December 14, 2013 Pictures!!!

This is Mom's half of the piano students....these are the younger kids, ranging from 6-10 years old.  Bro. Tuiasoa helps translate as needed.  They are having a lot of fun and will break now while some will travel to Utah for Christmas.

After each lesson, the kids haul out a basket for the teachers.  Every time we say they don't have to do this, but all that does is encourage them to bring more.  One time there were three baskets this size.  All the Senior Missionaries shared in that one!  The pans are our musical instrument's for learning rhythm.  Pretty original, huh!



Mom thinks she has to get pictures of me, now that we are limited to using our tablets to take pictures, since my camera died.  The picture is really of the red trees that are blooming all around the Temple and Liahona Campus.  They blossom at Christmas each year.



The entry into Liahona, everything is in blossom and beautiful this time of year.  It is now summer and we get a lot of rain and it is really humid.  January is supposed to be the hottest time here.



This tree is by our apartment and the Temple is behind it.  We love serving in the Tonga Temple and they are so excited to see us come each week.  They are intimidated doing the English session.  We have gotten very close to the Presidency and workers we see each week. 



This week we went to the studio of the "Master Wood Carver" of Tonga, Sitiveni Fehoko.  He is also the counselor in the mission presidency.  He ships art work all over the South Pacific.  This wall hanging is about 4' X 8'.



Bro. Fehoko's work is beautiful.  He carves huge pieces, his largest was a 20 foot long whale that was shipped to Australia.  He wanted to see some of my work, so it is the dwarfed pieces in my hand.  He is holding a war club.  He wants me to train someone here to do artistic wood turning, because no one here does that and he knows they could make a good living.

Sister Fehoko is also a talented artist.  She makes gifts out of tapa cloth, coconut; she also handles the business side.  Her Christmas tree is covered with her hand made ornaments which she sells. 

Pres. Fehoko makes copies of ancient Tongan artifacts.  The wooden pillow, kali, is made from Toa....obviously one of my newly found favorites.  A kali is slept on after a hard days work, if they can't sleep on it, they haven't worked hard enough. 



I'm holding another style of war club.  It is intricately hand carved, with detailed designs between the bead patterns.  The fierce warrior holding it obviously is ready for battle!  I'm trying to figure out how to get one home...maybe if I asked the price, I would change my mind!



Tongan's are an interesting people.  Sitiveni, (Steven), had us read a book written about his life.  His daughter put it together for his 50th birthday.  His father was a carver.  He would take in kids with no jobs and teach them to carve, in hopes that they could make a living at it.  Sitiveni, also has done the same thing all of his career.  He has trained most of his competition!  This young man is one of  his apprentices and is also getting his life in order to go on a mission.  Look at the cute "monkey" in the tree above the carved candle holder.



Behind this worker is a podium that goes together with the two candle holders.  They are for one of the island Catholic churches.  He invited us to come back in a couple of days to see the finished pieces, before they deliver them.  I need more pictures of their primitive shop....it is amazing what can be produced with little modern conveniences.  Maybe I need a lesson or two so I can survive at Liahona!



Another apprentice, from Australia, working on the war club from the earlier picture. Mom is really getting good at picking out her subjects and getting some great shots of the people here.  These kids were all hanging out, watching the carvers.  They love to have pictures taken of them.

No trip is ever complete without a great pig picture.



Our newly discovered fruit in this weeks "music basket" is passion fruit.  It is quite tart, smells heavenly and makes a fine drink.  We are going to make a smoothie to use up some of our extra load of goodies.  Mmmm, bananas, pineapple, papaya and passion fruit.....it must be time to go home and make one up! 



Darn photographer caught me meditating at the blow holes.  It is a place of solitude for us.  Mom found out how to make videos this week so we will do one, so you can see what we mean.