Members and friends of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in French Polynesia recently attended an open day focused on health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the country's borders opening recently, the Punaauia Tahiti Stake organised an open house to help Church and community members become better prepared for possible future challenges.
After a two-month lockdown, with 60 COVID-19 cases successfully managed and no deaths, the country is facing an unprecedented economic crisis that continues to worsen.
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- The self-reliance committee of the Punaauia Stake, organised a special day of preparation for a possible return of Covid-19. Members of the Church and the community were invited to "Journee Portes Ouvertes" or Open House to participate in eight workshops that included planting a garden, educating children at home, doing genealogy, and cooking on a tight budget. French Polynesia, July,2020.
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- Tchan Joanna showed the preparation of 72-hour emergency kits in bottles and techniques of food preservation. French Polynesia, July 2020.
- In the workshop "Livesaving Actions," Marania Tepuhiarii taughteveryone the eight steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19. French Polynesia, July 2020.
- In the “Planting" workshop, Horia Rochefort explained how, during the lockdown, she created a family vegetable garden in a limited space with the help of each member of the family. And for those who have so little or no space at all, growing vegetables in hanging bottles was also presented by Kathy Brodien. French Polynesia, July 2020.
- Leaders of the Punaauia Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who helped with the preparedness Open House. French Polynesia, July 2020.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
The government decided to open its borders on Wednesday, 15 July, simultaneously launching a country-wide campaign to raise awareness about the need for economic recovery as well as the vital public health measures that will be needed to fight against the spread of the virus.
In response to these events, the Self-Reliance Committee of the Punaauia Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, organised a special COVID-19 open day on Saturday, 11 July 2020.
Local Church leader, Glenn Brodien, said, “We wanted to give Church and community members some ideas on how to be prepared. We also wanted them to be encouraged that by faithful living, they can overcome difficulties in their lives.”
He quoted a passage of scripture from the Church's Doctrine and Covenants: “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.” (Doctrine and Covenants 30:28)
More than 350 members and friends participated in the day’s events, which included a variety of workshops.
Topics were related to a possible future return to lockdown conditions.
Workshops covered virus prevention steps; helping others in challenging times; home-based gospel instruction; sharing the gospel during a pandemic; cooking on a tight budget; growing food in small spaces; indexing of family history records during lockdown; and teaching children at home.
The stake presidency shared a message from L. Whitney Clayton, a senior Church leader, given at the Church’s general conference in April 2020.
He told a story of how a terrible economic crisis in Paraguay impacted Church members there, but, "Their faithful living provided them the strength, vision, and heavenly help they needed in the economic turmoil that surrounded them."
Glenn Brodien concluded, “Through this message, we want all the families of the Punaauia Stake to be among the finest [spiritually prepared] homes. As they strive to obey the commandments, they will become stronger to move forward and face this potential crisis with peace and hope.”