March 2011

Area Presidency Message
New Zealand Local Pages
His Name Shall Be Had
in Sacred Remembrance”
(D&C 117:12)
By Elder James J. Hamula
N
ot long ago I interviewed a Church member who was applying for Church employment. The last step in this good man’s
application process was a General Authority
interview. Because I was in my office in Auckland
and he was in one of the Church’s service centers in the Pacific, our interview was conducted by
video conference.
At the outset I asked him to introduce himself to me. He told me he was a convert to the
Church, having been converted by his returned
missionary wife while they both pursued tertiary
education. He and his wife had been sealed in the
temple and had several young children. They now
lived on a remote island in the Pacific where there
are no other members of the Church. He was a
teacher; she, a trained teacher too, was a full-time
homemaker.
When I asked this good man how he had
gotten to our service center, he said that he had
taken an eight-hour boat ride and would return
the same way when our interview was completed.
When I asked whether he had a temple recommend and was worthy of it, he humbly affirmed
that both he and his wife had recommends and
they both were worthy of them. When I asked
how he and his family were able to live the gospel in their remote and isolated circumstances, I
received a lesson in personal Christian discipleship. He and his wife gather their children every
day to pray and read the scriptures. Every Monday
night they have a family home evening. Every
Elder James J.
Hamula, First
Counselor in
the Pacific Area
Presidency
Sunday they hold a family worship service and
honour the Sabbath. Every month they send their
tithes and offerings to the Church. And routinely
they give quiet acts of service for their fellow
islanders, leading all on their island to know them
as Church members. They have
been living in this manner for
more than 10 years.
My interview with this good
Church member moved me
deeply then—and does every
time I think of it. And I think
of it often as I move among
the faithful Latter-day Saints
of the Pacific. Everywhere I
go—to large continents or remote islands, big cities or small
villages—I find similar Church
members. I find men and women, boys and girls,
who are living the gospel the best they can in the
circumstances they are in. And I find men and
women, boys and girls, who are known of the
Lord and are being blessed by Him, no matter
their location or status. As Peter said to Cornelius,
the Roman centurion, “Of a truth I perceive that
God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” (Acts 10:34–35).
In 1838 the Prophet Joseph Smith received
a revelation regarding a little-known Latter-day
Saint: “I remember my servant Oliver Granger;
behold, verily I say unto him that his name shall
be had in sacred remembrance from generation
to generation, forever and ever, saith the Lord”
(D&C 117:12). What led to his name being held
in sacred remembrance? Oliver Granger was a
very ordinary man. He was mostly blind having
“lost his sight by cold and exposure” (History of
the Church, 4:408). He, along with many other
M a r c h 2 0 1 1 N1
Our Heritage
N2 E n s i g n
A Tribute to Our
Ancestors
T
Picture courtesy of Jo Munro
Latter-day Saints of his day, faced mob persecution
and deprivation of property. He died at the age of
47, leaving behind his wife and several children.
Before he departed life, however, Oliver
exhibited quiet faith in the Lord and His cause.
During the days of the Saints being driven from
Kirtland, Ohio, Oliver was asked to stay behind
among the enemies of the Church to sell the
Church’s properties for what little he could. To
Oliver the Lord said, “Let him contend earnestly
for the redemption of the [properties of the] First
Presidency of my Church, saith the Lord; and
when he falls he shall rise again, for his sacrifice
shall be more sacred unto me than his increase,
saith the Lord” (D&C 117:13). Such an assignment was very difficult, and did not yield much
success, at least as measured in worldly terms.
Indeed, the Lord acknowledged that he would
“fall.” But Oliver’s success was not measured by
the Lord by what he did, but by what he was.
His sacrifice for the Lord was more sacred than
his gains. The First Presidency described him
as “a man of the most strict integrity and moral
virtue; and in fine, to be a man of God” (History
of the Church, 3:350).
Oliver Granger is not remembered among the
names of the early leaders of the Church. He lived
out his life quietly but faithfully. But in heavenly
terms, Oliver Granger stands shoulder to shoulder with all of the great and noble ones. As the
Lord said, “Let no man despise my servant Oliver
Granger, but let the blessings . . . be on him
forever and ever” (D&C 117:15). Such can be said
too of the many Latter-day Saints in the Pacific,
and throughout the world, who are living the
gospel as best they can, under the circumstances
as they have them, with no fanfare or attention.
