For a full week, from 18-24 January, Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela of the Presidency of the Seventy, travelled through large cities and isolated mountain villages in Papua New Guinea (PNG) to celebrate, minister to, and learn from the devotion and spiritual strength of a nation that is embracing the gospel of Jesus Christ in rapidly increasing numbers.
Elder Valenzuela is a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, a senior leadership body which coordinates and helps implement the Church’s world-wide ministry under the direction of the faith’s First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
He was accompanied on his trip by Elder Peter F. Meurs, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy and president of the Pacific Area; and Elder Robert H. Simpson, an Area Seventy. Other local Church administrators and mission leaders joined them at various times during their visit.
In Lae, on PNG’s eastern coastline, Elder Valenzuela taught and encouraged local members in a devotional for youth and young adults, spoke to members of the Church in a multi-congregation sacrament meeting (worship service) and provided training to local leaders.
After his ministry in Lae, Elder Valenzuela travelled north to Madang, a city experiencing rapid Church growth. An evening devotional for youth, parents and young adults drew hundreds of local members and friends of the Church.
In gatherings the next day, Elder Valenzuela ministered to children at a special devotional and presided over the graduation of local youth in the Church’s Seminary program, which supports religious education during the years of secondary education.
Elder-Valenzuela-and-Elder-Meurs-congratulate-a-Seminary-graduate-in-Papua-New-Guinea.-January-2025.
Elder Valenzuela and Elder Meurs congratulate a Seminary graduate in Papua New Guinea. January 2025.© 2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Elder Valenzuela also visited the Madang Learning Centre, where local young adults gather to instruct each other on improving life skills, scripture study, and personal development. He sees learning centres like the one in Madang as a key component in helping to lift young adults in their education and preparation for adulthood.
DOWNLOAD“I cannot see how this country can lift itself without learning and education," Elder Valenzuela said. "So, the learning centres are an inspired way to help this people grow and be prepared and get organized to help to bless the growth of the Church here. We need to have them all over the country.”
Young-Papua-New-Guinean-man-studies-the-scriptures.
A young person ponders a scriptural passage at the Madang Learning Centre run by other local young adults. January 2025.© 2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Elder Valenzuela and other Church leaders also travelled out of the cities to visit several new meetinghouses built to replace smaller "bush chapels."
These new meetinghouses have been designed to accommodate ward size congregations providing a large gathering space for sacrament meetings and activities as well as classrooms, bathrooms a baptism font and offices.
Papua-New-Guinean-Saints-enjoy-their-new-meetinghouse.-January-2025.
Elder Valenzuela, Elder Meurs and other Church leaders visited the new solar-powered and internet-enabled chapel in the remote village of Gabes, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea in January 2025. New chapels like this one will enable Church members in remote locations to participate in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and in worship services and education and self-reliance activities.© 2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
As 85% of people including Church members in PNG don’t have access to electricity these new buildings have been fitted with solar panels and storage batteries that can power sound systems, fans and lights.
They will also have internet connection and TV screens that will provide access to the Church's worldwide General Conferences, devotionals, online meetings and access to all Church systems.
The new buildings are also designed to be used during the week for online study including BYU Pathway Worldwide courses, English Connect courses, Seminary and Institute.
Elder Meurs reported that "the members of one congregation stayed up all night after the first meeting enjoying the opportunity to have power and lights at night."
Elder Valenzuela said that “to come and hear the Prophet in General Conference in those buildings [through video broadcast or recording], and to see the Prophet for the first time—that will be a tremendous blessing for them.”
Bush-chapel-in-foreground-and-new-meetinghouse-in-background.-Papua-New-Guinea.-January-2025.
A new small chapel sits next to the old structure where the Nasuapum Branch used to meet. New solar-powered chapels like this one will ultimately be able to bring in satellite broadcasts of General Conference and other Church resources anywhere in the world. January 2025. Papua New Guinea. © 2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Elder Valenzuela also visited several local "Mums' Preschools," where young children receive a head start on learning with early literacy training provided by local volunteer women.
The Church of Jesus Christ has been an active participant in the growth and development of the Mums' Preschool program, which has received growing recognition and interest from the Papua New Guinea Ministry of Education for its work in helping prepare young students for primary school.
“I think we should keep supporting them,” Elder Valenzuela said. “I think they are having a great impact on the life of the children. We believe in the rising generation, so I think we should keep supporting them in the best way we can.”
Elder Valenzuela continued his ministry in Papua New Guinea with a visit to the nation’s capital city of Port Moresby, visiting a learning centre, meeting with young adults, and sharing testimonies with full-time missionaries in a zone conference.
Missionary-meeting-in-Port-Moresby.-January-2025.
Elder Valenzuela, Elder Meurs, Papua New Guinea Port Moresby Mission leaders, Glenn and Traci Burgess, and other local leaders, meet with young and senior missionaries in Port Moresby. January 2025. © 2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Elder Valenzuela's week-long tour of Papua New Guinea concluded as he and Pacific Area President Peter F. Meurs toured the construction site of Papua New Guinea’s first temple, currently under construction on a hill overlooking the Gulf of Papua.
Elder-Valenzuela-and-Elder-Meurs-Port-Moresby-Papua-New-Guinea-Temple.
Elder Valenzuela and Elder Meurs stand in front of the Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temple construction site. 24 January 2025.© 2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Shortly before departing Papua New Guinea, Elder Valenzuela observed that “this country of Papua New Guinea has great promise. I think that this is a time to bring the fulness of the gospel here in the best way we can. This is the time of Papua New Guinea, because the people are living with faith and with hope in the Saviour Jesus Christ. In the years to come we must do our best for this beautiful country.”