6/29/10
6/25/10
Life in Ha'afeva
Elder Tulane had the privilege to serve in Ha'afeva from January to April 2010. He got to work on a few different islands like Matuku and Kotu. He said he had been looking forward to this type of island living since he found out he got called to Tonga. He was without electricity the entire time! In fact, this is how the missionaries got their water for drinking and bathing:
some hermit crab or a chunk of pig fat for bait, and practice!
Here is Elder Tulane giving a small tour of Ha'afeva
Missionaries are often known as the fishers of men. Well, sometimes they get to be the fishers of fish, too! Fishing, Tongan style, requires one of these:
some hermit crab or a chunk of pig fat for bait, and practice! Spreading the gospel in Tonga requires a little island-hopping. In this video, Elder Tulane made a trip to Matuku to further share the word. While they were there, they slept on the floor of the church. Definitely a different form of tracting than for most!
It's easy to say that no news is good news, especially since Elder Tulane often is a man of few words. However, Elder Tulane happened to be in Ha'afeva during some hurricane weather, without e-mail! Elder Tulane made it through unscathed, and he even got some video. He witnessed a "Category 4" hurricane (one with winds ranging from 131-155 mph) in the video below.
Missionary life is often replete with discoveries. Sometimes missionaries document some startling findings:
(Disclosure: cave sand discovery was not actually made in Ha'afeva)As well as some beautiful ones
And the best discoveries of all
Stay tuned for some of the letters and more pictures from Ha'afeva.
5/22/10
Leimatu'a, Vava'u
From October 2009 to January 2010 Elder Tulane was serving in Leimatu'a, Vava'u. Here's Elder Tulane's map of where he has been in relation to the other islands (and where he will be in future posts):
Elder Tulane wrote:
October 1, 2009
So Elder Tulane had a few tsunami adventures, and then got sent to Leimatu'a, Vava'u, which, as you can see in the pictures, was breathtakingly beautiful!
(click to expand)
October 28, 2009
November 11, 2009
December 9, 2009
(click to expand)
Before Elder Tulane left for Vava'u there were various threats of tsunami and earthquakes.Elder Tulane wrote:
October 1, 2009
"Hey yeah it was kinda funny. Yesterday morning I was laying in bed and thought I felt a kinda weak earthquake and then a few minutes later our ZL's came over and told us about the tsunami. They were going to come back in a few minutes to take us to mission headquarters. Well we went to a store while we were waiting for them to come back and the radio was on so we heard about Samoa and stuff...I'm OK though so don't worry. Everything is fine. As far as I know nothing happened to Tonga at all."
So Elder Tulane had a few tsunami adventures, and then got sent to Leimatu'a, Vava'u, which, as you can see in the pictures, was breathtakingly beautiful!
(click to expand)"Hey. Vava'u is good. The boat took a full 24 hours and we made a few stops at islands along the way. I got a little more sea sick than I thought I would but nothing bad. There were a few hours when there wasn’t any land in sight. It was crazy. There are hills up here and I like that better than flat. It’s hard being senior companion. I’m constantly learning patience in this mission and how to deal with people."
Video of the boat ride:
November 11, 2009
"My week has just been normal. We have had a few teachings but I don't know how serious the people were about it. We spend most of our time just visiting members and asking them if they need help with anything...Oh yeah I forgot you asked about my living conditions. They are probably the worst I've had yet but I don't even care. I love it. I want to be able to say I lived like a barbarian on my mission haha."
December 9, 2009
"Hey thanks! I cant believe it's already been a year. I am very warm, the weather almost never goes below 80 haha. I don't miss the snow at all. The work is OK. Not teaching anybody at the moment but I love my companion. Today was zone conference and it was really good."
January 2010 came around, and so did transfers. Elder Tulane got some exciting news.
