A pristine jungle river-turned-baptismal-font and a crowded meetinghouse yard draped in makeshift tents set the scene for a landmark weekend in southeastern Papua New Guinea.
On June 14, 107 disciples of Jesus Christ stepped into the Bangoho River to be baptized; following those services, Elder Taniela B. Wakolo, a General Authority Seventy and member of the Pacific Area presidency, organized the Oro Papua New Guinea Stake — the fifth stake in the nation and the first in the remote province of Oro, reported the Church’s Papua New Guinea Newsroom.
For the meetings on June 14 and 15, the Popondetta chapel could not hold the hundreds who gathered. Volunteers pitched rows of tents outside, while others tuned in from remote villages by internet for the meetings.
Elder Wakolo, assisted by Area Seventy Elder Jared V. Ormsby, taught that covenants anchor disciples despite life’s adversities, promising confidence and peace to all who build their lives on the foundation of God’s plan of salvation and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Where prophets planted, Saints now grow
The newly sustained stake president, President Tossip Salaiau, was a teenager in 1991 when then-Elder Russell M. Nelson — now President of the Church — presided at the groundbreaking for a meetinghouse in Popendetta.
Thirty-four years later, that quaint chapel is being razed to make room for a larger stake center, reported the Church’s Papua New Guinea Newsroom.
President Salaiau’s younger sister, Chimolen Tererembo — once a little girl at the groundbreaking — now serves as stake Relief Society president.
Waters of faith
Miracles were on full display the previous afternoon when missionaries and long-time members escorted new friends to the Bangoho River.
To those in attendance, the scene evoked the Book of Mormon’s “Waters of Mormon,” where Alma baptized believers in Ancient American forests.
During the meetings, Elder Ormsby spoke of the deep faith of these local members. “The prophet Joseph Smith prophesied that the Church would fill the earth,” he said. “And although Papua New Guinea and the people living their lives here have many challenges, you wouldn’t know it if you spoke to them. That’s the nature of their faith. They believe the Lord will bless them and we will see the Church flourish and grow here because of their faith.”
Flourish it has. Twelve months ago, Papua New Guinea counted only two stakes; today, there are five. Total membership now tops 41,000, and many more are accepting the gospel.
Leaders attribute much of the momentum to anticipation surrounding the nation’s first temple, now rising in the capital city of Port Moresby.
Elder Wakolo testified, “It is a miracle of faith. These people love God. They desire to come unto Christ and that is the miracle we see. The key to this is really the leaders and the members focusing on the house of the Lord. When construction of the temple in Port Moresby is complete and the temple is dedicated, it will have a tremendous impact on the growth of the Church in Papua New Guinea.”
When President Nelson announced the temple in April 2019, recently released Area Seventy Elder Robert Dudfield wrote that he “could not begin to describe my joy.”
Having watched families “walk the covenant path” in dozens of visits to the country, he called the temple “an answer to decades of prayer” that will further strengthen communities and “a country that has become temple ready.”
Small hands point to a holy future
That readiness is already visible among the youngest disciples.
In May, children from the Sabusa Branch convinced their parents to rent vans and brave dirt roads for a first-hand look at the temple construction site, reported the Church’s Papua New Guinea Newsroom.
Nine-year-old Patricia Greg said simply, “Being here makes me feel joyful.”
Eleven-year-old Jacob Ramana added that “it was good to come to the temple today. My heart is pumping a little bit. I’m really happy.”
Branch President Raymond Liri reported that the kids’ enthusiasm sparked renewed commitment among adults: “One way or another, this temple trip has helped us minister to everyone in the branch. When the commitment of their children is so strong, it has inspired their parents.”
The majesty of this moment
Church members in Papua New Guinea believe they are watching the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise that the Church is coming “out of obscurity” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:30) in their blossoming island nation.
Back in Popondetta, that same temple focus framed the weekend conference. Elder Wakolo urged members to prepare now for temple ordinances that seal families eternally.
A larger stake center will soon replace the aging district meetinghouse, and construction teams have already begun preliminary work on the same plot of land Elder Nelson dedicated in 1991.
“The roots of the restored gospel and Church of Jesus Christ are deep in this land,” Elder Wakolo said. “Many generations will be blessed in years to come as we continue to gather to the sacrament, to the house of the Lord and to minister to one another to strengthen faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
For now, these Saints savor the memory of an unforgettable weekend: the cool embrace of river water, the rhythmic stomp of traditional dancers welcoming visiting leaders, the sustaining hands raised beneath sun-bleached tents and the promise of a gleaming temple on the horizon.
Elder Wakolo testified, “This is the majesty of the moment President Nelson invited us not to miss.”
