Adventist businesswoman Robina Nakao had no idea when she first started Café Escape in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, that it would grow into the community hub it is today.
Three times a week, Ms Nakao hosts a 5:30am Zumba class at Café Escape, called Lose ‘n’ Live. Initially starting at Nuku’alofa Adventist Church more than 15 years ago, the event eventually moved to the café, where the building’s spacious courtyard could accommodate community members.
Ms Nakao explains that the name Lose ‘n’ Live has a spiritual component and isn’t just about losing weight and healthy living. “It’s also about losing to self and gaining Christ,” she says.
Ms Nakao’s faith is an important part of everything she does. One attendee told Ms Nakao that though there were other Zumba sessions she could attend, she loves the vibe at Lose ‘n’ Live and appreciates how they always start and finish with prayer. Ms Nakao says that prayer is essential to the event. “It’s my faith, and I won’t compromise that.”
Ms Nakao is careful about creating a space where all can feel welcome. “We’ve got such a wonderful cross-section of the community,” she says. It used to be predominantly women, but with time, more men began attending. “I have to say, we’re very rowdy. I shout ‘Lose ‘n’ Live!’ and everyone goes ‘hey!’ People are really surprised with the energy, and always say the vibe is just amazing.”
For some mothers, Lose ‘n’ Live is a highlight. “All day they’re at home with their children,” Ms Nakao says, “And it’s wonderful for them to be able to socialise.”
Lose ‘n’ Live isn’t the only way Café Escape is reaching women. “Our Sabbath school attendance was poor, so I would invite the members to come to Escape for a meal. It was about encouraging the women and creating an opportunity for the women to get to know each other better, outside of Sabbath school.” Attendance improved markedly.
Ms Nakao also started a support group for single mothers, offering a safe space to share and be heard. “So many women just want someone to listen to them, listen to their story, value them and connect with them.”
Café Escape has also been the location for various carols nights and music programs over the years. Having been expanded three times since its opening in 2003, it now fits roughly 70 inside and 30 outside—the perfect place for a public event.
Most recently, the café was one of the sites for Tonga for Christ. “Our main church was broken up into four sites,” says Ms Nakao. “I asked if we could have one at Café Escape because it’s safe, it’s neutral. I know that a lot of my friends that I would want to invite would not want to go to a church but would feel very at home in the café.”
One of Lose ‘n’ Live’s Zumba instructors brought a couple with them from another denomination. They attended every night and on the night where the sermon topic was baptism, they decided that they, too, should get baptised.
After the meetings ended, Ms Nakao was determined to continue supporting the newly baptised couple. They now run a weekly Bible study at the café with a diverse group of people attending, held in English with Pastor Alfred Payne, Tonga Mission youth ministries director.
Ms Nakao grew up in an Adventist home, with parents who were leaders in their local church. Now she says she prays that God will help her see opportunities. She’s currently the children’s ministry leader at Nuku’alofa Adventist Church.
Café Escape isn’t all she does—in fact, it’s just a side business. What she calls her “real job” is chief executive of Fexco Tonga, which manages Western Union money transfers in the kingdom, allowing locals to receive and send international remittances.
“The business exploded so quickly,” says Ms Nakao. “It was revolutionary for Tonga, especially for those who send money back to their families.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think this business would go from a humble office to what we have now.”
Ms Nakao credits God for the success. “At a recent regional meeting with the group leadership team, I introduced Fexco Tonga as a God-centred business, emphasising that God is at the centre of all we do,” she says.
Alongside her career, Ms Nakao has organised several nationwide event. In 2008, she began an annual choral celebration branded ONE TONGA—“Glorifying God in Song”, where each church group across the country organises a youth choir, including the Adventist Church. The event still runs every two years.
In 2024, Ms Nakao was asked to organise two events for His Majesty’s King Tupou VI 65th birthday. “I was thinking to myself,” she says, “I have to have a conversation with God about this as to how to go about it.”
She came up with the idea of a block party that celebrated diversity. “We cut off the traffic from one end of town to the other!” The party, while a celebration for the King, also promoted unity between all the various cultural groups within the Tongan community.
Many people say to Ms Nakao, “You must have dreamed big.” To that she says, “Not at all. It was about survival for me and I just worked hard. Initially I felt incredibly overwhelmed. But I’ve seen God work in my life and just seen the doors that He’s opened for me, you know?”
But Ms Nakao has big dreams for the future. She hopes to run evangelistic meetings each year out of Café Escape. She also wants to hold a branch of Sabbath school there regularly for children. “Parents are often so tired from their busy week,” she says. “I have access to two work shuttles, so I can pick them up and drop them off afterwards.” She explains that children always have such a big impact on their parents’ faith.
Ms Nakao is just one person, but with God’s help, her reach is far. Whether it be through health initiatives, music programs, evangelistic series or simply lending a listening ear, she is a part of what God and the Adventist Church is doing in Tonga.
“And even if you’re fearful,” she says. “I think that with God’s Spirit, you can push yourself to do things that you never thought you could do.”
Ashley Jankiewicz is an assistant editor at Adventist Record.
