Tongan Latter-day Saints on Tongatapu gather, send supplies to outer islands
Jan 23, 2022, 5:44 PM | Updated: 10:41 pm
Trucks containing donated supplies from church members are loaded onto a boat bound for the outer islands of Tonga. January 2022. (Intellectual Reserve, Inc.)
(Intellectual Reserve, Inc.)
Some members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tonga spent two days gathering much-needed supplies for those on the outer islands who were hit hard last week by the volcanic eruption and tsunami.
“Church members from congregations on the main island of Tongatapu were asked to donate whatever they could to help families in the Ha’apai area, which was heavily damaged in the tsunami,” read a news release Sunday on the Church’s website.
The donations, which included clothing, bedding, and food, were loaded onto a boat called the Maui, which was acquired through the help of the Church’s Humanitarian Fund.
That boat, filled with all the supplies, left the capital of Nuku’alofa Saturday morning, bound for Tonga’s outer islands.
Approximately 30 to 40 volunteers, including the president of the Tonga Outer Islands Mission, also traveled on the boat so they could help unload the supplies, according to the news release.
“It is expected that some people from Ha’apai may travel to Tongatapu on the return journey, as they no longer have homes. The ship will also bring back missionaries from the outer islands,” the news release stated.
