PAPEETE, Tahiti — On Christmas Eve in 1963, 10-year-old Benjamin Sinjoux arrived with his family at the New Zealand Temple in Hamilton. Through the fog, he had his first glance of the edifice his family had sacrificed so much to visit.
The bus stopped and 64 Church members — a group that would become the first Tahitian Latter-day Saints to do temple work — knelt down and prayed. Even at 10 years old, Benjamin Sinjoux understood the historical significance of the experience: More than 100 years after the first missionaries arrived in Tahiti — the Church's first foreign-speaking mission — Tahitian Latter-day Saints had finally reached the temple.
And from that moment forward, Brother Sinjoux has watched the Church in Tahiti grow and prosper. "It was the start of something to happen," he said. "I feel blessed to be a part of the growth of the Church."
Home today to more than 22,000 Church members, Tahiti has six stakes, three districts, and a temple. Latter-day Saints comprise 10 percent of the country's population. Meetinghouses in Tahiti are visible, Church members respected.
"From what I have seen, our Church has always been respected," said Brother Sinjoux, whose granddaughter is a sixth-generation Church member in French Polynesia. "The people know we always have high standards.... We are well respected by the government and by any religion. They have seen the growth of the Church physically and spiritually."
Temple President Thomas R. Stone served as a full-time missionary in Tahiti from 1955-1957. He returned in 1963 to serve as mission president. When he arrived in 1963 there were no wards or stakes in French Polynesia and no members had been to the temple. He, too, recalls the significance of the first temple trip. "It was the beginning," he said. "It was the embryo."
Living in a land of natural beauty, filled with lush foliage and surrounded by black sand beaches and blue waters, Tahitian Latter-day Saints are happy "because they know the gospel," said Amelie Brothers, whose husband, Iotua Brothers, serves as the Arue Tahiti Stake patriarch. "They are leading a humble life, a simple life."
Tahitian Church members make a living in agriculture, fishing and pearl farming. Others work in government or tourism. Many Church members work in positions of authority. A former Tahitian soccer star, Errol Bennett's influence is so great that division soccer games in the country are no longer played on Sunday. (Please see story on page 7.)
And, locals say, Tahitians are as resourceful as their land is beautiful.
"Each tree you see is used for something," said Raureva Terooatea, while showing visitors her country. Pointing at trees around her, she added, "These two trees we use for medication. This one for roofing. These are used for Tahitian food. We eat the fruit of this tree."
One of 17 children, Sister Terooatea's family was sealed in the temple in 1998. Her mother was an early convert on the island of Raiatea; her father was the first branch president on the Pacific island.
During the early years of the Church in Raiatea, he counseled members to remain faithful. If they embraced the Church, he told them, "the next generation will be strong."
His many children are a literal fulfillment of his promise. Many have served in Church leadership positions. And Sister Terooatea attended BYU-Hawaii and now works in the finance department at the Church offices in Papeete.
Members in her country, she said, are kind and faithful. Accepting the gospel comes easy to them because of their great faith.
For example, Regina Teinanuarii of the Taharaa Ward, Arue Tahiti Stake, joined the Church in 2002. "The Lord wants me to serve Him," she said. "I am happy to have the opportunity to testify."
A country with a low crime rate and tradition of hospitality, Tahiti has been a tourist attraction for many years. At the Roulotte, located in the heart of Papeete, locals eat chow mein and crepes. Cruise ships dock. Children play as crowds gather. Visitors are offered a place at many tables.
Here Church members reminisced about their great heritage. As a Primary child, Zaina Vitali performed for Tahiti's many tourists. Like other pioneers in her country, she remembers her parents' sacrifices to take their family to the temple in New Zealand.
Thierry Hunter, Papeete Tahiti Temple engineer, still sees members of French Polynesia sacrificing to attend the temple. Some travel by boat for days from far-away islands.
He and his wife, Christine, have also witnessed Church growth in the area. Once a volleyball player, Brother Hunter participated in the Pacific Games in 1975, 1979, 1982, and 1986. He was a bishop at age 26. Brother and Sister Hunter served on the local temple committee.
The Papeete Tahiti Temple open house before its rededication on Nov. 12 provided an opportunity for local members to share their greatest treasure with their neighbors, he said. Those seeing the temple's interior for the first time were impressed with the temple, the Church and its members, he said.
Brother and Sister Hunter epitomize local Tahitian hospitality. Picking up visitors at the Papeete airport, the Hunters immediately recognized stranded tourists, who were forced to spend the night at the airport before leaving by boat to one of French Polynesia's 135 islands. "You can't do that," Sister Hunter told the tourists. "Come to our house."
Hospitality is a way of life in Tahiti, she explained. It is natural for Church members to share what they have with their neighbors.
"Even though we have only known you one night, we count you as a friend," the Hunters' son, Heiarii, and his wife, Lenna, told visitors.
Welcoming a reporter to their home, they talked about the temple. Heiarii (Rocky) Hunter was recently released as bishop. Lenna Hunter serves in the Young Women. With their son, Mahonry, they sang the hymn, "High on a Mountain Top." Indeed, she explained, the gospel's influence is felt in her nation.
"We are so happy to have the Church," she said. "It is so true."
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