All who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.
-John 1:12 (NRSV)
AS queen of Tonga I am grateful that my great grandfather, Ahome'e, accepted the Christian faith and received the promise of eternal life in God's kingdom. Tonga is a very blessed country with beautiful people and beautiful islands in the sea. Because our country is located in the western Pacific Ocean near the international date line, each new day on earth dawns first in Tonga.
The "Tongan Pentecost," the anointing of the Holy Spirit in our country more than 170 years ago, blessed and transformed our land into a Christian nation. We became a missionary people, and we shared the good news of Jesus Christ with our island neighbors. Today almost 80% of our people profess the Christian faith.
Our first Christian king, George Tupou I, dedicated Tonga to Jesus Christ and established our national motto, "God and Tonga are my inheritance." We join with God's children around the earth to declare our faith, that the world may know Jesus Christ.
