President Eyring Rededicates Suva Fiji Temple after Cyclone Winston Strikes

SUVA, FIJI

After the winds and rain of Cyclone Winston pounded Fiji during a long and devastating night, the sun rose on the Pacific island nation—shining its light on the Suva Fiji Temple.
Standing in front of the temple hours after the storm hit Suva, Elder Adolf J. Johansson, an Area Seventy, recalled the devastating impact of the worst storm ever recorded in Fiji’s history.
Through it all he felt a “peaceful calm, a spiritual feeling that everything would work out OK and that the sun would shine” on the rededication.

Early in the morning after the cyclone, birds flew above the temple—a sign to Elder Johansson that the rededication would go on. “President Eyring came here to dedicate the temple, and he will do that,” he said.

No Latter-day Saints or missionaries were reported injured by Tropical Cyclone Winston, which struck Fiji with winds up to 175 miles per hour in the nighttime hours between the LDS Church’s youth temple cultural celebration and the temple rededication.

The powerful category 5 storm left at least five people dead, knocked out power, and destroyed entire villages as it made landfall along the north coast of Fiji's largest, most populous island, Viti Levu. Suva escaped the brunt of the storm, which shifted direction in the hours before it hit the Pacific island nation.

President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, greets Church members as he arrives at the Suva Fiji Temple on Sunday, February 21. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, and Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stand outside the Suva Fiji Temple. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

Trees on the grounds of the Suva Fiji Temple are damaged by Cyclone Winston, which made landfall hours before President Henry B. Eyring rededicated the temple on Sunday, February 21. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

Latter-day Saints gather outside the Suva Fiji Temple. Cyclone Winston made landfall hours before President Henry B. Eyring rededicated the temple on Sunday, February 21. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

From left, Alia Carter, 11, Alana Yee, 9, and Keana Carter, 12, attend the dedication of the Suva Fiji Temple on February 21. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

Government curfews, power outages, and downed trees on roads prevented many Fijian Church members from participating in the rededication, during which

President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, offered a dedicatory prayer on the temple and the people of Fiji.

As the storm approached, President Eyring moved from his hotel to the mission home, located on the grounds of the temple. With him were Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Mary Cook; Elder Kent F. Richards and his wife, Sister Marsha Richards; and members of the Church's Pacific Area Presidency—Elder Kevin W. Pearson, Elder O. Vincent Haleck, and Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, all General Authority Seventies, and their wives, Sister June Pearson, Sister Peggy Haleck, and Sister Wendy Nielsen. This allowed the official party to dedicate the temple in spite of mandatory curfews enacted across Suva in the hours after the storm.

“It was powerful that a member of the First Presidency and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve came here to experience this with us,” said Elder Johansson. “We never felt alone as members of the Church. We felt that the Brethren were with us. …

“They did not say, 'We are praying for you.' The message they brought is, 'We are here hoping and praying with you.’”

The temple rededication is the second temple dedication held during trying times in Fiji.
Amid political unrest, the Suva Fiji Temple was originally dedicated in a private service by then-Church President Gordon B. Hinckley on June 18, 2000. At that time, rebels were holding deposed Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and other members of parliament hostage. Many businesses had been looted and significant parts of downtown Suva had burned. The military had declared martial law.

The 2000 dedication marked the only temple dedication since the original Nauvoo Temple that has been held in private and difficult circumstances, said Elder Cook, who attended the original dedication.

Elder Johansson said it was important to the Latter-day Saints in the temple district that the rededication go on—in spite of the storm.

As strong winds raced across the nation, “you could feel the tension in the air,” he said. Yet Elder Johansson said he was not afraid.
“Peace defined this whole experience,” he said.

The Latter-day Saints who could not attend the rededication will find peace in the weeks and months ahead in the temple, he said.
“You cannot stop the work of the Lord. You cannot. … That is what is giving the people of Fiji courage.

