A Liahona Christmas—Gifts of the Season:

The Kingdom of Tonga sits directly on the International Dateline where the sun rises to welcome a new day before anywhere else in the world. These islands are where time begins! 

One year ago on December 20, 2008,  Elder Hawley and I arrived here to serve as ITEP senior couple missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and what a ride it has been!  Hard work and long hours, yes, but we are nourished with golden moments along the way.  

A Merry Christmas from the Kingdom of Tonga!                     [Blossoms shaped like red Christmas trees]“Christmas” trees bloom brilliant red bouquets  in December   [Liahona campus]

Bougainvillea festively decorates the island: Poinsettias in July---but hey, it’s winter then:

A Nuku’alofa White Christmas:                                                          As fingers touch, we walk under Liahona skies of blue.    The clouds are edged with gold-- As gold turns to pink and light fades to grey,                                           we gaze in wonder towards the Nuku’alofa temple.                           There is our star of Bethlehem, our Wayfinder                                    and conduit to our heavenly home.    

[Sunset from Liahona campus]The softening dusk is fragrant with white plumeria  as we pause in thanks for His gift to all the world. We return from the temple under stars displayed in black velvet knowing our Savior is the light of the world who can penetrate all darkness and bring us  heavenly peace. 

We invite you to enjoy the gifts of the temple this season and have a “White Christmas” all year long:

Long Walk Part of the Gift!

The story is told of a missionary in Africa who taught the Christmas story of Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus.  He explained that the Wise Men had traveled hundreds of miles to see the Christ child.  The presents of gold, frankincense and myrrh were an expression of  joy for His birth.  One small African boy listened carefully and then left.  A few weeks later, on Christmas day, the boy brought to his teacher a seashell of lustrous beauty.  “Where did you ever find such a beautiful shell?” the  teacher exclaimed. 

The young boy named a sea coast several miles away where such extraordinary shells could be found.  The teacher was  astonished.  “Why…it’s wonderful!  But you shouldn’t have gone all that way to get a gift for me.”   

The boy’s eyes brightened, as he replied, “Oh teacher!  Long walk part of gift.” 

Long ago shepherds made haste to see the Christ child and the wise men traveled afar with precious gifts; we too must undertake a personal search for our Savior, Jesus Christ.  There is no better time than now to walk the walk as well as talk the talk.   “Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind.” (D&C 64:34.)  

Pres. Eyring has stated, “You make choices every day and almost every hour that keep you walking in the light or moving away toward darkness.”  What a joy it is to walk the lighted pathway that leads to our Savior.                                      [from Liahona campus]

All Things Bright and Beautiful Bring Gratitude--Pres. Uchtdorf’s Visit

What a joy it is for us to serve as senior couple missionaries in Tonga.  When President Uchtdorf spoke to us here he said,  “God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the call!  You are an extended arm of the quorum of the 12 apostles and the Lord will bless you to magnify your sacred calling.  Always try to live up t0 this wonderful assignment.”  The he added, “Read what your name tag says about you.  Your name and then Jesus Christ are the most important things that go together.” 

This Thanksgiving we share with you some golden moments we’ll tuck away to remember with gratitude.  Each of us can take time to pause  more often and express gratitude for the beauty around us.  We each can unclutter our lives to  enjoy the simple pleasures that cost so little.  

Primary:  A favorite song the Primary children sing begins this way: All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all.    (Picture following Sunday Primary program: ) Malakai Kioa, a recent returned missionary, teaches the Valiant Primary boys  and they do sing valiantly!We loved having Britt and Yvette visit us with an added bonus:  school supplies from McKay’s Eagle Scout project for Havelu, Pakilau, and Eua middle schools.  Malo aupito, McKay! Blessings flowed with President and Sister Uchtdorf ‘s visit to Tonga :  (Entrance to the airport)President and Sister Uchtdorf and daughter are welcomed at the airport: Elder Hawley, Sione, Inoke and Elder Checketts await their arrival at Liahona: Liahona High School rolls out highly valued tapa cloth to welcome President and Sister Uchtdorf to the island: Pres. and Sister Uchtdorf enjoy time with students and teachers during a walk-about on Liahona Campus.  With great emotion he expressed his love for the people here, for their goodness, their smiles, their laughter and their beautiful voices: Gift of tapa cloth art within tree trunk: Tamaline, a lovely mother of 5 feels blessed to enjoy President Uchtdorf’s visit to the campus.  She teaches at Liahona High.There is a great spiritual feeling prevalent among the people of the island as they prepare for a servant of the Lord to arrive.  They did all they could to please.  A stunning island cultural celebration of song and dance was held at Liahona for President and Sister Uchtdorf: This young boy slipped his lei over my head following the cultural dances.  It’s a lovely tradition they have--to give away their leis:President and Sister Makemaile (McMurray) enjoy the celebration: 

