Faka’ofo’ofa!

I may be vain but……..
Living in Tonga surrounded by beautiful people, has made me wonder what is their secret?! They are so very beautiful, with such smooth skin. Their skin glows brighter and healthier than a Maybelline commercial!
So I did a bit of research and I am happy to report to you the ancient secret for their beauty. Can you guess?
Customarily I found Tongan women trekking to the bush looking for tui tui trees. They gather the small brown tui tui nuts, crack the shells, and chew the nuts mixed with fragrant leaves. Then they spit the mixture out and rub it on their skin!
It sounds gross, but I had to try it since I claim to “wear the culture”. So I started chewing and spitting and rubbing…. Rubbing it on naturally exfoliates our skin because of the small nut pieces, but what really surprised me was that a mysterious ingredient in the nut causes dirt to rise up! That is why they call it Tongan soap. Then after we rinse off, the oils from the nuts leave our skin feeling soft and smooth. It really is amazing stuff.
Perhaps I am a vain missionary, but I tell you everyday I have been doing this and have reaped the benefits of beautiful skin and a valuable life lesson: this is just like the Holy Spirit.
When we ask the Holy Spirit for a fresh anointing and covering everyday He sluffs off the old dead skin, and draws out the dirt and sin from our life. Then as the sin washes away our lives are so much brighter and beautiful.
Faka’ofo’ofa is the Tongan word for it: beautiful. Life is beautiful when we allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in our lives cleansing and renewing us. And don’t we all want to be beautiful from the inside out?