Of Prayers
p. 32 · Read in the full issue
Storms Lash
Tonga In Spite
From our Nukualofa correspondent Congregations of the Free Weslyan Church of Tonga had hardly raised their heads from an earnest week of prayers early last month, for protection and deliverance of Tonga from natural disasters, when strong
gales heedlessly struck their
island, causing serious damage to banana, plaintain and manioc crops.
It has been a long-established tradition for the church (which has the largest following in the kingdom) to hold twice-daily prayer meetings throughout Tonga on the first Mon day of the New Year through to the Friday of the same week.
Among other things (such as the preservation of the ruling dynasty), church members pray for the sun to shine at the right time, the rain to fall at the appropriate season, and for the Almighty to protect the kingdom from hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters.
The gusting tentacles of three tropical cyclones hovering menacing ly to the north-west of Tonga grimly greeted congregations dispers ing from the Friday evening prayer meetings.
It was only the beginning.
On Saturday and Sunday the wind howled, and Nukualofa was battered by gusts of up to 50 knots. Niuafo’ou (Tin Can Island) and Niuatoputapu (Keppel Island) were hardest hit.
But loss was apparently less than in previous hurricanes.
Vavau and the middle group of Ha’apai seemed to have suffered more damage than the capital island of Tongatapu, and the Agriculture Department predicts that banana shipments from Vavau will fall noticably in the next two or three months.