A #VanuatuTemple is a big freaking deal. I feel like not enough people on LDS Twitter are talking about so let me give it a shot because I have somewhat of a relationship with the area. A thread for #DezNat and #GeneralConference (photos are from when I did work there):

Vanuatu is a small nation of 83 islands in Melanesia. It's "close" to Fiji. Population: 300k+. The temple is being built in Port Vila, the capital city. You fly in one of those classic charter planes that fits like 10 ppl to get from island to island (photo of me next to pilot)

I was a videographer for a locally owned, self-sustaining nonprofit that built homes and was making education affordable. The average family makes $500 per year. The cost to send one child to school is $300. They often have to prioritize one child's edu. over the others'.

You can imagine how hard it is then to afford tickets, lodging, etc. to fly to Fiji where the closest temple is. I don't have any data, but it seemed you really only went once to get sealed, and that was it – most only did living ordinances. (Photo of Tanna airport)

Getting a temple in Port Vila is incredible. I bet the church used some of its funds to help families afford the trip to get sealed, but this just makes it that much easier for members who are incredibly faithful. The people of this country are truly among the most charitable.

I went to church on Tanna (not the same island where Port Vila is). They essentially had a 100 sq ft cement building as one of only two churches on the island (see first tweet photo). The other one was on the other side and was an outdoor "pavilion" made of tree branches.

Some people call it a "4th world country." The people really do live off the land. There aren't street lights, so at 6 pm when the moon goes down, they go to sleep. Most live in "villages" with a chief. The chief of the place I stayed was a member, along with his family.

I wanted to share this so y'all knew how great it is to get a temple there. Getting temples in populated places like China or India is great; it's also awesome to get them in smaller nations b/c it shows just how strong the members' faith is and that the work is moving forward.

BONUS: Went to the volcano on Tanna, which is worshipped by some local religions. This was a video of what felt like a near-death experience b/c it was active and we were on top of it.