I had an amazing Samoan sister this past week for CSM training. As I checked through the files I only found a couple of sources for Samoan records and wondered what the week would be like. When I opened her file I was astounded to find that her genealogy went back into the 1400's and all of it had the temple work done! Her family had carefully documented history from the Samoan oral traditions. She also knew how to use the genealogy programs well. She was assigned to Historical Family Reconsitution to translate and put Samoan records online because of her firsthand knowledge of Samoan, language, culture, geography, and history.
She demonstrated the immovable faith of the Pacific Island people through so many experiences in her life. Her parents joined the Church in their teens to the displeasure of their families but raised their children strong in the gospel with a great love for music and performing. They moved their family to Southern California where Teleni met her husband, Max. She did not like him because he was Samoan, had a military career, and was eleven years older but had very strong feelings for him that she had never felt before. Max's mother told him that Teleni would be a good wife. Teleni prayed for the feelings to go away but they became stronger. When he asked her to marry him, he said that the bishop could marry them. She was firm that she would only marry in the temple so they were married in the Los Angeles Temple. He served three tours in Vietnam and they lived in many places in the United States and in Germany.
As Max was preparing to go on his third tour of Vietnam they were deciding whether to live in California or Utah while he was gone. She had a dream and saw the home that they should buy. They looked at many places in the Ogden area and Teleni was not satisfied. The realtor said there was one more place but he was sure they wouldn't want it. When Teleni saw it she knew it was the place she saw in her dream but she was sick as she saw how damaged the yard was and that the basement was completely unfinished. However with her pioneer spirit, she and her children worked very hard so that when her husband returned from Vietnam they had a lovely home where she still lives.
On a Christmas Day Max asked his family to go sledding on a fun hill in Ogden with their cousins. Teleni didn't want to go because it was very cold and she was five months pregnant and thought it would be better for her to stay home and prepare dinner for her family. Max urged her to come so the family went. She was taking pictures of everyone and her brother-in-law and husband were standing on top of the hill. Her husband died instantly. She was in shock and sobbing as she cradled Max's head in her coat. Then she had a clear recognition that she had seen this exact scene before in a dream and she knew without doubt that this was the Lord's plan. There were no more tears for Teleni. She moved forward with faith. Her family was scheduled to present a ward luau two days later, and even though the Bishop offered to cancel the event, it went forward as planned with her husband lying in the mortuary. She knew her husband would want her to carry on. Teleni had a baby boy four months later who she named Max and raised nine children to maturity, the oldest only 16 when her father died at age 51.
There were other miracles such as when Teleni was twelve-years-old and her three-month-old baby brother died while her father was directing the music for a mission conference. Four hours later, through priesthood power, the baby was restored to life and lived a full, long life.
Every person has a story and I am strengthed by the faith and fortitude of remarkable people with whom I work. I see miracles every week!
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