppose I'll start with the major excitement around the island.  After Tonga won their match with Samoa last week in their round one match of the  Rugby League World Cup tournament, they moved on to meet New Zealand this week and defeated them in and exciting match held in Hamilton New Zealand last night (Saturday for us).  This week has been filled with excitement as advertisements were posted almost everything.  Pride over money was the main theme as several players (Tongans) qualified to play for two countries in the tournament (their choice).  As I understand it, five players (Tongans by blood) choose to play for Tonga instead of a tier one team (NZ or Australia).  The significance is that they could have made $50,000. playing for a tier one team instead of the $30 per day they get playing for Tonga.  Tonga (along with Samoa and Fiji) is considered a tier 2 team and no tier 2 team has ever won a game over a tier 1 team in World Cup Rugby (which started in 1985).  You can read a brief summary of the match by clicking here.

It was too dark to get a good photo so this is a stock photo
from the internet that gives you an idea of what I am trying
to describe.  Both lanes (in and out of town) were packed!

This led to pandemonium here in Tonga .... EVERYBODY was out in the streets dancing and running around or driving around in their cars packed with people (inside and out - yes people on top of their cars!) displaying Tongan flags, hooting and hollering blaring music and honking horns.  They kept this up until the wee hours of the morning (as we heard).  Having those pictures in mind, the people were not destructive at all and were just celebrating this momentous occasion for Tonga.  I have included one of our photos below ... it is pretty dark but you can definitely get the idea from it.

Photo of celebration night in downtown Nuku'alofa.  Becky
took this photo as we were trying to work our way through the
spontaneous party. 

During this celebration, we had a fun trip into town to take care of a sister missionary who had been bitten by a Molokau and traffic in town was bumper to bumper and at a standstill.  We were fortunate enough to find our way through so we could get to the MQ but coming back was a little more dicey.

There is also an election coming up this week so on top of all the hoopla surrounding rugby, there is also the spectacle of all the political propaganda with posters and flyers tacked up everywhere.  This is a special election as the King disbanded the Parliment several months ago as he wasn't happy with some of the things that were happening.  The government here are elected officials but everything can be changed by the King who has absolute power (the people here are very loyal to their royalty).  There's a short wiki page on the government and general the election on Nov. 16th you can read by clicking here.

Tongan Molokau (6-8 inches long)

A little about the Molokau.  It is a centipede-like creature that is really the nastiest creepy-crawly that exists here in Tonga.  Their bite is incredibly painful, and they will chase you - yes chase you - across the floor looking for a fight.  Perhaps they ride Harley's in their off time.  There is a story of a local trying to kill one with some bug spray and it actually chased him down the length of the hallway.   They're aggressive little buggers and appear in the strangest places without warning. Becky saw one out in front of our apartment one morning and gave it a wide berth but other than that we have been spared the battle.

Lepeka and Elder Grant (Utah) looking
through her bag of potions for some
eye of newt.

Treatment for the bite was successful and the sister is feeling great.  Treatment?  White vinegar applied to the area, ice and elevate ... and two Benadryl (to neutralize the bugs venom and provide a good nights sleep) ... and of course, a Priesthood blessing and some prayers (that was probably all that was needed, but I let Becky think she was helping by doing all the other stuff first).  

The missionaries continue in good health with a few bumps and bruises and some sickness but so far they are of the standard garden variety and pretty easily treated.  

We have some area authorities coming next week for a mission tour.  President Haleck (Pacific Area President), Elder Cardon (Pacific Area 1st Counselor), and Elder Uceda (Member of the Presidency of the Quorum of the Seventy who assists Elder Neil L. Anderson with supervising the Philippines and Pacific area).  We have several meetings with them during the week and expect it to be a real spiritual high for us.

We are getting an unexpected surprise as we have a new senior missionary couple that will be arriving this week.  Elder and Sister Coombs.  He is an oral surgeon and our current dentist couldn't be happier.  He had put in his plan to request a second dentist and voila ... he's on his way.  There must be some master planner in charge somewhere.  We had a chance to speak with them last week as we worked out some of the logistics and we think they will love it here.  They know our good friends the Prestons (currently serving in the Marshall islands) who give them glowing references.  That's good enough for us!

Exhibit B

Exhibit A

The new Dentist has been organizing the clinic by putting in some adjustable shelving and bins.  He had to do this on weekends and after hours as the clinic is open every day and he was the only dentist here.  He did get some help from the previous temporary dentist before he left town.

There is also an election coming up this week so on top of all the hoopla surrounding rugby, there is also the spectacle of all the political propaganda with posters and flyers tacked up everywhere.  This is a special election as the King disbanded the Parliment several months ago as he wasn't happy with some of the things that were happening.  The government here are elected officials but everything can be changed by the King who has absolute power (the people here are very loyal to their royalty).  There's a short wiki page on the government and general the election on Nov. 16th you can read by clicking here.

We had a couple more hot muggy days last week and when it gets like that there's not much relief (at least outside).  It even gets pretty muggy inside but at least we have A/C.  Our missionaries hardly miss a beat and it is amazing to talk to them as they don't even complain, they just keep on working.

Love to all from Tonga!

