On 27 May 2012 members and guests of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered at the Church's Riviere Salee meetinghouse to worship and celebrate the creation of the first stake of the Church in New Caledonia.
A Mormon stake is similar to a diocese in other Christian churches and comprises a number of wards (congregations) in a particular geographical location.
Among the guests in attendance were James A. Tatton and Lyle W. Parker, who traveled from their homes in the United States for this special occasion.
Tatton and Parker say they have had a tender love for New Caledonia and its people since 1969 when they became the first young missionaries of the Church to serve in the territory.
Now returning after over 40 years they are amazed at the growth of the Church and express how grateful they are to be reunited with Church members and friends they have remembered these many years.
Mr. Yo-Min Ngkwaig-Chow and Mrs. Maria Ngkwaig-Chow were especially anxious to visit with the former missionaries. They remembered meeting these men many years ago while they were serving as missionaries.
While visiting together on the street in 1969, Tatton and Parker gave the young couple an historical book about Mormons. At that time the law restricted missionaries from preaching the gospel so after visiting for a few minutes they went their separate ways.
The Ngkwaig-Chows recall how impressed they were with these young men and say that "a seed was planted that day." Six years later the law changed and two other missionaries knocked on their door.
The couple welcomed the teachings of the gospel and were soon baptized as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
They brought the book with them last Sunday to show the former missionaries how the book, the missionaries and the gospel of Jesus Christ had influenced their lives.
Last Sunday during the first conference of the newly-created Noumea New Caledonia Stake of the Church, Elder James J. Hamula, Pacific Area President, honoured Tatton and Parker.
He compared them to the young missionaries of today, saying, “You will see a difference in age, but you will not see a difference in dedication."
"These missionaries represent the commitment of the Lord to New Caledonia. They represent all the missionaries who have come and made sacrifices in their lives to bring the gospel to the people of New Caledonia.”