BEAUTY of the BLOW HOLES:                                                   Nothing in the world can compare to the Blow Holes in Hoema, Tonga just a few miles from Liahona.   Roaring ocean waves explode against the reef sometimes up to 90 feet into the air for miles along the shore.    (We were thrilled to share the beauty of Tonga with Neil and Jeanene.) This young boy from the village of Hoema  calls to the ocean to bring in the large waves (note the ledge before and after the wave in the 2 pictures): He dives into the waves: Pathway to a secluded beach near the blowholes: From the cliffs at the Land Bridge we see a powerful ocean: Huge “waves” burst onto the reef at sunset (Keleti’s beach): President and Sister Fehoka (Tina and Steven) are founders of Old Tonga.  President Fehoka is a renowned wood carver in the South Pacific and Sister Fehoka can weave or design anything, including those beautiful Tongan nativities: My Other Side of Heaven: Albert and Mary Pope welcome the senior missionaries for Thanksgiving to their home and beautiful beach (Laulea)  near the village of Fatumu:Our Thanksgiving at the Popes:  Elder Hawley carves the turkey and Elder Sing makes the gravy. Ahh…such exotic flowers Mary grows in their yard: 3 water birds enjoy the waves!  Flowers from Mary’s yard:

At a dinner fireside for senior missionaries, Pres. Makemaile greeted us with smiles and said, “Isn’t it great that after having a challenging week, the Lord sees fit to bless us with those special little moments in our lives?”   The last minute  date night at The Friends Cafe became even more fun when President and Sister McMurray and Danny unexpectedly joined us on the outdoor patio for lots of laughing and good company  under a tree of red blossoms.  Yes, we feel gratitude for those cozy moments that nourish us. 

Senior missionaries become our family away from home:The beauty of Liahona Skies:

 

A Tongan Tradition: the funeral

Hymn 114:  I wander through the still of night, When solitude is everywhere—Alone, beneath the starry light, And yet I know that God is there. I kneel upon the grass and pray; An answer comes without a voice. It takes my burden all away And makes my aching heart rejoice. –Theodore E. Curtis

Malo aupito  to Sister Teni, a wonderful sister missionary and friend, for sharing some of these tender pictures with us.  She helped Maama and her family through a difficult time.  Death in Tonga is a communal affair and funerals are usually large, involved and expensive.  Because there is no embalming done here, the body is frozen until the deceased person is prepared for a viewing in the home and burial.Various congregations (Latter-Day Saints,Wesleyans, Free Tongans, Catholics, etc.) come  and go to pray, sing and mourn continually throughout the evening. Wailing occurs as a release of feelings.   Tents and small lights are erected for the mourners who will sit on woven mats throughout the  night until just before the funeral in the morning.  They will present gifts of tapa, woven mats, cloth, a pig, etc. to the eldest member of the family.   In turn, the family must provide plenty of food for the mourners which is a hardship. Tongans wear black when they are in mourning and close relatives wear large woven mats for three days.  Wesleyan congregation singing at a wake: President Makemaile and President Shumway bring comfort through scriptures, prayer, and song: With some of you we have shared the sweet story of Maama and her testimony translated and written by President Shumway.  This lovely young sister passed away recently after suffering for so many years with “Weber” disease in which her leg grew abnormally large.  We share some pictures of Tongan funerals with love for her and her family:  Eli, Maama’s husband,  mourns the passing of Maama as he comforts their son: The body is then taken to the burial place early the next morning in a car or truck decorated with tapa cloth or woven mats.    After the funeral the gifts are redistributed back to the people.  The family usually ends up giving more than they have.The body will be wrapped in tapa cloth and banana leaves for the funeral and buried in a family plot; a mat is held up as a screen for the burial.Sister Vuki, President & Sister Shumway, Sister Teni and family pause after  Maama’s burial.Quilts are placed at the grave of the family members and left for display.  When a quilt wears out, the family will replace it with a new one. To honor the passing of a Noble in the Kingdom of Tonga, purple and black cloth is draped on the homes and fences of his village: The new noble of Houma is appointed by the king.  He lives here in Hoema where his father did before he passed away in June.  This is the noble’s burial site in the village of Houma.    How sublime are the priceless gifts of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ wherein we may know that we can be reunited eternally with our loved ones in the world to come.

The Potter's Clay: Shaping

A grandson of ours loves to work with clay.  He finds it's not easy to mold and form it into his desired shape, however.  It takes practice, practice, practice and long hours of work and patience.  Each of us is like a piece of clay with the potential to be molded and shaped into a beautiful and useful vessel.   However, sometimes flaws or errors appear that must be repaired or when the clay is placed in the fiery furnace of the potter's kiln it will break or crumble.

