Part 2 – Arrival
In late afternoon, we finally ended up finding an anchorage
at Ha’aFeva Island that offered good holding and protection from the wind. It
wasn’t the prettiest island, and there was a hulking old Tongan supply ship
anchored out just beyond the cement quay, with small boats picking up cargo
directly from the ship. But we were so
happy to stop the boat. Thankfully the
ship left shortly after we anchored and after a nice cooked dinner, we enjoyed a
peaceful full night's rest, which felt wonderful.
We slept in and decided to make French toast for
breakfast. We heard someone calling
"hello, hello!" Julie climbed
into the cockpit to look around outside.
She did not see another boat. Then she saw some fins splashing in the
water and a big smile from a man snorkeling and spear fishing. She lowered our
swim ladder and invited him to climb aboard our swim step at the back of the
boat.
The Tongan spear fisherman was snorkeling in gym shorts and
a baggy sweatshirt. As he pulled off a knit ski cap, the kind that ties under
the chin, a full head of bouncy black hair popped out. He was spear fishing
with a wooden slingshot stick from which he launched a 3 foot-long thin metal
rod. No fancy wetsuit or gear needed. He
had speared about 10 reef fish, mostly surgeonfish. Imagine Dory from
"Finding Nemo" pierced through the middle on a metal kabob. He
offered us some fish right away, and we politely declined.
He introduced himself as Lotu, which he explained means
"prayer". He was very friendly and spoke good English. He had served
3 years in the Army in the capitol city, Nuku'alofa. Curtis made him coffee and bought up some
French toast sprinkled with powdered sugar. We quickly started to talk about
family and church. Everyone attends church in Tonga, and Sundays are truly a
day of rest - no fishing, "stores" are closed, and families attend two or more
church services together. Lotu and his wife Atu attend an Assemblies of God
church, and he invited us to attend with his family the next day and have lunch
afterwards. We readily accepted his kind invitation.
We were delighted to finally connect with a local family. Julie had read Nadine Slavinski’s account in
her book “Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor’s Guide to the Coconut Milk Run” of
meeting Freddy, a friendly Ha’apai local on O’ua Island who swam out to their
boat, visited, and shared a meal. This
experience was finally happening to us!
Lotu told us he would go home and return to the wharf to bring us some fruit. He
swam back to shore. We started getting our dinghy ready to launch, as we had it
lashed down on the foredeck for the passage. A few hours later, Lotu whistled
to us from the wharf. We went ashore and
he brought us 3 breadfruit, limes, and some spicy chilies. It’s late fall in
Tonga, so there is not much growing. He walked us along the beach and along a
trail into the woods to meet his family, where they were relaxing in the shade
in their jungle garden plot outside the village. His wife, two young children -
Victoria age 4 and William age 2 and extended family greeted us shyly with
smiles. Lotu's uncle dozed in a hammock. Dogs and pigs surrounded the family
sitting mat. We were experiencing true Tongan family life. We smiled, said hello and Lotu soon lead us
back to the beach.
Bright and early Sunday morning we walked to the village to
find Lotu, as he did not meet us at the quay. He quickly came down the road and
led us to his home, asking us to come in and apologizing that church would be
starting a little late. It turns out that church was late because the pastor's
wife and Atu were busy preparing our lunch.
We visited with Lotu and the children for a while and when Atu was ready,
we walked a few doors down to the church.
The pastor, Aisake, (Isaac), greeted us warmly. His English
was excellent. The church was in the small building that is his home. The
simple wooden walls were covered with beautiful lacy curtains. A pretty flower
arrangement stood in front of the lectern. A refreshing breeze blew in from the
windows open to the sea. Pastor Isaac played the guitar to lead his small
congregation in worship. Spirit-filled joy filled the air. The women and
children danced during most of the songs, raising their hands high and smiling.
We felt included as some choruses were in English.
May is family month in Tongan churches, with different
Sundays dedicated to mothers, fathers, and children. Four children stood at the front and recited
memory verses they had chosen and learned. The message was from Proverbs:
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not
depart from it” with an emphasis on the difference between training and
teaching. It was a simple yet profound message that spoke to us as parents.
After the service, Pastor Aisake sat down and talked with us
while lunch was being set out by his wife Rachel, and Atu. He told us that
today was the first sermon he had ever preached in English. We were surprised,
because he spoke English so naturally. We were also humbled that he would speak
our language for our sake.
Pastor Aisake shared how he
became an Assemblies of God pastor. He had grown up in a Methodist family but watched
AG televised church services when he was a young man. God led him to go to
Nuku'alofa and train to become an AG pastor. He had come to this village on a
mission trip and had prayed over a young boy who was very sick, who was supposed
to die, and the boy was completely healed. God then called him to move there
and plant a church.
Pastor Aisake’s church has been going for 2 years, and only
one family, Lotu and Atu’s attend his church, along with his family and the boy
who was healed. His wife is a great source
of encouragement for him. They have adopted two teenage children. He has a vision for children's ministry and
he is hoping that the spirit filled worship music and singing which causes
village children to attend and some to dance outside his church during evening
services will attract their parents as well. We were able to encourage him in
this. God is certainly working in this small church, and we were so happy to be
able to encourage Pastor Aisake and meet his family.
Lunch was served, foil packets of fish or beef steamed in
coconut milk along with roasted pork and sides of roasted root vegetables- yams
and cassava. We ate with both families under a large tree beside the church. It was a filling meal. Lotu and Pastor
Aisake’s son walked us back through the village and along the beach on the
beautiful windward side of the island.
We had Lotu and Atu aboard Manna for a lunch of fish tacos the
following day. Their children had a
cough, so they stayed home. It was a treat for Atu to have a few hours away
from her children. Atu spoke better English than Lotu, and often translated.
They really enjoyed the fish tacos and learned how to make flour
tortillas. Atu began to feel a bit
seasick after eating lunch on the boat, so Curtis took her and Julie back to
shore in the dinghy while he and Lotu went spearfishing. Julie brought a box of
crayons and some paper for Victoria and a ball for William. They enjoyed a time with the children. Atu gave Julie a woven skirt that Tongans
traditionally wear for formal occasions, such as church.
All in all, it was a such a blessing to meet these Tongan
families. Three days getting to know Lotu, Atu, and Pastor Aisake went by too
quickly. We had to set sail the next day
to officially clear into Ha’apai. Shortly after clearing in the winds increased, forcing us to sail
twelve hours north to the protected anchorages of Vava’u, Tonga.
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