Calling it a "very significant occasion," President Gordon B. Hinckley addressed thousands of Pacific Island Saints who gathered here Oct. 7-11 for the sesquicentennial celebration of "Pioneers in the Pacific: 150 Years of Latter-day Saint History in the Pacific Islands."

President Hinckley's address, in the Cannon Activities Center at BYU-Hawaii on Oct. 11, was one of the highlights of the weeklong conference. He was accompanied to Hawaii by his wife, Marjorie, and Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve and his wife, Elisa.The five-day celebration - which included pageants, dances, a statue unveiling, and various classes - was sponsored by BYU-Hawaii, the Polynesian Cultural Center, the Hawaii Temple, the Laie Community Association, the Mormon Pacific Historical Society, and Hawaii Reserves Inc. It was held on the BYU-Hawaii campus and at the adjacent Polynesian Cultural Center, and brought together thousands of Church members from throughout the Pacific area.

During the week Church members attended some of about 150 classes, which included videotape presentations, panel discussions, oral histories, and lectures on topics ranging from missionaries to marriage. There were also nightly presentations of plays, pageants, shows, and an old-fashioned Gold and Green Ball.

In addition to providing the keynote address at the concluding session, President Hinckley dedicated a new statue on the campus. (Please see article on page 7.)

The prophet's visit to Hawaii was the first stop on a trip through the Pacific, where he spoke to Saints in Western Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and Tahiti. (Coverage of the trip will be included in the Oct. 25 Church News.)

"We will be out among the wonderful Polynesian people, who have made some great contributions to this Church and its work," President Hinckley said to an overflow crowd of more than 8,000.

President Hinckley then paid homage to the early missionaries who made it possible for the Church to grow in Polynesia.

"These were wonderful men who went out and made great sacrifices. Some of them died, they gave their lives for this work. They stayed for long periods of time. . . . Governments moved against them, other religions moved against them. They had a thousand problems to deal with but they kept the faith and came back. And the work of the Church is stronger for their great sacrifices."

President Hinckley also reminisced about his own experiences in the Pacific Islands and counseled the Saints to "face the future and work as [early Pacific pioneers] worked, and pray as they prayed, and reach out to those who know not the saving principles of the gospel to extend to them the great love of the Lord Jesus Christ."

The prophet recalled meeting many modern-day Church pioneers - some of whom were seated in the audience. To the crowd's delight, he injected humor into his recollections about the Church work he performed and witnessed in Hawaii and in countries such as Tahiti, Australia, the Cook Islands, New Zealand and Fiji.

"You have heard during this program the stories of, perhaps, hundreds of pioneers who have been brave, valiant, true, faithful, and dedicated to this Church," he said. "Their names are not mentioned much today but every one of us owes them a great debt of gratitude for what they have made possible, and many of you sitting in this congregation today, who have been gathered from those islands, are here because of their efforts. I hope that you will never, never, never forget that."

Before President Hinckley's address, he was treated to a musical performance by more than 300 Laie area children. The children sang a series of choreographed numbers about the challenges a flower garden faces from the changing seasons and other natural elements. The experiences of the garden was an allegory of the conditions and challenges facing young people in the world today.

At the conclusion of the performance, the children gave President and Sister Hinckley each a red rose.

President Hinckley counseled the children to "stay away from the evil things and look for the good."

Church members were both delighted and spiritually fed by the week's activities. Elder Sam K. Shimabukuro, a former member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy from Honolulu, said he was "impressed by the caliber of leadership that [the early pioneers] had in the Pacific area." He also said there are still wonderful leaders in the Pacific today.

Benson Ariembo, who joined the Church 11 years ago and became one of the first native Church members in Papua New Guinea, said the conference was "educational and an eye-opener for me, and I will return with a great world of knowledge that I have gained."

Tonga Paletua - the first Tongan to serve as a stake president, mission president, temple president and regional representative in his country - called it a spiritual conference. "I can see how the Lord helps the Pacific island people," he said.

BYU-Hawaii Pres. Eric Shumway, himself a Pacific pioneer through his missionary work to Tonga, summed up the conference with a Tongan phrase, "Kuo tau e langi," meaning the singing has hit the mark or has achieved the fullness of its beauty and meaning.