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Hello Family and Friends,

This past week was our final stretch of preparation before schools start back up on August 10. Since seminary and Succeed in School classes haven’t yet resumed, much of our time was spent meeting with island seminary supervisors and the Area office, learning more about how we can get more information on what it takes to get the youth in Vanuatu accepted at the LDS Fiji Secondary school, among other activities.

Some of the beauties you see every day
from all the flowers growing on the different
trees, bushes, and plants across the island.   

On Monday, we held our weekly Seminary & Institute (S&I) meeting with our Coordinator, Katimal, at the new office facility where many church employees have recently relocated. Previously, meetings were held at the Stake Center, but now the office is about 10 miles away near the site of the future Vanuatu Temple. Unfortunately, the move has created challenges. The Facilities Management (FM) team, the Translation team, the S&I team, and future leadership and finance roles were all placed in this building. With only four offices available, leaders of both the S&I and Translation teams were moved into cubicles, leaving them without privacy despite frequent video conferences.

Traffic has also become a burden. What used to be a five‑minute drive from our home to the Stake Center is now nearly an hour, even though the distance is only slightly farther. It was clear the planning did not fully consider the needs of the workers. After visiting, I felt compelled to raise these concerns with the S&I Area Leader, since Katimal is such a kind man and unlikely to speak up. Thankfully, a meeting was held, and arrangements are being made for him and his administrator to move back to the Stake Center — a small victory, though disappointing that better foresight wasn’t applied.

Later in the week, we spoke with two of our island S&I Coordinators. On Tuesday, we met with Sister Ishmael, the Coordinator on Santo and wife of the District President. Recently, Elder and Sister Palm were called as senior missionaries to serve on Santo, which is a great blessing. However, they all reported that many students and teachers have not been fully attending. One branch lost its rented meeting space when the owner declined to renew the lease. While a new building is under construction, meetings have temporarily moved to the District office. This shift created significant burdens: students faced bus fares of about 2000 VAT (roughly $16 USD) and an additional 1-1.5 hours of roundtrip travel time. For most families, this was simply not sustainable, and attendance dropped sharply.

We also discussed how other classes have slowed. While Katimal was focused on registering more students for the upcoming quarter, Sister Ishmael and the Palm's emphasized the need to first bring back those who had already stopped attending. A recurring challenge here in Vanuatu is commitment to callings. Too often, individuals accept a role but do not consistently fulfill it. Teachers may miss classes without arranging substitutes, which discourages students from attending. This issue affects both S&I and Succeed in School programs, and we are working with local leaders to emphasize the importance of dedication.

On Wednesday, Darleen and I met with Sister Marie, another S&I Coordinator who lives on Tanna and oversees seminary programs for that island. She explained that since she was off‑island in June caring for her son after surgery, seminary and institute classes essentially stopped. She shared how one of the most dedicated seminary teachers handed her book to another member, saying she was too busy with another calling. Unfortunately, that person never showed up, and the students stopped attending. Sister Marie also noted that other classes had not been running for several months, though the last weeks of July were school breaks. It was heartbreaking to hear that all classes had ceased. We are praying for ways to help restart them and plan to visit later this month to train teachers and encourage attendance. Travel is difficult right now, as planes to the outer islands are limited — the larger ATR plane is broken, leaving only smaller planes available — but we hope to go soon.

On Sunday, we attended a wonderful Port Vila Stake devotional centered on learning. The Area has established a Learning Center in our Stake, and the meeting highlighted its potential. In his closing remarks, our Stake President spoke powerfully about commitment to callings. He noted that too often teachers stop fulfilling their responsibilities, which impacts the youth most of all. He urged everyone to understand the Lord’s expectations and to sacrifice in order to serve faithfully. His words resonated deeply, as he addressed cultural tendencies toward inconsistency. Hearing a local leader speak so directly on this issue was encouraging, and we hope it inspires greater dedication. And while I’m not sure this is unique to Vanuatu, it does seem more prevalent here.

Despite these challenges, we continue to love the people. They are warm, eager to serve, and many are still learning how to balance cultural traditions with gospel principles. Darleen and I feel part of our calling is to strengthen teachers and leaders in small but meaningful ways, helping them raise the bar in their service.

In some ways, these experiences remind me of the Apostles after the Savior’s death, revisiting congregations that struggled with sin, past traditions, turning back to old beliefs, or persecution from others. Paul’s letters to the people in Corinth, Philippi, and Galatia show how young leaders and members often faced challenges that tested their faith. While our situation is not identical, it underscores the importance of staying connected with members and strengthening them however we can. Darleen and I continually pray, “Lord, what would You have us do for Your people?”

One area we have really wanted to focus on is providing lasting impact. Before our trip to Fiji, we sometimes felt we hadn’t seen truly impactful results, especially when we started focusing on one area which left the other areas without our attention to regress.  But we are excited about the opportunities for education services within the islands. This week we met with Sister Velly, the Education Specialist for Port Vila, to review ways we can support teachers and discuss programs where we can help. We also met with Peniette Vulaca, the Area Education Leader in Fiji, about the new Learning Center in Port Vila. Together, we discussed organizing classes and assisting the newly hired Learning Center Leader (who happens to be one of our best seminary teachers in the Stake), as well as how to encourage more students to study in Fiji.

President Kaun (Stake President) and Sister Mayline, 
the new Learning Center leader, get ready to cut the cake
for the grand opening of the center.

She connected us with the woman who oversees the entrance exam for the church Fiji school. She emailed us details about the requirements and the timeline — the exam must be taken in mid‑October before selections are finalized. She is now working to provide us with a sample exam that we can share with local Vanuatu youth, helping them gauge their readiness and prepare.  We plan on have a Teams meeting with her on Thursday to go into more details.