If they can’t come [to the dedication] the temple will be open for them. … I believe the Lord requires of us not a sacrifice of money but a sacrifice of faith. Their faith through this experience taught the people who is in charge.”

The Suva Fiji Temple, seen as Tropical Cyclone Winston hits the island nation on Saturday, February 20, 2016. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

The storm passing is the least of the miracles, he said. “The greatest miracle will be the ordinances that will be performed” in the temple.
Crews used generators to power the temple and the grounds during the rededication services—as most of the power in Fiji was lost during the storm.

Trees downed by Tropical Cyclone Winston block the road to the Suva Fiji Temple on Sunday, February 21, 2016. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

The 12,755-square-foot temple, which closed in October 2014 for renovation, serves more than 35,000 Latter-day Saints in Fiji, Vanuatu, Kiribati, and the Solomon Islands. Because so many members could not participate in the meeting, President Eyring approved the rebroadcast of the dedicatory services for one week later, on Sunday, February 28.

In the hours after Cyclone Winston hit Fiji, birds flew above the Suva Fiji Temple and the sun rose, shining bright light on the building used by mariners as a guide to navigate their boats safely into the Fijian harbor. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

The renovated temple pays tribute to the history and rich culture of the islands of the South Pacific. The colors and design motifs of the temple were inspired by the flowers, beaches, and jungles of Fiji. The interior of the temple features original art glass and a hand-painted mural depicting the landscape and flora of the islands.

Latter-day Saints gather outside the Suva Fiji Temple. Cyclone Winston made landfall hours before President Henry B. Eyring rededicated the temple on Sunday, February 21. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

Litia Koto Cavu Wakarewakobau joined the Church in Fiji in 1957. She was present during the dedication of the first chapel in Fiji in May 1958, during the first temple dedication in 2000, and again at the rededication.

Elder Adolf J. Johansson, an Area Seventy, stands on the grounds of the Suva Fiji Temple, hours after Cyclone Winston struck Fiji. He said he “felt a peaceful calm, a spiritual feeling that everything would work out OK and that the sun would shine” on the Suva Fiji Temple the day of its rededication. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

A large tree fell in her yard during the cyclone, nearly blocking her path to the temple. Then she and her husband, Meli, were stopped by police enforcing mandatory curfews in Suva. However, when the couple explained they were going “to the dedication of the temple of the Lord” they were allowed to travel on.
Vito W. Qaqa, president of the Fiji North Stake and local chairman of the Suva Fiji Temple rededication committee, was up all night before the rededication because a sliding door at his home collapsed during the storm, bringing water and wind inside. When power outages prevented him from opening a metal gate to make his way to the rededication, he removed a grill in the gate and, with his wife, slid through.
“No one will stop this work,” he said. “We are so blessed in Fiji. Now we have a Church school and a temple. We have everything we need. They are preparing Fiji for bigger things.”

Latter-day Saints gather outside the Suva Fiji Temple. Cyclone Winston made landfall hours before President Henry B. Eyring rededicated the temple on Sunday, February 21. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

Heavy rain falls outside the Suva Fiji Temple before the third and final rededication session. Cyclone Winston made landfall hours before President Henry B. Eyring rededicated the temple on Sunday, February 21. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

Latter-day Saint young men gather early Sunday morning, February 21, hours after Cyclone Winston made landfall. They weathered the storm at the Church's primary school in Suva, located near the rededicated temple. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

Elder Cook Recalls Dedication of Fiji Temple amid Political Unrest in 2000

President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, and Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stand outside the Suva Fiji Temple on February 21, 2016.  Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

SUVA, FIJI

Days after armed rebels took a group of government leaders hostage in Fiji in May 2000, Elder Quentin L. Cook traveled to the Pacific island nation and met with military leaders to talk about the upcoming dedication of the Church’s Suva Fiji Temple and the political unrest in Fiji that might prevent it.

Visiting Fiji again February 19–21 for the public rededication of the temple and a youth cultural celebration, Elder Cook recalled the private events leading up to the temple’s original dedication almost 16 years ago.

