Heads up…long post ahead…(This post is a little out of order but was such an incredible experience, we did not want to delay in sharing it! We’ll get caught up…slowly)
We had the privilege of flying from Brisbane to Port Moresby Papua New Guinea! We met with President and Sister Burgess, of the Port Moresby Mission, President and Sister Hosea, of the Lae Mission, and Elder and Sister Colledge. The purpose of our visit was to meet these wonderful mission leaders and the Colledges. Elder Colledge has been serving as the mission health advisor for both missions in Papua New Guinea and will be returning home in August, almost certainly with a gap before his replacement arrives due to visa challenges. Therefore, it was thought advisable that we get a ‘boots on the ground’ orientation as to the challenges and realities of medical care in PNG. Our visit coincided with the creation of the Oro stake in Popondetta.
We traveled to PNG on Thursday, 12 June 2025 around 11:40 a.m., after a flight delay, and arrived in Port Moresby midafternoon there. While at the airport, we met two members of the church that were also flying to Port Moresby. One was a young elder, who had been in Auckland, New Zealand’s MTC and was flying to Port Moresby to start his mission. The other was a gentleman, Paul Bender, who is from Melbourne but will be moving his family to Auckland in about two months for his work in Public Affairs in the Area office. We found out he is serving as Bishop right now in his ward in Melbourne.
Sister Nelson and I were sitting in the waiting area by our gate when I saw Elder Yanguak walking towards our waiting area.
As we stood up to greet him, Sister Nelson had a very strong impression, “He’s hungry” were the words that came to her. Elder Yanguak, who was just arriving from the missionary training center in New Zealand, and traveling to his mission in PNG, went to talk to the lady at the gate desk. And again “He’s hungry” came very strongly to Sister Nelson. She mentioned it to me and I pulled some money out of my wallet and slipped it to her. Sister Nelson then quietly went up to him and asked, “Are you hungry?” He stared at her briefly and then whispered yes. We gave him a few Australian dollars to grab a bite to eat and he was very grateful.
Elder and Sister Colledge met us at the airport, and it was so very nice to meet them and spend six days with them! They are awesome people, and we really enjoyed our time with them. They actually own and operate Wadley Farms in Lindon. They were wonderful hosts and thoroughly oriented us as to the challenges faced by the missionaries and saints in Papua New Guinea. They drove us through Port Moresby showing us a few of the sites on our way to the Range View Condo where we would be staying while in Port Moresby. We were able to meet President and Sister Burgess for dinner that evening at the Stanley Hotel. Coincidentally, while we were eating, we met President Wakolo and Elder Ormsby, along with President and Sister Hosea. It was lovely to meet all of them. President Wakolo and Elder Ormsby were there to organize the Oro Stake from the Oro District in Popondetta that weekend. On Friday, 13 June, we were able to drive around with Elder and Sister Colledge and visit many of the local medical and dental facilities in Port Moresby, including the Gerehu medical clinic, the Ela medical clinic, the Pacific International outpatient medical clinic, and Rainbow Dental Clinic, which was in a dark, metal, shipping container.
All these facilities were quite primitive by US standards, significantly lacking in basic equipment such as IV pumps, suction machines, and heart monitors. I was impressed that they were generally clean, and the staff seemed very competent and caring. We were also able to drive out to Nine Mile and visit President and Sister Franks of the Nine Mile branch. Sister Franks is the lead in the Mums preschool program, and they have built a beautiful school adjacent to their home in Nine Mile. The Franks have a darling ten-year-old son named Thomas, who came right up to Sister Nelson and gave her a huge hug.
We also were able to visit their newly remodeled branch building, which took three years, and has just been completed. We ate lunch at a beautiful nature/wildlife park there in Port Moresby and had the opportunity to meet Elder and Sister Maybe, who are serving at the Port Moresby Temple construction site.
