Our Work in Tonga by E. S. Butz

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 3, 1903

Our Work in Tonga

By E. S. Butz

E. S. Butz

Our ship “Pitcairn” called at the Tonga Islands on her first trip through the islands, and sold and gave away quite a quantity of literature to the white people. In 1895 she called again, leaving Elder Hilliard and his wife there. They began the study of the native language, and started an English school. The school was composed of white, half-caste, and native children. This was continued with varying degrees of success till Brother and Sister Hilliard were called to Tasmania to labor. They also organized a little Sabbath school, which is still kept up.

Shortly after the arrival of our workers, one of the leading missionaries wrote a very bitter article against the new sect; this article was printed in the native church paper. The prejudice fostered in the minds of the natives has made it difficult to work for them. As the doctrines taught by the Seventh-day Adventist Church are new and strange to the white people, and the missionaries are Americans, all sorts of stories as to who these strange people were and what they believed, were circulated. The Mormon missionaries had come from America two or three years before, so the idea that our workers were Mormons became quite general.

Mrs. Butz and I joined Elder Hilliard in the fall of 1896. Our experience in failing to get a teacher to assist us in the study of the native language was similar to Brother Hilliard’s, and we borrowed the same dictionary and copied it. It was impossible to buy one at any price. Finally we induced a native to teach us Tongan while we taught him English. It was a fair exchange, for he knew about as much English as we did Tongan; so we had interesting times trying to understand each other. But “necessity is the mother of invention,” and we contrived ways to communicate our thoughts, however crude, but our teacher soon left us.

In the meantime the people learned that we could care for the sick, and began to come for us. We went out and nursed whenever the calls came, and the prejudice began to wear away, and doors began to open. Mrs. Butz or I nursed in almost every white family in the town, and we followed the work by at least leaving some literature. In fact, we tried to improve every opportunity the Lord gave us. One day a neighbor saw our mop stick which I had made, so she wanted me to make her one, which I

did. Shortly after coming to Tonga, I was seen by a neighbor repairing our shoes; so it was reported that I was a Yankee cobbler, and several pairs of shoes were sent in for me to repair, which I did.

We felt the great need of literature in the native language, and Brother Hilliard and I hunted the islands over for a suitable translator, but without success. We saw that the only way was to learn the language as soon as possible, and do our own translating with what little native help we could get. We found it a most difficult problem. The language is such a meager one, and so barren of expressions to convey spiritual ideas. We sometimes entirely fail to find language to express a truth, or have to express it in such a roundabout way that the thought is not clearly presented. At times we get different natives to put a thought into “good” Tongan, and when we compare the thoughts, we are apt to find so much difference that we feel the truth of the saying, “When the judges disagree, who shall decide the case?” So all we can do is to wait till we know more of the language. We have succeeded in translating a few small leaflets, which were printed by the press connected with Cooranbong school, and they are ready for distribution.

Thus far the work in Tonga has been largely preparatory. There have been no very marked results of the efforts put forth, but we trust a good foundation has been laid. We feel that we have seen the touch of God in many ways in the melting away of prejudice, supplanting it with a kindly spirit, opening doors for the entrance of truth, and creating a willingness to read. If this were all, we would consider that the efforts were not entirely lost. But in his goodness and mercy God has seen fit to crown the efforts by leading a few honest souls to take their stand with the remnant people. A little church has been raised up of as earnest, devoted, and substantial members as can be found anywhere, for which all the glory belongs to God. In the island field, where the work moves so slowly at best, we learn to watch for and appreciate the slightest manifestation of the working of the Spirit of God.

Personally, we can say that God has blessed us richly, and sustained us in our times of perplexity. When clouds seemed darkest, there was always a rift through which a ray of light would steal, laden with courage. What we have seen and experienced already of God’s working in Tonga leads us confidently to believe that he has a work to do there, and that he is ready to bless the efforts put forth. We expect when Christ shall appear that a goodly number of dark-skinned natives will be prepared to “stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.”

Nukualofa, Tonga.