January 12, 2015....Pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before Christmas we took a box of food to Viliami and Ana `Uhila.

Later we found this letter on our door.

 

After church on  Dec. 21, 2014, Sister Walters delivered this flower arrangement
to our apartment, so it became our "Christmas Tree".  Just missing the snow
 and family now!! 

December 24th dinner with the Senior Missionaries and President's family.
We found some hams at one store this week and bought them for our dinner.
You don't see cured hams here very often and they are expensive when you do.

Christmas Day Mom and I visited the same beach we went to last Christmas.
Families were there eating and swimming.....of course when you finish eating
then it is time to do the dishes Tongan style!

Some of the children playing in the ocean.

Large clam shells left over from someone's dinner.  They dive for the clams and then
open and eat them.

Christmas afternoon we are back to what we do best.  We had a great Mexican
potluck dinner.

The January 2015 Liahona and Ensign Magazines have an article written by Sister Hamblin about a family
that lives here at Liahona.  It is their conversion story.  They both taught school here until Siope opened a
 business called "Famili Donut". 

The Artist sent the Hamblins the original art and a copy from the article.  I made a frame
for it and we gave it to them.  Here they are with their five children and eight "adopted"
ones they care for.  They have had as many as 21 children in their home at one time.
 "Famili Donut" was developed to help support their children.

Siope and Liu Aka`ola and their five children. 

One of the girls read the article to everyone then Siope shared his testimony.
These two have their mission papers ready and one of the young men is waiting for
his call.  I think they have five others on missions.

This is the North West end of the Island.  The beach here is unique with all the
flat coral rock on it

I assume these are areas where they broke out rock for the raised up
cemeteries that are several miles from here and date back several
hundred years. 

It has been a cloudy day, but the sun broke through the clouds.

It made for a nice evening sunset.

Monday, January 5, 2015, Bishop Niu took me to see where he gets the Persian Ironwood
that he carves.  It is only found in one small spot on the Island.

Persian Ironwood tree, these were supposedly planted in the 1940's by U.S. Army
personnel that were stationed here.



A fallen tree that has a lot of good wood.  We are going to come back and
get this one!  

Another mature tree.  They only cut the dead ones, because they are rare.

Hmmm...maybe we better get this one too!!

An Army bunker from the 1040's.

It was our turn to feed the Sister Missionaries, so Sunday Jan. 11th, Mom
fixed then a Turkey dinner with mashed potatoes.  Turkeys are hard to find
 and expensive,but it was a real treat.  Especially for these young ladies who had
never had potatoes or Turkey. 

This morning is their Preparation Day so for breakfast they got
our traditional hotcakes and scrambled eggs.
We made enough for a small army and what they couldn't eat.....
Sister Lasalosi asked if she could take home.  She even poured
syrup in the bag!!!