Area Leadership Message
I Will Be Your Light
The Lord has always been mindful of His servants and has made commitments to them. He has made these commitments through covenants.
To Joshua, the Lord declared, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
“Be strong and of a good courage” (Joshua 1:5–6).
To Lehi’s family as they journeyed to the promised land, the Lord declared, “I will also be your light in the wilderness . . . ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led” (1 Nephi 17:13).
Today in the Pacific Area we have modern day Lehis and Joshuas who have come to a remembrance of the Lord’s goodness and blessings in their lives. It is said that remembrance is a sign of gratitude. Throughout our Area we have invited senior couples to come and serve in those parts of the Pacific where the Church is still emerging. To those who have served and are serving, it is their way of giving back to others who are newly converted to the Church. The missionary couple’s own origins in the Church may have begun many years earlier, when missionaries from America came to teach their ancestors who accepted the gospel. Those early island converts, at first were unfamiliar with their new faith, just like those who are recent members in the emerging Church. Now we call on our modern-day senior couples from the established Church to come and help strengthen their brothers and sisters in the emerging Church. Indeed, they are being “a light in the wilderness.” The Spirit of the Lord will testify through their example that it is by the influence of the Lord that they are being led. Our senior missionaries are helping and showing how to apply and live the principles of the gospel.
Senior missionary couples are making a difference as they apply their experience and teach members how to conduct the Church and how to apply the gospel in their daily lives. There is a cultural compatibility with the people in places like Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, the Marshall Islands and Kiribati. Our serving couples have come from Samoa and Tonga, as well as Samoans and Tongans who reside in the United States, New Zealand and Australia. We also had a couple from Papua New Guinea who served.
Consider the testimonies of couples who have served, or are serving:
“Our two-year mission to the Solomon Islands was one of the best experiences we have had in our lives together, . . . which has helped us gain a firm testimony . . . to understand the love of our Father in Heaven and our Saviour for us, and all of His children. We have felt rejuvenated and strengthened and to “walk and not faint”. We witnessed miracles and the hand of the Lord in our lives and the lives of the Saints in the progress of the work”. —Brother Viiga and Sister Lupe Fuimaono, Pesega Samoa Stake
“For many years, I served under the direction of various stake presidents as a stake clerk. The knowledge and experience I gained has prepared us to serve and assist the priesthood and auxiliary leaders in the Daru Papua New Guinea Stake. We consider this a blessing. Serving the Lord with my eternal companion, Sister Taala, is always a blessing”. —Brother Lamese and Sister Loreta Taala, Pago Pago Samoa West Stake
“Our service in Papua New Guinea has meant a great deal to us, especially for Brother Jackson, as a native of the country. Our service was a longed-for return to PNG to proclaim the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to our family and people. Wearing our missionary badges each day gave us extraordinary strength of faith and hope.” —Brother Peter and Sister Serena Jackson, Eight Mile Plains Australia Stake
“Thank you for getting these wonderful couples to serve here in PNG. They’re a tremendous help for the development of the Church and strengthening the members here. They serve as leaders, advisors, trainers and teachers in their branches and wards. They also help our full-time elders minister to both nonmembers and less-active members returning to full activity. As a result, I am seeing the increase in sacrament meeting attendance. The sisters are helping in Primary, Young Women and Relief Society to strengthen those auxiliaries”. —President Finau Hafoka, Papua New Guinea Port Moresby Mission
In their service, our missionary couples are establishing the Church. They are the means through which the Lord is bringing the light of His gospel to a people and to a country. Seeds are being planted in fertile hearts and minds. The Lord’s promise is evident, He “will be on [their] right and on [their] left, and [His] Spirit shall be in [their] hearts and [His] angels round about to bear [them] up” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:88).