“40 people joined the Church here last week,” one of them, Elder Faafili Suapaia, said.

 “Really?”  The writer of this article asked.  “Did you say 40?”

 “Yes.  And there have been over 600 new members over the last six months.”

“They call us the black and white boys,” says Elder Suapaia.  “Because of the white shirts, black name tags and dark slacks.  We stand out.”

But it’s more than that.  In an uncertain world these young missionaries stand for something concrete.  For the Mormons, most things are pretty much black or white.

“People tell us they like us because we know what is right and what is wrong, and we try to live right," Suapaia says.  "They say they respect us because we are modest and peaceful.” 

His companion, Elder Robert Arnold, chimes in: “And they say that Latter-day Saints are clean and live good lives.”

“One man,” says Elder Arnold, “was a hard criminal.  He spent time in prison.  Then he found the Church and turned his life around.  Now he works for the police as a peace-maker in communities.  He’s amazing.”

Arnold says he met another family where the parents had no jobs, and there was no food.  The children had no clothes.  One month after they were baptized both parents had jobs, there was food, clothing.  They moved into a better house.  “Just one month,” the missionary repeats quietly.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been in Papua New Guinea for thirty years.  There are around 16,000 members in more than 50 congregations.

“The Church is growing here,” says Elder Dirk Smibert, a senior Church leader in the region.  “It’s a wonderful country but there are many serious social problems.”

“But the Latter-day Saints here are wonderful,” he adds.  “They have hope.  They are optimistic and good.  When visitors come to our worship services they comment on how happy the members are.”

In a country with high unemployment, do people ever look into the Church, seeking a hand-out?  According to Elder Smibert, yes, there are some.  “But we tell them straight away about tithing, fast offering and self reliance,” he says.  “This is a church that helps us to help ourselves, and then to help others.  The Lord takes care of the rest.”

For Elder Suapaia the biggest incentive for Papua New Guineans is the Church’s help and hope offered to families.

“When people learning about the Church discover that we teach that family relationships can be strengthened now, and also endure beyond death - they want that."