Tahitian Pearls

by Kathleen C. Perrin

Youth in Tahiti know what seems difficult at first can, with care, come out shining.

Young Latter-day Saints on the outer islands of French Polynesia wanted to hold a youth conference. But they faced some problems.

• Challenge 1: Location. The islands are far apart, with no regular lines of communication or transportation between them.

• Challenge 2: Law. The government requires any youth gathering to comply with approved standards, including supervision by a state-certified director.

• Challenge 3: Food. Little edible food grows in the crushed coral soil of the atolls. The diet is based on fish, coconuts, and whatever is shipped from Tahiti.

• Challenge 4: Water. There are no rivers or lakes. Rain provides the only source of drinking water.

• Challenge 5: Lodging. There are no dormitories, barracks, or even hotels on the outer islands. Where would people stay?

Faced with so many obstacles, it might be tempting to give up. But the Saints here know that if they have faith, God helps them find answers. They continued planning their conference. And soon, solutions were found.

• Solution 1: Stay close to home. Conference planners decided to hold several small conferences on a local level. This would allow youth groups to gather without lengthy travel or a lot of expense. The first conference was held on Takaroa, one of 77 islands in the Tuamotu Archipelago. Takaroa is a stronghold for the Church in the area—270 of its 396 inhabitants are Latter-day Saints.

• Solution 2: Find a willing brother. Brother Stanley Brodien, Executive Secretary in the Paea Tahiti Stake, was the answer. A school psychologist, he spends summer vacations organizing youth gatherings, summer camps, and outings. He already had the proper government certification.

• Solutions 3, 4, and 5: Use local resources. Takaroa had been blessed with an abundance of rain. Storage tanks were full and could supply needed water. Some food had to be brought along in coolers, but a baker from the nearby island of Manihi, Branch President Pitori Faura, would provide bread, and local members would help the youth catch fish and gather coconuts as needed. As for lodging, most of the youth could stay in homes with members. Some of the young men would bring tents and camp on the beach.

And now, the conference! Most of the 70 LDS youth from the three islands attending the Tuamotu North Youth Conference are involved either directly or indirectly in the pearl industry. The youth are highly skilled in tasks like skin diving and scuba diving, which are required for pearl cultivation.

But besides the pearl farms, the focal point of the island of Takaroa is the century-old LDS chapel, built from coral, with its hand-painted moldings, red tin roof, and bell tower stretching 90 feet above bedrock. It is larger and taller than any other building on the island, symbolic of the Church’s importance in the small community, and a perfect place for the youth to gather.

After their arrival, some aboard a fishing vessel, some by speed boat, the youth were divided into four groups, mixing age levels and participants from the islands of Takaroa, Manihi, and Takapoto. The youth chose Book of Mormon names for their groups: Ether, Nephi, Mormon, and a popular hero in these islands, Hagoth.

Cynthia Tufariua of Takaroa said, “At first I wasn’t excited about not being with my friends, but after the first day, I thought it was great to get to know kids from the other islands.”

Eric Hio of Manihi said, “I’ve never seen this many Mormons together in one spot.”

A shining example. But the shining moment of the conference came in the form of service. Except for one very rainy morning, several hours each day were spent cleaning different areas of the island—picking up trash, cutting weeds and bushes, removing rocks, hauling away garbage. During the conference, the youth cleaned beaches along the dock area and tidied up the village cemetery, the church grounds and building, and the local soccer field, which had become a garbage dump and an eyesore.

Mani Terooatea, a Laurel from Takaroa home on vacation from Japan, where she has been studying the technique of pearl grafting (placing tiny pieces of mussel shells inside oysters in order to cultivate pearls), said, “It was super to clean up the field, to see everyone working side by side. It didn’t take long, and I’m glad we could leave the place cleaner than we found it.” Mani brought along a nonmember friend, Hina Dexter, who developed a new appreciation for Mormons, as did several other non-LDS participants.

Start with scriptures. Each morning started with individual scripture study, followed by breakfast and a devotional, then the service projects, then sports and group activities, including island games such as “The Crab and the Coconut Trees,” “The Dog and the Thongs,” and “The Thief and the Pearl.” And to cool off after a hard day of work and play, a dip in the pristine lagoon waters among some of the most beautiful coral gardens in the world, myriads of brightly colored tropical fish, and curious but harmless reef sharks, provided a refreshing change of pace.

Besides morning scripture study and devotionals, two firesides and a home evening emphasized spiritual topics such as faith, standards, scripture study, goal setting, enduring to the end, striving for excellence, mission preparation, and seminary attendance. One speaker gave a brief history of the Church in French Polynesia, speaking of sacrifices made by early missionaries and members and challenging the youth to be willing to make similar sacrifices to share the gospel.

End with a testimony. As the conference closed, young people expressed gratitude for new bonds of friendship, strengthened testimonies, and their renewed desire to know and serve the Savior. One young man who had been only semi-active before expressed his newly gained desire to serve a mission: “I want to get my life in order so I can share with other people the testimony I felt growing during this conference. I want to spread the joy the gospel brings.”

Like a pearl. The youth conference taught islanders another thing as well. They saw that with patience, challenges can be turned into blessings. It reminded them of the black pearls they grow in their lagoons. A little bit of mussel shell is an irritant. But with time and care, the oyster transforms it into a thing of beauty.

Photography by Kathleen C. Perrin

Even a paradise like Tahiti has some pretty tough challenges. So the kids here took a lesson from the lowly oyster. You just take that irritant, work on it patiently, and come out shining.