January 12, 2010
"Hey I'm so glad you wrote early because I have some big news. Transfers were on Monday and I'm moving. I didn't want to leave Vava'u so soon but I'm really excited about my new area. It's a little island called Ha'afeva. Its in the Ha'apai island group and about an hour long boat ride to the nearest missionaries. I will eat almost entirely fish and might get to even go to a few of the close islands for a few days at a time. There is no electricity so I won't be able to email so expect this to be the last one you get from me for a few months.
It's going be really tough but this is what I've been waiting for ever since I got my call to Tonga. I think I'm leaving tomorrow. Well I love you and am going to miss not being able to talk to you every week but I am very excited for the adventure ahead. I hope everything is going well. Love ya."
Elder Tulane
Elder Tulane
5/19/10
A Picture View of Vava'u
Last October, Elder Tulane was shipped out to Vava'u. Before we update you with letters and other information, we thought we'd share a couple of pictures of Elder Tulane's adventures.
Watch for more updates soon!
Watch for more updates soon!7/8/09
Dear Tulane Family,
Malo 'e lele. How are you all doing? Before I go on, let me introduce myself. My name is Elder Feletoa. I am from Salt Lake and I'm serving alongside your son/brother, Elder Tulane. I thought I'd take some time to write to you all and let you know that he's doing really well. I first met him a couple of months ago, his first month out. He really didn't say much but we introduced ourselves, then departed and went our separate ways. I talked to a lot of the native Tongan's and they have a lot of great things to say about his language. I recently ran in to Elder Tulane and I'll tell you, it was like running in to a whole new person. His Tongan is impressive and he gets along well with everyone. I know he is serving somewhere in Tongatapu, I just forgot the name of his village. I know he is comps with a native Tongan.
Family, the young lad is doing great! You'd be proud to see him
Love, Elder Feletoa
Family, the young lad is doing great! You'd be proud to see him
Love, Elder Feletoa
A long time overdue...
So we have a few things to catch up on with Elder Tulane.
Lets start back at May 25: "I've just been doing my usual thing. Nothing really exciting has happened except I might have had my first tevolo (devil) experience. A tevelo is a bad spirit and almost everyone here in Tonga has some crazy story about them. I was on a comp exchange and when I woke up in the morning my comp asked me if I could hear him talking in the middle of the night. Apparently he woke up and a tevolo was standing in our room so he cast it out. I'm glad I was asleep! haha Tongan's have all kinds of superstitions."
May 31: (Excerpts from Jed's birthday letter) "I'm sitting in church while I write this and I still can't understand anything that anybody is saying, so I thought this could be a good time to write you a birthday letter. Are you excited to be getting out of Primary? I know I would be. This birthday is a big one, you get the priesthood. You know, people in other religions go to school for years to get the "priesthood", but for them its just a title. It really doesn't mean anything. When you receive the priesthood you will have more authority than those guys. Pretty cool huh! Make sure you honor your priesthood.
Well I thought it would be fun if I told you some things that I have noticed that have changed about me. I'm sure if you and the family could see me, you would be able to see a lot about me that has changed, but these are just some of the things I've noticed. 1) I'm small. I weighed myself a couple of weeks ago and was 165 lbs. I haven't been that small since 9th grade. 2) I love reading the scriptures. I think I almost know as much now as the average primary kid, that actually pays attention! 3) I love vegetables. I eat them every chance I get. I also love bananas and pineapple now. And coconut is growing on me too. 4) I can't eat a lot. Even when I do find something I like, it's not long before I get full. I think my stomach has shrunk! 5) I don't mind speaking in public.
I'm sure there are more, but I can't think of any right now. Remember that by the time you read this, I will already be finished with 25% of my mission, so I'll be home to kick your butt before you know it! haha"
June 8th: Hey sorry for last week (NO EMAIL), all the palangis played football and we didn't have time to write after. You'll be happy to know that I did good and caught the winning touchdown! We played today too but I stopped early so I could e-mail. One of the kids in 'Forever Strong' is a missionary here now. I only know him as Elder Salt (I don't know his first name) but he isn't hard to miss. He is a giant!
