Ko e ngaahi 'a 'Ene 'Afio mei he kamata'anga, lolotonga mo e kaha'u 'o e fonua

Editor,

His Majesty Taufa'ahau Tupou IV directed Tonga through tough times since he became the King. His love for his people is unmatched. I would like to make an attempt to voice my belief in his vision. Please bear with me as I share these humble thoughts.

Tutulu mo e Too Folofola 'a 'Ene 'Afio:

"O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?"

And when he was at the palace, he said unto them (Ministers), Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

And he was withdrawn from them, and kneeled down, and prayed,

Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of (ta'ata'a) falling down to the ground (Ko e 'Otua mo Tonga ko hoku Tofi'a).

Fanafana 'a e Laumalie Ma'oni'oni, "If Thou Endure It Well," Your Majesty, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes."

"Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest" Josh. 1

Ngaahi Tukupaa Mo e Faka'amu 'a 'Ene 'Afio :

Hon Ministers, and they went, and (ako) found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the (pule'anga) passover.

And when the (years) hour came, he sat down, and the twelve (kau Minisita) apostles with him.

And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to (fata e fonua') take this passover (pule'anga) with you before I leave you.

For I say unto you, I will not any more (ha'amo e fonua) eat (neekeneka) thereof, until (falala e tangata moe fefine Tonga' ki he 'Otua) it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God (Tonga).

And he took the (pule'anga) cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this (pule'anga), and divide it ( va'a moe ngaahi potungaue') among ( moe kakai 'oe fonua) yourselves:

For I say unto you, I will not drink (ma'u tokotaha pe ) the fruit of the vine, until (Ko e 'Otua mo Tonga ko hoku Tofi'a) the kingdom of God shall come.

And he took (fua 'o e kelekele) bread, and gave thanks, and (vahevahe e ngaahi tofi'a) shared, and gave unto them, saying, This is my covernant ('ofa 'ena ) which had been offered (kai he fua 'o e kelekele) for you: this do in remembrance (manatu) of me (mo kinautolu kuo unga fonua).
As we invest our time, talents, and means to build Tonga, our hearts are purified, our wisdom increases, Heavenly habits begin to form.

Our work in building up our Government takes several forms. In one context, Government is geographic, having a center, while enlarging its boundaries to eventually fill the needs of every Tongans. We enlarge Tonga's borders as we share our love with others. That is part of our job here.

Tokoni Ki He Kau Feinga Liliu:
Many times you spend so much time trying to determine what went wrong in the past to deserve the unpleasant happenings of the moment, that you fail to resolve the challenges of the present.
If you place a little more patience in the process and a greater amount of faith in the Lord, your challenges will find their way toward successful conclusions.
You must be willing to get rid of the life you've planned so as to have the life that is waiting for all Tongans.
There are some things that you simply can't do a thing to change. Consider the following examples:

For almost all of us, we have no control whatsoever over the economy. We can choose to live frugally and within our means, invest wisely and conservatively, and make appropriate financial plans for the future; but in the end such matters as the interest rate, the cost of electricty, and the price of gasoline and other fundamental commodities are items outside our immediate control.

[Can you] set aside your love of substance and hear the cry of the hungry, the needy, the naked, and the sick?

"Hatered does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases through love. This is an unalterable law." When has it ever been the case that violence and hatred did not perpetuate and increase the cycle of violence and hatred? There have been instances when pure strengh and domination ended a military conflict, of course, but I can't think of a single exception where the anger, hatred, and suspicion have disappeared.

Charles Jefferson, wrotes: Men in many nations are clever, interesting, brilliant, but they lack one of the three dimensions of life. They have no reach upward. their conversation sparkles, but it is frivolous and often flippant. Their talk is witty, but the wit is often at the expense of high and sacred things.

Og Mandino wrote, "If we lock ourselves in a prison of failure and self-pity, we are the only jailers . . we have the only key to our freedom." In whatever circumstance we may find ourselves, whether in the midst of conflict, the pain of misconduct, or merely the daily struggle to live the life of a faithful Tongans, we must remember "the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but he that endureth to the end."

Ko e Fakalelei Ke Fakahoko:

There are at least three important and serious problems confronting our culture and our civilization in my view. They are all interrelated, and some of them are even made by us, as we become more and more successful in providing security and comfort for everyone. I see these questions primarily presented in the following three categories:

First, Is man basically a material phenomenon or a spiritual one? This is a question which is not resolved to the satisfaction of much of the country.

Secondly, Is democracy or our concept of democracy, a workable system of government? Merely because we have not existed in this country under this system does not mean that we have by any means proven that this system is workable under any and all conditions. We have not proven this to the satisfaction of the rest of the country.

Thirdly, Have we been so successful in providing materials, security and comfort for ourselves, children and elderly persons that we are in danger of destroying ourselves with our own success? Are we becoming sensitive, well protected, and unchallenged, that we are no longer developing the kind of vitality necessary to survive in what is still, in many respects, a hostile and dangerous world?

Peheange Mai 'e Lava, Tangi fai mei he Ate':

There will be times in our life when we don't know what to say or don't want to say the wrong thing. Saying the right thing at the right time isn't always possible, but here are some suggestions that might get us over a few rough spots.

Things You'll Be Glad Someday That You Said:

1. "You're the greatest King (Prime Minister, Ministers, etc.) in the world."

2. "I really do love you."

3. "Thanks. We appreciate all you've done for us."

Things You'll Wish You Had Never Said:

1. "Oh well...˜ why not? It's only just this once, and besides, no one

will ever know."

2. "We wish you weren't our King and Ministers."

3. "We'‚ll get even with you if it's the last thing We do."

4. "Enough in enough"

5. "60% 70% 80%"

Things to Say When Everything Goes Wrong:

1. "I won't give up yet, no matter how hard it is."

2. "It hurts and it's hard, but I'll get over it."

3. "Either this isn't my day, or they just don...‚t make days like they

used to."

4. "Tomorrow things are bound to get better, because they can't get

worse."

Things to Say That Will Endear You to Others:

1. "Hey, it's no trouble...˜I'll be glad to help."

2. "I understand how you feel."

3. "Nothing...‚s too good for you. I'll do all I can."

Things to Say in Embarrassing Situations:

1. "Oops. That wasn't exactly what I meant to say (or do)."

2. "What just happened was an example of how not to do it."

3. "I'm sorry. I hope everyone is entitled to make at least one mistake in life."

Things to Say When You Are Worried and Afraid:

1. "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear".

2. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me".

FAKA'ANAUA:

Reflecting on this, I have thought of the words of the Apostle Paul when he described his experience on the road to Damascus. He saw a light from heaven and heard a voice speaking unto him, and he fell to the ground. And Jesus said, "Rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee . . . to make thee a minister and a witness, . . . To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God."

We are fast approaching the time...˜and perhaps have reached it when our Government is in danger from hoodlums, thugs and other evil-minded persons, when lawlessness is so commonplace that our properties, our holdings, our rights and privileges, are in jeopardy.

When we destroy the principles of honesty, integrity, and morality, our culture is most certainly on the verge of losing the power to preserve itself. According to the history, other nations had reached great eminence and power, but because of the wickedness of their people, they lost the glory that they formerly had. Such was the case with ancient Greece, Rome, and the civilizations that once flourished on this beautiful Island of Tonga (siueli 'oe pasifiki).

As this process of challenge and response unfolds, we must be able to "endure it well" and "valiantly," Reverence is the noblest state in which a man can live in the Tonga society. Reverence is one of the signs of strength; irreverence, is one of the surest indications of weakness. No man will rise high who jeers at Church Leaders and sacred things.

I am enthusiastic about the future of our country. You can be too. We are living in the most exciting period of time in history. Many reasons could be cited for that optimism. Yet our greatest source of hope and assurance is that we have the love of our great King (Taufa'ahau Tupou IV).

The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.

'Ofa ke taapuekina e Tonga kotoa pe 'i he tapa kotoa 'oe kolope, pea tuku ke

taki maama e Ta'ehaamai lolotonga pe 'etau mavae.

Happy New Year

Siosaia Moimoiangaha

'Api Ko Siatahi, USA

siatahi [at] yahoo [dot] com

* Milika, na'e toe fai e ki'i taataanaki kapau te ke toe hanga hifo ki ai....

malo