What a day. Today was a day to remember. Yesterday we were talking to Elder and Sister Hinkson. They were telling us how they were going to go to Saioko the next day to take them some garden seeds and talk to them about the program they are working on for self-reliance and gardening. We asked if we could tag along. Church was to start at 10 so we decided to leave at 6:30. We were told it’s about a 3-hour drive. We got out a little bit late but were on the road by 6:50. We were told that once the pavement ends, keep going and you will eventually find the sign for the church. At the sign, park the vehicle and take the path up the hill for about 15 minutes where you will come to the church. You can’t miss it. Elder Hinkson drove for a couple of reasons. One, because this was their trek to introduce the self-reliance using seeds to plant gardens and grow vegetables. Two, because the road is a bit rough, so a 4-wheel drive vehicle is preferred. I’m so glad we didn’t drive. YES! A 4-wheel vehicle is preferred but not necessary. The road was really rough. It's a gravel road with several places where heavy rains had washed parts of it out and exposed large rocks. It’s also fairly steep in many places. We were grateful that there isn’t much traffic since it’s mostly only one lane wide. You can get 2 cars to pass each other, but it’s tight. The scenery is amazing. You come on the top of a hill and look out over the ocean. Below is a small village nestled into the valley. Everything of course is lush and green. All kinds of trees growing and the further north we went, the more farming we saw. All along there are cows tied to the side of the road so they can graze but not get lost. Occasionally there is a horse. Coming around the bin at one point was a herd of goats. That was fun! Eventually we saw the sign for the church and parked. Then we had to decide, which was the path to a local home, the cows trails and the trail up to the village where the church is. Once that was decided, we started our trek up. Sister Hinkson was grateful for the “walking stick” Elder Hinkson had bought her the day before as it really helped her with the climb. There had been a slight rain, and everything was wet and some of the trail was quite muddy. We tried our best to avoid the mud. About halfway up we came across a horse that was tied to a nearby tree. He was standing right in the middle of our little path and didn’t want to move. Finally, Kim convinced him to scoot just a bit and we were on our way again. As we got to the top, there were some plants that had obviously been put their purposefully. We knew we must be close because of this beautiful landscaping. As we rounded the corner, there was the church. It was amazing. A small cream-colored open church with maybe 30 chairs and a few members sitting around inside. They immediately saw us and came to greet us. They did not know we were coming. They don’t get many visitors, especially white American senior missionaries. As one sister hugged and kissed me, I could see the tears of joy in her eyes. I was very touched. Elder Roper quickly recognized a former student from the LDS College. Waisake was sitting on the front row waiting for church to begin. I had taught Waisake how to read back in 2019. We saw him for the first time since then a couple of months ago at the district conference. We were so excited to see him again. Now we got to meet his mother and father (who is the branch president) and his younger (or small as they would say it) brothers and sisters. His 15-year-old sister, Tina connected with me and sat with us during sacrament meeting. Of course, the branch president asked the 4 of us to bear our testimonies. The spirit was strong. I felt the Lord truly is aware of this very remote branch. They have so much faith and want to be obedient. I know God loves them and is watching over them. The Branch President made a comment to the members about how the Come Follow Me program was for them. I felt a strong assurance that it truly is for them. What a great program for them to learn the doctrines of Christ and to study their scriptures.
We enjoyed sacrament meeting and them Elder Hinkson presented them with the seeds. He explained the program and how these seeds are to help them so they will eat healthy, so they will not have to spend money to buy vegetables, they can grow their own and any vegetables that they can’t consume they can sell and then have money to buy new seeds when these plants have run their cycle. They were all so excited. One of the sisters after the meeting talked to me about how hard this year was for them. They haven’t received as much rain as they normally do, and the mango trees did not produce mangoes. They rely on the selling of the mangoes so they can buy supplies for the schools and for their families. She also told me how blessed they were that someone had offered her $700 to make 3-4 mats. She was very happy to do that, but it takes 3-4 months to make the mats. Having the seeds will also help them to have the things they need. This village is beautiful. It’s far from any cities where they can buy supplies. They have a few solar panels that produces some electricity but that is the only electricity they have. Unless you can experience it, you don’t fully realize how different their lives are from ours. But the Spirit of God was strong. The people are lovely. They were thrilled to have visitors. They wanted to know when we will come back. One of the girls wants to take us out to a waterfall the next time we return. Unfortunately, I don’t know if that will ever happen. I am eternally grateful we took a LONG bumpy ride to visit these faithful members of the church.
There was a man there that walked to church that morning because he missed the one bus that passes through there at 6:00 a.m. It’s an hour walk to catch the bus. But since he missed it, he had to walk 3 hours to church. That was a sacrifice he was willing to make to be able to come and worship God and to partake of the sacrament. He lived the opposite direction of how we came, but Kim and Elder Hinkson saw on the map that we could travel further north towards his farm, drop him off and then continue until we come to King’s Road. That’s the main road that travels around the island and that we needed to get to to get us home. The road may have been washed out more in a couple of spots going that direction and it was further but in the long run it had more traveling on the paved road than gravel so maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to go that way.
We left just before 7 and we got home around 5. What a day. But it’s a day I’m glad I got to experience and it’s a day I’ll appreciate and remember for life. My heart is full. I have a great love for these people. My testimony is strengthened. God knows his children and He is aware of them and is watching over them.
Up the hill we go!
Elder Roper having a little talk with the horse.
Heading back down the mountain. The 3 teen-age girls went with us.
Moce! Until we meet again!