That evening we had a potluck dinner in the apartment of Elder and Sister Huston along with the Colledges, the Maybes, and Elder and Sister Dandoy, other senior missionaries serving there in Port Moresby. After dinner we traveled to the Gerehu Chapel for an enrichment fireside for Young Single Adults and youth featuring Sister Sulley, who is an Australian lawyer who is currently serving on the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea. It was a wonderful and enjoyable experience.
On Saturday, June 14th, we awoke very early and flew to Popondetta, along with the Colledges, the Hustons, the Dandoys, and Bishop Bender.
We were greeted at the airport by a group of beautiful Young Women from the Oro District, who had made yarn leis for us and draped them around our necks.
We were driven by Alex, one of President Hosea’s faithful mission clerks, to our lodging, the Birdwing Butterfly Lodge, to drop off our luggage and get checked in.
We met up with President Wakolo and Elder Ormsby, and the Hoseas, and we all left to travel to the 10 acre secured compound owned by the District President Salaiau. We were all greeted by a wonderful large group of saints, including 20 or so dancers dressed in native cultural costumes who performed a native dance for us.
After a few photos, a baptismal service began in the open-air chapel there, presided over by President Wakolo. We soon discovered that 107 individuals were scheduled to be baptized there that morning! In total, 87 were baptized that morning and another 20, who had arrived a bit late, were baptized a couple of hours later.
After a couple of talks, we all walked the short distance down a grassy, tree lined trail to the river for the actual baptismal ordinances. It was so awesome and inspiring to see so many wonderful people dressed in white!
The baptisms soon began in the river in a pool that had been made deep enough by damming the river with rocks and banana leaves. It was surrounded by dense tropical forest, and the setting was breathtaking!
Initially, two elders began to baptize, one by one, as the names of the individuals were called out. Witnesses surrounded the man-made pool, and attendants were on hand with dry towels to assist those who had been baptized. Many family members, friends and others, including a few missionaries, Elder Huston and my dear wife, Sister Nelson, waded into the cool, clean river for a better view. Eventually, due to the number of individuals being baptized, two more elders were asked to help baptize, making four baptizing simultaneously in the river!
Incidentally, one of those performing the baptisms was the young 15-year-old grandson of President and Sister Hosea, who had only days before arrived in Papua New Guinea from Utah with his father for a visit, and “mini mission.” He had only been ordained a priest one week before and was privileged to exercise his priesthood and baptize dozens of new converts in a river halfway around the world! Those were the last baptisms performed for the Oro District, since the next day they were made a stake and were no longer a district. What a life changing experience for young “Elder” Hosea! I’m sure it is an experience that he will never forget. So inspiring for each one of us who were privileged to be there and experience this once in a lifetime event!
Words are very inadequate to express the incredible spirit present as so many sons and daughters of God covenanted to follow the Savior! It was a scene unlike any other that we have ever experienced, and we will never forget it, or the feelings of joy it brought! It was very reminiscent of the scene we imagine at the Waters of Mormon described in the Book of Mormon, Mosiah 18. It was incredible, amazing, unbelievable, and life changing!
A few of those scheduled to be baptized apparently arrived late, and an additional baptismal session was held in the river that afternoon, for a total of 107 individuals, young and old, ages 8-80! There was even an article in the Church News about it, and in one of the photos of the meetings, the backs of our heads are visible, under red awnings! Here’s the link:
After the baptisms and a brief lunch back at the lodging, we traveled to the District Chapel compound for additional leadership meetings and had the wonderful opportunity to meet and mingle with many more of the loving PNG saints. They were so warm and welcoming and happy, and so excited to finally become a Stake! In fact, they even had a banner printed and hung across the main road announcing the Oro Stake creation!
T-shirts with the same logo were seen everywhere. It was a scene of great joy and excitement.
