Garth and Sandy Rule the World: January 2015

One of the funnest, hardest, scariest, most rewarding things we have done on our mission is to put together a senior choir. Yip, that's right. Over the last year and a half a choir made up of mostly 60 and 70-year-olds has sung in firesides all over Tongatapu, and has recorded songs to be broadcast via radio and TV all over the Kingdom of Tonga. I KNOW!!! Unbelievably scary!! But also SOOO much fun.

It all started with President and Sister Tupou. Every Monday from 5:00 to 6:00 pm the local (read ONLY) radio station broadcasts a religious program featuring a message from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. President Tupou does one week, his counselors and stake presidents take the other weeks.

We arrived in Tonga on a Saturday in late August. The following Monday...just two days later!.... we joined President and Sister Tupou at the radio station where Pres. Tupou recorded an inspirational message, and Sister Tupou and I recorded a song to go along with the message. VERY scary! Having never recorded before, and having only seen recording sessions on TV, I thought our recording session would be something like this....We'd get to warm up a little, a sound check would be done, we'd record and hear how it sounded, and maybe re-record until it sounded just right. Nope.....that is definitely not what happened. We warmed up for a few minutes, the man recording us pointed his finger at us, and we recorded our song. They gave us a thumb's up sign, and it was over..done..finished. Just like that. No goodnight kiss....Nothing. I never did get to hear how it sounded on air.

We did that for a few months, and even recorded some songs at Christmas to be broadcast during the

month of December. AND....bonus....Loreen (Pres. and Sister Tupou's oldest daughter) was here for the holidays, so we got to record some lovely women's trios. That was so much fun. This time, however, they decided to record with TV cameras! Holy cow! Surely this time they'd do at least a few takes. Wrong again. We got a few minutes to warm up...the red light on the camera turned on, the camera man counted a few counts, pointed to us, and we were off. No re-do's. Didn't get to see or hear those recordings on the radio/TV either. I think I'm kinda glad!

Those few months of Garth and I singing with the Tupou family led to a request by Pres. Tupou that the missionaries work with their wards and stakes and put together musical firesides. The goal was to help missionary work by having a few songs and a few testimonies from new converts or from people with testimony-strengthening conversion stories. It was supposed to be short, 45 minutes to an hour, with the focus on testimonies. Things took off pretty quickly. There got to be so many firesides that the four of us couldn't keep up, and we knew we needed to enlist the help of others. Thus, the Senior Missionary Choir was born.

We chose pieces that were a little challenging, but also some that we could put together fairly quickly. We weren't the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but we weren't too bad, either. One of our early favorites was "As I Have Loved You," a simplified version of the original choir version that includes the middle part we don't have in the Children's Song Book. I still get goose pimples thinking about the spirit that emanated from the choir as we sang this simple song. Another one we loved to sing was "I Am a Child of God." We sang the Hymplicity version. We would invite any children to join us at the front of the chapel to sing the first verse. Then the senior missionaries would sing the second verse. Then we'd have the congregation join us in the third verse....in Tongan. Luckily for the choir, we had some Native-speaking Tongan missionaries who helped us with our pronunciation. I don't think we ever got it completely correct, but the Tongan's were always very kind to us. When we asked one of the Tongan senior missionaries how our Tongan was sounding, with a gentle smile he very kindly, but hesitantly said, "Ummm...it's okay." So, I guess we've got some work to do. Another of my favorite songs was a duet Garth and I sang..."Savior, Redeemer of My Soul." I love that hymn. Sister Tupou and I also worked up a duet of "A Young Boy Prayed" and "I Know That My Redeemer Lives." Who cannot feel the spirit when those words are sung. At Christmas time Garth and I got to back up Thomas Tupou, another favorite of ours, "Where Are You Christmas?" LOVE being a backup singer :)

Rehearsal - Elder van den Akker, Dad, Elder Aland

Rehearsal - Elder Simmons, Elder Wood, Elder Beckstrand, Sister Burbank, Sister van den Akker's head, Sister Wood, barely Sister Beckstrand's head, Sister Simmons. In the back, Elder Meyers, Elder Dassler, Sister Dassler

Yip, that's me. Not sure why I'm the conductor, but it was fun :)

Rehearsing outside of my favorite stake center - Navutoka Stake Center

Fireside at Fangaloto
L-R: Elder Roe, Elder Harris, Sister Tupou, Elder Beckstrand, Sister
Beckstrand, Thomas, Elder and Sisteir Wood, Jesse, Garth, Sister
van den Akker, Elder van den Akker, me, Elder Moon, Sister Moon,
Sister Meyers, Elder Meyers, Sister Va'enuku, Sister Funaki, Elder
Va'enuku and Elder Funaki

One of the challenges we encountered doing firesides is that many of the chapels don't have pianos. We borrowed the piano from the mission home and transported it back and forth to many a fireside. We always prayed we wouldn't kill the piano either in getting it in and out of the vehicle, or while we were driving. I had nightmares of returning a broken, sad-looking piano back to the mission office after one of our firesides. Luckily, that never happened. Whew!

