Tonight we had a missionary to Tonga in our services.  Sis. Reece shared her burden for the Kingdom of Tonga and Vanuatu both of which are islands in the South Pacific.

Here is an interesting fact about Tonga:

According to the constitution of Tonga, The Sabbath Day shall be kept holy in Tonga and no person shall practise his trade or profession or conduct any commercial undertaking on the Sabbath Day except according to law; and any agreement made or witnessed on that day shall be null and void and of no legal effect. (Substituted by Act 3 of 1971.)

Here are some statistics collected by the U.S. Department of State on Tonga:

Geography
Area: 747 sq. km. (288 sq. mi.).
Cities: Capital–Nuku’alofa (pop. 34,000).
Terrain: 171 islands, mainly raised coral but some volcanic; 48 inhabited.
Climate: Tropical, modified by trade winds. Warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December).

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective–Tongan(s).
Population (2011 est.): 105,916.
Age structure (2011 est.): 37% below 15; 6% over 64.
Annual population growth rate (2011): 0.24%.
Ethnic groups: Tongan 98%, other Polynesian, European.
Religions: Christian.
Languages: Tongan, English.
Education: Literacy (2007)–99.2%.
Health: Infant mortality rate (2011)–13.65/1,000. Life expectancy at birth (2011 est.)–75.16 years (female 76.58 years; male 73.79 years).
Work force (2006): 35,670. Agriculture–65%.
Unemployment (2006): 1.1%.

Interesting sites include Ha’amonga.  Known as the Stonehenge of the South Pacific, the mysterious Ha’amonga was erected in 1200AD. It consists of two upright coral stones about 5m high, topped by a horizontal connecting stone 6m long. Each stone weighs some 40 tonnes. The monument is now part of a 23ha protected reserve.

The United Pentecostal Church has two missionaries to the island nation of Tonga, Sis. Reece and missionary couple Bro. and Sis. Blunt.  Please help by praying for the nation of Tonga, or become an AIM supporter.