In the early 1960s, missionaries on the island of Raiatea, 150 miles south of Tahiti, knocked on the door of Tihi and Taraina Mou Tham, and they and the gospel message were well-received. Sister Mou Tham and several of the 10 children were soon baptized. Eventually, Brother Mou Tham accepted the gospel and afterwards directed all his energies in helping establish the Church on his island. Soon the family began to desire the blessings of an eternal family sealing in the temple.
Most people thought it was an impossible desire, as the nearest temple to Raiatea was in New Zealand, 3,500 expensive miles to the southwest by airplane. The large Mou Tham family, which sustained themselves on a meager plantation, had no money for airplane fare, nor any opportunity for employment on the Pacific island.So Brother Mou Tham and his son Gerard accepted employment in the nickel mines of New Caledonia, 3,000 miles to the west. The employer paid for passage to the mines for employees, but not back home. However, Emile, the oldest son in the family, had worked at the nickel mines for a year and joined the temple effort.
For four years the three men labored in the tropical nickel mines, digging and loading the heavy ore. Brother Mou Tham returned home to Raiatea once a year, leaving his sons in New Caledonia.
At the end of four years, all but one of the family members met in New Zealand at the temple. They were sealed for time and eternity, an indescribable and joyful experience. They stayed at the temple for two weeks where they served in behalf of their ancestors.
Brother Mou Tham returned from the temple directly to New Caledonia where he worked for two more years to pay for the passage of the one daughter who had not come, a married daughter - and her child and husband.
Since that time, the large Mou Tham family has remained faithful in the Church. In their later years, Brother and Sister Mou Tham served two missions at the Papeete Tahiti Temple. There, they served with great dignity and love. It was often observed by patrons that Brother and Sister Mou Tham worked together as if angels in their beloved temple.