January 25, 2010
To Mitch:
So this island that I'm on right now is pretty crazy. It's called Ha'afeva and it's way tiny. There is no electricity during the day. They turn the generators on for a couple hours at night but that's it. My house doesn't have any power, period. When I write in my journal at night, I either use my flashlight or a candle. I live at the church and it's only about 40 or 50 yards from the beach. It's awesome looking out the window during sacrament meeting and seeing the ocean.
This island is a blast but getting here was a nightmare. I left Vava'u about 8 p.m. We got to Ha'apai around 2 a.m. which is where I was supposed to get off, but the boat didn't stop. The boat didn't stop until we got all the way to Tongatapu where they informed me I would have to get back on the boat a few hours later to go to Ha'apai. So here is the journey: Friday, 8 p.m. leave Vava'u, Saturday 12 p.m. get to Tongatapu, Saturday 10 p.m. leave Tongatapu, Sunday 8 a.m. get to Ha'apai, Monday 6 a.m. leave Ha'apai, Monday 9 a.m. get to Ha'afeva. Can you believe that?
(Going from the big boat to Ha'afeva)
The work here is good. It's just me, my comp, and the work. We are teaching one girl right now and so far so good. She is coming to church and her family is really supportive. Hopefully everything will work out and we will baptize her, maybe in the ocean.February 21, 2010
To Staci:
Well life in Ha'afeva is awesome; I'm loving every minute of it. It's like I've gone back in time. My only communication with the outside world is when I call my district leader on Sunday nights to give him my weekly numbers. It sucks not being able to e-mail every week but other than that I'm loving the island life. I got to eat lobster for the first time in my life, as well as raw fish. You just catch it, clean it, cut it up, and enjoy. It's not as bad as it sounds.
The other day I woke up shivering in the morning, and when I looked at the temperature it was 81 degrees! On Fridays we go to the Primary School and teach the kids. Fridays are reserved for religious lessons at the schools here, almost like having seminary all day every Friday.
I don't know if you guys heard but we had a Category 4 hurricane down here last week. The mission president called me and warned me not to go outside during the storm because the winds were going at 150 knots which is deadly force, meaning that if you get hit with flying debris it will kill you. All the members boarded up their houses and came to stay at the church because it's the strongest built building on the island. The radio said it was the worst storm in Tonga in 50 years. We spent that night in fear and waited for it to hit early the next morning. We helped a guy tie down his boat and the wind was blowing so hard that getting hit with a grain of sand felt like a bee sting. Well, that's about as bad as it ever got. The winds blew and it rained for a few hours, but then it was over. It turned out to be a real dud. It did leave the air extra humid for a few days, though. Everything in our house was damp just from the wet air. I've never seen anything like it.
The work has been more fruitful here. My comp and I were able to teach and baptize two kids on another island called Matuku. It's even smaller than Ha'afeva. So small, in fact, that the chapel doesn't have a baptismal font, so I got to fulfill my mission dream and baptize them in the ocean. It was awesome!March 8, 2010
To Mike:
The island group I live in is called Lulunga. It's the smallest in the Kingdom. I've been able to see and count 18 islands, but I guess people only live on nine or ten of them. The one I live on is called Ha'afeva and is kind of like the main island of Lulunga. If someone from another island gets an investigator we get to go live there for a few days while we teach them.
While on the small island of Matuku...There is only one small road on the entire island and it's not even big enough to fit a car. There are no cars on the island (Ha'afeva only has three). Every house has a small solar panel so they can have power for a few hours after dark. The nights are awesome. There are thousands upon thousands of stars. I've never seen anything like it. I could see Ha'afeva from the beach and there was a small glow in the sky above it from the lights from peoples' houses.
We spent another week on an island called Kotu. It's bigger but with less people. My zone leaders came to bring my new comp because transfers had just happened. As they were riding away, we yelled "Hurray for Israel!" Just like Kolipoki on The Other Side of Heaven. 
Kotu was fun, though. We got another baptism and I got to eat turtle for the first time. It tastes fishy but is a little thicker and chewier. There is only one priesthood holder on the island and only about 13 members total.
And finally, the family got a letterMarch 24, 2010
Well I am still loving Ha'afeva. It is the closest thing to what I pictured Tonga being like when I first got my call. Very small and poor, house near the beach, get to visit other islands, eat lots of fruit. I think it's the best place to be in the entire mission. It's paradise.
We had Zone Conference on the 12th and the mission boat came and picked us up the day before. Conference was good. I didn't get to go to zone conference last transfer because the weather was bad, so this was my first time seeing President McMurray and other missionaries since coming to Ha'afeva. I found out that our zone baptism goal for last transfer (January 11 - February 21) was ten, and we ended up with four. My companion and I had two of the four. This transfer (February 22 - April 4) the goal is eight, and we had one as of March 12, which belongs to my comp and I. We've also added one more since then. I know it's hard to believe but Elder Tulane has led his zone in baptisms for the past two transfers ha ha.
I love you guys and miss you like crazy. I hope everything is good back home. I can't wait until the next time I get to hear from you.
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