Long Serving Church Employees Recognized

Samabula. Suva -

Last week 10 employees of the Fiji Service Center were recognized for their long service . The ten have contributed over 200 years of service to the center.

The certificates recognized their service from 10 years , 20 years and 30 years.

In a special presentation made at the office the Service Center Manager, Adolf Johannsson thanked all the recipients for their hard work.

Six of the recipients work for the Facilities department .

Fiji Prime Minister Visits Family History Centre, Registers on FamilySearch.org

Samabula, Suva -

After meeting with Latter-day Saint leaders last week and discussing the Church’s family history resources, Fiji Prime Minister Hon. Prime Minister Rear Admiral J.V. Bainimarama paid a visit to one of the Church’s family history centres yesterday.

Hon. Prime Minister Rear Admiral J.V. Bainimarama registers on FamilySearch.org in a Latter-day Saint Family History Centre in Suva, Fiji on 30 March 2015. Also pictured are family history consultant, Sala Corrie; and Latter-day Saint leader, Elder Adolf Johansson.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary of iTaukei Affairs (Fijian Affairs) Mr Savenaca Kaunisela, and the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the iTaukei Affairs Board, Mr Apakuki Kurusiga.

Latter-day Saint Family History Country Director, Mr Tueri Senikuraciri, explained to the visitors that the Church’s family history centres held copies of birth, death and marriage records of Fijians, Rotumans and members of the general population from 1874 to 1989. Indian ancestral records date from 1890 to 1932.

Mr Senikuraciri also said the eight family history centres operated by the Church in Fiji were open to all people, free of charge.

After spending over an hour in the family history centre, the Prime Minister also visited the Church’s Fiji Distribution Centre where scriptures, teaching manuals, journals, magazines and other items are available.

At the end of the visited Prime Minister Bainimarama thanked everyone for hosting him and said that his eyes had been opened to what the Church does. He said that he loved the facilities and loved what he had seen.

FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Since 1894, FamilySearch has worked with archives, libraries, and churches in over 100 countries to facilitate economical access to records that help people find their ancestors.

Every month, over 3 million people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. These records and services are available online at FamilySearch.org, or through over 4,600 family history centres in 126 countries, including the renowned Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

FamilySearch is a service provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. FamilySearch’s commitment to helping people connect with their ancestors is rooted in the Mormon belief that families are meant to be central to our lives and that family relationships are intended to continue beyond this life. Because interest in family history is not limited by culture, ethnicity, or religious faith, FamilySearch’s resources are available to everyone who wants to discover more about their family and their heritage, from church records in Europe to oral histories in Africa.

Watch videos to learn more about FamilySearch and why many Latter-day Saints do family history research.

Latter-day Saints Meet with Fiji Prime Minister

Suva, Fiji - 

Elder Adolf Johansson, a leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, met with Fiji Prime Minister Hon. Prime Minister Rear Admiral J.V. Bainimarama last week in Suva.

Elder Johansson was accompanied by fellow Latter-day Saints, Hon Laisenia Bale Tuitubou, Minister for Youth and Sports, and Mr Lai Koroinamua.

The men discussed the humanitarian, family history, education, welfare and other programs of the Church in Fiji.

Elder Johansson presented Prime Minister Bainimarama with a letter from the Church’s First Presidency, congratulating him on his election last year. He also gave the Prime Minister a DVD copy of the documentary, “Meet the Mormons.”

Elder Adolf Johansson presents a letter from the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Fiji Prime Minister Hon. Prime Minister Rear Admiral J.V. Bainimarama in Suva on 27 March 2015.

There are close to 18,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 50 congregations in Fiji. The Church operates eight family history centres where Latter-day saints and members of the public can search for genealogical information about their families.

The Church’s Suva Fiji Temple was dedicated on 18 June 2000 and is currently closed for renovations.

Cyclone Pam Devastation

Auckland, New Zealand -

Earlier today Pacific Area President of the Church, Elder Kevin W. Pearson, said, “We are doing all we can to talk with our local leaders in our congregations across Vanuatu. We are extremely grateful that reports to this point indicate that none of our Church members have lost their lives.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with any in Vanuatu who have lost loved ones, sustained injuries, lost their home, crops or livelihood, or who are suffering in any other way. We will continue to reach out in love and support, as best we can, to our Church members and others in the coming weeks and months.”

“It is deeply reassuring to hear reports that people are calm, working to recover and rebuild, and are helping their neighbours. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are absolutely committed to walk alongside our brothers and sisters in Vanuatu as they grieve, recover and rebuild. We are here for the long haul.”

