Birthday party and Primary Program

Sister Hoagland and I have been able to do some walking exercise this week. On one of our walks we trekked up a rather steep hill to the view point we had taken pictures from before. This is a view of the Tasman sea and the Grey District Hospital. It looks pretty good from the outside, but is rather old on the inside.
From this picture, when you blow it up you will see a big yellow tent where the circus has moved from Hokitika to Greymouth. You can also see the High School complex just beyond the left corner of the rugby field. A new swimming pool is being built to the right of the school and their lawn hocky field is just this side of the swimming pool.

While Sister Hoagland was teaching a reading class inside, I snuck out the back and watched them prepare a couple of pigs prior to cooking. When I got out side this one was still twitching. They were washing off the blood.

You cook a pig and Tongans come from everywhere, members and non-members alike. I do not know who this person is but they have spread gasoline on the pig and lit it to burn off the hair and first layer of skin. The occasion is the birthday party for two 18 year old girls.
This is one of our seminary students, Pony Langi, washing the pig after the burning. You see paint on him as well because he was painting their kitchen earlier. The Elders painted the ceiling a couple of days before.
The next morning several men came to cook the pigs. This was a seven pig party. Wow!
Someone has to constantly turn the pig by hand. This was done at the Cobden beach. The surf was 30 yards behind me. The men just love getting together and talking and laughing. They all work together in the forest.
Here is another pig cooked in the Kinikini yard. This is George, the latest from Tonga. A very good man who is faithful and looks to be a talented leader. He left his wife and four children in Tonga to see if he couldn't make a better life for them. He is very homesick so we hope he can stick it out before he can bring his family over. The branch could use his strength.
While at the Kinikini's thought you would like an update on the tomato plants. They seem to be doing very well and from the looks of the structure built for the vines to climb on they expect them to be very tall. This is like the end of May in Oregon.
All this for about 75 guests. They had the food in their garage and then most took it outside. We sat at the table in the back. We did not over due this time except Sister Hoagland had two bites of her ice cream and "made" me eat the rest. The was taken before all the food had been brought out. To get meat from the pig all you need do is pull some off with your fingers. The happy birthday strip also played a very high pitched happy birthday over and over and over.
The birthday girls cutting their cake.
All that food and cake and ice cream too. Aho Langi with a little ice cream for desert.
Our primary gang. These are good boys who worked hard to learn their parts for the primary program. Maui & Taufa Kinikini, Nuku Langi, and Salesi & Lesili Langi.
Sunday we had our primary program. Sister Hoagland has worked very hard on this program and we have helped a couple of the boys who can not read to do their part. We were surprised at how they came dressed for the program. Three of the boys came in while we were singing the Sacrament hymn and Sister Hoagland was so amazed at how they looked that she forgot where she was in the hymn. The big guy in the back is Sione Langi, second counselor in the branch presidency. He is so shy and self conscious of his English that I have never had a conversation with him.
Two best friends, Hola Langi and Mele toli, who go to school together. Hola lives with the Toli's during the week to go to school with Mele. Their fathers have been best friends since Single adult days.
Sione Langi family. Sione, Eleni, Iriah, Pony, Sione, and Nuku. A friend of Ana Langi's, Ofa Lamipeti, and Ana. Ofa is a beautiful girl, who was raised by her grandparents who are Catholic. She has a mother, who lives 4 hours from here, and is active and she was baptized as a child. Grandparents want her to be catholic and are very anti. We teach Nuku reading three times a week. He is doing very well.
This is the Aho and Manui langi family. Front row is Mele, Meleani, Salesi, and Lesili. Back Row, Hola, Manui and Aho. We work with the two boys on their English. Lesili has a hard time but is progressing.
This is the Emili and Ola Langi Family. Ola is the primary president and Emili teaches the Tongan Sunday School class. The boys are 'Apolo, Richard, and David. Ola's parents sent these outfits from Tonga last week. As you can imagine, we love these little children and are thankful we are able to work with them.