Tonga!

Friday, June 7^th

Today was moving day at the office. They didn’t do anything yesterday so Ana called this morning and they came right down. It really worked out for the best because we were there to tell them exactly what we wanted moved and then we were at Liahona to tell them exactly where we wanted them to put it. It was pretty amazing to watch. They didn’t use dollies at all. Two men came into our office and picked up the file cabinet and carried it out. They are so strong! Alan keeps saying that these Tongan men are blessed with very impressive bodies and today I had to agree with him.

When we first saw our office the other day it was dirty and not very inviting. Today it had all been cleaned and with the furniture in it, it really looks good. It has a very comfortable and homey feel to it. I think we are going to have a hard time leaving here and going back when fiber optics are up and running.

When they hooked my computer up it didn’t work any better than it did down town. I about died! But come to find out that our office is still on the school system, which isn’t that great. However we are supposed to be switched over to the church system QUICKLY!! In fact it was supposed to happen before we arrived but for some reason it didn’t happen. Hopefully by Monday!!

Elder Reynolds wrote back and said to go ahead with the Dental Project so I pushed the “Submit” button and sent it on its way. I so happy to have that one done!

I spent the rest of the day putting our office together. First things first, I had to put the pictures of
our family up on the wall. I can’t go anywhere without the family! Each time I turn a page on the calendar I cut some of the pictures off and put them on the wall in the office. I am getting a great family wall going now. Ana Ika and Ana Lupe are always eager to see “what’s new” at the first on each month.

I am hoping they will give me some touch up paint so I can spiff things up a little but it really is a pretty nice office. Bigger than the other one and a much nicer view.

We had a ward dance tonight and we really didn’t want to go. By Friday night we are both exhausted and with the move it seemed even worse tonight, but we knew that we needed to support the ward so off we went. We picked Sister Mitchell up. She didn’t want to go either but she felt the same way we did. The dance started at 7:00 but no one ever comes on time so we left at 7:30 and arrived at 8:00. Except for the man doing the music and his family, we were the first ones there! Time means nothing to the Tongans. Not only that, but it was an outside dance, held on the basketball court. They had decorated it all with yellow balloons and just before we arrived it started to rain. There were chairs all around the edges and they were in puddles of water. It poured for about a half hour and no body came. Then about 8:30 a few people came and the rain let up a little. They were trying to decide if we should move it inside when someone saw one star so we decided to chance it. We wiped all of the chairs off and they asked Alan to say the opening prayer at 8:45. He asked that the elements would be tempered and there was no more rain. We had a great time dancing with the little kids. They loved Elder Webb because he got right out there and danced with the young girls. The little boys were having no part of that so I spent a lot of time taking pictures. Families danced together, some of the young men came out and danced and they had some great moves, but no one, except the married couples, danced “together”. They just danced. It was a fun night and by 9:30 we felt that we had “supported” enough, so we went home to bed! 

When we got back to Liahona it started to pour again. It rained off and on all night. Alan felt so bad that the rain had ruined the dance but we found out later that it did not rain one drop at the church after we left. The dance was over at 11:30 and they all knew that Elder Webb’s prayer had been heard and answered.