June 15th: Hey, transfers were today and I'm staying with my comp but we got 3 more missionaries in our house with us. This is going to be a long 6 weeks I'm afraid. Tonga is nice this time of year. It always rains at least a couple of times a week and the temp stays in th 70's. Sometimes at night it gets into the 60's and it is pretty chilly. haha Our AP's came by and talked to my comp and I last week and the one AP that is Tongan, who also happened to be my trainer, was talking to my comp. My comp was saying how cold it is and the AP was like "You don't even know cold until you lock yourself in a freezer naked." haha These guys are always saying weird stuff like that.
June 24th: Those other 3 elders only stayed for 2 days until the boat came and took them to another island. I have another palangi in my district so I do a lot of comp exchanges with him.
July 2nd: We haven't found any new investigators except for these 3 kids who are already like lifelong members and have grown up in the church, but I guess they were just never baptized. They are getting baptized tomorrow I think. I have still been doing exchanges with Elder Swanson, the other palangi, and he has helped me out a bunch. I'm always in a better mood when I am with him. He is from Blanding, UT. It's down by Monticello in the 4 corners area. The members love palangis and sisters, so we have no problem talking to people.
That is the latest and greatest from Elder Tulane. Hope you enjoyed catching up!
Lets start back at May 25: "I've just been doing my usual thing. Nothing really exciting has happened except I might have had my first tevolo (devil) experience. A tevelo is a bad spirit and almost everyone here in Tonga has some crazy story about them. I was on a comp exchange and when I woke up in the morning my comp asked me if I could hear him talking in the middle of the night. Apparently he woke up and a tevolo was standing in our room so he cast it out. I'm glad I was asleep! haha Tongan's have all kinds of superstitions."
May 31: (Excerpts from Jed's birthday letter) "I'm sitting in church while I write this and I still can't understand anything that anybody is saying, so I thought this could be a good time to write you a birthday letter. Are you excited to be getting out of Primary? I know I would be. This birthday is a big one, you get the priesthood. You know, people in other religions go to school for years to get the "priesthood", but for them its just a title. It really doesn't mean anything. When you receive the priesthood you will have more authority than those guys. Pretty cool huh! Make sure you honor your priesthood.
Well I thought it would be fun if I told you some things that I have noticed that have changed about me. I'm sure if you and the family could see me, you would be able to see a lot about me that has changed, but these are just some of the things I've noticed. 1) I'm small. I weighed myself a couple of weeks ago and was 165 lbs. I haven't been that small since 9th grade. 2) I love reading the scriptures. I think I almost know as much now as the average primary kid, that actually pays attention! 3) I love vegetables. I eat them every chance I get. I also love bananas and pineapple now. And coconut is growing on me too. 4) I can't eat a lot. Even when I do find something I like, it's not long before I get full. I think my stomach has shrunk! 5) I don't mind speaking in public.
I'm sure there are more, but I can't think of any right now. Remember that by the time you read this, I will already be finished with 25% of my mission, so I'll be home to kick your butt before you know it! haha"
June 8th: Hey sorry for last week (NO EMAIL), all the palangis played football and we didn't have time to write after. You'll be happy to know that I did good and caught the winning touchdown! We played today too but I stopped early so I could e-mail. One of the kids in 'Forever Strong' is a missionary here now. I only know him as Elder Salt (I don't know his first name) but he isn't hard to miss. He is a giant!
June 15th: Hey, transfers were today and I'm staying with my comp but we got 3 more missionaries in our house with us. This is going to be a long 6 weeks I'm afraid. Tonga is nice this time of year. It always rains at least a couple of times a week and the temp stays in th 70's. Sometimes at night it gets into the 60's and it is pretty chilly. haha Our AP's came by and talked to my comp and I last week and the one AP that is Tongan, who also happened to be my trainer, was talking to my comp. My comp was saying how cold it is and the AP was like "You don't even know cold until you lock yourself in a freezer naked." haha These guys are always saying weird stuff like that.
June 24th: Those other 3 elders only stayed for 2 days until the boat came and took them to another island. I have another palangi in my district so I do a lot of comp exchanges with him.
