WEEK 68 IN TONGA, FALAHA

I'd like to start off this email with a lovely picture of a real 'Hot Dog' (If you know what I mean😏)

So this week we did a vilo hoa (exchanges) to one of the most legit areas in our zone. I love exchanges always so much learned from these Elders in our Zone. I think I always learn the most from those who most recently came into the mission. They have a special fire and spirit about them that makes me so excited to get back to my own area. Also got to join in on that wards Relief Society aniversary celebration (is that even a thing anywhere else?? Cause it's pretty dang big here). We thought we were going to be teaching investigators at it, but that fell through so they made us stay to eat and watch the 2 Elders, Samoan investigators fire dance which was pretty dang cool to be honest. And also a Tongan lady sing a Whitney Houston song (don't ask why) which might have been even better.

Funny story for the week: Most of Saturday was spent doing baptism interviews for one of the DLs in our zone. I did 3, and that was supposed to be it for the baptism. Tonga has this bad habit of planning the interviews ON the day of the baptism, so it's always an awkward moment if the interview doesn't go to well. After those interviews we came home and started our weekly planning and then at 4:30 (baptism was scheduled for 5) we get a call from those Elders saying that they have another interview for us to do... Their area is about 10 min away from ours so we make for the door and speed down there. As my companion was doing the interview (by now it's 4:59 (baptism is still scheduled for 5...)) I'm standing there talking to the Elders, when all of a sudden he points behind me to a little girl in a white dress and says, "oh, she needs to get interviewed too" ...😐. I love Tonga!!

Another random highlight: Member walks up to us at church with a little boy and says, "Hey this kids parents who are members forgot to baptize him when he was 8 (he's 9) so you guys can teach him and baptize him." So we go to his parents, they tell us the same thing, but when his dad told us his birthday we did the math and realized that he was still 8. And then at a later visit when they pulled out the kids birth certificate we realized that he was still 7 lololol. Toonngggaa!!!

Another epic Sunday of speaking/playing the 5 hymns in sacrament meeting (without practicing before hand)/teaching the less-active class. I always feel so good after those Sundays were we get to participate so much.

Update on our old lady investigator: Her family often tells us things that she wont tell us straight up, and so they told us about how she always wakes up before everyone else to read the Book of Mormon and how she tells them that she feels her life is changing through reading that fantastic book. Such a miracle to hear of investigators having those kind of experiences, it makes me so happy and warm inside :)

As I said before, we live at the Area authority 70 of Tongas house, one night his son was fafanga (dinner) which also happened to be the same night when the 70's sister was throwing a party for having just recently found/met her 50 year old son that she adopted away at birth and hadn't met since. Pretty dang crazy to have witnessed that moment. So this man and his daughter got to meet all of there cousins and eat Tongan food, and we were awkwardly sitting in the corner. Coolest part for me was seeing this man who isn't a member get emotional talking about how much he admires this families commitment to family. He might not have known that that is because of the Gospel and the truth is it taught, but he sure felt it's power. Another very happy and warm moment:)

Yesterday had the lovely opportunity as Zone Leaders to figure out why random people were calling us, threatening to call the police on our missionaries... that basically took all day.... yeah I won't go any deeper into that....

Well... Zone Conference is on Friday! Super pumped always so much to learn at those things and even more to learn when you get to do the teaching!

Love you all! Keep me updated with the deets of your life so we aren't strangers when I get home!

2 Nephi 5:27 <----- a.k.a The Gospel! 😁

-Elder Nite

WEEK 67 IN TONGA, FALAHA

POST CYCLONE

Mann, so believe it or not, but life is boring right after cyclones hit.

Things are very much back to normal, maybe even slower than before, I don't know if I've said this but this area consists of about 5 streets that are each 200-300 yards long, gotta love it.

But we are working with some cool investigators that I don't think I've mentioned yet :)

We are teaching a 50ish year old lady from Vava'u who has come to church every single week for the past 4 months. Mostly because she lives at a members house right now, but she is basically a member except she has yet to be baptized which is what we are trying really hard to work towards right now. She reads the BoM everyday and really likes it, which is really cool to see, but conversion has not taken place yet, we are working for it though!

Another cool investigator is this girl named Teresa. She was a referral from some members. We've taught her a good amount of times which has been way cool, but her dad stops her from coming to church every Sunday which makes us way sad. We went over before church last Sunday so we could walk with her, but she said she couldn't make it this week again :( We are hoping to see a big softening of heart at some point with her dad.

I have become the 6th Wards official Pianist. The chorister calls me every Sunday morning, yells my name and tells me the songs I'll play.

