Tonga - Day 1

Our first day in Tonga started early with a welcome meeting at 7:30 AM.  We were met at our hotel by Brother and Sister Piatau, the Area Family History Advisors for Tonga who had arranged our schedule.  Oh how we came to love these good people.  They really should get the credit for all we accomplished since they got us to the right places and helped us meet the right people throughout our trip.

At the welcome meeting were stake presidents or their counselors from several different regions. Afterward we went to church at Havelu and very much enjoyed meeting with the members there

Then later that evening we gave a training presentation at the Ma'ufanga Stake Center.  We were able to meet with the director of the Family History Center and talk with several leaders who had completed their "15 in 15".  We felt we got off to a good start.  Many of  the people we met spoke English, and those that did not we were able to communicate with through the help of the Piataus serving as interpreters.  We were excited to learn more about the people and to serve them as best as we could.