Tonga Prepares to Crown the King

Required attire for working at the Royal Palace
  

Senior Missionary Service project at the Palace

Junior missionaries did the heavy lifting

Called to serve the King

4 day Junior Missionary service project painting the Palace Fence

Prince 'Ata supervising with Mission President Tupou

'Upgrading' the waterfront with hundreds of painted TIRE pots---Resourceful

Fattening the pigs for the King's feasts

The 'new and improved' fishing boat dock


Meanwhile, back at the office:

Participants choose one of 3 PATHS to Self-Reliance:  1)  Education  2)  Job Search  3)  Starting or Growing a Business

These guys  choose to continue their carpentry studies and training after helping
build the post-cyclone houses in Ha'apai

The Religious community in Tonga is protesting against adopting CEDAW (eliminating discrimination against women) for fear it would allow abortions and same-sex marriage.

Parade of protesters

The Prince on the right, the Governor of Vava'u on his right, after Liahona stake conference where both spoke.
 Photo taken from behind a bush at our front door.

BEFORE AND AFTER --- the VOLCANO

Remember the volcano in January?

We just had to get a closer look.

The world's newest island (we think) is the one in the center.

The scientists got to go ashore.  We observed from a distance.  Notice how the crater rim has already been washed out on the windward side.  The lee side is about 300 meters high.

This is the lee side.

The island is just gradually eroding away.  Those gullies are about 10-15 meters deep at the water line.  The waves on the shore line are more black than white due to the erosion.

We scored a souvenier anyway.  Yes, we are older than this dirt.

The Tonga stakes are sending one 20 ft. container of Manioke (potato, sort of) every month to Vanuatu.  The cyclone at Vanuatu  devastated almost all their islands.  It even tore up their root crops.  Each ward was assigned so much to peel and bag, and they began filling the container on Monday.

Nearly 1000 bags at 20 kilos each.  Those Tongan boys didn't even work up a sweat.

By Friday it was filled and ready to put on the boat.  These people know how it is and are ready and willing to sacrifice for their South Pacific brothers and sisters.

Remeber the Ha'apai Reconstruction Project and the 41 boys who signed up to learn carpenty and help build the houses for the members who lost their homes?

After the storm and before the project.  This and the following pictures were taken 15 months after the storm.

Many are still living just like this.

They have managed to clean up most of the debris.

One road on the island and it just happens to cross the only air strip in the island group.

This old house weathered the storm pretty well.  The new one is typical of the houses the church is building for 105 families whose homes were beyond repair or completely destroyed.

Many families are having to do with a tent and whatever they can provide for themselves.  The federal government is building a lot of homes with the aid of the World Bank.  But many are just plain left to fend for themselves except for the emergency aid they received right after the cylone (cyclone Ian).

Welcome home, outhouse on the left, shower on the right.  Accessable only from the outside of the house.
The main house is 12x16 feet.

We are very proud of the boys who stayed on the job and are getting the project completed.  Lots more to the story but that's for another venue.

Got to the air strip to find out the plane wasn't coming for another 4 hours so we headed to the beach to celebrate our 42nd anniversary.

A 42 selfie.

FAMILY TIME

Fua'amotu...where's that??
Ty, Sydney, Danika, Davin and Stacia arrived on time on March 19, 2015.

Exactly 3 hours later we were all in the water.  The grandkids just couldn't wait to snorkel.  They took to the salt water environment in less time than it takes to say Siasi 'o Sisu Kalaisi 'o e kau Ma'oni'oni 'i he ngaahi 'aho Kimui ni.

On another day we swam in a fresh water lake inside 'Anahulu cave.  

Here's how we got to the swimming hole.

We had to shop at the market for lots of food and some souvenirs.

Monday was school day.  Each of the kids attended school (all day) with the children of our Country Self-Reliance Manager.

Not exactly a Southern Utah slot canyon.  This is all coral rock and we are here at low tide.  At high tide we would be swimming through here.

The reef is protecting us from big waves coming in to bounce us around in here.  OK, Ty maybe one wave did get us.

Time for a temple visit.  Ty couldn't believe he was entering the temple in flip flops and a "skirt".

Coconut tree climbing 101

The land bridge.  Like a Southern Utah natural bridge.  The light behind them is white froth from ocean waves.

We spent a day at an island resort off the coast of Tongatapu ('Atata island).  Great reef snorkeling from shore and from this boat.

The off island snorkel included clams and lots of varieties of fish.  These clams measure about 1 1/2 to 2 feet long and varied in color and patterns. 

Sand castles are a must.  That is our ride back to the main island in the background.  They have to move it out there to keep it in deep enough water when at low tide. 

Well, he came, he saw and he conquered.  What else can we say?
We loved having them all for a week.