Just another manic (Sunday and ) Monday

It's just after 9.00 am, Monday morning and once again I'm sitting in the excellent Cafe Escape in the centre of Nuku'alofa. The sun is glaring down outside; I've become quite addicted to pre-tropical-dawn walks and this morning set off at 5.30, first for the shore (a little over a mile away), then along the sea wall to Ma'ufanga, with its fishing wharf opposite the huge and rather lovely Catholic cathedral.  If I walk briskly I can be there and back in an hour and a half. As the stars dim and the sky lightens, the sillouettes of tiny islands emerge a little out to sea. A number of Tongans are taking early morning exercise too, while others can be glimpsed curled up and sleeping off the night before.

I'd rather forgotten quite what a Tongan Sunday was like. People in Northern Ireland speak about the Ballymena Sabbaths of the 1960s, with swings chained up at childrens' playgrounds. The elders of Ballymena could learn a thing or two about sabbath-keeping. from Tonga. After all the frantic activity of the last few days - road mending, mausoleum building, garden tidying and black/purple cloth-draping, yesterday began deathly quiet - apart of course for the church bells and hymn-singing.Many churches have 5.00am services several times a week, so the bells  are a regular wake-up call. My two preaching appointments were at 8.00 and 10.00 - quite leaisurely by comparison. The first was at St Paul's. This was actually the first church where I presided at communion as it was the base for the English-speaking congregation when I came here. It would not be out of place in an English village, apart from the way the furniture has been ravaged by wood-boring insects. Winston presided, wearing a cope that had been his father's, and I preached. Quite how you address the current Tongan mood was challenging - I opted for a note of hopefulness. The second service had a very young congregation, with scores of young children receiving communion. Part of the service was led by an older woman called Louisa,;who reminded me that long ago I used to give her a lift on my motorbike to ecumenical bible studies. Over lunch I spoke to Winston's brother, who is a member of parliament representing the pro-democracy movement here.

One result of my ministry with the Anglican church here is that I have teenage girls shouting 'hello Father Richard' across the street.

The king's body arrives back today and Mon and Tues this week have been desginated public holidays. School children will line the route from the airport. Tonight there is a vigil with different churches leading prayers right though the night. Still not sure what's happening tomorrow. I did find 'Ahio (Methodist church president) in his office on Saturday just after my last posting. He was writing his funeral sermon - but even he didn't have any details of what was planned. 
The picture is of the Free Wesleyan Church HQ. Sorry there aren't more pictures, but they are taking for ever to upload here.