Sapwalap Branch, 1987-1990

Baptism day for Alicia and Roxie Helgenberger (front, left to right), with Rose (mother) in pink dress, Albert (father and branch president), with Mark Henry (right), Sapwalap, Madolenihmw, Pohnpei, 29 August 1986. Photo by Devan Jensen (missionary).

In August 1987 the Sapwalap Branch had only three active priesthood holders. One was Albert Helgenberger, who served as branch president and seminary teacher. His wife, Rose, served as Primary president. The Helgenbergers invited the missionaries to prepare nine-year-old daughter Alicia and eight-year-old daughter Roxie for baptism. The girls understood the commandments of God and chose to be baptized on 29 August 1986. President and Sister Helgenberger were very loving and kind to the members and missionaries. Following is an excerpt from the 1990 branch history.

Sapwalap History, 1990

In years past when the missionary couples helped run the branch, the wives of the branch presidents helped teach the women. One thing the sisters liked learning was how to make doughnuts. As Relief Society president, Sister Mario Nasson continued teaching the women how to do that.

Some of the women who have served in the branch were:

Dorkas Simon Ringlen: Relief Society president under Elders Grover and Bagley, Primary president under Elder Bagley

Elsida Henry: Relief Society president under President Mark Henry

Mario Nasson: Relief Society president under Presidents Albert Helgenberger and Samuel William

Rose Helgenberger: Primary president under President Helgenberger

Vasko William: Primary president under President William and Elder Bushman

Nelsiana Simon Kalio: Relief Society president under Elder Bushman

Seminary teachers:      Samuel William

Albert Helgenberger

Hewalt Alati

Sunday School teachers: Moses Simon, Albert Helgenberger

There has been one elder, Henry Henry, and one sister, Nelsiana Simon, who have served full-time missions for the church from Sapwalap.

Some of the events the members enjoy remembering were a Pioneer Day Celebration, a picnic to an outer island, and a young adult picnic that was held at Mand. All of the Branches combined for these activities and they really had a good time. These were held during the time when D. Willard Paxman was district president in 1985.

Two men were ordained elders 18 Feb. 1990: Etibel Ringlen and John Innowe. Brother Ringlen was set apart by district president Walder Simram and Brother Innowe was set apart by Branch President Bushman. President Simram called former branch president Samuel William to become a district counselor on that day also.

Micronesia's Coming of Age

"Micronesia's Coming of Age: The Mormon Role in Returning Micronesia to Self-Rule" tells the story of four U.S. administrators and several indigenous leaders who, after World War II, gradually transitioned Pohnpei, Chuuk, Yap, and Kosrae into the self-governing Federated States of Micronesia. The Mormon administrators were Elbert D. Thomas, John A. Carver Jr., Stewart L. Udall, and Morris K. Udall. The indigenous leaders included Dwight Heine of the Marshall Islands, Lazarus Salii of Palau, and Hans Williander of Chuuk (later a Mormon district president). After the conversion of Pohnpeian Ohren Ohry, missionaries successively went to Pohnpei, the Marshalls, Chuuk, Yap, Palau, and Kosrae. This article was published by the University of Guam's Pacific Asia Inquiry, vol. 7, no. 1 (Fall 2016). Feel free to share with friends interested in Pacific or Mormon studies!

Sapwalap History, 1985-1990

In years past when the missionary couples helped run the branch, the wives of the branch presidents helped teach the women. One thing the sisters liked learning was how to make doughnuts. As Relief Society president, Sister Mario Nasson continued teaching the women how to do that.

Some of the women who have served in the branch were:

1. Dorkas Simon Ringlen: Relief Society president under Elders Grover and Bagley, Primary president under Elder Bagley
2. Elsida Henry: Relief Society president under President Mark Henry
3. Mario Nasson: Relief Society president under Presidents Albert Helgenberger and Samuel William
4. Rose Helgenberger: Primary president under President Helgenberger
5. Vasko William: Primary president under President William and Elder Bushman
6. Nelsiana Simon Kalio: Relief Society president under Elder Bushman

Sunday School teachers: Moses Simon, Albert Helgenberger

 
Seminary teachers:      Samuel William

Albert Helgenberger

Hewalt Alati

District Pioneer Day celebration, Sapwalap Branch, November 1987. Photo by Devan Jensen.

