May Sights and Events in Tongatapu

This month was a very busy and eventful month.  We had outings with other Senior Missionaries, missionaries coming and going, pictures of special people, and some donations that we did from the surplus of Liahona School.  We hope that you enjoy the following photos.

Elder and Sister Murdock at Ha'amonga 'a Maui.  The legend is that no one knows how these rocks got here or where they came from.  But according to Elder Wolfgram, who is Tongan, they were brought from another island and set up to tell the best time to plant their crops.

Elder and Sister Wood and Elder Murdock trying to find a beach.  Not a good one here!

The waves were amazing this day.

This Navy ship from another country came in to help train the Royal Tongan Navy.

This was a beautiful day after sacrament meeting.  This scene was across the road from the little chapel that we went to.  In this village of Nukuleka we are doing a water project.  Our Champion was here at church and was speaking.  He praised us in his talk.  It was good to be there and to meet some of the people that we will be helping with this project.

This is another member of the Nukuleka Ward.  Her and her husband are siding their little home that they are very happy to have.

This was another scene not far from the Nukuleka Ward.  It is a homemade boat carved from a tree.

On May 13th, Elder and Sister Maile are heading home.  They will be missed.

We thought this to be a strange sight, a backhoe in the ocean.  It has been going out to a old abandoned ship and is tearing it apart to get ready to push it off into the sea.

These are some surplus cushions that Liahona School had that we were able to give to this little chapel in Puke.

Another chapel in Puke that we were able to give some surplus cushions to.

This man is Bishop of his ward.  He has six little children of his own and has now taken in the three older teenagers to help them.  He does carving for a living.  He is very talented and such a good man.

This is the start of the parade celebrating the opening of Parliament Day.  This is the King in the dark van.  We could hardly see him as the windows were dark.

This is part of the Senior Missionaries watching the parade until Liahona School comes by and then we will jump in and walk with them on to the Palace.

This is one of the many schools in the parade.  All schools participate in this parade.  

More schools coming as well as the children along the sides of the street will step in when it is their turn to be in the parade.

A lot of the schools had marching bands that were very good and dressed very classy.

This is the boys of this school.

And here are the girls.  All students wear uniforms in Tonga.

This is His Majesty's Royal Army.  It was interesting to see how they march compared to the US Military!

This little boy must have been a mascot of this school.  He was so cute we had to take his picture.

Another School!  We were amazed at how many students there are on this island of Tongatapu.

This is the start of the LDS Schools.  In these schools alone there are 2300 students and there are schools that are bigger than they are.

This is the start of the Liahona Students.  As you can see they go way down the road.

This is the Liahona High School Marching Band.  They were very classy looking and were very good!  This is where we jumped into march in the parade.

This is where we ended up, marching in front of the Palace where the Royal Family was sitting on the veranda watching the parade.  When we were directly in front of the Palace, we stopped and bowed to the Royal Family.  Sister Murdock got in trouble for snapping pictures of the Royal Family!

This is the current King and Queen.  There will be a coronation on July 4th to crown him King of Tonga.  The celebration will last for about 2-3 weeks.  There is much preparation going on now preparing for this event.

There was a cruise ship in this day and of course Elder and Sister Murdock wanted to get on and go with them!

This is President and Sister Tupou and Elder and Sister Vanuku who has returned for another mission here in Tonga.  They left to go home about two months ago, but they could not stay away!

This little critter was in our house.  When Sister Murdock saw it she grabbed the can of Moritene and sprayed half a can on it to kill it.  It is a Molokai and is one of the only poisonous bugs on the island.  They are very fast and aggressive.  They raise their head like a snake.  They are terrible things to have in your house.  Sister Murdock made Elder Murdock get the spray out and spray the whole house!

This little guy was on his way to church at Bishop Huni's Ward.  He looked so cute in his little outfit!

"When you take time to see the hand of the Lord in your life, to "count your blessings one by one," it might just "surprise you what the Lord has done.""    John Bytheway

Visit to Veitongo Farming Project

This project was our first project.  It has to do with the community of Veitongo in providing an acre of ground for 150 families to plant root crops that can be used for their food storage and for disaster relief.  They will also be sending their surplus to New Zealand as they have a buyer there who will purchase it.  With their funds from the sale of surplus they will be able to put savings away for future plowing, to pay tithing, and for rainy days.  In the beginning we requested the church to purchase a tractor and implements, but the Area felt that we could just use Liahona tractor, which has created some problems, but we are working through them with the help of the Lord.  We are teaching these people how they can provide for themselves without relying on outside help in times of need and times of disasters.

