The Kingdom of Tonga - Part 2 - Vava'u



Arriving on the island of Vava'u. Elder Jacobsen gets off the DC3 that was our aircraft. This plane has a long and storied history from flying military missions for the New Zealand airforce just after WW II ended to flying around the Pacific Islands as a commuter plane for Chatham Pacific Airways.





Another view of the airport at Vava'u. It sits out in a large field.





Elder and Sister Forsyth are the newest ITEP couple in the Pacific. They are assigned to Saineha High School. Elder Forsyth has a background as an elementary teacher and an elementary principal. Sister Forsyth was a long-time elementary teacher. They will be a great asset to the teachers working at Saineha.



We were warmly welcomed to Saineha High School (grades 7-13) by the Forsyth's, Etta, the newly appointed principal, and Linda, an incredible lady who is retiring as principal this year. We enjoyed the time we spent talking with them and their sense of commitment to their students was inspiring. All of the administrators at Saineha teach a class each year. Five-hundred students attend Saineha. When Elder Jacobsen and I were there for our visit students were busy taking end of year exams.





Motuliki is the school counselor at the school. He is a master of the SSEOP and understands the value of keeping data about the progress of each student. The ITEP couple have an office right next to Motuliki and they reported to me that he always has students in his office. He meets with students from all grade levels and is a calm mentor to them. He also teaches a Chemistry class and on the night before the end of year exam he met with students at the school to help them prepare. On this small island this type of commitment by teachers and staff to help students be successful is common.



Sister Forsyth is using the broom to sweep off her patio at the back of her home on the school grounds. When she asked the workers for a broom this is what they brought her. It is one they made from one of the trees at the school. It works just great!



A view of Saineha from the back of campus where the Forsyth's and a few of the teachers live.



This is the harbor of Vava'u where many of the sailboats moored there have people living on them. The local people call them "the yachties".



The daily catch at the market.





Bringing in the catch to sell.



Elder and Sister Forsyth are ordering some baskets and mats at the market. This particular vendor was also a long-time teacher and her son is a teacher at Saineha. I think they got a fair price. :)





The market at Vava'u.



This is a cemetery. It is not possible to dig deep holes to bury loved ones so sand is used to build up the gravesite.





Pigs are a common site around the island.



Elder Jacobsen looks out at the water at the Botannical Reserve. This place caters to tourists and groups so there is a restaurant just behind Elder Jacobsen. It wasn't opened when we were there.



One lovely evening we ate dinner at the Tongan Beach Resort.





A view from the dock to towards the beaches of the resort. It was very quiet and we had a great dinner.



Elder Jacobsen is showing off this beautiful lei that was given to him at church on Sunday. We attended a Tongan ward and loved being there listening to everything in Tongan. We didn't understand the words but the spirit was there in abundance. There are many in Tonga who speak excellent English and we had a couple sitting next to us who translated for us from time to time.



I was also the recipient of a beautiful and fragrant lei. I wish I could convey in this blog the beautiful nature and spirit of the Tongan people. They are kind and welcoming to strangers and want to make sure your visit is a good one. We have been invited to come back so they can prepare an "umu" (roast pig barbecue) for us.