As was the dedication of the Suva Fiji Temple, the rededication was held in trying times; Tropical Cyclone Winston made landfall in Fiji just hours before the rededication on Sunday, February 21.

In 2000, Elder Cook—now of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles—was serving as President of the Church’s Pacific Islands Area and was one of very few people on a flight from Auckland, New Zealand, into Fiji. At the airport he was greeted by hundreds of people trying to flee the country. To reach his appointment, he made his way through armed military checkpoints to the military headquarters in the Queen Elizabeth Barracks.

Many businesses had been looted, and significant parts of downtown Suva had burned. The military had declared martial law. Rebels were holding deposed Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and other members of parliament hostage.

But Elder Cook still hoped the new temple could be dedicated as planned.

At Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Elder Cook and the four local stake presidents in Fiji were received by military leaders.

“After we explained the proposed dedication, they were supportive but very concerned because they could not control the situation,” recalled Elder Cook. “There were random acts of violence throughout the city.”

The military leaders explained that they could not guarantee the safety of a prominent American church leader; President Gordon B. Hinckley was scheduled to dedicate the temple. Everyone advised against having a large group at the dedication.

Elder Cook left the military leaders believing that dedicating the temple was possible. They determined the official party of Church leaders could travel inside the country without a military escort; an escort would have made them likelier targets.

President Hinckley “approved one dedicatory session composed of a small group in the celestial room,” recalled Elder Cook. “He did not want to endanger the members, so except for the new temple presidency and a few local leaders, they were not invited.”

On June 18, 2000, just days shy of his 90th birthday, President Hinckley flew to Fiji for a three-and-a-half-hour stop. Accompanied by Sister Marjorie Pay Hinckley and their daughter Jane Dudley; Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Patricia Holland; and Elder Cook and his wife, Sister Mary Cook, President Hinckley made his way to the temple with what others in his traveling party would later describe as a “courageous willingness.”

The dedication in Fiji followed a rigorous travel schedule for President Hinckley. Before arriving in Fiji, he dedicated temples in Fukuoka, Japan; Adelaide, Australia; and Melbourne, Australia. The trip marked the first and only time four LDS temples were dedicated by a Church President during one overseas tour.

“When our small group arrived in Suva, Fiji, we only had to clear one military checkpoint before arriving at the temple,” recalled Elder Cook. “The dedication itself, the only one since the original Nauvoo Temple that has been held in such private and difficult circumstances, was simple and spiritual.”

Panapasa Tilley was a bishop and a member of the small choir that performed during the temple dedication.

When the choir sang after President Hinckley offered the dedicatory prayer, “we felt something has happened now. Now we have a Lord’s house dedicated.”

 

On the day he dedicated the Suva Fiji Temple, on June 18, 2000, President Gordon B. Hinckley shakes hands with members outside the temple's doors. Because martial law was declared after armed rebels took over a government building, only a limited number of Latter-day Saints were able to attend the dedication. Photo courtesy of the Office of the President.

The weeks after the dedication continued to be a challenging time for Fiji, Brother Tilley said. Mandatory curfews were enforced and public transportation was limited. But Latter-day Saints in Fiji had a place to get away. “The noise was so loud. We could get away from the noise [in the temple]. … We could just go in and say, ‘OK, we are out of this world.’”

Taniela B. Wakolo, a former stake president in Fiji who is now president of the Arkansas Little Rock Mission, attended the dedication. In a telephone conversation he said, “You could feel the pain in the hearts of the members of the Church” who could not participate in the dedication or see President Hinckley.

Litia Koto Cavu Wakarewakobau, who attended the dedication of the Suva Fiji Temple in 2000, arrives for the rededication February 21, 2016, with her husband, Meli Wakarewakobau. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

 

Litia Koto Cavu Wakarewakobau, who attended the dedication of the Suva Fiji Temple in 2000, arrives for the rededication February 21, 2016, with her husband, Meli Wakarewakobau. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

“It was not just the temple. For us it was a prophet of God setting foot on our land. A prophet of God in our land—that was very, very significant for the Saints in Fiji.”

