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Papua New Guinea has been greatly blessed over the past 18 months. This was because of the presence and diligent service of two dedicated humanitarian services senior missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who arrived in Papua New Guinea in February, 2017 from Samoa. Elder Tony and Sister Mary Elizabeth Aiono came to serve as full-time missionaries to work with Latter-day Saint Country Welfare Manager Eddie Alembo.
Elder and Sister Aiono accomplished much during their service as humanitarian missionaries. Some of their projects have included providing diabetic programs which support the National District Health Services. They also worked on clean water projects, and water wells, and helped the Gerehu Primary School to receive much needed school supplies, including a modern photocopy machine, blackboards and other supplies. In addition, the Aionos helped the Gerehu Callan Special Needs School in renovating a large classroom by providing a new cement floor for the room as well as supplying the classroom with colorful, durable furniture for these sweet special needs students.
One of the Aiono's large and ongoing projects has been in working with Pacific Assist, a charitable organisation in Australia which partners with LDS Charities. These two organisations participated together in May, 2018 with the shipping of four large shipping containers, and distributing their contents of school furniture (student desks and chairs) to numerous schools around Port Moresby which desperately needed the furniture. Grateful principals, headmasters, teachers and students welcomed the generous gifts.
Eddie Alembo, who enjoyed his time working closely with the Aionos, said, "They were hard-working people. They wanted to get things done." Eddie said you would often hear Elder Aiono teasingly say to others, "Get to work, stop mucking around!"
President Finau Hafoka of the Papua New Guinea Port Moresby Mission gave Elder and Sister Aiono a beauiful tribute. He said of the Aionos, "They served from their heart and they gave everything."
Elder and Sister Aiono have just completed their 18-month full-time missionary service, and leave their mission with a deep love for the people of Papua New Guinea. They will be greatly missed, and have now returned home to Samoa to be with their family.