The General Conference (GC) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church hosted King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u of Tonga at their offices during the beginning of October.

During the royal couple’s visit, the King presented GC President Ted Wilson with a special gift: a hand-carved fishhook made of whalebone and mother-of-pearl. According to Wilson’s Facebook page, the King remarked that it was an appropriate gift for Christians since they are to be “fishers of men”.

The royal couple visited the Adventist Archives, where the Director of the Office of Archives, Research and Statistics Dr. David Trim gave a presentation on the history of the Adventist Church in Tonga.

The King and Queen also visited the Ellen G White Estate, where Director Dr. Merlin Burt explained the history of the Adventist Church and the role of Ellen White and her writings.

“The King and Queen have a special interest in health and were delighted with a presentation by GC Health Ministries Director Dr. Peter Landless,” Wilson posted on his Facebook page. “Their Majesties were delighted to receive the gift of several books on health.”

The meeting concluded with a luncheon in honor of the royal party and their Tongan delegation during which Wilson shared words of encouragement from the Bible.

Earlier this year, Wilson had an audience with the King and Queen when he and his wife Nancy visited Tonga during the Tonga for Christ program.

The original article was published on the South Pacific Division news site, Adventist Record.