Everyone in Fiji has felt the influence of the temple in the almost 16 years since the dedication, he said. “This temple has been a light to the nation. …

“We started to see the blessing to the land” immediately following the dedication, he said. “It is a significant sign that God loves Fiji and all its people.”

President Wakolo said members understood the “act of faith” that brought President Hinckley, Elder Holland, and Elder Cook to Fiji for the dedication. “They left the comfort of their homes to come to an island nation—depicted by a very small dot on the world map.”

They came despite political turmoil and civil unrest. They literally put their lives on the line to dedicate the temple in Fiji, he said. “Anyone discouraged was encouraged immediately. … When I saw them coming I started to see and feel hope. The message they carried with them was hope. … I did not think Fiji was the same again after the dedication.” 

 

 

Fiji Temple Re-Dedication Proceeds Hours After Cyclone Passes

President Henry B. Eyring, First Counsellor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, presided over the re-dedication of the Suva Fiji Temple yesterday.

The services were conducted just hours after a category 5 storm, Cyclone Winston, struck the Pacific island nation with devastating force.

In spite of damage to people’s homes and city roads, many Latter-day Saints made it safely to the temple grounds to participate in yesterday’s re-dedication sessions.

They travelled along debris strewn roads and some were delayed by check-points—but still they came.

President Henry B. Eyring arrived excited to join with local Latter-day Saints in anticipation of the sacred event at which he offered the dedicatory prayer.

 

 

He was accompanied by other Church leaders including Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Kent F. Richards, Elder Kevin W. Pearson, Elder O. Vincent Haleck and Elder S. Gifford Nielsen.

Today, Church representatives are assisting government authorities in assessing community and family needs so Church resources can be mobilised in support of the people of Fiji.

 

 

Church Leader Thanks Fiji Youth

Hundreds of young people packed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Church College gymnasium in Suva Fiji on the 20th of Feb, 2016.

They were there to listen to the Church’s Pacific Area President, Kevin W. Pearson, as he thanked them for all the effort they had put into preparations for today’s special cultural event to celebrate tomorrow’s re-dedication of the Suva Fiji Temple.

Around 1,500 Fiji teenagers have been practicing for today’s event for several weeks.

The Suva Fiji Temple was originally dedicated in 2000. It is being re-dedicated tomorrow after over a year’s closure for renovations. Last month around 22,000 people toured the temple during a special open house.

Elder Pearson spoke passionately about the need for each student to gain as much education as they can in order to be physically and spiritually self-reliant.

 

 

He also spoke of the vast worldwide organization of the Church and reminded them they are never alone in this world. He encouraged them to hold fast to their faith in Heavenly Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Although Cyclone Winston threatens to disrupt the cultural event, the youth are forging ahead with their plans to perform for leaders, members and guests of the Church including President Henry B. Eyring of the Church’s First Presidency, and Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who arrived in Fiji late Friday.

Area Presidency Attends Second-Chance Cultural Celebration following Fiji Cyclone

SUVA, FIJI -

Latter-day Saint teens perform at the Church College of Fiji on Monday, February 22.  Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

Among all the cultural celebrations held in conjunction with temple dedications throughout the world over the past few decades, the youth in Fiji are the only ones who have performed on the eve of a temple dedication and on the day after the sacred event.

As the winds and rains of Cyclone Winston intensified here February 20, Church leaders made the difficult decision to put an early end to the Suva Fiji Temple youth cultural celebration held in the Vodafone Arena.

The necessary decision, made for the safety of the participants, came as the Fijian government implemented a mandatory curfew for everyone in Fiji.

But the youth who had been practicing dances that represent the Pacific islands of the temple district—Fiji, Vanuatu, Kiribati, and the Solomon Islands—were disappointed.