Cyclone Pam devastates Pacific islands of Vanuatu

 Dozens feared dead as cyclone pounds Pacific island of Vanuatu

 Cyclone Pam: The aftermath of Pacific islands' worst storm in history | Channel 4 News

Latter-day Saint leaders in Port Vila purchased 5,000 personal care kits today to be distributed to the people of Vanuatu. Each kit includes a toothpaste tube, a toothbrush, soap and other hygiene items.
The Church is also purchasing and distributing seeds so families can begin to replant their home gardens. Many people in Vanuatu rely on what they can grow themselves for food and income.

Latter-day Saint representatives continue to work with government agencies to bring food, water, tarpaulins and other aid to communities on Efate and the outer islands, such as Tanna.

Watch videos featuring "Mormon Helping Hands" volunteers in Auckland, New Zealand packing 2,000 emergency food boxes for the people of Vanuatu.

NZ Mormon Helping Hands Food Boxes for People of Vanuatu Cyclone Pam

Mormon Helping Hands 2000 Boxes for Vanuatu

Church Leaders Visit LDS Primary School

Samabula, Suva -

Church leaders and students singing Fiji’s national anthem at the opening of their devotion. 

15 Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints visited the LDS Primary School on Tuesday March 17 to meet with the school management, teachers and students and to speak to them at a special devotion. This is part of the bi -annual visits by leaders to the school to see how the students were doing and discuss with teachers and management how they could be better supported to accomplish the vision and goals of the school .

Principal of LDS Church College, Dr Michael Carthew with Mereisi Talemaitoga the Principal of LDS Primary School and Gerald Nathan the Vice Principal.

President Alipate Tagidugu the president of the Nausori Stake counselled the teachers that they were teaching future bishops and stake leaders. “ Let’s love them from the bottom of our hearts and exercise faith so that miracles can happen in your classrooms, ‘ he said.

President Maika Seru of Suva North Stake asked the students to have an “inquisitive mind,to learn more in depth and learn by study and by faith.

The school has a roll of 450 students.

Fiji Latter-day Saint Youth Spell Out Their 2015 Theme

SUVA, FIJI —

Students at the Fiji Latter-day Saint College in Suva recently showed their creativity by forming the word “Embark” on their school rugby field.

“Embark” is the 2015 theme for Latter-day Saint youth around the world.

Students from the LDS College in Suva, Fiji create the word "Embark" on the school's rugby field in March 2015. "Embark" is a reference to the school's theme for 2015 which suggests that young people have the opportunity to embark in service to others.

The theme is: “Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day” (D&C 4:2).

Salote Maiwiriwiri, the Vice-Principal of the school, said, “Our student leaders were trying to find a way of working together. We had a retreat and the theme was 'Confidence in Leadership.' The aim was to help each student leader understand how each one can touch certain students for the better."

For Emma Aitcheson, Deputy Head Girl of the school, "the word 'embark' reminds us of a journey and in the journey each person faces challenges and trials."

Head Girl, Savaira Veikoso, agrees. "In 2015 all the students of the school have embarked on a journey together to fulfil the school’s vision where 'every student succeeds every day academically, socially, spiritually and physically.'"

Each Friday the student leaders organise activities in houses to reinforce the school’s vision. Last Friday the challenge for the leaders was to practise their instructional and directive skills where they designed something beautiful and then put all their work into a collage of all their work.This required their creative skills and their confidence to pull it off. The leaders agreed to use the students to display the word "embark" on the rugby field of the school.

Students were invited to sacrifice their lunch time to do this so each class was assigned a letter to form. School leaders say it was chaotic at first but the final outcome is what you find on the photo where the 7th Form students formed the hashtag before the word embark.

Lewatu Kaumaitotoya, a new student in Form 7, said that she learnt the importance of cooperation and unity from this activity.

Watch a video about Latter-day Saints and education.

Elder David Bednar Counsels Service Centre Staff to ‘’ Buckle Up “

Suva, Fiji -

Staff of the 07 Service Centres in the Pacific Area were last week fortunate to be part of an Area broadcast with Elder David Bednar and his wife Susan in which he counselled all “buckle up “ as ‘the Lord is hastening his work. “

He said that it was “all about change” The purpose of education was for one to learn and change and the purpose of the gospel was also one of learning and changing and that we all needed to change.

“The patterns of the past was not going to work in the future and all will change so staff need to buckle up and be prepared for the changes. “

Elder Bednar was visiting Australia and New Zealand last week with Elder Robbins.

Sia Maiwiriwiri said that her take-away from the devotion ‘was a greater desire to do more and more and more to help build the kingdom not only in my callings but my role as wife and mother to get my family to do way more, more, more because we have no time to waste so we need to buckle up with the Lord.

‘Elder Bednar’s counsel regarding our dear prophet Joseph was not only inspiring but strengthens my testimony that Joseph Smith is indeed a Prophet of God! I loved what he said that if we come across things in our studying church history and what’s available on the internet and it weakens our faith and testimony, well it wasn’t strong to begin with, said Sia .

Meli Racava the Travel Coordinator said that from the devotion he learnt the importance of learning Church history.