Editorializing the Everyday. : Stakehood!

"Know ye not that there are more nations than one?

Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men,

and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea;

and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath;

and I bring forth my word unto the children of men,

yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?"

-2 Nephi 29:7

Hahaha. First of all, I just want to point out how when I Googled "New Caledonia, stake," the second link that came up was about how Vanuatu's kava reputation is at stake in New Caledonia. That's right--no second-rate kava on the caillou! I almost died laughing. You would get it if you'd have been there. Promise.

Anyway. The point of this post was just to say that

NEW CALEDONIA is becoming a STAKE!!!

Quel miracle!

So. I thought I'd just do a little research (for your benefit, random reader, as well as my own) and find out a little bit more of the history of the LDS Church in New Caledonia. Here it is:

The first members in New Caledonia were Tahitians that came over to work in the nickel mines (remember this talk by President Monson?). These Tahitian members were organized into the Noumea Branch on October 21, 1961 (Teahumanu Manoi as president). That branch was part of the French Polynesian Mission.
Elder Thomas S. Monson, then of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, dedicated New Caledonia for the preaching of the gospel on May 2, 1968, and missionaries starting arriving in July of that year.
The first meetinghouse was dedicated on December 24, 1972.
The Nouméa New Caledonia District was created on January 1, 1973.
In June 1975, New Caledonia was transferred to the Fiji Suva Mission.
The Noumea Branch was divided on May 16, 1976 and the meetinghouse was enlarged.
The Tontouta Branch was organized on June 18, 1978.
President Gordon B. Hinckley visited Noumea on June 17, 2000 as part of a six-nation tour of Asia and the South Pacific. He called New Caledonia "a sleeping giant." About 1,000 members attended the meeting to hear the prophet speak.
In December 2010, total Church membership in New Cal was 1, 949.
March 2012, New Caledonia is transferred to the Vanuatu Port Vila mission.
May 27, 2012: The Nouméa District becomes a STAKE! Wo-hoo!!