President Russell M. Nelson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced plans to construct eight new temples at the conclusion of the 189th Annual General Conference on Sunday, April 7, 2019.
Two BYU–Hawaii students from Tonga shared how having another temple will bless their country and what the temple means for them personally. One student from American Samoa remembered the sacrifices her parents have made to make her temple attendance in the past possible.
Tonga
Malia Lusia Vea, a senior from Tonga majoring in information technology, said she screamed when Nelson declared a temple will be built in Neiafu, Tonga, despite his request for reverence before making the announcement. Her roommate, Talafaiva Poteki, a senior from Tonga majoring in English, said the announcement couldn’t have come at a better time.
“Tonga needs all the blessings it can get from the temple right now,” said Poteki. “I’m super happy because it makes it possible for the Saints in Neiafu to attend the temple. The number of Saints [may be] small but they’re really diligent.”
Because the only temple currently in Tonga is on a different island, Vea said it’s been hard to go often. According to both Vea and Poteki, it’s really expensive to travel and many Saints can often only afford to make the journey by boat, which takes a lot of time.
Vea said she’s super excited there will be a temple on her island. “We won’t have to travel to Tongatapu, [the main island of Tonga,] only once or twice a year to go to the temple [in Nuku‘alofa.]” Her face lit up with a big smile as she added, “One day my wedding will be there [in Neiafu.]”
When asked why the temple is so important to them, Vea immediately listed several things. “It’s where you’re sealed to your family for eternity. It’s where you get revelation and help and find peace, love, and all sorts of Christlike attributes.”
Poteki said having a temple in Neiafu will also bless the country in general because it can change and bless people in their personal lives. “For me, this shows that Tonga is not forgotten by God… and it gives the next generation hope and something to look forward to.”
American Samoa
Tereise Saili, a junior from American Samoa majoring in international studies, is currently attending BYU–Idaho, while her younger sister Victoria is a student at BYUH. She said, “The temple is the rainbow to all our storms. It’s a place of protection, peace, safety, and [holiness.]”
Saili, who attended the April 2019 General Conference in person, said she was driving back to Rexburg during the last session with some roommates when she heard the news. “We were listening to it on the radio and for some parts, I fell asleep. But I woke up right when President Nelson made the announcement.
“When he said if he announced a temple that’s dear to our hearts to be respectful, I immediately thought, ‘It’d be so cool if he said American Samoa,’ and then he did! I literally screamed in the car and hit the dashboard.”
She said she felt like she had won the lottery. “Whenever I hear temples being announced to be built in other places I feel happy for them and excited. But when they announced mine, it felt more meaningful to me because I know from experience why this announcement means so much to the people in American Samoa.”
Saili said the closest temple currently to American Samoa is the one in Apia, the capital of the island nation of Samoa. “We would have a youth temple trip once a year and I’d get so excited for it. But there are sacrifices that come with it.”
Like Vea and Poteki, Saili listed finances as a challenge that many in the Pacific, including her own family, face when it comes to traveling long distances to attend the temple. “I remember clearly this one year… my parents worked really hard to find a way to pay for our fares to go.
“We did yard work for this one well-off family in our ward, and I remember seeing my dad working hard with my brother in the rain outside.” Saili said after helping her mother and sister move things inside the house, the three of them also joined the men outside in the yard.
She continued, “My siblings and I are definitely grateful and owe our parents so much. They sacrificed so much for us to be able to get to the Lord's house.”
In an article for Deseret News, Jason Swensen writes, “Sunday's final session of general conference will never be forgotten by natives of ‘the Isles of the Sea.’”
Swensen then shares the reactions of several natives of American Samoa, including Mitzie Jessop Taase. Taase served as the former matron of the Apia Samoa Temple alongside her husband, President Douglas W. Jessop.
According to Swensen, traveling to the temple from Pago Pago to Apia was a huge undertaking for Taase’s family. Taase says, “We must plan months in advance, saving up money and taking time from work.
“Knowing a temple will be built [in Pago Pago] is a truly humbling experience. We are so very grateful. I'm absolutely humbled but thrilled to know a temple will be built on my island.”
Saili concluded, “When that announcement came out, I was grateful because it’s a huge blessing to all who’ve experienced a lot of sacrifices to get to [the temple.]”
The Saints in the Pacific and other temples announced
Previously in 1977, President Spencer W. Kimball announced a regional temple would be built in Pago Pago, American Samoa to serve members of the Church in Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, and French Polynesia. But on April 2, 1980, the First Presidency announced a groundbreaking seven temples, an announcement that tripled the temples planned for Polynesia, according to Danielle B. Wagner for LDS Living.
Kimball said the temple originally intended to be built-in Pago Pago would instead be relocated to Apia, Samoa. In the same announcement, President Kimball said temples would also be built in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, and Papeete, Tahiti.
According to the official Church news release, the temple finally being built in Pago Pago will be the first in American Samoa. “This U.S. territory of seven islands and coral reefs has a population of 56,000 people, including 16,390 Latter-day Saints. With Church members making up nearly 30 percent of the populace, American Samoa has one of the densest concentrations of Latter-day Saints in the world.”
The news release says about Tonga, “the temple in Neiafu will be the second house of the Lord in this Polynesian kingdom of more than 170 islands in the South Pacific. The first was the Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple, completed in 1983.
“Tonga’s 65,500 Latter-day Saints make up 60 percent of the country’s 108,000 residents — making Tonga the most densely populated Latter-day Saint country in the world. The Church has had a presence in Tonga since 1891.”
The locations for all the new temples announced in the April 2019 session are:
- Pago Pago, American Samoa
- Okinawa City, Okinawa
- Neiafu, Tonga
- Tooele Valley, Utah
- Moses Lake, Washington
- San Pedro Sula, Honduras
- Antofagasta, Chile
- Budapest, Hungary
In addition, Nelson announced pioneer-era temples, such as the temples in Salt Lake City, Manti, St. George, and Logan, Utah would also be renovated in the coming years.
Writer: Emi Wainwright