Latter-day Saint youth from the Lautoka Fiji Stake of the Church perform at the Church College of Fiji on Monday, February 22. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

So members of the Church’s Pacific Area Presidency, who live in New Zealand, stayed in Fiji an extra day so the teens could finally have an opportunity to dance, this time on the campus of the Church College of Fiji.

The decision of the young people to perform for the Area Presidency came at great personal cost; the majority live on the west side of Fiji’s largest island, Viti Levu—the area hardest hit by the cyclone.

Latter-day Saint teens perform at the Church College of Fiji on Monday, February 22. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

Cyclone Winston struck Fiji with up to 175-mile-per-hour winds in the hours between the Church’s youth temple cultural celebration and the temple rededication. The powerful category 5 storm left dozens dead, knocked out power, and destroyed entire villages.

In the storm's wake, Church leaders are assessing the needs of Latter-day Saints in Fiji and working with relief agencies in the country to provide emergency response, said Elder O. Vincent Haleck, a General Authority Seventy and First Counselor in the Church’s Pacific Area Presidency.

Latter-day Saint teens perform at the Church College of Fiji on Monday, February 22. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

All missionaries—who were brought into Suva to participate in the temple rededication and cultural celebration—are safe. Elder Halek said the Church is sending welfare representatives to the islands. “We stand ready to work to try to assist where we can,” he said.

Solomoni Kaumaitotoya, president of the Lautoka Fiji Stake, said because bridges are out between Suva and the west side of Fiji’s main island, it will take longer to get the youth home. Since they had a great desire to perform for Church leaders, the young people and the area leaders postponed their trips home.

Latter-day Saint teens perform at the Church College of Fiji on Monday, February 22. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

“They have painted their faces, put on their costumes,” President Kaumaitotoya said. “A category 5 windstorm didn’t move their faith.”

Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, a General Authority Seventy and Second Counselor in the Pacific Area Presidency, also spoke of the faith of Fijian members—who stayed in Suva to dance “not knowing what they will see when they go home.”

“They have their costumes on, they have smiles on their faces, for they want to participate in the rededication of the temple,” he said. “The spiritual side of their lives are more important than their temporal side.”

From left, Sister Wendy Nielsen, Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, Sister Peggy Haleck, Elder O. Vincent Haleck, and Elder Adolf J. Johansson cheer the youth in their makeup cultural celebration on February 22. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

Floodwater blocks roads on Monday, February 22, after Cyclone Winston struck Fiji over the weekend. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

Uprooted trees in Fiji show the strength of Cyclone Winston, which made landfall on February 20. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

 

Structures at the Church College of Fiji in Suva, Fiji, are damaged by Cyclone Winston, which struck the country Saturday, February 20, 2016. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

Cyclone Disrupts Suva Fiji Temple Youth Cultural Celebration

SUVA, FIJI -

President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, watches the youth during the Suva Fiji Temple youth cultural celebration in Suva, Fiji, on Saturday, February 20.  Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

Amid severe weather conditions caused by Tropical Cyclone Winston, Church leaders halted the youth temple cultural celebration in Suva, Fiji, on February 20.

Originally scheduled to be held in the open-air ANZ Stadium in Suva, the event was moved across the street to the enclosed Vodafone Arena—which event organizers had also reserved months in advance.

However, as weather conditions intensified and the government asked everyone to vacate roads by 5:00 p.m., organizers skipped several numbers and had the 1,300 youth perform their finale.

Earlier in the day President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, told a group of missionaries serving in Fiji that he studied the weather before getting off the plane in the Pacific island nation. He asked the question “Should we change plans?” The answer, he felt, was “No.”

Although he did not know what was going to happen with the cyclone, President Eyring said he felt at peace with plans to hold the cultural celebration and rededication. “I got the feeling, ‘Go forward. Don’t be afraid,’” President Eyring said, noting that the “Lord is in charge.”

LDS youth run to buses after Church leaders ended the Suva Fiji Temple youth cultural celebration early on Saturday, February 20. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

During the cultural celebration, President Eyring addressed the youth, praising their preparation and sharing the love President Thomas S. Monson has for them.

