Loved Ones!
This week we had the incredible opportunity to be able to attend the gift ceremony at the King's palace! Every missionary in the main island of Tonga was there! I was waiting in the line when a man walked up to me and said, " Elder Harmon, I am really good friends with your mom! She says to say Hi!" I was totally taken off guard and then asked for his name. He said that it was Sifa Topou. I was like, "Oh, you are President's brother." It was a very neat experience to have met him and to have heard that he loves my family so much.
The actual ceremony inside the palace gates was so incredible to experience. What an awesome thing to get to experience right before returning home! We lined up every missionary in Tonga down the road of the palace and there was another line of Tongans at the LDS church school. Then there was another line of members and presidents in the local church congregations. My companion and I stood at the font of the line. It honestly felt like we were waiting to storm the field for the opening season game. As the guards opened the gates, they had the missionaries go first. We walked in with the Liahona boys carrying the biggest pig in a cage and women walking with their nicest mats that they had made. Then more boys walking with the biggest root crops on the island. They even brought in a kava tree. We all walked in and sate on the grass probably about 30 yards from the front of the palace. Mission President and the Temple President and the Area Seventy sat right below the steps of the palace. The King sat right inside the door on the ground gross-lagged. Along the wall outside the door sat his royal servants and translators. The King cannot talk to us directly, he has someone talk to us and we cannot respond directly but rather, have to have a royal member represent us and speak for us! Turns out that all of the royal (Hoveiki) are all members of the church but mostly inactive. So, they pretty much preached about our church in front of the King.
It was very humbling to see our Mission President kneel on the cement right in front of all of Tonga and pray to our great and powerful Father in Heaven. After, President Tukukfu gave a beautiful spiritual thought. He told the King what we did not come with a lot for his son the prince, but what we have blessed him with the power and authority of the Holy Priesthood. Then he went on to tell the king that his son can baptize the people in Christ's name and that he can heal the sick in Christ's name, etc. It was very powerful!
The communication back and forth was very old fashion. It was intense and I now know how it feels to be in the King's palace. You will have to ask me more detailed questions when I am home.
It was really cool because after the president and our AP's went and shook hands with the King, they had to crawl on their knees and bow before shacking his hand. It was definitely an experience for the history book. The church gave over $100,000 to the King. Anyway, it was incredible to witness this event. Hopefully my description helps you feel a little bit of what it was like!
Love You All!
See You All So Soon!!!
Your Son/Brother
Blake Daniel Harmon
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