Family. That’s the first word that springs to mind when I think back upon the recent Middleton Tonga service and missions trip.

Not only the group of pupils who I lived with for 12 days but also every single person met along the way. From the drivers to the house owner to the people at the mango tree centre to the youth group we met, every single person we met welcomed us with open arms and brought feelings of belonging. Tonga felt like a second home for our group and our team is solely referred to as our Tonga family.

The so called “open vibes” of the island allowed for a lot of vulnerability and brought us closer together. For every night of the trip after debriefing and journal entry we had a testimony and during that time everyone genuinely got closer. The thing that will always bring people closer is regular, genuine prayer, something we took part in once a day accompanied by a lot of hugs and tears (usually mine) inevitably bringing us closer and closer.

With something on every day our family also spent a lot of time knee to knee in the van singing along to whoever got the speaker first. Letting time pass quickly before we arrived at our job for the day. Something that surprised me about the work we did was the lack of complaining that came from the group. Everyone was so willing and happy to work, and everything was so rewarding. The majority of what we did was painting and it felt so satisfying to step back and admire the wall you had just completed. As a family, we painted three building at the Youth with a Mission base and then two of the main buildings at the ACTS school. They were the major projects for the trip coupled with weeding, the mango tree centre and a few tourist activities.

I think the one permanent thing which we’ve taken away from Tonga is confidence. To be brave enough to begin the conversation and kind enough to listen. The amount of trust that we as a family have for one another is such an encouragement and it’s so rewarding to be able to strengthen old friendships and cultivate new ones. Being in Tonga was an unforgettable experience and each member of the group has returned with renewed strength and grown in love. The smiles we shared in Tonga seemed to last longer to the point where they still exist as we pass each other in the hallways, it truly is an experience to last a lifetime and I don’t think anyone who went would trade it for the world.  

By Isobel Mahoney