“That Isn’t the Right Way to Treat Them”

Inosi Naga, private secretary to Fiji’s minister of agriculture, saw Latter-day Saint missionaries one day in Nausori, Fiji. Although he did not want the book they offered him, they persisted until he accepted it. When they wanted to meet with him, he said he lived too far away—which was not true—and that he was too busy to see them at his office. Just then his brother-in-law walked by. Inosi introduced the missionaries to him and quickly escaped.

Two weeks later, the missionaries knocked on Inosi’s door. His brother-in-law had given them the necessary address. Although Inosi invited them for dinner, he kept thinking, “Go away, go away.” After that, the missionaries returned regularly. Inosi would tell them to return later. When he knew they were coming, he would not go home until he was certain they had left. He hoped they would get discouraged and quit coming.

One day Inosi found his wife, Maryann, in tears. When he asked her what was wrong, Maryann responded, “If you don’t like the missionaries and don’t want to listen to them, tell them, but don’t keep them coming back if you’re not going to be here. That isn’t the right way to treat them.” Inosi asked what she did when they came. She said she made excuses for him and cooked them a meal because that was what they should do for visitors. Inosi quit hiding from the missionaries.

In April 1974, Maryann gave birth to a baby boy who lived only a day. Losing a son made Inosi think seriously about God and religion. When new missionaries came to his home, he listened. After the missionaries learned that the family had been receiving the discussions for over a year, one of them asked if the Nagas wanted to be baptized. Inosi agreed, but Maryann feared he had told another lie to dismiss the missionaries. When the missionaries returned two days later, Maryann requested baptism. That evening she asked Inosi if he was sincere about being baptized. He said he was. Maryann was overjoyed: “I knew this would be the biggest change for our family.” The Nagas were baptized in June 1974.

Soon thereafter, their branch president encouraged the family to prepare to attend the temple. Speaking of the temple always brought tears to the president’s eyes. Inosi knew from seeing this emotion that they must go. The family began saving to travel to the Hamilton New Zealand Temple. Then Inosi was asked to be the coordinator of the Church’s seminary program in Fiji. Because he wanted to help young people, he left his government job. Knowing he would frequently travel, Maryann also quit her job. These decisions brought an unexpected blessing. The pay for their unused leave provided the rest of the funds minus living expenses for the family’s temple trip, and the Saints in New Zealand provided the rest.

On June 12, 1983, when the Suva Fiji Stake was organized, Inosi was called to serve as president. Although he felt overwhelmed by the call and felt there were others who would be better, he humbly accepted the call. “When the Lord calls you to a position,” he said, “he provides a way for you to fulfill it.” Shortly after, he was also promoted to associate area director for Church Education in the Pacific.