That afternoon, Elder Colledge and I, assisted by Sisters Colledge and Nelson, were able to perform missionary physicals on 26 prospective missionaries. Through out all of Papua New Guinea, there are about 400 young women and young men that need physicals, and are waiting to submit their mission papers. Apparently physical exams are very difficult to get due to the extremely limited availability of medical facilities.
After a wonderful dinner back at the Birdwing Butterfly Lodge with President Wakolo, Elder Ormsby, the Hoseas, other church employees, and all of the senior missionary couples, we all traveled back to the Salaiau compound for a large, well-attended dance. There were probably 800 or more individuals in attendance, and we “spared not”, dancing our hearts out, to the delight of everyone. Sister Nelson was absolutely in her element, dancing, hugging and reveling in the amazing social atmosphere. It was a lot of fun.
On Sunday, June 15th, we attended a wonderful morning session of the stake conference for YSAs, followed by the general session at 10:00am, presided over by President Tanielo Wakolo, assisted by Elder Jared Ormsby, Area Seventy.
The Oro District was dissolved, and the Oro Stake created, with President Salaiau as its first stake president. Wards were created from branches, Bishops and new stake leaders called, and the work of the Lord continues to roll forth. The conference was very well attended, both in person and remotely via Zoom, with attendance locally estimated at nearly 1000!
Despite the light rain, and standing room only conditions, spirits were high, and joy filled the air. We lingered for quite a while, loving and fellowshipping with the saints and feeling their magnificent spirit. Sister Nelson loved walking around and through the people, who were sitting outside on chairs and blankets, visiting with them and giving as many as she could (maybe close to 400 hugs) hugs and smiles. They hugged her back and loved talking with all of us. They were so sweet and friendly!
The rest of the day provided an opportunity for us to rest, study, and recharge as new leaders were set apart and trained.
Monday morning, June 16th, I accompanied Elder and Sister Dandoy, who are serving as Humanitarian missionaries, to a meeting with the local director of the NID (National Identification Service) to discuss ways that LDS charities could assist with their work throughout the country helping create ID cards and birth certificates, and perhaps assist in rebuilding their local government building which burned down about 8 years ago. It was a productive meeting, and I was so impressed by the skill and knowledge of the Dandoy’s, who I believe are serving their 4th full time humanitarian mission! We then traveled to a scheduled meeting with the Provincial Health Authority, only to find out that the gentleman that we were to meet with was out of the country, even though the meeting had been confirmed just days before. We instead met on the spur of the moment with a very kind woman who serves as the Finance director for the PHA in the Northern Province and explained to her the humanitarian work of the church. We asked her to consider proposing any needed projects in their local PHA/hospital that LDS charities may be able to assist with. Our scheduled visit to the local Popondetta hospital also sadly fell through.
We hurried off to the small airport for our return flight to Port Moresby, scheduled for 2:00 pm.
After multiple delays and much uncertainty as to whether our flight would be cancelled, we finally took off about 5:30 pm. As we sat and waited for our plane to arrive, President Hosea’s Assistants kindly brought us boxed lunched of chicken and chips, (french fries) to the airport, as many of us had not eaten at all that day.
We arrived safely back in Port Moresby and were exhausted from the weekend’s activities. We grabbed a quick bite of dinner at the Rangeview mall shops and collapsed into bed.
We were picked up in the morning of Tuesday, June 17th by our wonderful hosts, the Colledges, for a trip and tour of Pacific International Hospital, which is clearly the best there is in PNG, and the only location where MRIs can be performed in the country. It was quite nice and appeared to offer state-of-the-art care.
We returned to the mission home compound to participate in an Area Medical Council via Zoom. We traveled out to Gerica to do a missionary flat (apartment) inspection and see where the Colledges attend church which is just an open air concrete platform under a member’s house, whose house is built up on stilts.
The road to get there was very rough, slow, and often muddy. The Colledges mentioned that one or both of them speaks in sacrament meeting almost every week, along with teaching various classes. We then travelled to the main public hospital in town, Port Moresby General Hospital, which was not nearly as well kept as PIH. Older and not as well built, it shows its age, though it was clean and the staff we met seemed to be doing their best despite less than perfect facilities and equipment.