Not too much more to add this week, just got some CRAYZAY action shots that I don't think went through last week:

 Things were flying everywhere

 Things were blowing everywhere

 Things were falling everywhere 

 We were serviing everywhere

 Everything changed

We got to wack at a lot of trees

Sorry for the boring email :/

WEEK 66 IN TONGA, FALAHA

Well hello there :) It's been a good while since I've been able to shoot out a group message! Don't have tons of time cause we were at the temple earlier but I'll give some quick updates of the last 3 weeks, sorry if it's kinda all over the place I gotta type fast and I'm sick right now! I'm sure most of you heard about the Hurricane that hit Tonga about 3 weeks ago. Let me just say that that has got to be one of the craziest things I've ever seen! There were rumors that it was a Level 5 but when it hit Tonga it was only a Level 4, thank goodness! If it was a level 5 than things would have been a whole lot worse. So, I don't want to bore you all, but here's a brief version of the story:

So on the day of the Hurricane, we didn't even know anything was going on, we just drove around our area a bit and saw everyone moving around outside their houses picking up trash, so that was our first alarm cause people only do that on Saturdays. Eventually we heard from the radio about the warning for the storm, about an hour later the APs texted and told us to get our bags ready for us all to head to our church buildings(basically the only for sure safe buildings in Tonga).

We got there by 1ish in the afternoon. The rest of the day was the funnest thing ever, we just went and played games with all the kids, played a little Rugby, jammed out on a members guitar and it was way fakalata (enjoyable) for everyone. I've learned such lessons from these people. I'm sure most of them knew their house, and more importantly their uta (bush which is were they grow and get there food) was going to be destroyed, and I have never seen a more happy/go lucky kinda people in that situation. Everyone was just joking about how bad the storm was going to be.

At around 7 the APs texted again with the 'for sure' the storm will hit us, told us all to stay in the churches, and all will be good!

Around 9 or 10ish is when it started to pick up and get kinda scary. Luckily our church buildings is THE nicest in Tonga. One of the newest, so we weren't worried at all. Us and our district were camping out in the Stake Presidents office.

Around 10:30 I fell asleep.

But at like 1ish in the morning is when it got the worst. We could hear all the trees by the church getting blown down, and these are BIG trees. I've never heard or seen such loud wind! It was so big that it broke a glass display board inside the church!

Next morning we got the clearance to head out and start helping people and that's what we did for the next week after the storm. We lived at the church and went out all day everyday cutting down trees and cleaning up peoples house. There was SO much destruction like I've never seen. It was such a humbling experience to watch people walk around the destroyed house and stare at all their lost possessions throughout our zone. But for these people all it means is a new beginning. It's so cool to see their attitude. 

Almost broke our new car the day after the storm cuz we drove in 2 foot deep water. Smh terrible decision. 

Our water/electricity just barely came on like a weeks ago.

OKK, I have no time, so quick story about how we baptized some one on Sunday! :) 

I think this is one of my favorite baptisms of my mission. Her name is Salome and she just got back to Tonga from Vava'u about a week ago. She was taught by the Sisters before but then went to her home in Vava'u, and just got back. We taught her everyday last week and and realized her truly repentant heart and desire to be baptized. Basically the coolest thing ever to see, and then to listen to her last night, explain the feelings she had when she was baptized and confirmed a member of the church. She just left this morning to New Zealand, so I probably won't be able to see her again which is sad, but it was big privilege to have played a part in her life during this last week.

I'm sorry I gotta run! I try and update more next week!

KOU MATE HE OFA KIATE KIMOUTOLU❤❤

 It's Bat Boy

 Do I even like Cats?

 Sometime you just have to look closer

 Who said I couldn't handle a knife

Oh yah, I get to go!

WEEK 65 IN TONGA, FALAHA

Hey guys! Quick email to you guys from the Kapps phone! Things are still the same here. The service projects are slowing down a lot and we are starting to get back to normal. Only big differences now are that the water and electricity are out still so I don't know how long it will be until I can actually email. Just wanted to let you guys know I'm still kickin! Things are going good, just trying our best to help the people out and get back to normal. Hopefully you guys have been able to see some pictures of me from the Kapps and other random people who take pictures. Hope all is good with you guys though! Transfers happened on Sunday and both me and Satuala are staying here in the Zone. I'm gonna let the Kapps go now though, just wanted you guys to know that things are still going good :) LOVE YOU GUYS TONS!!!

-Elder Kalanite

WEEK 64 IN TONGA, FALAHA

Hey! You probably all heard that there was a cyclone about to hit
Tonga! Just wanted to let you all know that me and my comp and our
zone will live! We are at the church right now hanging out in the Stake
Presidents office. It's supposed to be the biggest cyclone to ever
hit Tonga! Pretty crazy huh!? It's supposed to hit Tonga later on
tonight. It's picking up a little bit right now but still not too too bad.
Just wanted to let you all know cause we don't really know how the
internet will be afterwards! Love you all! Keep Tonga in your
prayers!!

Ofa atu!

-Elder in the middle of the South Pacific, in the middle of a cyclone