Two Swiss Kiwis on a Tonga adventure
“What kind of food do you have?” the airport customs officer asked me. – “I have yoghurt powder, breakfast cereals, and….” The officer interrupted me, laughing out loud, and waved me through to the exit. Rolf was waiting for me, big smiles and big hugs and yes, it actually does feel a little like coming home. Back in Tonga.
Good thing I already had a title for this post, aye?!
Thank you all sooo much for your caring comments, thoughts and prayers over an anxious last 24 hours. – The cyclone took a slight turn from its predicted track and just missed the centre of Tongatapu. – Rolf and the team and everyone else are just fine, relieved and thankful.
I am now looking forward to flying back tomorrow evening and being reunited with my husband, and taking up our work among the people there with renewed strength and enthusiasm.
Watch this space. And be blessed.
Cyclone Tino has intensified to category 3 and is expected to hit Tonga tonight. The VSA team has prepared as instructed and is at this moment relocating to their designated safe building.
The cyclone has made it on the National News, I heard it on the radio as I was driving in the car. How differently you view disaster news when you have loved ones affected by it! I just wished I could be there with Rolf and everyone. We are meant to do the hard things together, too!
God protect and keep them as I am on my knees in prayer.
“Tropical Cyclone Tino is storming its way across the Pacific and is currently sitting south of Fiji’s western Rotuma Island with gusts reaching 100km/h. That’s prompted evacuation centres to be opened in northern Fiji as it heads towards Vanua Levu. Preparations are also underway in Tonga for the storm to strike.” (NewsHub NZ, 17/1/2020)
Continue reading “Cyclone Alert”
HOME! The word has taken on a whole new meaning. Being immigrants to NZ, we have had two places to call ‘home’ for a long time. We used to travel ‘home’ to Switzerland for many years, and now, we travel ‘home’ to NZ. Home is where the family is. It is a blessing and enrichment to have family in different places in the world.
Continue reading “HOME!”
We would like to thank all our ‘Blog-buddies’ for going this journey with us over the past six months, for taking an interest, for encouraging us, cheering us on, supporting us in so many ways. We couldn’t have done it without you, our amazing families and friends.
We wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a happy New Year filled with joy, peace, love, new adventures and a 20/20 vision!
Looking forward to meeting again, right here, same place, next time! – Watch this space, as usual. Much love and blessings to you all,
Rolf & Sabine
I am sitting here at my laptop with one of those little desk fans that you plug into the computer, to cool me down. The summer heat has set in. And I don’t like it. You know how the temperature these days is expressed as: 25°C, ‘feels like’ 28°C. Well, I say it doesn’t really matter what the REAL temperature reading is, it constantly ‘feels like’ about 35°.
Continue reading “Social Life”
I haven’t walked up a hill in the last five months. Simply because there isn’t a hill to climb. – And there are lots of other things I haven’t done in five months. Like vacuumed the house (remember sweeping and mopping?). Or gone to the mall and had a Starbucks iced mocha. Or taken the train to work. Nor the car for that matter. I haven’t sat in a traffic jam. I haven’t had a day out (or in) with my daughters or grandchildren, or gone to the movies. I haven’t worn jeans. I haven’t eaten a yoghurt. Or Feta cheese. Or canned food. Or red meat. I haven’t been off this island. I haven’t even met or seen our King!
Continue reading “Random Ramblings”
I enjoy the abundance of fresh produce. But this time, the abundance was a little overwhelming.
Continue reading “Banana-mania”Tongans LOVE parades!
It was LOUD. It was JOYFUL. It was RED. It was ONE BIG CRAZY CELEBRATION.
By Ben Willis (aged 9)
It was cool to be in Tonga with Grandma and Papi.
Continue reading “My visit to Tonga”
I can FEEL you are all waiting for the next blog post…
Thing is, the last blog (Melissa’s) is hard to beat (it had the most sightings of any post ever), and for us, life has settled back into the daily grind, just as it does anywhere when you have a work routine. That’s not a bad thing, and after all, the adventures we report about are the exception, not the rule. – We do appreciate that the VSA, very much encourages us to have regular time out for rest and recreation, to explore the sights of the islands.
Continue reading “Daily Grind”