All “who overcome by faith” shall receive celestial
glory and eternal life (D&C 76:53). ◼
Bishop James
McIntyre of
the Takapuna
Ward, Auckland
Harbour Stake,
dresses up as
an ancestor for
a family history
activity.
he Takapuna Ward had a fun activity surrounding family history. Families came
dressed as their ancestors and brought their
stories to life. Following are experiences of some
of the participants.
Bishop McIntyre commented: “The whole
exercise was a good reminder of things
I have wanted to do for a while. I had
an inclination to research the Irish side
of my family, and I started about six
years ago. Along came marriage and
a bishop’s calling, so the research was
put aside.
“Dressing up as my ancestor Marrellus
Thomas Morrel and telling stories about
him excited our children so much that
more stories have been told and research
on the Irish line has become a priority.”
Marissa Horsford remarked: “As our family
history activity approached, the request to come
dressed as an ancestor and tell a little bit about
them lingered in my mind. I contemplated which
of all my ancestors I would choose, as I opened the
box and dusted off pages of family history that had
sat dormant, forever, it seemed. I skimmed through
pages of information about Grandma Pare then
Nanny Hall, both women of great strength I had
never met, but felt a close bond to. Then I thought
about my own mother, Gloria Hall, and the wonderful example she has been to me.
“The choice was hard, but after I talked to my
young single adult daughters about it, they got
excited and wanted to be part of it too.
“We dressed as Paretutanganui Te Roto Karaka,
Charlotte Hall, and Gloria Takatowai Hall. I felt the
veil was so thin; their sweet spirits lingered closer as
Picture courtesy of Jo Munro
I shared a little about these great
women in our lives. The sacrifices,
the service and the love they had
for their family had contributed to their character. I
regenerated a desire to keep my family history alive
and share the blessings with my children.”
James Stinson, 12 years old, related the following: “Dressing as my ancestor Sir Charles Napier
made me really happy. I learned that he was an
exceptional fighter and I could imagine him in
the British army. He was very kind to the people
he conquered, teaching them things like gardening so that they could look after themselves. The
activity made me want to learn more about our
ancestors so that when I am in heaven I can say
Marisa, Kylie
and Alana
Horsford dress
in costumes to
represent their
ancestors.
Family History in
Charcoal Drawings
B
By Adele Arthur
efore I joined the Church, I would collect anything to
do with my family’s past. When Dad turned 50 Mum
had a clean-out, and I rescued stuff behind her: photos and report cards. I put them in an album and gave it to
my dad. I said I was giving it to him on the condition that
he add to it and then give it to me when he died. I had
the job of gathering things when [my father] died. I got a
prompting to look in an obscure place and I found the album. Dad had shoved newspaper clippings and invitations
inside it and tied it with a ribbon.
My role in my family is historian and gatherer, and it
naturally falls into genealogy. It is quite funny because history was my worst subject at school.
I have always been creative, and my parents really fostered and encouraged me. I had a passion for art and I just
flew, because the teacher said, “Do whatever you want to
do,” and I started working with charcoal. I love it. I think
it is because it is tactile and you have to use your fingers a
lot—there are no brushes or pens. I love being connected
‘I was baptized for you.’ The temple is important
because it connects me to them.”
Michael Stinson, 11 years old, stated: “I like
being related to someone brave who fought for
his country. Dressing up as Sir William Montague
Scott McMurdo made him more interesting. I
want to know more stories about good relatives.
It made me happy being part of the evening and
talking about my ancestor.”
Joshua Stinson, 9 years old, said: “Dressing as
Vice Admiral Archibald McMurdo was good. I felt
important because I was dressed up as my greatgreat-great-great uncle, and he was a good man
and an explorer. I want to know more about other
members of our family now.” ◼
with the material. I developed a real interest in design. I
went to university when I was 43 years old and worked
as well. I graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Design.
I loved the course—it fed into my art. I tell people it is
artistic aerobics.
Not long after I graduated I was called as the stake
family history director. It has been an amazing experience. I remember I was working night shift four nights
per week. Then the team was disestablished. I knew I
needed to work, and I prayed for a job that would fit in
with my [work] at the family history centre. Within 24
hours I had a job in which the hours fit perfectly.
I love my calling because it is the connection with
people. As a child I had wonderful relationships with
grandparents and I have an affinity with older people.
One of the things I love the most is the people who
come into the family history centre. They are largely
retired, and we have wonderful conversations about
their lives. I love helping them find their families.
My lifelong goal was to have an exhibition. It took
a long time to get to that point. I had this feeling that
kept coming back to elderly people. I love faces—
I have drawn faces since I was 16. When I started
M a r c h 2 0 1 1 N3
By Elder James J. Hamula
thinking seriously about an exhibition, I asked myself
where I felt most connected. The faces that I was most
interested in were the people of Ngati Toa. I thought
of a selection of people who intersect everyone’s lines
of Ngati Toa—aunties, uncles and cousins.
