News Release

French Polynesia High Commissioner Hosts Latter-day Saint Leaders

Support for families and the Church's education initiative in the Pacific discussed

Elder O. Vincent Haleck, president of the Pacific Area of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, travelled from Auckland, New Zealand and visited French Polynesia High Commissioner Rene Bidel at his office in Papeete on Friday.

 He was accompanied by Elder T. Benjamin Sinjoux who is the senior leader of the Church in French Polynesia. 

During the meeting Mr. Bidel honoured Elder Haleck with an engraved bronze medallion and Elder Haleck presented the High Commissioner a copy of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.”

The three leaders discussed important topics of mutual interest including efforts by the Church to support families.

Hearing of the Church’s focus on families, Mr. Bidel expressed the importance of home and family in a child's education. Elder Haleck then shared with the High Commissioner details of the Church’s education initiative in the Pacific to help parents and children obtain the education necessary to increase personal and family self-reliance.

 He provided the High Commissioner with a copy of the learning manual ‘Success in School Begins at Home,’ which is a guidebook, available in French and English, prepared by the Church for families as part of the initiative.

In addition to their secular schooling, many young members of the Church from French Polynesia serve as missionaries throughout the world, which in addition to being a spiritual blessing, is an unparalleled educational experience.

Currently 149 young men, young women and retired senior citizens from French Polynesia serve as self-funded, fulltime Church missionaries spread across 19 countries.  They serve for 18-24 months. The countries with the highest number include France, Australia, New Zealand, United States, Canada, Philippines and French Polynesia.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a rich and long history in French Polynesia. Its presence began on Tubuai in 1844 when missionary Addison Pratt baptized the first convert.

Today the Church continues its steady growth, with the number of members equalling nearly ten percent of the population. 

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