At the Sunday Educational Devotional, I spoke first on the Seminary & Institute programs (filling in for Katimal who was on Santo) while Darleen spoke about SIS and the requirements to attend the Church Fiji school. She announced that we would have a booth set up in the Primary room after the devotional, where families and youth could sign up for pre‑work sessions we will conduct in late August to prepare for the exam. It was so exciting to see the response — people lined up at our table eager to sign up and discuss the opportunity. We registered 21 students that evening, and we expect the number to grow. The excitement was palpable. We look forward to working with these youth and believe this could truly transform lives. As we mentioned last week, students who attend this school often return completely changed — many are 180 degrees different in their outlook and commitment.

Education Devotional Breakout booths.  Darleen explaining some of
what we do. Notice the women and front of her are actually
signing their children to go to the Fiji testing.

We want to continue expanding and improving Seminary, Institute, and SIS during our remaining time here, but we also feel strongly about impacting the educational opportunities for the youth. This is one way we believe we can make a lasting difference.  Getting more to attend the Church Fiji school is a great way, along with helping organize classes in the newly formed Learning Center.

Our booth with many standing in front ready to sign 
their children up for the Fiji test.  It was non-stop.

This week I met with the Area FM leader to discuss how to re‑submit a request for a YSA Gathering Place at the Port Vila Stake Center. The previous senior S&I missionary couple we replaced, the Payne’s, had submitted the request before they left, but it was not approved due to required construction on the building. We found out in June, after it has been in for over 9 months.  With no budget available for 2026 and 2027 funds already allocated, the earliest possible approval would be 2028. After discussing with the Stake President, we agreed to move forward anyway, hoping to find alternative funding. The YSA Gathering Place would provide young single adults with a space to meet and socialize regularly, which is critical since many are drifting away. As the Area leader reminded me, part of my calling is to plant seeds — even if the fruit comes after we leave.  

One of the most exciting developments, while we were off‑island in Fiji, was finally receiving approval and funding for 600 Bislama Bibles to distribute to seminary students across Vanuatu. Many of our students do not have access to scriptures, and since we are studying the Old Testament this year and the New Testament next year, it is difficult to learn without them. Because English is not their first language, having the Bible in Bislama will be a tremendous blessing, allowing them to truly understand the content.

Rather than simply handing out a Bible to each registered seminary student, we decided they should “earn” it. Working with our S&I Coordinator and different islands Supervisors, we set requirements for earning a Bible at: students must attend seminary for 30 consecutive days with at least 70% class participation, actively engage in lessons, and pass off 10–12 scripture masteries for the year. Once they meet these requirements, teachers will notify their unit leaders, who will present the Bibles during church meetings.

I displayed a copy of the new blue Bislama Bible at Sunday’s Education Devotional, encouraging students, teachers, and parents to help youth work toward earning one. In the U.S., we take scriptures for granted, with both paper and electronic versions readily available. Here in Vanuatu, there are no electronic versions in Bislama, and many families don’t even have phones. Parents were eager to receive copies themselves, but we explained that these are for students — and that by encouraging their children to attend, the whole family will ultimately benefit from having one at home.

On Friday, Darleen and I both taught YSA Institute classes. I taught about the building of the Kirtland Temple and the keys that were restored, while Darleen taught about the Second Coming of the Savior. Her class was larger, mine smaller, but both went well. We continue to enjoy getting to know the YSA members here.

Saturday, we did some shopping for the coming week and some relaxing around.  Sunday, beyond the Education Devotional on Sunday, we also visited the small church unit in Eton. We love attending there, as it usually has 50–60 members. This Sunday attendance was above 60, a strong turnout. I was able to bless the sacrament in Bislama for the first time, which was a meaningful experience. After sacrament meeting, Darleen and I led a short Primary session. She introduced the children to a new song, “I’m All Made of Hinges.” They loved it, especially when she acted out the final line — “if I wasn’t made of hinges perhaps I would crack” — by bending and then freezing. Their laughter filled the room. Darleen even used the song later in her Education Devotional, singing it for all the attendees. She is a brave soul, and I regret not recording it — many would have enjoyed seeing her performance.

Darleen explaining the "hinges" song to the primary in Eton

Eton Primary class

Finally, this past week 18 young missionaries returned to their home after serving their missions, with 20 new arrivals to replace them. One of our senior sisters in the office, Sister Cari Bertelson (“Sister B”), will be going home in two weeks. She has been training her replacement, Sister Carpenter from New Zealand, who joined us about a week ago. Sister B has overseen travel and the Missionary Pathway Program. We have loved her humor, her quirks, and her ability to give back as much as she receives when teased. Last night she hosted all the senior missionaries and shared journal entries from her early impressions of Vanuatu. She spoke of the love of the people, the year‑round flowers and ocean views, air conditioning, and the warm welcome from members. She also noted challenges: the hot summers, potholes, and the difficulty of finding cooking ingredients around town. We all nodded knowingly.

Sister B Sunday talking on her
early missionary inputs in her journal.
We will miss her when she leaves to go
home in the next few weeks.  :-(

We have said this before, but we truly feel a family connection with the senior missionaries. They are our family away from home, and they help fill the gap while we are far from our own loved ones. We will miss Sister B, but are grateful for her testimony and the unflinching effort she has given throughout her mission.

Now onto another week.  

Love,

Darleen & Mark Lovelace (aka: Nana & Papa, Mom & Dad, Sista and Elda Sista Lovelace)