I work from my own photos for practical purposes. I
have conversations so that I can get the feel of personalities.
It’s important to have not just a likeness, but to capture the
personality. I want to see them come out on the page.
I started with Aunty Wiki[toria Katene]. Then I thought,
why don’t I do a record of the people of Ngati Toa. It felt
right.
I contacted Pataka [museum and gallery] and they had
one space available that had been booked by Ngati Toa.
Kaumatua Nelson Solomon said he felt impressed to book
it, but he didn’t know why. I helped Ngati Toa artist Kohai
Grace coordinate the exhibiton, Toi Rangatira—Artworks
by Whanau of Ngati Toa.
Bringing together the genealogy, family and artwork
is what I do. The drawing is what I am compelled to do.
Sometimes I look back and think “Oh, my goodness, did I
do that?” I feel compelled; it is a gift I have been given.
My advice to those thinking about family history is,
“Just do it.” When you start, it is more than just numbers or
dates. Not until you have started will you experience the
excitement.
Listen to elderly people tell their stories. When you
discover your ancestors, you discover yourself. You
see likenesses in photos—more than blood connections. Our characteristics are formed by those before
us. Learning about past and people before us, we learn
about ourselves. ◼
Picture courtesy of Area Office
Seeking One’s Potential
Liahona High
School students
meet with
Elder Brent H.
Nielson, Second
Counselor in
the Pacific Area
Presidency.
N4 E n s i g n
Liahona Students
Win Youth in Business
Competition
F
our students from Tonga’s Liahona High
School won the first-ever Youth in Business—
Dream Big Challenge competition, spearheaded by the Tonga Chamber of Commerce
and Industries. The competition is dedicated to
building a stronger economy by
empowering youth to becoming
success-driven entrepreneurs.
The competition called for students
to organize and operate a business
over a given period of time. The first
part of the competition included nine
secondary schools in Tonga. The
students had to develop a business
plan and present it to a panel of five
judges. The four best business plans
and presentations were selected and awarded seed
capital for the students to start and run their business. The Liahona business team took first place,
and at the end of the stated time period the four
student business teams were to report on their
business experience. Liahona High School’s business team, PolyTextures Inc., once again took first
place and won the competition; their grand prize
was an all-expenses-paid trip to New Zealand to
meet and observe selected businesses.
said: “It’s not just about the product, but rather
about selling a story.”
Susan added: “You must be passionate about
your business.”
“And listen to your customers,” Alexandria
chimed in.
Faeamani added, “It’s important for each member of a company to know the roles and jobs of
each other member.”
All four students plan to continue their educations at Brigham Young University–Hawaii or at
one of New Zealand’s universities. ◼
Picture by Gary Gardener
The Youth in Business Program (YIB) is a
learning experience for young people, teachers
and business people. Senior secondary school
students form a company, become directors, and
develop products that they market and sell. YIB
(modelled on the New Zealand Young Enterprise
Scheme) is school-based and teaches skills in
budgeting, planning, interpersonal relations,
decision-making, reporting, communications, risk
management and teamwork.
The young entrepreneurs add value to schoolbased knowledge, learn how to run a business,
learn the value of being enterprising, develop a
“can-do” attitude, and learn to take and manage
risks. The competition allows them to interact with
positive business role models, obtain a “hands on”
experience in the development of business competencies, get the opportunity to test their own
creativity and innovation, and earn improved skills
in teamwork, communication, decision-making,
planning, time management and leadership.
PolyTextures Inc. is made up of four 7th
Formers: Susan Walters, Alexandria Finau,
Faeamani Lokotui and Kepueli Huhane. They were
inspired to design and produce attractive handbags
that reflect the Tongan culture with a stylish flair.
While in New Zealand the students were hosted
by several local businesses, the Auckland Chamber
of Commerce and Takapuna High School.
The teens concluded their New Zealand tour
with a visit to the Pacific Area headquarters of the
Church. They were greeted at the Church offices
by Elder Brent H. Neilson, a member of the Pacific
Area Presidency.
Elder Nielson said that he was very impressed
with what the students had accomplished in
organizing their company and bringing a very attractive product to market.
