Nov. 13, 2013 Pictures

These are our Christmas party pictures.  Each Department had to perform an Item".  Ours had a quartet,
Keio (Automotive) Sula (Home Ec.) Maopa (Home Ec.) Alipate (Drafting) and they are really good!

English Dept. doing a traditional Tongan dance.



This is our Bishops wife, Ola Vaitai,
 doing a traditional Tahitian dance.
 

This is one of the counselors "Big Vika", not to be confused the other counselor, "Little Vika", dancing with Peni Tonga, who teaches Tongan culture.  She loves to dance and really puts on a show!  He is well trained and teaches dancing. 



This was the week for flowers.  Mom got four during the week and I was given three.  Everywhere we went, we were the guests of honor and started the "eating".

 



Hmmm....more pictures of us.  This was the Form 3 (8th grade) graduation at Havelu Middle School.  We were invited and then found out that we were presenting the awards to one of the home room classes.  They had a light lunch for us....
a complete normal meal, by our standards......no take homes!  Check out the classy one in her new pulitaha that she just finished before we went to the dinner.  Also is also wearing a kiakia.  We now both have our complete traditional Tongan clothing and get a lot of compliments for being one of them.



After it was over, one student came up with his mother and presented us with his leis, which were made from the National Flower of Tonga.  They were tiny and had a really sweet smell.  What thoughtful people!  The flower arrangements were everywhere and are seen at all special occasions, including church every Sunday.

The way you know if the church is a Stake center is to look for the outside baptismal font in the center area. The classrooms are built so that all rooms have louvered windows on two sides for ventilation. 

Sister Hamblin and her Father, Elder Berger from Ashton.  He just arrived and will serve 23 months as a service missionary.  A mission committee member said that he believes this is a first, having a father and daughter serving at the same time in a mission. 

These are our friendly plumbers in their special transportation!

Elder and Sister Jacobsen (back left)are here from New Zealand this week meeting with the ITEP and TVET missionaries.  They trained us in New Zealand and it is great working with them this week.  They are seated with (L to R)  Elder Johnson,
Jacobsen's, Sister Johnson, Sister Aland, Elder Aland and Sister Meyers.  Guess whose taking the picture.

In Tonga, if you lose your license plate, you just make one out of cardboard! 

This is the second Tuesday night class for the piano students that Mom and Sister Aland are teaching.  We have some mothers that are really getting into it also.  Now the mission is using a program they have to get 8 key boards for them to use.  Like everything else here, the word is out and other Stake presidents have asked Mom to include their kids in classes in their villages!  With 16 or 17 Stakes on this Island, this could be very interesting.  Sis. Aland is a polished piano teacher and has removed a lot of pressure from Mom, so it is fun to see them working together.