Tonga!

Thursday, January 9th

When we went into the office today the new beam was up in the conference room and it looks like they will have it completely done soon. We will probably move in the next week or two.

I had a virus alert show up on my computer today and that basically shut me down for the morning. I took it into the ICS this afternoon and they scanned it for me. I had over 200 viruses that had neen detected. It is all cleaned up now and they installed a new anti virus system to work along with my Norton. Hopefully I am protected now.

Tiamani, our secretary, is amazing. She received her mission call last weekend. She went to the temple yesterday for the first time and she plans to go to the temple every afternoon until the temple closes for cleaning the 3rd week of January.

The cyclone warning is back and upgraded. It is now a category 4 and headed for Vava’u and Ha’api. It could shake us up a lot, but it isn’t expected to hit us head on.

I met with Mamana, our hygiene trainer for the West Stake, this afternoon. She came to our wheelchair training and she is amazing, so capable and dependable. She will do a great job of getting this hygiene training going in her stake. I am excited to work with her.

Our packages from Tiff and Lisa came today!!! It was Christmas in January. We had so much fun opening the little gifts that they sent. It proved to us that it isn’t about the cost of the gift, it truly is the thought that counts. Just knowing that our family is thinking about us and praying for us means more than any expensive gift ever would. The best part of the packages was the letters from everyone. Reading of their love for us and their testimonies of the gospel means more to us than anything money could ever buy. It truly was a missionary Christmas that we will never forget!

We ended the day at a missionary fireside. We are having musical firesides every week or two, to help the missionaries with their new members and investigators. We sing some songs in English and in Tongan and then they have new members bear their testimonies and the Bishop speaks. They don’t last long, 45 minutes to an hour, but they are very effective when investigators come. At this fireside a man in his 30’s talked about his conversion to the church. The thing that really made him want to give up his former lifestyle and join the church, was when home teachers kept coming to see his wife and then the Stake President came to visit him. No one from his former church had ever come to visit his family or offer their help and support in any way. That made all of the difference to him and he said that he will raise all of his children in the church and attend until the day he dies. It was a powerful testimony.