AREA LEADERSHIP MESSAGE
Glory Be to the Almighty
April 7, 2019 was truly a remarkable day, one that I will always cherish. Elder Vaiangina Sikahema, of the Seventy and I, along with our wives, experienced a sweet, spiritual moment together as we sat in the Conference Center during the last session of general conference. President Russell M. Nelson announced a new temple for Neiafu, Tonga.1 United with our people in the islands and across the world, we wept tears of gratitude as we graciously thanked God for His continuous kindness and love. Our hearts were filled with an abundance of love for our ancestors who had passed on beyond the veil, as we remembered their faith and the great sacrifices they had made throughout the years to build the kingdom of God in Tonga.
Missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints first arrived in Tonga in 1891, but finding little success, they withdrew from our country.2 Then, in 1907, they arrived on Vava’u Island; they had come via Samoa. The people of Vava’u have sacrificed so much to build the Church, which later expanded to Tongatapu and other Tonga islands.
It would be 57 years before members were blessed to be able to attend the Hamilton New Zealand Temple, which was the closest temple to them at the time. Tongan Saints would sell everything they had to travel by boat or plane to attend that temple. Decades later, the Nuku’alofa Tonga Temple was constructed and then dedicated in 1983, giving the Saints access to a temple closer to their homes.
Now, having a second temple in this small island nation of Tonga is truly a gift of love from God to His children in the isles of the sea.
During his remarks in the October 2020 general conference, President Nelson declared: “The Lord is gathering those who are willing to let God prevail in their lives.”3 The temple is the ultimate symbol of this gathering and having one within walking distance for many Saints, signifies that we are willing to let God prevail in our lives.
Challenges over the past few years have tested the faith of the Saints in the island of Vava’u. The harvest from their crops have been greatly affected by constant bad weather; they have dealt with the impact of several cyclones that hit the country; they have faced substantial economic difficulties due to COVID-19 and its variants and have struggled with various challenges within their society. Despite all these trials, the Saints have continued to let God prevail in their lives because they understand the promise made by President Nelson that, “as you choose to let God prevail in your lives, you will experience for yourselves that our God is ‘a God of miracles.’”4
After the First Presidency’s announcement that the groundbreaking for the Neiafu Tonga Temple would be held on September 11, 2021, everyone who had a part to play went to work immediately under the wise guidance of our leaders from the Pacific Area and Church headquarters. It was not smooth sailing, but we witnessed the hand of the Almighty God guide us. From working on the building permit, to negotiating the environment internal assessment fees required by law, to the final preparation of the site, and to the actual temple groundbreaking ceremony, there were challenges.
An excerpt from a report prepared by Brother Tukia and Sister Linda Havea, the temple groundbreaking organizing committee coordinators, best explains this faith-promoting and miraculous sacred event.
On the night of September 10, 2021, the members were trying to complete the preparation of the temple groundbreaking site. It was raining nonstop. Even into the wee hours of the morning, it continued. However, the Saints awoke as this was the day that their forefathers had envisioned, prayed, and sacrificed for. They hurriedly flocked to Saineha, synonymous with the sun, a source of energy and spiritual healing. This was the site of the new temple.
What a great calming feeling. It was so serene that many wept silently in humility and gratitude. The Saints were seated to the right of the royal shelter. All members, choir and church leaders in the program were exposed to the elements with no shelter. The sound of the Tabernacle Choir certainly settled all despite the menacing and cumulonimbus clouds looming above. The program proceeded as planned without rain, for the clouds had receded. The wondrous moments occurred as Elder Kupu began the dedicatory prayer for the groundbreaking; the sun shone through, bathing the site with its brilliance, enhancing the Spirit that was abundant and prevailing. All wept for joy in admiration for the Omnipotent who had wondrously and gloriously revealed to ALL present that this groundbreaking was indeed, a heaven-sent undertaking!
Glory be to the Almighty, who is a “God of miracles.”5 I testify that if we allow Him, who is without beginning of days and end of years to prevail in our lives, we will continue to witness the workmanship of His hands,6 just as I have witnessed for myself His miraculous power and intervention during the sacred groundbreaking of the Neiafu Tonga Temple.