Tongan Communities Receive Face-lift as Latter-day Saints Join Villagers in Day of Service

A recent day of outreach service organised by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Liahona Stake (a group of local congregations) gave several Tongan sites a face-lift.

Much planning and preparation between town leaders and stake representatives went into the day’s success. Members of the Tokomololo and Mapelu wards (local church congregations) joined citizens from Tokomololo, Halaloto, and Makapaeo villages to pick up rubbish, pull weeds, and beautify the area. Many yellow Helping Hands vests were seen throughout the community all day as the volunteers enjoyed the day of service.

Two-foot tall grass and weeds were cut and removed from the playing field next to the Tokomolo Primary School so the children could again use the field for play.

At the cemetery, many hands worked to clean up the resting place of their loved ones. Weeds were pulled, grass was cut, trash was picked up, cemetery mounds were shaped, and hearts were touched as the service was rendered.

In Halaloto Village, members of the Kahoua and Halaloto wards joined village friends to clean and beautify the cemetery and the area around their village water pump, making it “appear as the Garden of Eden,” said one participant.

At Makapaeo, friends and members from Liahona and Matangiake wards met in front of the Free Wesleyan church for sunrise prayer before commencing the service projects of the day. At the end of the day of cleaning at the church and the community building, a representative from the village offered a heartfelt speech to those who had given of their time to make the roadside and yards beautiful to all who pass by.

An evening devotional at the Liahona Stake Centre honoured five local citizens for their contributions to their communities. There were many expressions of gratitude as each received a gift and framed certificate of appreciation.

Story and photo contributor: Venisi Uata