We then traveled out to the new Port Moresby Temple site. The temple is absolutely beautiful, though in a rough part of town. We am certain that it will greatly bless the lives of the saints, and indeed lift and bring light to the entire area and country when completed.
We briefly stopped at the local stake center nearby, visited with some local members and youth there, and drove along the coast before returning to Central Port Moresby.
That evening we dined at the Hilton Hotel with the Colledge’s and Dr. Suresh, an oncologist who is a friend to the church and the missionaries. He frequently attends, and participates in class and has even spoken in church though not a member of the church. It was fun to talk to him about all kinds of subjects.
We were very excited to learn that the mini Missionary Training Center, tentatively slated to be established in Port Moresby, will likely be located at the Hilton Hotel complex, which will be wonderful.
We had heavy security during our visit to Papua New Guinea! Everywhere we went, we were driven in a four-wheel drive pick-up. We were told never to walk alone at any time of day. Everywhere we went was an area guarded 24/7 by security guards (with guns), secured, barb wired, fenced areas, including church buildings and hospitals. One of the hospitals, in a severely poverty stricken area, was sketchy enough that Sister Nelson and Sister Colledge were asked to stay in the pick-up for their protection and keep the doors locked.
To give you an idea of how scary PNG can be on a daily basis, on the day before we arrived in Popondetta, three missionaries were driving out on a dirt road to visit a family and they came upon large boulders blocking the road. As they stopped, they were suddenly ambushed and told to get out of the car. As the three missionaries got out of their car, they were surrounded by men (called rascals) with guns and machetes, who put the guns to their heads and the machetes to their throats, and who demanded they hand over everything…money, wallets, car keys, phones. The missionaries gave them everything they had. Thankfully, the rascals did not hurt them, but stole everything and left them stranded in a dangerous area. A day or so later, their car was later found abandoned. A side note, at this time, no young sister missionaries are allowed to serve in PNG.
Another incident, just a few weeks before we arrived, Elder and Sister Colledge told us that they had just arrived in Popondetta and had just driven through the security gates of the Birdwing Buttery Lodge when they heard lots of gunshots going off. It turned out that several drunk rascals started running toward to lodge gate, as the security guards were trying to hurry and close it. The rascals tried to force their way in and despite several warnings yelled from the guards, one of the rascals kept fighting to get in and eventually was shot and killed, which is so very sad.
As for us, we felt safe most of the time…only once, near where they are building the Port Moresby Temple, we were forced to drive very slowly through an open air crowded market area, with throngs of crowds walking up near our pick-up truck, did we start to feel quite concerned. Thankfully we were able to drive slowly forward and make our way out of that area. It was after the fact, when we were eating dinner with our doctor friend, Dr. Suresh, who lives near that open air market, that he mentioned three hours before there were lots of gun shots and violence had erupted. Wow!
Sister Nelson and I got up very early on Wednesday, June 18, for a 6:00 am return flight to Brisbane.
Our trip to Papua New Guinea was busy, a few times chaotic, but very enjoyable and enlightening. The Colledges shepherded us around with kindness and great care, and we generally felt safe and secure. We now have a much better feel for and understanding of the medical needs and issues of the people, missionaries, and prospective missionaries from PNG, a perspective that I don’t think we could have fully learned except through an in-person visit. We feel so blessed to be able to help these wonderful people medically and to spread some love, kindness, and hope! Again, we truly are so very blessed to serve them! What an incredible experience to have been able to meet and socialize with the sweet, faithful saints of Papua New Guinea, to feel their powerful commitment to our Savior, Jesus Christ, to feel their loving spirit, and to participate in the incredible, sacred experiences that we did while there.
Australia Brisbane Mission - May 2025-November 2026 