Alati and Helgenberger and Simon families and many others. Photo by Devan Jensen.

Sarina Saickul family and friends from Mand Branch at Pioneer Day celebration, Sapwalap Branch. Photo by Devan Jensen.

Playing games at the district celebration, Sapwalap, November 1987.

There has been one elder, Henry Henry, and one sister, Nelsiana Simon, who have served full-time missions for the church from Sapwalap.

Some of the events the members enjoy remembering were a Pioneer Day Celebration, a picnic to an outer island, and a young adult picnic that was held at Mand. All of the branches combined for these activities and they really had a good time. These were held during the time when D. Willard Paxman was district president in 1985 to 1986.

Two men were ordained elders 18 Feb. 1990: Etibel Ringlen and John Innowe. Brother Ringlen was set apart by district president Walder Simram and Brother Innowe was set apart by Branch President Bushman. President Simram called former branch president Samuel William to become a district counselor on that day also.

Church History Overview, 1976–1982

The missionaries first arrived on Pohnpei, October 23, 1976. They came at the request of Ohren R. Ohry, a member that was baptized in Hawaii while attending college. The first missionaries were George L. Mortensen and Aldric L. Porter. A short time later two more arrived, Brian D. Tate and Chris Harrison. There have been missionaries on the island continuously since that date. 

The first baptisms occurred at Mand in which several members of the Ohry family were baptized on March 5, 1977, along with Seisero Solomon. A week later, on March 12, the Naped S. Elias family entered the waters of baptism along with Perden Samson in the Kolonia area. 

Elder Abraham Lincoln, Elder Heber Butler, Naped Elias. Photo by Heber Butler.

In June 1977, the Hawaiian missionary couple Abraham and Halloween Lincoln arrived, bringing the missionary strength to six (they served until September 1977). Soon two branches were organized with missionary branch presidents. In August the branches were organized with native leaders Naped Elias at Kolonia and Johnny Bridge at Mand. In May a small group began at Sapwalap, as a dependent of the Mand Branch. By December it became an independent branch.

The first branch was the Kolonia Branch, followed by the Mand Branch and later by the Sapwalap Branch. In 1978 a dependent branch was formed in Sekere, but it was later dissolved.

Near the end of 1980, a building project was started on the island by the church and Wallace B. Heap was in charge or the building projects. Brother Heap had previously served a full-time mission on Pohnpei. Three chapels were built between October 1980 and September 1981, the first at Sapwalap, second at Mand, and the last at Kolonia. The chapels at Sapwalap and Mand were rural-type chapels with a chapel, two classrooms, and a president and clerk’s office. The Kolonia Chapel was a multipurpose building with restrooms, kitchen, and library. The chapel portion could be divided into five separate classrooms, but there were no separate classrooms. There was also a baptismal font in Kolonia. This building could be added to as the branch grew.

In November 1980, Elder John S. DeLeon and Elder Stuart G. Strauss came to Pohnpei and teamed up with Elder Jeffrey K. Merrill, forming a threesome companionship. Ursel and Regina Rhodes were the only missionary couple on the island. Elder Rhodes was the branch president for the Kolonia Branch. These five missionaries spent Thanksgiving together just prior to the Rhodes’ departure for home.

On January 13, 1981, Robert W. and Irene Naef came in to replace the Rhodes. Elder Naef was the new branch president for the Kolonia Branch. With the Naefs came Elder Mark T. Durham.

In January 1982, a special baptism was held for a couple of people. This particular baptism required hiking, patience and devotion. Elders Strauss, DeLeon, Johnson, and Durham, along with the Grovers, hiked up a trail to hold the services. They were held in a thatched roof shack. The candidates for baptism were baptized in the river. In the background was a beautiful little waterfall. In this beautiful setting those in attendance experienced a great spirit of the Lord as it rested upon each of them.

Elder DeLeon began a weightlifting program. This proved very good as it brought some inactive members back into the fold. It also made new friends for the Church and developed good friendships with the youth of Mand area. Much good came from branch president Johnny Bridge’s love and devotion to the Church. Many faithful local members, too, contributed much to the growth of the Church there.

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.