We do not reach our full potential until we have been through the fiery heat of the potter's kiln--the trials in our lives.  Then as we truly repent and center our lives in Christ, through the power of the atonement  we will come forth from the fire transformed into an eternal being of beauty.  

Dr. Viliami Toluta'u is a renowned sculptor and artist from BYU-Hawaii.  He spoke to the Havelu Middle School students during the Ministry of Education Exposition for Tonga about the importance of using their hands, their eyes, and their minds to create and perfect  a beautiful piece of art:Viliami's clay sculpture of a javelin thrower:Nia, the principal of Havelu Middle School, brought her students to the expo to help them appreciate their heritage.  This tapa cloth 3-dimensional art is displayed in a doorframe.

These women are making tapa cloth for clothing.  The bark is stripped from the mulberry tree, soaked in water and dried before the beating process begins and then pounded with a wooden beater on a wooden log.  We can often hear the soothing rhythmic beating throughout the island. Tapa cloth is dried before being made into beautiful clothes:Liahona students design and complete their own lovely  tapa cloth dresses:Works in Progress from Old Tonga:  President Fehoko is well-known throughout the South Pacific for his beautiful wood carvings.  His finished pieces are works of integrity and beauty.  In the village of Popua he has developed and built  Old Tonga as a project in family self-reliance and to preserve Tongan heritage and traditions of the island.  President Fehoko is the fisherman who took President Monson out in a boat to demonstrate the octopus story.  (See earlier blog.)  This will one day be a finely carved chair.  President Fehoko explains his wood carvings to the students. Note the fluid movement of the larger fish to catch the smaller fish (top right). A carved Kava bowl: A kali is a Tongan wooden pillow: Finely woven purses from coconuts leaves and other natural materials grown on the islands: Three-dimensional tapa cloth art:                                       Artist’s creation of a tapa cloth dancing costume:                                       Tapa cloth is highly valued by the Tongan community.“O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand”  (Isa. 64:8) 

Shapers: Liahona Stake Pioneer Day in Tonga

The Kioa family recently welcomed two of their children home from missions in California. Malakai’s mission president called him the "shaper" as he trained the elders there. I like that word! Even as our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents sacrificed much to shape our generation, we are the shapers for this century linking the past with the future . We must be today’s pioneers firm in the Gospel through the lives we live. We are the shapers not only of our own future, but also for our children, our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren in the generations that follow. We each can make a positive difference in the days ahead, and in joint effort with the Lord, we can be shapers to help build the kingdom of God here on earth.

Malakai and his sister Sela receive a joyous welcome home after serving honorable missions in California. What a dynamic duo these two are!Senior Shapers: Some of the Senior missionaries were blessed to meet with Pres. Hamula of the Pacific Area Presidency: Elders and Sisters Ka'ili, Sperry, Hawley, Elder Hamula with President McMurray (back), Claytons, Sings, Gordons, Tau'a alos, TongasSeveral of these pioneers were here when the first wards and stakes were organized in Tonga. It was a cool winter day this early August morning.Brother Pope a former BYU professor was one of the early missionaries here. He later became the Liahona High School principal. He met Mary and they adopted Tongan children and have lived here ever since. Families from the surrounding villages gathered for Pioneer Day August 25th to celebrate the missionaries coming to Tonga to preach the Gospel. Inoke Kupu enjoyed the festivities; he is the Liahona stake president and our CES country director as well as ITEP coordinator; Keith Vaitai is a sweet Primary child. Tamaline Kaufusi and Moana Kupu (Inoke’s wife) smile greetings. Although the Liahona students were on term break, several our 2nd ward families enjoy the festivities. Lots of smiles and laughs during the extemporaneous poetry competition about Pioneers: Basket weaving competition with half a coconut palm leaf:

Kioa brothers weaving baskets in record time: And the winner is--- Priesthood Power! (Tuwai Latu, Elder Hawley, Inoke, Roy) Inoke Jr. entertains some of the 2nd ward Primary children: Primary children from one of the village wards perform while members provide the music: This village group of Relief Society sisters tell the story of the pioneers with their hands: YM and YW honor the pioneers through song and dance: Baby and Gordon enjoy the celebration! Our Primary kids enjoy line dancing in preparation for their quarterly activity: Willing teachers join in the fun. (Mounga, back right, is a student at Liahona.) We are the pioneers of a new century. What will be written about us? How are we shaping our legacy? It is our responsibility and opportunity to gain a strong testimony and understanding of the Restored Gospel that we may strengthen those who follow.

