Juicy Temple Details

We're really sorry that we're such losers at keeping this updated, but we just want to post things a month after they happen.....NOT! Anyway, this post is on the details of the temple rededication, with an emphasis on the cultural event the night before. If you want to hear more details in an area we don't go into, just ask, or email...both are good. PS in advance, this is a really long post, so if you don't want to read anything, feel free to skip down to the pictures.

1) Everything started with the open house. For three weeks, the sisters came to our house for breakfast, and then they headed over to the chapel, where they conducted tours and such. It was fun to hear them singing each morning while I got ready for school. We celebrated the commencement of the open house with a big ceremony, and even the king showed up! He gave a speech, which was mainly interesting because of his cool accent and his silver suit. Michelle and April even got to present a huge bouquet to the Mother Queen Mata'aho! Then we got to go on an official tour of the temple, led by none other than the Mission President! We got to take more tours with school groups throughout the three weeks. The temple is gorgeous!!

2) Some of the little details: We all got to go to the Time Capsule ceremony, which was cool. April put in a packet of pictures of the old temple, and Michelle put in some Article of Faith cards with a picture of the Tongan temple on the back. There was a big sign across the street from the temple that said "Families are Forever". It was cool. We wanted to get a picture of it, but we never did. Then there were two really cool signs that went above the road. We really, really wish we had gotten a picture of this, because it goes to show how Tongans decorate. (But there is one picture of it in the November 10 Church News.) The first one was by the school, and it said on one side, "Welcome Home, Elder and Sister Nelson", with a picture of the Angel Moroni. (They had come for Stake Conference and, left to visit Samoa and Fiji, and then came back again for the dedication events.) The other side of it said, "Give our Regards to President Hinckley". The Tongans really wanted him to come, and yet, they were understanding and cheerful--not angry or upset--when he couldn't make it. The second sign was down the street, by our house, and on one side it said, "Let's Rededicate Ourselves". That was particularly special to April, because that was the school theme of 2007, a school year that means a little more to her than other years, if you can imagine why. We're not sure, but we think the last one said, "Welcome to Tonga". But they all had woven palm fronds covering the ugly poles and such, and then covered with balloons and flowers. It was definitely a sight to see.

3) Then there was the cultural event. Think Day of Celebration, only Tongan style. That means that over 2,400 youth on Tongatapu spent the last six months practicing different dances. Each stake did a different polynesian dance. The youth gave so much for that event, and it was so special! The sky was stormy all week long, and we even practiced many mornings in the rain, but on the night of the performance, despite the big storm clouds, the ground was dry. The dances told a story called "A Treasure That Lasts", about a young couple that had lost their only daughter, and in hopes of finding comfort, they traveled around Polynesia. The couple got gifts from each place they visited--something tangible, as well as a lesson to be learned. (that's when each group danced.) When they got back from their trip, they met the missionaries. The missionaries enjoyed seeing all their treasures, and then said they had a treasure to share with the couple as well, only it was something that would last. At that point, the missionaries came and stood all around the stadium. It was SO cool! Then, at the end, the couple's little daughter came out in white, as the narrator talked about the treasure of the temple. It was incredible. Anyway, the pictures below will show you some of the costumes so you can kind of get an idea.

4) The next morning, which was Sunday the 4th of November (which also happened be our four month anniversary in Tonga), we walked over to the temple. We got to be in the celestial room for it. Elder Nelson was so nice to us, he let us go and be part of the corner stone laying, too. There were two choirs that sang, and they sounded so beautiful! The best part by far (and that means the best part of this whole experience), was at the end. Elder Nelson invited everyone to sing The Spirit of God, in their native language. The reason this was so cool is because Tongans love to sing, and they love to sing loud. They also have slightly different tunes and harmonies in some of the hymns. So between the Tongans and the Palangis, we practically had an eight-part harmony. We were all singing just about as loud as we possibly could, and could barely hear ourselves. There really must have been angels singing with us. It was so incredible.

Well, I think I got the main points, so here are some pictures (You can see more pictures at planet-tonga.com, although this is basically the best):

Mom, Dad, Sister and Elder Nelson. All four are remarkable people, as I'm sure you'll agree.

President Condie and the Nelsons meeting Princess Pilolevu, just before the cultural event.

The first dance was Tahiti. Too bad there were no action shots, because Tahitians are the ones who "get really crazy with the hips!"

Next comes the Maori, from the land of the long white cloud, complete with poi balls, those weird sticks, and face paint!

This is Hawaii. They began with a really cool fire dance, performed by our two friends, Tu'itakau and Manase. (We wish we could give a better description, because it really was amazing, but it probably would just confuse you:)

That little girl was adorable! And it's a good shot of the costumes.

This is Samoa. Apparently it was a really cool dance, but sadly we were always in a lousy position for watching this one. The guy in the yellow is our multi-talented friend, Nela.

This is Fiji. The girls move around quite a bit on this one, and my friend explained it's because Fijian women actually do hard work. Who knows?

The Fijian boys were also really cool. Really, all of the dances were amazing, but this one got April's vote as the coolest. The one above is a better shot of their costumes.

Here's the couple meeting the missionaries, just before Tonga comes on the scene!

And here's Nela again, doing some serious jamming on the drums. I just wish this picture could show you how wild he really got.

Here's Michelle, the Vahenga, doing the Ma'ulu'ulu! (The Vahenga is the most important person, usually filled by a noble. Since there were no nobles, the next in line was Michelle.) Below is just a nice shot of the boys uniform, although not much unlike what the girls wore.

Extra points to whoever can guess which of us this is. Seriously, even we had a hard time telling.

Boys again. What's new?

Go Missionaries!

This is just a cool shot at the end of the show, where everyone came in together.

Families are Forever!!