Mormon missionaries first arrived in Tonga in 1891, in the midst of a sea of religious turmoil, landing on the southern island group of Tongatapu. Their journals record vital details that might otherwise have been lost, including stories about their initial meeting with the king of Tonga to seek permission to preach the gospel, their urgent need for housing, and request to the premier of Tonga to build a mission home and school in Mu‘a.