The story of the Sulieti and Josiah and family...

I received a call in early 2016 from Sulieti. She and her family had moved to the Salt Lake Valley some time ago. She and her family had been invited to speak in their ward and Sulieti was calling to invite Karlena and I to attend and hear them speak. She is Elder Moala’s sister who's story I shared in the previous post where he tracked out while he and Elder Adams served together in Patterson, CA. Her husband, who was not a member at the time, had said, “I’ll join the Church when your brother knocks on our door.” She had initially told me the family would be speaking a week earlier that they actually spoke so Karlena was unable to attend. She was in Detroit visiting our son and his family. On February 21, 2016, I went to the Rosepark 6th Ward in Rosepark by myself and attended their services which started at 11:00 am.

What a sweet experience! Their little family of five children, the oldest a boy, and all the others, girls: Tobiese, 8 years old soon to be 9 years old. Laukau, 6 years old, Sarah, 4 years old, Minerva 3 years old, and Ana Maria, 1 year old. Sarah, the 4 year-old, was the first speaker and she bore her testimony - typical of what you’d hear from a young child with her mother helping. Very sweet! Then Laukau, the 6 year-old, spoke from a prepared text. After she spoke, Sarah, got up to sing “Families Can Be Together Forever.” Then, Toby (or Tobiese), the 8 year-old spoke. He expressed his love for his mother and father.

After the rest hymn, Sulieti got up and shared the importance of families and added some details about the story of her husband’s conversion that I had never known:

She was born and raised in the Church, her family very active. They were very, very poor and her family sent her at the age of 12 to the United States to live with her uncle. Her aunt and uncle raised her as their own. While she was active in the Church, the best I could tell what she shared is that, as a teenager she met her future husband, Josiah. He was not a member of the Church but came from a family with a very strong Catholic faith tradition. They got married in 2006. Sulieti always wanted a temple marriage but whenever the subject of religion was brought up, it caused divisiveness. She had prayed and prayed that she could have a temple marriage. She said things in their marriage that was positive and wonderful 6 days out of the week, but on Sundays there was always stress regarding the topic of religion. She regularly invited Josiah to listen to the missionaries. They would come to the house, but he would walk into the other room. It was on Thanksgiving Day in 2007, while Josiah worked on the car outside, that Elder Moala, her younger brother, and Elder Kalen Adams, his companion, knocked on their door. Elder Moala had no idea this was the home of his sister.

Josiah listened to the missionaries, joined the Church, and a year later they were married in the Oakland Temple. It was very tender as she shared the joy of having an eternal family together. She thanked the Lord. She thanked Elder Adams, who was in the audience, and thanked me. After she spoke, Laukau, their 6 year-old, sang “Teach Me to Walk” with Sulieti. The spirit in the room was just marvelous.

Josiah, her husband, was the concluding speaker. He elaborated on their life story. He shared that while they discussed religion as a couple, he proposed that each should visit the church of the other. So, dutifully, he attended a sacrament meeting. He said it was a fine meeting, the people were nice, but there was nothing more that interested him. Sulieti attend Josiah's church services with him but religion continued to be a wedge that separated them. It was during this time when he told Sulieti that if her brother came to their house, he would listen. Josiah knew that this was virtually impossible since he knew missionaries are sent all over the world - and it was also impossible for his wife to speak directly to the prophet and ask that her brother be assigned to Patterson.

Joshia said that on Thanksgiving day in 2007, while working on his car, Elder Moala and Elder Adams came up to the door. He was shocked, but had to honor his promise to his wife. He listened to the message and joined the Church on January 18, 2009. A year later they were sealed in the Oakland Temple. He also shared that his parents were upset that he was joining the Church. They were living with his parents at the time and their oldest was three weeks old. His parents were angry and told him to choose between his parents and his wife. As a result of choosing his wife, they were kicked out of the house. Josiah then proceeded to give his prepared talk on his assigned topic: Keeping the Sabbath Day. He quoted Elder L Tom Perry, that “family is the center of life.” He shared many scriptural references about the Sabbath Day and quotes from President Hinckley. He was obviously well prepared and spoke as if he’d been a member for several years.

It was an emotional meeting to listen to this wonderful, humble family. We visited briefly after the meeting and took pictures. In the picture below, Sulieti, Josiah, and their youngest, Ana Marie, are pictured with me and Kalen Adams. Unfortunately, the other children were off to their primary classes and I was unable to capture a photograph of the entire family. What a tender day for me!