Sitting on mats outside Lord Fusitu'a's home. His wife can be seen
facing the missionaries - seated all the way to the right

We were invited to sing at two funerals. The first was for a noble, Lord Fusitu'a. Well, this wasn't actually at his funeral. In Tonga when someone dies family and friends gather at the home of the deceased to help support the grieving family. This can last for up to a week. In the case of a noble, each evening for a week different groups are invited to come and pay their respects. We gathered with members of the Nuku'alofa Central Stake at the requested time and spent an hour paying our respects to his wife and other family members. Lord Fusitu'a was not a member of the LDS church, but had great respect and love for the church. It was well-known that when he died he wanted the LDS missionaries to sing at his funeral. We honored that request. The choir sang "As I Have Loved You," and the Tupou's, Garth and I sang "Thy Will Be Done," a beautiful song about always trying to do God's will, even durng difficult times...especially during difficult times.

At the conclusion of our appointed time Lord Fusitu'a's wife broke protocol. She leaned over to the matapule (official spokesperson) and told him she wanted to speak to us. This is just not done in the Tongan culture. If a noble wants to speak to common people, they speak through a matapule. She spoke to us nonetheless. She spoke of her husband's love for the church, and of his desire once he had passed on to be baptized, and his love for the Book of Mormon he owned. She spoke of her love for the LDS church, as well. After she spoke she shook our hands and spoke to many of us. That was WAY outside of protocol. It is an experience we and all those present will cherish.

The other funeral we attended was that of Princess Fusipala. She joined the church many years ago, moved to California, and was a faithful member until she passed away in 2014. Her body was transported back to Tonga where she was buried in her home village of Fo'ui. Because she was a princess there was much discussion about where to hold her funeral. It was her desire that she have a Mormon funeral. Her wish was honored, and her funeral was held in the Havelu stake center.

The King's dais. A corner of the dais where the casket sat. The
blue chairs are where other nobles sat.

Because of Tongan tradition and protocol surrounding the relationship between royalty and commoners, a lot of maneuvering was done so that the king could be present at the funeral. The pews were removed from 90% of the chapel, a dais was built so the king could sit higher than the people, and a dais was also made so that the casket containing Princess Fusipala could also be elevated. The plan was for the senior choir to sit in the choir seats so they could sing towards the congregation, who were mostly seated in the gym area. We arrived early and were getting seated in the choir seats. We had three Tongan missionary couples singing in the choir.

The Tongan choir. Others attending the funeral sat behind the choir
in the gym. The Missionary Choir sat just in front of the Tongan choir.

When it became apparent that it was possible that our Tongan missionaries might be seated higher than the king, a mad scramble ensued to find other seating for us. Eventually, a place was found for us, just in front of the Tongan choir who would also be performing. We sang "As I Have Loved You." The spirit was definitely with us as we sang, and could be felt throughout the chapel. The king turned in his seat so he could focus on the choir, and his focus never wavered.

Mourners following the casket to the cemetery, on the streets of Fo'ui

Roses resting on the casket of Princess Fusipala at the cemetery

The casket is surrounded by layers of long cement blocks, then filled in and covered with sand

As the idea of missionary musical firesides grew, the wards and stakes found they could take over. So, the choir didn't get to sing much during the fall and winter of 2014. But, we concluded the year in a blaze of glory. We had a recording session at the radio/TV station early December, and recorded five songs...."Hark! the Herald Angels Sing," "Silent Night" (arrangements from Hymplicity), "Guard Him Joseph" (Sally DeFord), Gentle Mary, Tender Mary (Althouse) and a simplified version of 'O Holy Night."

The men

The women

Front, L-R: Elder van den Akker, Elder Meyers, Elder Murdock, Elder Wood, Sister Dassler, Sister van den Akker,
Sister Burbank, Sister Tupola, me
Back, L-R: Elder Holbrook, Elder Dassler, Elder Beckstrand, Sister Beckstrand, Sister Holbrook, hidden are
Sister Wood and Sister Murdock, Sister Moon, Sister Va'enuku, Sister Funaki and Sister Kinikini.
Not pictured are Elder Funaki, Elder Va'enuku, Elder Moon, and the photographer - Garth

Watching ourselves on monitors after the recording

And the last fireside we sang at was a Family Home Evening in which a youth choir from the Nuku'alofa Central Stake joined us. They sang for us, and we sang for them. A special and touching moment for Garth and I was when Elder Funaki read his Tongan translation of the story "Will the Christ Child Come?" and Garth and I sang one of our very favorite Christmas songs, "Where Was Jesus?" This song is based on a story written several years ago by our good friend, Gaye Willis, "Will the Christ Child Come?" the same story Elder Funaki told. Another good friend from our stake in Juneau, Russell Thomas, heard this story, but didn't know who the author was. He was inspired to write a song called "Where Was Jesus?" One year for Christmas Gaye's husband, Scott, wanted to give Gaye the sheet music so she could play and sing it whenever she wanted. The only existing version of the song was Russell's original recording of him singing it. I got to help Scott make this gift. I listened to Russell's recording, transcribed it, and Scott input the transcript into a computer program. He was then able to print out a professional looking copy for Gaye. This story and song are very dear to Garth and I. And now Gaye's story has been translated!!!