Since we have started this project, the Sister Missionaries have reported that all doors are open the them.  They knock and they are invited in.  Bishop Huni's Ward went from 200 attendance to Sacrament meeting to 417.  This is truly the Lord's work, it is His way of reaching these inactive and non-member people.  In this project there are leaders from the Catholic and the Free Wesleyn Church who are supervising some of their people that is in this project as well.

We went to visit the Veitongo Farming Project as the villagers are starting to plant their acreages with manioke.  It is amazing to see how this community has come together on this project and are working very hard to make it a success!  Following are some photos of our day there.

This is Sister Huni cutting the new starts for the manioke plants.

This is part of the non-member family holding a mature manioke plant.  They will cut the big tube roots off to eat, and then the sticks of the plant will be cut into sticks about 12 inches long.

This is Bishop Huni planting part of his field.  He is laying out the cut sticks and then he will go back and push them into the ground about 2-3 inches.

This is a non-member family planting their acre of ground.  Even the little one is there to help.

In this picture you can see the sticks in the ground.  It is amazing that they will start to grow from a stick.  It will be about December when they are ready to harvest.  They can also leave them in the ground for 2-3 years that will work for their food storage as well as storage for disasters that they always have here in the Pacific Islands.

If you look closely you can see the little one pushing sticks in the ground as well.  It is totally a family project!

"A farmer who neglects or refuses to cast his wheat into the earth, because he wants to keep it, can have no increase; but if he sow the wheat in good rich soil, each living grain may multiply itself many fold, though of necessity the seed must be sacrificed in the process."   James E. Talmage

May President's Dinner

We all look forward to our President's Dinner as we have potluck and President Tupou and his family come a dine with us.  They always have a special message for us.  Also at these dinners the Senior couples that are about to go home does a little speech to us as well.  This month it is Elder and Sister Dassler, the couple that we were stranded in Niuatoputapu.  They are very good people.  Following are some photos of the dinner.

Elder Murdock got a hold of the camera!  This is Sister Murdock, Sister Beckstrand, Dr. Larson and his grandson, Jake

Elder and Sister Dassler and Elder and Sister Moon

Elder and Sister Dassler and Elder and Sister Murdock

This is Dr. Larson and his grandson Jake.  Dr. Larson is volunteering in the Dental office and his grandson, who is interested in becoming a dentist, came with him to help in the office anyway he can.

Elder and Sister Dassler giving their farewell speech.

"Whatever our age, capacity, Church calling, or location, we are as one called to the work to help Him in His harvest of souls."      Henry B. Eyring

Ha'ateiho Water Tank Project

This community came to us in need of new water tanks as the one they had was leaking and they could not repair it anymore as it was an old concrete one that was wore out.  We purchased two 10,000 LTR tanks  to replace the old one.  The community was to tear the old tank down as their part of the project and then install the new ones on the existing water tank stand.  Following are some photos of this project.

This is the old water tank before they broke it with there sledge hammers and swept it off of the platform.

Here they are finishing cleaning off the old tank and preparing the surface for the new tanks.

Moving the new tanks in place to be lifted up on the water tank stand.

Here they are preparing to lift the first tank.  Elder Murdock and Sister Murdock were a little worried that it would lift okay as they drilled holes and just put some thin rope through to hook to the crane.  We were sure that it would break.  It was quite interesting to listen to the men as they were working.  Even though we could not understand the words they were speaking, you could tell there were a lot more "chiefs" than there were "Indians".  It was quite comical, a lot of laughing on their part as well.  The Tongans have fun in whatever they are doing!

First tank is being set into place.

Lifting of the second tank using the same little pieces of rope. Thank goodness it held!

Second tank being set into place.

Both tanks in place and the water is running in to fill them.  No leaks, yeah!

This is the Hand Over Ceremony that we have at the completion of a project.

Elder Murdock was asked to speak and Ana Ika,our Supervisor, is translating for him.  She did a little speech as well after him.

This a counselor of the Stake Presidency that is doing the formal hand over to the village of Ha'ateiho.

Following the ceremony we served some light refreshments for the group in attendance.

This was the group involved in this project that helped us complete it.

It is hard to see, but they have painted on each tank "LDS Charities" so others will know who donated these tanks to this village.