Becky trying on her Pule Taha.  The dressing room is a three-sided
curtain in one of the aisles.  The patterns on the dress are Tongan

We ordered some custom made clothing from one of the shops in Nuku'alofa.  It took about a month for them to make our clothing but the custom work and fit made it worth the wait.  I had a shirt made from the same material with a mandarin collar.  You can see it on the hanger behind Lepeka.  I won't get to wear it much here as I am always in a white shirt and tie but it will definitely get worn when I get back.  I tried to get a tie made from the same fabric but they don't make ties and wouldn't sell the fabric ... I'm not sure why.

The way or data closet looked after the internet provider left.
We are making progress installing the new Family History Center
computers but it is slow.  We have to download some configuration
files from SLC that take about 13 hours to download at our current
speeds.  Having the internet stay up for 13 hours in a row is another
challenge.  I hope we are able to get someone's ear to look at our
network design.  Until things change it will always be a struggle.

Elder Mateale (Arizona) and Elder Grant at their MQ in Folaha.
Zone leaders in the Vaini Zone.

No back windshield and no wiper blade but the wiper motor was
running full speed back-and-forth.

Just in case anyone needs a Lawyer in Tonga who has Tonga skills.

Youth Mission Book Shop in Vaini.  All of the white papers
are special book deals.

Looking out over the ocean at the West-most point on the Island
at dusk.  The beach is called surfer beach.

Kindergarten dancers

The sisters were training some kindergarten children how to hula for their graduation program in Nakolo and we were able to stop in just in time to catch them practicing.  It was fun to watch them (as it is with most young kids) as they do their best to mimic the instructor.  That is such a fun age as they are starting to come alive with personality.

We were able to catch a short video of their number as they practiced.  We were a little bit worried that we would be too distracting to them but they seemed to stay focused and did their best to learn the steps they were being taught.

These youngsters seemed to get a kick out of teaching two old
Palangi's Tongan.  We enjoyed ourselves and hope to be able to
remember some of the things we are learning.  If nothing else,
we can at least be entertainment.

We also started taking a Tongan class again from some of the locals here.  We have an adult instructor and there are several children who volunteered to teach us as well.  They help as talking partners when we role play.  We relearned some of the things we thought we already knew and started in on some new vocabulary words as well.  They seemed to get a kick out of our attempts to say some of the phrases especially when we substituted the word nifo (teeth) with nofo (live or dwell) ... something like, "where are your teeth" instead of "where do you live".

We're not sure we'll ever be able to speak much but we are getting better at understanding and can get around shopping quite well now.  Numbers and some of the more common phrases related to shopping are much easier for us now ... we can even understand how much something costs when they answer us in Tongan which seems to surprise them.

As I mentioned last week pineapple season is upon us and we see pineapples everywhere now.  It's hard to describe how delicious they are as they still have the same pineapple flavor but it is much richer without the acidic after-taste and they are so tender it just melts in your mouth.  I'm sure that will be something we crave when we leave here.  We are making pineapple, banana, orange smoothies (or other pineapple blends) and they are so delicious.

We spent last night and this morning waiting for our internet provider to come swap out our old modem.  When our internet was originally installed they were out of aDSL modems and so we had to find an old one it has worked pretty well for the most part.  Recently it has started dropping the signal quite frequently which has made it difficult to use the internet.  It would go along just fine for a couple of minutes then drop off for 5-10 minutes.  The tech did call late last night to let us know he wouldn't make it but assured us he would be here this morning (Saturday) by 9:30 AM.  Once we reached 11:00 AM we decided we had other things that needed to be done.  It's a good thing we didn't wait as we haven't heard from him all day.  Monday is a holiday so it may be several more days that we have to deal with the spotty connection.

Dinner at Roby Ann's with the Hudsons.

It finally happened ... yes!  I found a good STEAK!  We have been to a restaurant called Roby Ann's but it was clear back in February and I had a hamburger and fries.   When we went this time I noticed that the steak on the menu was listed as New Zealand beef so I thought I'd give it a try  ... SHAZAM!!  This was such a pleasant surprise as all of the steaks I have had to date were tougher and not as flavorful as I am used to in the U.S.  Not very many places even have steak as a menu item in the first place.

Our waitress from Fiji. She's
been in Tonga for one week.

We had to go back the next night  (just to make sure I wasn't dreaming) and try the other steak on the menu.  This one was smothered in mushrooms and a garlic sauce.  We also brought our Heinz 57 (something we found at Costlo several weeks ago and had the foresight to purchase) so everything was just perfect.  I'm sure this will be come a regular dinner hangout (at least every week or two).   Oh, and the company was marvelous as well!


Now for a few random photos from the week.

Elder Tukuhaukava

We took Elder Tukuhaukava to physical therapy at the hospital and caught him posing in front of the full length mirror when he thought no one was watching.  We were able to convince him to give us a pose or two to capture the moment.  He is a native Tongan and finishes his mission in January of 2018.  I call him Elder Malomi (dimples).

I was able to get a good vantage point to take a photo of the indoor market.  The photo on the left is the clothing and souvenirs above the market.  The one on the right is the produce market where we buy most of our fruits and veggies.

This was our welcoming committee at one of the missionary quarters.  I think
they must have beat out the dogs for the missionary left-overs as they started
congregating as we drove in and they didn't scatter as we left.

Random photos from Graduation Day at Liahona (photos courtesy of the Hudsons)

184 Students in this year's graduating class