When asked about what they had learned
through their participation in the project, Kepueli
Former Footy
Great Mentors
Younger Players
Elder Sid Going
(centre) with
current NRL stars
Malachi WateneZelesniak (Penrith
A
ustralia’s up-and-coming LDS rugby players gathered recently to hear words of
wisdom from the greatest-ever running
halfback of New Zealand’s All Blacks—Elder Sid
Going MBE. Dubbed “Super Sid” by his fans, he
played 86 matches, including 29 tests for the All
Blacks, between 1967 and 1977. “Super Sid” is
now Elder Going, as he and his wife are currently
serving as missionaries.
The players met at Olympic Park as part of the
NSW Rugby League Pacific program. After viewing news footage and clippings of the former
days of Going, the young men were urged to give
Panthers), Limoni
Kamuta (Wests
Tigers), Sete Fano
(Wests Tigers),
Sama Sauvao
(Wests Tigers),
and Jacob Nansen
(South Sydney
Rabbitohs).
M a r c h 2 0 1 1 N5
By Elder James J. Hamula
total commitment to the game but still keep their personal
standards high.
The luncheon was held to help guide the future stars and
help them avoid the serious indiscretions that have derailed
the careers and personal lives of a number of top players in
recent years.
Elder Going told the players that the important things
in life are not material possessions. “The most important
step right now is for you to surround yourself with good
friends who will not influence you away from your standards and family values,” he said.
He also reminded them that they are never alone. “Have
no fear, keep your faith, be strong, be smart and know
that kids everywhere are watching your every move. Do
what the Lord wants you to. Have no fear. Keep your faith
strong. Be smart!” he counseled.
The players in the audience spoke of the responsibility they felt to support their families and their desire to
make them happy. They reflected on what would give
their parents the “biggest smile”—football success or
upholding their personal standards, concluding that it
was very much the latter.
Former Australian Rugby League great and boxer John
Hopoate also addressed the group. Speaking of his years
in the media spotlight, he addressed times where he made
“serious errors”. Hopoate advised the players to remember
who they were and who they represented. “We all should
learn from the lessons of others, and hopefully you will
learn from my mistakes as well as the good things I did for
the game,” he said.
“My biggest regret is that I did not give up two years of
my career to serve a mission for the Church. I have seen
what knowledge you receive on a mission that I wish I had
now. Now I desire for my two sons to serve a mission.”
After the event, David Lakisa, Pacific Communities Project
Officer with the NSW Rugby League, who supports the
Polynesian players, said the players’ families and ethnic culture would benefit the community. “It is good for everybody
to see the support they receive from their families and the
respect they personally show for their parents,” he said. ◼
N6 E n s i g n
Around the Pacific
Church at Frontline of PNG
Cholera Outbreak
L
By Christopher Cooper
DS Church leaders were in the right place at the right
time to respond to the immediate crisis of a devastating cholera outbreak recently in Papua New Guinea.
Elder Dirk Smibert, Area Seventy, and a small group
of Papuan Church leaders arrived in Daru by dinghy in
the late afternoon of 11 November 2010. Early the next
morning they were advised that 11 Church members from
one branch had just died from a deadly cholera outbreak.
Cholera is an acute intestinal infection spread through
contaminated water and food which leads to severe dehydration and death without treatment.
“We arrived in Daru from having been up to Sogere
where we had just formed a new district, as well as having
visited the Saints in Isumo, when we received word of the
tragedy,” said Elder Smibert. “We had planned to merely
transit in Daru before flying out the following day, and so
we arranged to meet with the priesthood leaders there for
a training meeting the next morning. That next morning
one of the branch presidents informed me that 11 of the
members of his branch had just died from cholera.”
Elder Smibert immediately made phone calls to the
Area Presidency, who quickly called an emergency response meeting with the Welfare Department. Working
quickly with local doctors and politicians, they put critical
plans into action, and the Church was able to make available a local meetinghouse to serve as a temporary extension to the hospital, which rapidly filled beyond capacity
as the outbreak spread.
“The local people were very helpful in bringing the sick
to us in their canoes,” said Dr. Anthony Mahler, a volunteer
physician from Australia who went up as part of the response team. “In our first 24 hours at the village of Sogere
we treated over 200 cases of cholera, including 30 severe
cases.”
As news reached Australia of the outbreak, Australia’s
border in the Torres Strait was sealed with fears that
hospital. In some cases, they helped revive and
stabilise patients who were minutes from dying
from severe dehydration.
“There was one man who fitted when he arrived, and he was probably minutes from death,”
Dr. Mahler said. “Many of the others would not
have survived 24 hours. While there were supplies
in Daru, there was a shortage of people qualified
to administer them. The people were very grateful
to have two doctors arrive.”
