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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints expends a lot of effort in
the education of the people of Tonga. Liahona High School is a reminder and
tribute to the continuing support of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints in Tonga.
"The Church holds in Tonga the highest member to non_member ratio
world_wide. In no other country in the world or in Polynesia is the presence of
the Latter Day Saints more prevalent to a visitor as in the tiny Kingdom of King
Taufa’ahau IV.
The following information outlines the 102 years of history in Tonga
The first missionaries to Tonga were Brigham Smoot and Alva J. Butler in 1891 they opened the Tonga District of the Samoa Mission.
The first convert was Alipate in 1892
With 6 converts in a 6 year period , the newly established mission was
ordered to close. The missionaries returned to Samoa in 1897.
The Tonga mission re-opened by Elders William O. Facer and Heber J. McKay in 1907 and it was with that return
that the LDS Church grew continually and the Tonga mission became one of the
most successful worldwide.
In 1916 –The Tongan Mission was established.1920 – The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Days was well established in Vava’u, Ha’apai and Tongatapu
with about 1000 members.
1921 The Missionary effort was focused on establishing schools and education
ALL American Missionaries serving in Tonga left in 1940 because of the war.
This allowed the Local Tongan Saints to take over full leadership.
In 1946 The Book of Mormon "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" was
published in the Tongan Language, followed by copies of the Tongan translation
of "Doctrines and Covenants" and "Pearl of Great Price" in
the year 1960.
The Liahona High School Complex’s began construction in 1949. Since then,
it has always been among the biggest and best educational institutions in the
kingdom of Tonga. One feature of the High school was its ability to send
students to the BYU_Hawaii Campus located in Laie, Hawaii. Many students
attended BYU_Hawaii due to the fact that the Tongan Government made it clear
that they could not provide all the young people of the Kingdom of Tonga with a
Secondary Education.
During 1978 – Tongan Missionaries were sent to Bolivia, Fiji and the
Philippines and it was then the beginning of hundreds of Tongans serving on LDS
missions worldwide.
Significant Historical Events for LDS Members in Tonga have been the
dedication of the Nuku’alofa Temple in 1983 and the Centennial Celebration in
1991
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is also one of the largest
employers in the Kingdom of Tonga and has the highest building budget of any
church."
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