What It Means to Me to Have a Temple in Kiribati
My husband grew up on the remote island of Kiribati. The announcement of a temple there is a joyful answer to his lifelong prayer and the prayers of all the Kiribati Saints.
I will never forget the powerful rush of gratitude, love, and the Spirit that I felt as President Russell M. Nelson announced the building of a temple in Tarawa, Kiribati.1 While many members of the Church typed, “Where is Kiribati?” into their Google search bars, I held my husband’s hand and sobbed with joy.
My husband, Timeon, is from Kiribati. He grew up climbing coconut trees and catching fish on this beautiful, and very isolated, Micronesian island nation.
Soon after we met as students at Brigham Young University–Hawaii, I fell in love not only with Timeon but also with all the kind, humble, and faithful people of Kiribati, their vibrant culture, and their island home. Although Kiribati is one of the least visited and most remote countries on earth, the Saints there are eager to make and keep sacred covenants with their Heavenly Father and help their ancestors have those same blessings.
Waiting for Temple Blessings
On our first date, Timeon and I walked to the Laie Hawaii Temple, and he told me about his mother, Rikee, who had passed away the year before. He spoke of how she would read the Book of Mormon to him and his siblings every day and how she eagerly awaited the day when she would be able to go inside a temple.
Finally, with financial help from the Church, she was able to attend the Suva Fiji Temple, receive her own endowment, and perform saving ordinances for many of her ancestors.
This experience made the temple important to Timeon. And it’s important to both of us because it links us to each other, our Heavenly Father, and our families. Although physical records are often difficult to find in Kiribati, Timeon has been able to find the needed information and perform ordinances for many more of his ancestors in the Laie Temple.
I even had the chance to stand as proxy for Timeon’s grandmother for all her temple ordinances. That was such a sacred and powerful experience. Timeon and I also served as temple workers each week.
Living in Kiribati
I had the amazing opportunity to spend two summers in Kiribati with my husband and his family. I saw the diligence of these people, but I also learned that the Republic of Kiribati is not without its challenges. Kiribati is composed of 33 atolls, which are ring-shaped reefs, islands, or chains of islands formed from coral. These atolls lie just above sea level and face the effects of rising sea levels due to climate change. Although people in Kiribati have traditionally lived simple lives and relied on the land, now more than half of the 116,000 citizens of Kiribati live on the main island of Tarawa, which faces overcrowding and sanitation difficulties.
While the Kiribati people must deal with many social, health, and economic issues, they are still some of the most joyful, grateful, and spiritual people I’ve ever met.
Timeon knows that he is blessed to live so close to a temple right now because most Saints from Kiribati are only able to attend the temple once or twice in their lives. But I have often heard my Kiribati friends and family speak of their faith and hope that someday there will be a temple in Kiribati. Timeon’s family and faithful Church leaders, members, and missionaries have been laboring for many years to strengthen the Church and share the message of the gospel in Kiribati so that they might someday receive the temple they were praying for.
Receiving a Temple of Their Own
Timeon told me that as soon as President Nelson stood up to give his closing remarks in conference, the Spirit brought thoughts of a temple in Kiribati to his mind, and when the announcement was made, I immediately thought of my dear mother-in-law, whom I will someday meet on the other side of the veil. I also thought of all the faithful Kiribati Saints—their lifelong prayers had been answered!
And then I thought of our Father in Heaven and how He truly does care about all of His children, even those of the farthest isles of the sea. In fact, “great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea” (2 Nephi 10:21). God hears our prayers, even when we offer them on remote corners of the earth. I’m grateful for temples, and I can’t wait to witness the miracles that will come from this one.