James and Eva Yaingeluo's Conversion Story and Leadership in Kolonia, 1989-1990

By Eva Yaingeluo

I, Evelyn Mildred Collins Yaingeluo, was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints at fifteen in May 1979. I had dreams of changing my families’ lives and going on a mission for the church. Satan knows our weaknesses. If we don't attend church and read the scriptures daily, our rebirth will be fleeting and we will fall back into the same behavior patterns. We also must maintain friendships with our members and forsake those friends doing things the church does not practice, like drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and using drugs.

I followed my friends instead of the church. For ten years I allowed Satan to control my destiny. I met James (Jim) Yaingeluo when I was 21 years of age in January of 1982.

I never thought of marriage as I had given up my dreams of a mission or a temple marriage. James learned of my past and felt a desire to help me. Satan wants to take all the souls of the world to hell with him. My words on the church to James were worthless as my actions were of the world, not as the church leads us: in the world but not of the world.

I married James in a Catholic church June 19, 1985. Our daughter Trisha Marie was born July 24, 1985. Six months later we left the U.S. and came to Yap State, FSM.      

Our marriage was near an end when I began listening to Art and Helen Spencer to govern thyself and bring James into the gospel. After several months of simply having dinner, playing games and being just friends, Art and Helen Spencer began putting back the love in our marriage, healing the anger, resentment and shutting out Satan's influence. I quit smoking and drinking, and James also quit drinking. Both of us promised the other never to do it again.

In May of 1987, James Yaingeluo was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We left Micronesia in June of 1987 and returned to the U.S. We were not active the first six months in the U.S.

After James completed his final quarter of schooling at EOSC, we moved to Pendleton. The members there were kind, caring and went out of their way to welcome us. We began preparations to go to the temple. I also was blessed with the pregnancy of our second child. We were sealed in Seattle Washington Temple on November 19, 1988. Troy Keith Yaingeluo was born December 19, 1988.

James was accepted to Medical Officers program in Pohnpei, FSM. On January 1989 we left the U.S. to once again return to Micronesia, this time armed with the gospel of Jesus Christ, to do our best to convert James's family from Catholicism to Mormonism. We faced many trials and many growing experiences. On January 21, 1990, James Jim Yaingeluo was sustained the branch president of Kolonia Branch, Pohnpei, FSM. Our goal is to reactivate all the inactive members and leave the Kolonia Branch strong in five years.

Young Women Church History

January 1989–January 1990

Upon arriving in Pohnpei, we were anxious to meet the members. Our neighbors, the Eliases, were especially kind and generous to us. When we went to church we found that most of the meetings are conducted in Pohnpeian. It has been challenging. Now that James is branch president we hear a little more English.

Ianser Edward was the branch president when we first moved to Pohnpei. He asked. for my help in the Young Women program. I sat in as an adviser but had difficulties because of the language. Finally I became the teacher and I scheduled several outings. We had car washes to raise money. We had a program to commemorate the anniversary of the Young Women Program. We were pleased to receive Personal Progress books and began a "scripture marathon" on the Book of Mormon.

It was in December of 1989 that Sasy Elias became the 1st counselor and Margaret Edward the 2nd counselor, with LaNora Lipai as secretary.

We have some great plans for future activities such as planting a "values garden" and making T-shirts with the Young Women's emblem on them. It is exciting to watch the girls grow.