Homestay Village Life

Right now, Ryan and I are living in the village of Lavengatonga, a rural village on the southeastern side of the main island Tongutapu. Our host mother, Tia, is a wonderful woman who works very hard to make sure Ryan and I are happy here. Regardless of some tough situations that have happened to her, she makes it a point to rely on her faith in God to always choose to be happy. Many people in the village come to her to talk, especially young men. Every night at dinner, she helps us work on our Tongan.

This is our host mom Tia. We are standing in front of our home.

This is how women dress for church on Sunday. Someone else was too shy to let me post a picture of him in his Sunday best... but it is coming, I promise.

People in this village all live very simply. Most of them have a 2-3 room house with electricity. Many have indoor bathrooms with plumbing. The word ‘community’ does not really show the depth of how the people in this village work together. In every home, the front door is wide open. If you need something, you walk into a house to get it. If you are hungry, you go ask someone to feed you.

Religion is a large part of village life. In our village, there is a Mormon, Catholic, Wesleyan, and Methodist church. Our village is about the size of one city block. Full services happen every morning and night. On Sunday, there are three full services. Some families go to every service, some only a few. Tongan church singing is an experience all it’s own. I have never heard such beautiful, melodious acapelo singing in all my life.

The people in the village have been very courteous and kind to Ryan and I. They wave at us and respond when we greet them. Many have expressed how important it is to them that we learn their language since we are living in their village.  They are so very proud of their culture, and they invite us to share in it. All they ask in return is that we respect their culture enough to take the time to try to learn Tongan. When we speak to them, they are gentle and helpful in correcting us. Many who speak English here help us by repeating phrases in English and then asking us to say it in Tongan again. Ryan and I are so blessed to be in this community learning as much as we can about the people we are going to be serving for the next two years.