July 2nd: We haven't found any new investigators except for these 3 kids who are already like lifelong members and have grown up in the church, but I guess they were just never baptized. They are getting baptized tomorrow I think. I have still been doing exchanges with Elder Swanson, the other palangi, and he has helped me out a bunch. I'm always in a better mood when I am with him. He is from Blanding, UT. It's down by Monticello in the 4 corners area. The members love palangis and sisters, so we have no problem talking to people.
That is the latest and greatest from Elder Tulane. Hope you enjoyed catching up!
5/16/09
MotHeR's daY PhoNe CaLL!
Last Saturday night @ 9:30, we were able to talk to Elder Tulane during the annual Mother's day phone call. The phone call lasted about 3 hours and we all took our turns running our jaws! Thanks mom for sharing your coveted time with us! Here are some of the things that we learned in our discussions:
* Currently there are 75 Tongan elders, 25 Caucasian elders, and 16 sisters serving in Tonga.
* Their mission slogan is "The Tongan Way". Stan has adapted this slogan for his personal benefit to be "The Lords Way". He is trying to learn as much as he can both in the gospel and the language. He is relying on the Lord to shape and mold him while on HIS errand.
* He has found himself teaching and speaking with the Spirit more and more often. He tends to take a step back afterward and acknowledge the Lord's hand. He recognizes that it is not him speaking, it is the Lord guiding him.
* He just got a new companion. He really likes him. Even though Stan has been out a full month longer, he is the junior companion. Stan said that the mission president has a lot of faith and trust in his new senior.
* His new area is much closer to the city. There are more people and much more abundant and better food. He told us that he currently weighs 170 lbs, (that is less than he weighed in high school). In his last area, he ate just enough to get by, but is catching back up quickly and thinks his weight will even out soon!
* The Tongan people are very giving people. They offer more than they have frequently and Stan has politely declined such offers. Although his intentions are pure, he often has received the "you're too good" comment. He says adjusting to the Tongan culture has been a little difficult.
* He has access to this blog and looks at it every so often...so, Stan let me know if there is anything you would like me change or revise!
* And of course, Stan and Mitch talked lots of football and UFC. Typical brothers!
Stan sounded AWESOME! He has definitely matured. We were lucky enough to get a few hours just catching up. We love you Elder Tulane! Our prayers are in your behalf constantly! Continue to rely on the Lord and he will continue to bless you!
* Currently there are 75 Tongan elders, 25 Caucasian elders, and 16 sisters serving in Tonga.
* Their mission slogan is "The Tongan Way". Stan has adapted this slogan for his personal benefit to be "The Lords Way". He is trying to learn as much as he can both in the gospel and the language. He is relying on the Lord to shape and mold him while on HIS errand.
* He has found himself teaching and speaking with the Spirit more and more often. He tends to take a step back afterward and acknowledge the Lord's hand. He recognizes that it is not him speaking, it is the Lord guiding him.
* He just got a new companion. He really likes him. Even though Stan has been out a full month longer, he is the junior companion. Stan said that the mission president has a lot of faith and trust in his new senior.
* His new area is much closer to the city. There are more people and much more abundant and better food. He told us that he currently weighs 170 lbs, (that is less than he weighed in high school). In his last area, he ate just enough to get by, but is catching back up quickly and thinks his weight will even out soon!
* The Tongan people are very giving people. They offer more than they have frequently and Stan has politely declined such offers. Although his intentions are pure, he often has received the "you're too good" comment. He says adjusting to the Tongan culture has been a little difficult.
* He has access to this blog and looks at it every so often...so, Stan let me know if there is anything you would like me change or revise!
* And of course, Stan and Mitch talked lots of football and UFC. Typical brothers!
Stan sounded AWESOME! He has definitely matured. We were lucky enough to get a few hours just catching up. We love you Elder Tulane! Our prayers are in your behalf constantly! Continue to rely on the Lord and he will continue to bless you!
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