“I join with you in celebrating the great contributions of so many who have built up the kingdom of God in these isles,” he said. “The Lord has blessed you with an increase of your talents and in your feelings of gratitude for all the Lord has done here and in all the places from which the people will come to enjoy this house of the Lord in Suva.”

Youth represent Tuvalu in the Suva Fiji Temple youth cultural celebration in Suva, Fiji, on Saturday, February 20. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver

He asked the youth to treasure their cultural celebration experience. “I know you will never forget it.”

Also addressing the youth was the Fiji Minister of Sport and Youth, Laisenia Tuitubou. He praised the youth for “their love of their God as well as their faith.”

Speaking of the cyclone, he said, “Through our faith we are all here.”

Finale of the Suva Fiji Temple youth cultural celebration in Suva, Fiji, on Saturday, February 20. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

Ernest Vitinavulagi, director of the cultural event, said it was a “celebration of faith” intended to showcase the islands of the Fiji temple district—Fiji, Kiribati, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia—to the Pacific and the world.

The cultural event brought youth by bus and boat to the celebration. After the event, organizers reported that all the youth made it safely to the Church schools, where the majority would spend the night during the storm.

When the event was cut short, Selai Vuetibau, 18, did not get to perform the number she had prepared for the celebration. But she will always remember gathering with the youth of the temple district for the opening number and again for the finale.

Youth represent Kiribati during the Suva Fiji Temple youth cultural celebration in Suva, Fiji, on Saturday, February. 20. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

She said the youth had been working on the finale for two weeks. “We thought it wouldn’t be perfect, but it was,” she said.

Accompanying President Eyring to the cultural event were Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Mary Cook; Elder Kent F. Richards, a General Authority Seventy and Executive Director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Marsha Richards; and members of the Church's Pacific Area Presidency—Elder Kevin W. Pearson, Elder O. Vincent Haleck, and Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, all General Authority Seventies, and their wives, Sister June Pearson, Sister Peggy Haleck, and Sister Wendy Nielsen.

Fiji Latter-day Saints Welcome President Eyring and Elder Cook

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints welcomed President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the Church’s First Presidency, and Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, to the Pacific island nation yesterday.

The senior Latter-day Saint leaders are visiting Fiji to participate in tomorrow’s re-dedication of the Suva Fiji Temple which has been closed for over a year for renovations.
Members of the Church's Pacific Area Presidency, Elders Kevin W. Pearson, O. Vincent Haleck and S. Gifford Nielsen, and the Church's Temple Department Executive Director, Elder Kent F. Richards, are also in Fiji for the temple re-dedication and associated activities.
The visiting Latter-day Saint leaders are being accompanied by Mary Cook, June Pearson, Peggy Haleck, Wendy Nielsen and Marsha Richards.
The guests were honoured by way of a traditional Fijian welcoming ceremony yesterday—called “qaloqalovi”—at Naulu, near Suva. It was presented by members of the Church from the Nausori Fiji Stake.

President Eyring told those who welcomed him and those traveling with him, “President Thomas S. Monson asked me to come here. He would want to be here, so I’m going to try to tell him what happened; but there is no way I can describe it as wonderful as it was.”
“I just wish he could be here as he loves you and the Lord loves you, and we are here because the Lord is so proud and happy to see your faithfulness,” President Eyring said.
He added, “There is a temple of God here and it’s because of the faith of you wonderful people that the Lord could do that and I’m grateful that he allowed me to come here to be with you and extend the love and blessings of the Lord to you and your families and all others who live here. You are wonderful people and children of God.”
President Eyring told those in attendance that the scriptures talk of those of the isles of the sea whom the Lord has never forgotten.
“The Lord does not forget you,” President Eyring said. “He loves you.”
One local Latter-day Saint who attended the welcome ceremony, David Atalifo, said, ‘It was an honour to witness a true servant of the Lord here. Our hearts were filled with joy.”