Brother Sila Fotu conducting his youth choir from the
Tonga Nuku'alofa Central Stake

Soloist

Soloists singing O Holy Night

Well, that's the tale of the Tonga Nuku'alofa Mission Senior Missionary Choir. I don't know if we'll get to sing at any more firesides or special events in our time remaining here in Tonga. We'll always hold dear our experiences with the many wonderful and talented missionaries who touched many lives with their special spirits and with their beautiful voices.

In February 2014 Elder Neil L. Andersen and his wife, Kathy, along with South Pacific Area President James Humula and his wife, visited our little island of Tongatapu. As always, when general authorities visit, they are kept very busy. While in Tonga Elder Andersen attended a stake conference, met with perspective missionaries, taught stake leaders, and met with all the missionaries serving on Tongatapu in the Navu Stake Center for several hours of instruction.

Some of the highlights of that missionary training were:
* After Elder Andersen shook hands with each Missionary, Elder Hamula remarked that shaking hands with a Apostle is a renewing of the charge to share to Gospel in all the world.

* Elder Andersen taught that we are the Lord's hands on earth and that mostly we are called to teach.

* Much of his instruction was on the Doctrine of Christ - Faith, repentance, ordinances, and enduring to the end. He also taught that commandments understood in the context of doctrine are more easily understood.

* Elder Andersen taught that desire to share the Gospel increases as we understand the Atonement.

* He concluded by leading a discussion about what to keep from your past experiences and culture and what you learn on your Mission and what to leave in the past.....what to discard from the Tongan culture and what to keep, as well as what to discard from our own culture, and what to share with our Tongan friends.

Elder Makasini, John, Elijah and Elder
Valikoula - Tongan temple

At the time of Elder Andersen's visit we were helping two great missionaries, Elder Andrew Makasini and Elder Esafe Valikoula, teach the Gospel to two wonderful men from Fiji, John and Elijah. We were able to take John and Elijah to the Nuku'alofa Tonga North Stake Conference. A seat had been reserved for us near the front, just behind the primary children's choir. The children were all dressed in white and sang so beautifully. At the conclusion of the stake conference Elder Andersen desired to shake the hands of all those who were in attendance - approximately 800 people.

We talked with John and Elijah about their feelings of being able to hear an apostle of the Lord speak, and of being able to shake his hand. They felt Elder Andersen's spirit, and had the Holy Ghost witness to them that he was indeed a disciple and apostle of the Lord. Both John and Elijah were later baptized, and are both working on going to the temple. But, their's is another story for another day.

John and Elijah at the doors of the
Tongan temple

One of the stories from Elder Andersen's visit that I loved was the story he told of a man and his son whom he had met in South America. The son, age four or five, came to his father one day wanting to earn some money. After giving it some thought, his father told him that he could wash the family car. After working very hard at completing the task, the young boy once again presented himself to his father and asked for his payment. The father, a little perturbed and thinking that his son was too focused on acquiring money, told him he would give him everything he had in his pocket. He felt inside his pocket and found only one penny. He began to feel a little guilty that he had spoken rashly, and had only one penny to give his son for all his hard work. When he handed the penny over to his son, he expected to hear many complaints about receiving just one cent. However, the words that came out of the mouth of that young boy taught his father a great lesson. After looking at the penny for a minute or two, the young son looked up at his father curiously, and asked, "Dad. How much tithing do I pay on one penny?" His father later learned that this young boy had wanted to pay tithing so much, but he didn't have any money. So, he decided he would ask his father for a job, so he could earn some money....and then he would be able to pay his tithing. I LOVE that story. The lessons we learn from young children. I need to be more like this little boy.

A wonderful cultural event was also prepared for Elder and Sister Andersen where over 3000 youth from 14 stakes (all on Tongatapu) performed. The Prime Minster of Tonga, Siale'ataongo Tu'ivakano, also attended, and his son performed in some of the dances.

The stadium was very full. Many of the parents of the dancers could not attend because there was no room. And being February, it was also very hot and humid!! Several fans were placed on the stand where Elder and Sister Anderson and the rest of the dignitaries sat, and all the doors were open. But, with that many bodies in one closed room, we were pretty well drenched by the time the evening was over. But the youth danced with so much spirit. They practiced for weeks and weeks before the event, and were honored to dance before an apostle.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from that night.

Three of my favorite people: Dad, Sister Mitchell and Sister Aland

Keeping the singers cool

Jesse Tupou - just left of center, wearing glasses.

Jesse Tupou - Pres/Sister Tupou's son

Senior missionaries - R to L: Garth, Thomas Tupou, Edward's, Johnson's
(back row) Sister Dassler, Elder Maile, Webb's
(very back row) relatives of Maile's, Sister Maile
(standing) _______, Elder Dassler

More senior missionaries: R to L (standing) Sister Funaki
(sitting) Tongan visitor, Meyers, Aland's, Sister Mitchell, Dad
(standing far left) official photographer for the area

And even MORE senior missionaries - L to R: wife of the official photographer, Dad, Sister Mitchell, Aland's, Meyer's, not sure, and Sister Funaki standing