By November 20, World Health Organisation
representative in Daru, Geoffrey Clark, reported
the cholera outbreak on the island to be under
control, with efforts then focused on reducing its
spread on Papua New Guinea’s southern coast.
Elder Dirk Smibert, reflecting on the tragedy
at the time, described his thoughts and feelings
upon first learning of the outbreak and the death
of many fellow Saints. “I was in a training meeting
with the assembled priesthood leaders when the
shocking news came. Immediately, a story from
Church history came to mind. It was in the winter of 1856 when in general conference Brigham
Young, upon hearing of the plight of the Willie
Handcart Company who had lost, through death,
many of their party, and who were suffering
Dr. Mahler and
Dr. Williams
arrive at a village affected by
cholera.
Photograph courtesy of Sue Owen
more than 100 people in PNG had already died
from the disease. At the time it was reported that
the outbreak had already infected at least 5,000
people.
The Church joined with several other nongovernmental organisations in response to the
outbreak, with the Church sending 25 tonnes
of emergency food and medical supplies to the
region which included eight tonnes of rice, four
tonnes of fish, four tonnes of flour, 1,000 bars of
antibacterial soap and four tonnes of cooking oil.
The Church’s Salt Lake City Humanitarian Centre
also shipped 2,500 much-needed water filter bottles to Port Moresby.
The Church and its members worked with
AusAID, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors
Without Borders, the World Health Organization
and other groups to help care for the sick as well
as to educate communities on how to prevent the
spread of the disease.
A special envoy organised and funded through
the Church involved Dr. Mahler and GP David
Williams, alongside Cairns-based church organiser
Shane Palmer, heading to the island of Daru and
the nearby Fly River delta to provide immediate
care for patients suffering from the disease.
Dr. Williams from Capalaba Ward said, “One of
the most challenging moments was in the small
village of Sisiama, when I had to kneel in the
mud for over an hour holding an IV cannula in
an infant’s vein as he kicked and squirmed. At the
same time we were giving his mother IV fluids
because her breast milk had dried up. While this
was going on she was vainly trying to breast feed
him to give him some comfort. Some people had
not had anything to eat or drink, they were so
fearful of contracting cholera.”
In one remote village near the Bamu River,
doctors and medical staff treated 185 patients in
one night, working under torchlight in a makeshift
M a r c h 2 0 1 1 N7
Photograph courtesy of Sue Owen
N8 E n s i g n
A PNG community is educated
on cholera
prevention
strategies.
Photograph courtesy of Sue Owen
frostbite and starvation, closed the conference and
sent the priesthood to the rescue.”
With that story in mind, Elder Smibert gave
the brethren an update on the cholera crisis and
related this story of Brigham Young to them. “I
then explained that we were going to close the
meeting and go to the rescue. Before doing so,
however; I produced a bottle of pure olive oil and
we demonstrated
how to consecrate it.
We then taught them
how to administer
to the sick. Most
of them had never
done this before. We
divided the oil into
small bottles and
sent the brethren
two by two into the
villages to administer to members of the district
who were afflicted with cholera and to provide
blessings of comfort to those who had lost loved
ones. That morning 110 blessings were given.”
Faith and love grew in the hearts of the Saints and
miracles occurred as the locals and Church leaders
and other organisations worked hand-in-hand to
curb the crisis of the outbreak. While the original
point of the outbreak was Daru, the situation was
A sick child arrives by boat
to be treated
by doctors for
cholera.
soon stabilised there, but the outbreak was soon
on the move emerging in villages on the mainland.
By December it was reported that more than 800
people has been struck down with the disease and
more than 300 people had lost their lives.
Dr. Mahler, now back in Australia, said,
“Treating the people of the Bamu River was the
most professionally rewarding experience of my
life. It was very demanding to work in the difficult conditions presented to us. But there was
no greater satisfaction than seeing severely dehydrated infants respond quickly to treatment.”
The Church recorded a tragic 76 deaths
among its members in Papua New Guinea. “We
express our deep love and concern for those
who have been affected by this epidemic,” said
Elder Brent H. Nielson of the Church’s Pacific Area
Presidency. “We offer our sincere condolences to
those who have lost family or friends.” ◼
Submissions:
­E
nsign Magazine Writer’s Guidelines are
posted online at http://ensign.lds.org
under “Resources”.
Please send submissions for New Zealand
to Area News Coordinator:
Victoria Taupau
[email protected]
Include your name and contact telephone
number as well as ward or branch and stake
or district. Please also attach to the email
high-resolution photographs relevant to your
submission and please obtain permission
from each person in each photograph and
the photographer to have this published in
the ­Ensign Insert. ◼