Mission To The Land of The Long White Cloud

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Tonga Beauty

We especially enjoyed the time we spent on the islands of Ha'apai. Ha'apai is a chain of several different islands.

We were on Lifuka and Foa. The beauty of these islands truly captured my heart.

Lifuka and Foa connected by bridge

The bridge between the two islands

These are some shots of a few of the smaller islands I took from the plane as we were leaving:

There are reasons I would never choose to live in Tonga. But to have this special time as a guest in the Kingdom has been a true honor. I've come to appreciate and respect the Tongan people in many ways. I've felt the Spirit in these islands in ways I will never forget. I've had prayers answered. I've learned things about myself and my testimony. A part of my heart will forever remain here, in this beautiful land.

Third time is a charm

One of the things we were very aware of this third time in Tonga is what a huge difference familiarity makes. The first two times we had to rely on maps and directions to find our way from one church building to another. We often had felt apprehensive, on the edge of being lost, any time we did not have our advisors with us as guides since there are very few named streets in Tonga and those that do have names seldom are marked with signs.

This time, however, we pretty much knew where things were (at least for the main island). There are many LDS churches in Tonga, as the map here shows. Fortunately, on this third visit, we recognized most of the Stake Centers. We also were aware of several landmarks to keep us oriented to direction. We knew where the best shops, restaurants and markets were, so even when we were on our own, we had very little trouble navigating our way around..

In addition to us feeling more confident about where to go and what to do once we got there, the people we had meetings with also seemed much more comfortable around us. People not only recognized us, but recounted stories we had told the last time we were there. Some chuckled over funny experiences with us. We had built enough trust on our previous visits for them to be much more open with us this time.

In the past, when we had asked people if they needed us to use an interpreter, some would just smile and say they could understand. This time, people seemed more willing to admit to us when they did not understand what we were saying, and to have a true desire to know what we were trying to teach. So with the help of Sister 'Unga to convey our words in the Tongan language, our presentations were for the most part very well received.

The last point that made a huge difference was our schedule. In the past we did a lot more driving back and forth as we scurried from one stake to another for our different meetings. On our last visit we had done 22 trainings in 12 days, with lots of early mornings, late nights, and some skipped meals as we traveled from one side of the island to another to get where ever we needed to be. By the end of it I felt positively ragged, and by the time we returned to New Zealand I was completely worn out. This time we focused on one stake each day. First we would meet with the Stake leaders from 10:00 AM till noon. Then we would take a lunch break before meeting with ward leaders in the afternoon. Sometimes we would get caught up working with the leaders in the Family History Center (FHC) and our lunch would get cut short or have to be moved back. But for the most part we tried to keep ourselves on that schedule, which felt much more manageable than in the past.

We stayed busy, to be sure. We got a lot done. But we were not run ragged this time. We were able to get well rested each night and we ate a balanced diet throughout the trip. Those factors kept us from wearing ourselves out and it made all the difference in how this trip felt.

While staying on the church campus on the main island we would often get up early to go for a walk before starting our day. I've been wearing the fit-bit I got for Christmas and trying to stay as diligent as possible about getting at least 10,000 steps each day. Since our work assignment is so often sitting in front of computers to do family history work, making sure we get sufficient exercise each day to stay healthy and focused is more important than I previously gave credit for.

Road where we took our morning walks

Elder Bennett saying good morning to the cows our walk

Getting my 10,000 Steps!

I am mindful of the council that the Lord gave to the prophet Joseph Smith in D&C 10:4:
Do not run faster or labor more than you have strengthand means provided to enable you to translate; but bediligent unto the end.

We are doing a better job of following that council ourselves - pacing ourselves according to the needs of our health and energy levels, while staying diligent to use our time as effectively as we can.

Also in Mosiah 4:27 it says: And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run fasterthan he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order

So that is our goal at this point in our mission. We are striving to be DILIGENT missionaries, obedient to whatever our assignment may require. Yet we are also doing a better job of recognizing our needs for health care through getting enough rest, eating properly, having some exercise each day and making more time for quiet study, reflection and pondering. All those things are helping us to be closer to the spirit and more open to the inspiration the Lord has in store for us to know how we can reach the people we are serving in the best way.

It feels good to be learning these key lessons. I hope this sense of balance is something I can keep with me long after this mission is through.

Monday, February 15, 2016

Third Trip to Tonga

Our first overseas trip for 2016 was to return once more to the Kingdom of Tonga.

We first came to Tongatapu in May of last year. That initial visit had been spent getting oriented to the country, becoming acquainted with the Area Family History Advisors (AFHAs), who at that time were Brother and Sister Piutau, and meeting with the various Stake Presidents and Family History Centre directors. We gave PowerPoint presentations on the My Family 15 in 15 program at each place we visited and did our best to answer questions.

Our second trip was four months later, in September. That time, instead of just talking about the program to inform and motivate the leaders, we focused on actually sitting down with them at the computer and getting as many of them as we could to submit names for temple ordinances. With the benefit of some prior familiarity, we were more confident. We felt it was a much more productive visit. The people were more trusting and open with us on the second visit and we got a lot done. In addition to training in stakes all over Tongatapu, that time we also were able to visit the outer island of Vava’u which was a very positive experience.

On this third trip we have become even more convinced of the value of repeat visits that allow for building stronger relationships with the Tongan people as well as helping us as missionaries to get a deeper understanding of their culture and needs. We have many people who remember us from our prior trips. Some are now more open with us about their level of understanding of FamilySearch. We are also more experienced at working with interpreters, so the communication flows better.

In addition to teaching several stakes on the main island of Tongatapu, this third journey to Tonga included trips to Ha’apai and Eua.

The biggest focus for this particular trip was one we had not planned on – training the newly called Area Family History Advisors (AFHAs ) for Tonga, Brother and Sister ‘Unga. When we first made arrangements for the trip, our dear friends Brother and Sister Piutau were still serving as advisors for Tonga. However, they were recently released as Brother Piutau has been called as executive secretary to the Area Seventy and Sister Piutau is needed in her ward. While we will miss working with the Piutaus who we had come to love, we can see already that the ‘Ungas are going to be wonderful advisors.

There were many special experiences throughout out time in Tonga and a few key lessons which I will capture later as time permits. For now, I'm going to gather just a few of those memories by posting some photos of the groups we worked with:

Nuku’alofa Tonga North Stake
2 Feb (Tuesday)