Tonga!

Friday, August 2nd

We got up early again today but this time we weren’t the only ones. Everyone showed up on time and we were able to get the money out to all of the missionaries. I really feel sorry for Elder Fafita. He has to do the money because we don’t have an office couple yet and it is such a huge responsibility. We had 12 new missionaries come in this last week and just keeping track of them and getting money out to them is overwhelming. He will jump for joy when the Hamblins get here later this month and take over the office. Elder Fafita is looking forward to getting back out in the field and doing missionary work.

We had a great time with the Zone leaders of the West Zone today. They are both rugby players and both of them are from Tonga. They don’t speak the best English but they are amazing young men and great missionaries. We will really miss being able to spend time with the young missionaries in the future. This might be our last time to take the money out with the new couple coming. They probably won’t need us anymore.

When we got back to Liahona,we went into the office. Ana came in today. She has been so stressed and busy with this wedding, we haven’t seen here all week. They were able to get all of their gifts gathered and as a family they presented them to the Princess. Ana felt really good about it, well she felt good about how it turned out, not so good about how much money it cost her family. She still has a house full of relatives and they will be here until Monday or Tuesday and then they are all going to New Zealand to the wedding. Ana won’t be going, she just can’t afford it. Just the air fair alone is thousands of dollars and the pig for the dinner was a 1,000 pa’anga. I don’t even want to think about what the total bill would be for all of this. Ana is handling it well and she wanted to come in to work so she could be alone for a little while.

I called sister “Y” to set up the hygiene training for next week. She is taking her 89 year old mother to Hawaii to the doctor and she won’t be back for a couple of weeks. Once again it is hurry up and wait, although this last week she has been waiting on us!

I received some more fun emails full of birthday wishes today. Today is my birthday in America. I heard from all of the kids and some of the grandkids. I hope one day they will all experience how much it means to a parent to hear from their children that they are loved and appreciated, but I have to say, Greg really knows how to write a letter. He is so good at saying things that really touch my heart. I have been so blessed. What an amazing family Heavenly Father has sent to us. Kimi’s gift was two videos of Grace. She even turned her head to look at me in one of them. She is growing and changing so fast!

I made some ham fried rice for dinner tonight and then we went for a walk around the campus. They were setting up for a dance at the gym tonight. It will be a big celebration of their victory yesterday.