Seta

Eseta (or Seta) lives next door to the church, and has been a big supporter of the mission. She keeps an eye on the property when no one is onsite. On Monday, she came over to visit and meet His Eminence Metropolitan Myron, since it was his first visit to Tonga since he was assigned to the archdiocese.

As she visited with the archbishop and Fr. Paul, Seta was asking questions about the liturgical worship of the Orthodox Church. His Eminence explained that the purpose of the liturgical movements, the physical aspects of prayer like bowing, making the sign of the cross, the music and hymnography, are not ends in themselves, but they are to help us have a better connection within our hearts to God, our Creator. Her response stunned me: “That’s why the church must be very beautiful.” She understood that the beauty of the Church is soaked up like a sponge by our souls, which learns to make itself beautiful so as to become a fitting dwelling place for God to come and live. I think it made sense to her why the missionaries had gone to such lengths to build this incredibly beautiful, prominent & costly church before the congregation was even large enough to fill it – because the beauty of the temple itself ministers to the people of Tonga, subtly teaching them how to build and adorn the temple of their own hearts.

The next morning, Seta stopped over to invite the whole group for a special dinner at her house that evening. Fr. Paul mentioned that I was departing in the afternoon and would’t be able to attend. She said without hesitation: “Then you must come to my restaurant for lunch.” That’s when I began to understand a bit about Tongan hospitality. It was simply unthinkable for Seta to let me leave her island without treating me to something special. She also invited Igor, an Orthodox man from New Zealand who was taking care of the church property for a month or so.

Seta picked us up and brought us down to the wharf and her restaurant, “Nauti Ruby’s” before it was even open, sat us down and invited us to order whatever we liked. I chose a seafood platter, which was so delicious it just about knocked me out of my seat. Seta had one of her staff bring a cold coconut for Igor and me. The top had been cut off and we drank the chilled coconut milk out with a straw – DELICIOUS!

Seta spoke to us as we ate, explaining that she had lived in Australia for several years, eventually returning to Nuku’alofa to start her restaurant. She explained that life in Tonga is quite different from European cultures.  Tongans prefer to keep their lives simple – the “island lifestyle” you have heard about is very real there. Tonga is in the tropics, so it is always warm, food grows plentifully, and families are close-knit. Tongans are happy spend time enjoying their family, friends, and don’t work more than they have to. She pointed out that it can be hard to convince Tongans to come to work, because if a person is in need of food, a neighbor or friend will always help them out. It was very interesting to hear Seta’s take on the Tongan culture.

Seta and I are friends on Facebook now, and we’ve kept in touch. I’m looking forward to seeing my new friend again on my next trip to Tonga!