A Pathway to the Nuku'alofa Temple: garnished with flowers and sunsets

Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken" is even more meaningful as Elder Hawley and I serve as ITEP missionaries in Tonga.  With gratitude we see that the Lord watches over us in every little thing and guides us as we walk the road less traveled by, "and that has made all the difference."  Frost's  poem concludes with these lines:  Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

An exquisite sunrise begins our morning walk on Liahona campus:The Flying Foxes--a protected species--are coming in to feed:  They're fruit bats and only the Royal family are allowed to hunt them--a delicacy.  It's head has the look of a fox and they compete with the bees in the morning for berries, nectar, etc.  Fascinating!  Sometimes they sound like cats fighting in the evening--don't like each other.     High up in the palm trees they hang upside down to eat: This one is different--most of the bats are a velvety reddish brown:An early morning walk down the lane to the church cattle ranch surrounding some of the Liahona campus: The flowering plumeria tree loses its leaves in winter (May-September in Tonga) but blossoms valiantly appear on bare branches;  the Christmas poinsettias are in abundance.  We do love papaya for breakfast with a squeeze of fresh lime on it:

"In-- my neighbor's garden, the flowers are blooming.  'How do you do,' they say.  " "How do you do today?' " . . . In a village next door to Liahona, we admire a beautiful flower garden.  These two lovely sisters are going to help us plant one.

 The leaves from the Pandanus  tree hang out to dry and will be woven into fine mats or kiekies for the women to wear: President and Sister Makemaile live in the  mission home just a short walk from the temple.  The beautiful noni tree with orchids growing around it is a favorite.  This rare palm tree with 2 crowns is a short walk from the Liahona campus:The Navu stake house is across the street from Liahona campus:An Eternal Pathway:  Our pathway leads to the Nuku'alofa Temple.  These things we know to be true--that we have been given a certain amount of time and opportunity on this earth to be molded like the Savior.  We are, indeed, Works in Progress.  And what better place to learn and experience our eternal purpose, than in the greatest university on this earth--His holy temple.  It is the conduit that can move us forward in  becoming more like the Savior.  How thankful Elder Hawley and I are to live here on the Liahona campus where we may walk the path to enter His Holy House.   No earthly kings we serve,  but King of kings o’er heaven & earth!

Come, O thou King of Kings!  We've waited long for thee, with healing in thy wings, to set thy people free.  Come, thou desire of nations, come; Let Israel now be gathered home. 

Hail!  Prince of life and peace!  Thrice welcome to thy throne!  While all the chosen race their Lord and Savior own, the heathen nations bow the knee, and every tongue sounds praise to thee.  ----Parley P. Pratt, Hymn 59                                                   As we walk through the temple gates back to our Liahona home, we feel gratitude for the road we have taken.

A Joyful Reunion With Gifts and Talents

Elder Hawley and I have never experienced anything quite like the Liahona Alumni  celebration held every 3 years in Tonga with hundreds of alumni from all over the world.And of course we love the Liahona Brass Band!When a musical program includes performers, it is traditional for Tongans to spontaneously join in the dancing right along with the performers, including this brother from Ogden who sings in the  Tabernacle Choir!  His daughter was one of our talented BYU-Hawaii interns.  The Liahona  HS band majorette is a delight.  Many of the students are dressed to perform traditional Tongan dances.  Anyone can join in to show their appreciation give them pa'anga (money) on their lavishly-oiled arms.   Winnie  bows to the queen after leaving the field.  Inoke rewards the majorette as well. These lovely students wear dresses made from colorful leaves on the island: Giving is an tradition of the lower rank to the higher rank,  and the Tongans give liberally and appreciatively.   The celebration for the afternoon concluded with more gifts for the Queen Mother:  several dozen homeade quilts and long lengths of beautiful tapa cloth (bark cloth pounded from the inner bark of the  mulberry tree.)  According to the booklet, Making Sense of Tonga, "Tonga is the king of tapa.   People use tapa as gifts at weddings or funerals, as blankets, wedding clothes, dancing costumes, and to decorate their homes.  Typically, Tongans are wrapped in tapa when they are buried.  Tongans measure their wealth in their tapa and their mats.  If you are Tongan, you can have a million dollars, but if you have no tapa and no mats, you are poor. "  New Zealand performs for the Queen: A Maori warrior: Goodbye to the Queen Mother, Halaevalu Mata’aho. LIAHONA EDUCATION EXPO IN DOWNTOWN NUKU'ALOFA:  Silu (PBO) and Ministry of Tourism, Fineasi Funaki, open the Liahona Alumni Expo:Sister Fehoako and  Sister Hawley pose at the Old Tonga display wearing the woven hats with flowers she made.    Her husband is the stake president who has re-established Old Tonga to preserve the Tongan heritage and traditions of the islands.Making a canoe:Beautifully woven and embroidered materials are fit for a queen:These cute home economics students model the dresses they sewed from Tapa Cloth.  Red dirt is mixed with coconut oil for the color.  And the black is done with charcoal.  Impressive, right?Can't believe these are the same girls who wear pigtails and uniforms to school each day! 

Hand-carved Kava bowls:Hats are always stylish: