Exerpt from Missionary who knows Jacob in TONGA

Thought I'd share this excerpt from Elder Rogers letter this morning. Sounds like your son is going to be awesome!

"Ya, I know Elder Michael, that kid could talk the legs off a chair. No joke, he's got exactly what you need to be completely loved here. He's a good guy, good attitude, always talking, and isn't scared/embarrassed about anything, and that is exactly what you need to learn the language and get to these people hearts, he just got sent to Niuatoputapu (groberg's other side of heaven) and he's got the right stuff to do good work there."

Christmas in July

Hey Mom,
I got your package today, and about 7 letters. Thanks a lot for everything in the package, the clothes and candy were really nice and good. I gave most of it away to the family who I live with. I got Dominic's letter too, that was sent March 30, and I got 2 letters from Jessica Blackmer, try tell her that I just got them. The whole mission got swamped with mail today, it's been backed up till March, it was kinda like Christmas, Christmas in July. It really was a blessing to get all this mail before I leave to Niua.
You can just send regular mail to me at the mission office, the address
Elder Jacob Michael
Tonga Nuku'alofa Mission
P.O. Box 58
Nuku'alofa Tonga
South Pacific.
My companion is a native tongan, and he has been in Niuatoputapu for a while so I think I will be all right. I am going to Vava'u tomorrow and then up to Niua. I have heard rumors that they have internet there but it is supposed to be really slow and expensive. Yeah I will definitely be looking at the moon a lot because there isn't electricity there and very few lights at all, Love you all lots. I'll miss you but remember that I'm in the Lord's hands. Most Elder's who go there stay at least three transfers so about 4 months so it will be at least that long until I can really e-mail again. I just said bye to everybody in NukuNuku about an hour ago. It was weird to say goodbye because I have been there so long, I will really miss the people there in Nukunuku. I feel like I'm leaving the MTC again cause I have to pack all this stuff, my bag and everything and cause i'm going to the airport at 6:00 am and going on a plane again. I should probably go to bed now, I'm staying at the mission office with the Office Elders tonight. I love you all, I was going to right this all in a snail mail but they have internet in the mission office and Elder Sitalingi, the OE was kind enough to let me in late and use the computer, 'Ofa lahi atu, know you will be in my prayers, and keep me and the people of Niutoputapu in your prayers.
Love you all
-Elder Maikolo

News of Nuia

Martha, Nuia is a great opportunity! Very few missionaries get to serve
there. Our son, Gabe, served on Niua from February to May this year. He
LOVED Niua. Yes, it is the most remote and primitive of the islands. Yes,
there are some unique challenges there. There are only 2 missionaries--your
son and his comp. We didn't receive e-mails for the first 2 months (no
e-mail on the island), but President had Gabe to call us once during that
time to let us know he was alive and doing well. Somehow they were able to
get e-mail up and running the last 6 weeks he was there. There is no
electricity to speak of, though there are generators that run at night to
charge cell phones, etc. No running water. They had several tsunami
warnings (from the New Zealand and Japan earthquakes) while he was there,
and the warning sirens worked well on the island =) One time the warning
sounded and he and his comp had to help members flee up into the hills.
They slept on the ground, and a 3 foot swell was all they saw--but it was
enough to destroy many of the sea plants they had helped members plant
earlier that week. But they were totally safe. The thing that worried me
the most was the lack of food, but he didn't complain. They only eat once a
day, and sometimes it's not much. He and his Tongan comp would help the
members cast their fishing nets in the ocean (approved by President), and
the members would give them fish to eat. Once a month a supply ship comes
through and drops food, but it's scarce--especially for the missionaries.
At first the missionary work was slow, but it really picked up. I think
it's not always where our sons serve, but the attitude/obedience level of
their companions that can present the greatest challenges. He had a
wonderful experience on Niua, and so will your son! Now Gabe's serving on
Ha'Apai--by far his favorite of the 5 island chains. He is one sad guy
right now as he prepares to leave. If you have any questions, please don't
hesitate to contact me!

The Phone Call

Hey Mom its me, i know it"s Wednesday, and not my P-day, but I found out where I am being transferred yesterday. Yesterday during the District meeting the Zone Leaders got a phone call from President and he wanted to talk to me. I thought he was going to tell me that one of you was dead or something, but Thank goodness that was not why he called me. No, he called me and told me to prepare my things because I am transferring to Niuatoputapu, or as the movie was called "The Other Side of Heaven". It's the same island that Kolipoki was on in the movie. It is about 400 miles from Tongatapu and one of the remote Islands in the world, and there won't be any Email there so I decided to email today because I am going to be busy tomorrow getting stuff from town. When you go to Niua you stay there for at least 4 months, so it might be that long before I can email again. I have heard some rumors that there is email there. But just know that i love you very much and that I am in the Lord"s hands.

That is so awesome that Brianna Forman was baptized what a wonderful experience for you all.

Transfer to The Other Side of Heaven (Niuatoputapu)

This is going to be my last Email for a while unless there is internet on Niua. this week was good, President came to church with us in Fatai, he helped us teach our investigators too which was really awesome. Monday was a holiday and we had a missionary program in Houma with the ZLs and other missionaries from our Zone. we went on comp exch with High Priest and members of the bishopric and went to preassigned house where there would be an investigator. i went with Elder Chandler who was in the mTC with me and we went with a sister who is preparing to serve a mission and we went to some of her family and taught them the first lesson. It was a really great lesson, one of the best that i have taught, after we were done the investigator had a question and i was able to understand it and give a really good answer. dad thanks so much for your note, i really do feel like family to these people and i am really sad to have to leave them. This how the Work works in Tonga you get close to the Kaingalotu, (members) and they give you people to teach i will definitely miss them all, and i will definitely miss hearing from all of you every week io will try to snail mail it to you all. I love you all and am so thankful to have a family back home giving me so much support 'Oku ou loto hounga'ia kiate kimoutolu
Ofa lahi atu
This Church is the Lords Church and this is his work!!!

Jul 5, 2011 at 3:30 PM,
i don't know who my companion is going to be but im pretty sure it will be a native Tongan. yeah i will never get those packages dang i was looking foreword to them too, i will try to get some snail letters off to you all, can you tell Roshan and Elena their birthdays are coming up and i was going to send them stuff but i don't think i will be able too any more. that was an awesome letter from Hillary that is neat that they are all united as one in serving the Lord and preparing for the Temple

WOW

This week was a thousand times better then last week! I feel like I grew by leaps and bounds this past week in the Language. I'm not perfect, but you don't have to be perfect. I had a comp exchange on Wednesday with a native Tongan and i didn't speak any English all day, and we could still talk about basically the same stuff i would say in English!!! Thanks for all your prayers and support!! This week our were all really busy so we weren't able to have like any teachings, but we are going to commit Ngalu to be baptized next week, she is totally ready!, the only thing is she is pregnant, like 10 months pregnant and could have the baby any time so i don't know if she will be able to be baptized anytime soon.
There is only one more Pday left in the transfer, wow time flies bye fast!! I have been in Nukunuku/Fatai for almost 4 and half months. I can name everyone in the Nukunuku first ward, and 1/4 of the people in the SecondWard and maybe 3/4th of the people in the Fatai ward. not only can i tell you there names i can tell you where they grew up went to school, if their families are converts, whether their spouse lives over seas or not, who's husband inu kava, how many kids are in their family, where their children went on missions and when. I know all their stories. I can tell you who got married in the Temple, and who didn't. I love these people the greatest Saints live in Tonga and the greatest saints in Tonga live in Nukunuku and Fatai. I feel so blessed to be here as long as i have. We visited a really poor family the other day and i wished i was a billionaire so i could build them a bigger house,( there are 6 of them and only have a kitchen, living room, and 1 bed room and only 2 lights) but then another thought came to me, I'm a missionary i can bless their lives way more by serving with all my heart mind and might. I love these people so much and they in return love the missionaries so much too.
I hope all is well back home sounds like the reunion was a blast.


'Ofa lahi atu

Prayers work

Thanks so much mom for the prayers and support I felt I grew by leaps
and bounds in the language since last week. I vilo hoa (comp
exchanged) with a native Tongan and didn't speak English the entire
day!!