The missionaries of the Laie Temple Visitors’ Center inspired the community with music and invitations for attendees to come closer to Christ on Sunday, Nov. 27 during its “Light the World” event.
“This devotional is opening the Christmas season. We want everyone to have Christ at the center of their Christmas,” said Sister Staneli, a missionary serving in the Visitors’ Center.
The performers sang numerous selection of Christmas songs while standing in front of the iconic Christus statue. The center showcased the various Christmas trees scattered throughout the center decorated by Oahu LDS stakes. The missionaries performed classical Christmas songs such as “Star of Bethlehem,” “Oh Holy Night,” and “Silent Night.”
Sister missionaries who performed during the production said they hoped to invite others to Christ and help them to understand the true meaning of Christmas.
Staneli said, “This season… we are actually having a ‘Light the World’ campaign and we want to spread the light of Christ into everyone’s lives and to keep his light at the center of Christmas.”
Mormon.org encourages people to share the light of Christ “in 25 ways…over 25 days,” which the center used as the focal point of the “Light the World” initiative.
Sister Lundgren, one of the event’s soloists, said, “What we want to do is spread the light of Christ in serving other people and share his message throughout the world… with the music. We want to spread Christ and his love into the hearts of the people we sing to.”
Elder Swinton, the director of the Laie Temple Visitors’ Center, shared his experiences of serving in the center since beginning the calling in January. He said most of the visitors he had met were from China, and many had joined the church through their experiences at the Visitors’ Center.
“A church analysis determined that a third of those who joined the Church had their first contact at a visitors’ center. This analysis shows the importance of what takes place here,” he said.
As the director, Elder Swinton said he is responsible for everything happening at the Visitors’ Center. He said he is also in charge of marketing to attract more people to come and feel the spirit.
Nelson Tai, a senior from Hong Kong majoring in accounting, said he felt touched by the performance and inspired to share the experience with his own family members. He said, “Most of my family members are not members yet. I would invite them to listen to the missionaries… to take this time to not worry whether they need to believe or not…just listen and try to feel the Spirit. If they feel it is something they want in their lives, then keep listening.”
Elder Swinton concluded, “We have about 600 people a day on average who come here to the Visitors’ Center. A lot of them have never heard anything about the church. Their first impression of the church will be what they felt when they first walked on the temple grounds.”
After the event, those in attendance were encouraged to leave referrals for the missionaries no matter their location around the globe.
Christian Pate, a senior from Nevada majoring in finance who is a recent convert who attended the event, said, “The spirit I feel here is the same spirit I feel on campus. When I came here as a student, I came as a non-member.
That was three years ago. For me, the spirit I felt tonight was the same I felt on campus that made me want to investigate the church.”
Other attendees also said the sister missionaries did very well on portraying a spirit of culture, considering BYU-Hawaii’s diversity. Sam Clayton, freshman from Colorado majoring in biology who served an LDS mission in New Zealand, said, “They combined cultures very well. Having served my mission in a very diverse place, I really appreciate the strong mix of cultures. I think one of my favorite performances was when there were two sisters, one from Japan and the other from Korea, playing the violin together.”
Clayton continued, “The Spirit speaks universally across all cultures. We have two different cultures, but just one spirit.”
Sister Evans, a missionary preparing to return home, said, “My hope as a missionary was to involve the whole audience, whether they are members, non-members, or less-actives.”
The event showcased vocal performances with piano accompaniment from missionaries, including senior couples, and also performances involving the flute, guitar, and violin.
Sister Swinton, the director’s wife, said, “The event showcased so many nations, so many people, their talents, enthusiasm, and love for the Lord.”
The Laie Temple Visitors’ Center announced it would be hosting “A Medley of Christmas Firesides” every Sunday evening leading up to Christmas Day.
Writer: Brooklyn Redd