MERE LAVA, Vanuatu — In the wake of an earthquake that hit the remote Vanuatu island of Mere Lava in November, members are recovering and rebuilding, and missionary work is thriving.
The island, the top of a volcano that pokes its head above the South Pacific, is steep with sites for thatched huts and gardens carved from the slopes by its 1,000 inhabitants.
Fiji Suva Mission President La Ron P. Woolley said while there have been Church members on the island for some time, elders from his mission were not assigned to serve there.
Then, last fall, the members asked President Woolley to send them missionaries; they had friends who were ready to hear the gospel.
President Woolley sent Elder Clement Mol, a Mere Lava native who was just completing service in the Fiji mission, and his companion, Elder Ratu Peniame Idro, to report on the status of members on Mere Lava and find appropriate missionary living quarters.
However, just hours after Elder Idro left Mere Lava to make his report, a strong earthquake hit the remote outpost. Landslides destroyed or damaged most of the homes and gardens on the island, leaving the people without food or shelter.
In fact, damage to the island was so significant that some suggested inhabitants pack up and leave the island entirely, said President Woolley.
Upon learning of the disaster and receiving direction from mission leaders, Elder Idro and his new companion, Elder Joseph Larsen, returned to Mere Lava — taking food, tarps and other essentials to the distressed people.
They had heard reports that there were members on the island who were injured, and expectant mothers who had given birth prematurely as a result of the disaster, said President Woolley.
But, he said, "when the elders got there what they discovered was that the members were just fine. Those that had those difficulties were on the other side the island."
Aid — including medical supplies and newborn kits — not needed by the members were immediately taken to those who had the needs, he said.
"The adults were thrilled to see us and thankful for the aid we brought and which was being sent," Elder Larsen said after leaving the island to serve as an assistant to President Woolley. "The people of this small island are so sweet and kind. . . . It was such an amazing feeling to help them in their time of need."