Charles Hosea

My Pioneer
The person that I have decided to take along with me to trek is my grandpa Konisi Vaka Hosea. The reason I chose my grandpa is because he was the first in family to be converted to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and also the first in my family to come to the United States of America. Konisi was born in Tongatapu, Tonga on December 20th, 1926. When he was 12 years old his father died and a little bit later his mom died. He then left and lived with his sister Mele Hosea after they had both died. He was a very hard worker and always very helpful around the house. When he was 16 years old he was bitten on his hand by a dog and he was afraid that he would die from the infection that he had gotten from the bite. The island he was on did not have the right medicine and hospital skills to treat his infection and he thought that it was the end of him. He heard that some LDS missionaries from America was serving in the area he was in and he went to them to seek their help and told them that if they would help him get better he would turn his life to god and be converted to the church. The missionaries gave him a blessing and by the next Sunday they had found him sitting in the congregation at church. He had joined the church and because of the help of the missionaries he was able to go back to school because by then he only had received an elementary education level. My grandfather loved his education and strived to do his best because it was very important to him. Out of 150 students in the whole island my grandpa was ranked fourth and years later he ended up becoming a math teacher at the Liahona Highschool and taught there until he was ready to go on his mission by the age of 30 and served for 4 years. He helped elder John Groberg organize Pangai, Ha'apai Middle School and Brother Christianson organize Saineha Middle School in Vava'u. After he had returned from his mission he had found his wife and eternal companion Tolofi Levila Muti and they were married on December 16, 1959. Together they had served 4 missions and they had 5 children still living to this day. But he wanted to find a better life for his family and so in 1972 he made the sacrifice to come to the U.S. They had moved to Hawaii but he came to the U.S by himself to find better opportunities and work. After doing odd jobs from landscaping, mowing lawns, construction work, and even cleaning the theatres, he was able to earn enough to bring his whole family down to Salt Lake City, Utah and still are living here. I know that my grandfather was a hard worker because he would leave the house at five oclock in the morning and would not return until ten oclock at night because he needed to be able to provide for the family and he would take his children with him to go yard working after school. When he does have free time he would go play tennis; he loved tennis. Later on in his lifetime he would take the time to attend all of the grandchildrens sports events; football, baseball, basketball, etc. until he was not able to physically. My grandfather passed away on October 24, 2008. He had left a legacy of good habits in using your time wisely and getting a

Charles Hosea

good education and although he was a quiet man he was considered a giant to all of us because he wanted us to have a better life and for the generations to come.