Mission guide
Vanuatu Port Vila Mission
The Vanuatu Port Vila Mission serves a tropical Pacific nation rich in island history, local languages, and close-knit Church growth.
- Bislama
Vanuatu Port Vila Mission shirts
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Vanuatu Port Vila Mission T-Shirt
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Vanuatu Port Vila Mission Heart Map Shirt
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Choose size & color →I Glory in My Jesus, in the language of this mission
2 Nephi 33:6 as it reads in the Book of Mormon for each language spoken here.
Weak Things Become Strong, in the language of this mission
"I make weak things become strong" (Ether 12:27) as it reads in the Book of Mormon for each language spoken here.
About the mission
Bislama is Vanuatu’s daily lingua franca. English and French are also widely spoken, especially in Port Vila.
At a glance
- Country
- Vanuatu
- Main city
- Port Vila (49,034 people in 2020)
- Language
- Bislama, with English and French also widely spoken
- Time zone
- Vanuatu Time (UTC+11)
- Climate
- Tropical maritime climate with wet and dry seasons, warm temperatures, and frequent trade winds
- Church in Vanuatu
- 12,820 members, 2 stakes, 40 congregations
A short history of the area
France and Britain began jointly administering the New Hebrides in 1887, and the Anglo-French Condominium was formalized in 1906. Port Vila later served as an American and Australian airbase during World War II. Today, it is Vanuatu’s capital and largest city.
The Church here
- 1973The Port Vila Branch was organized on July 15, with Lanipotu Fehoko as president.
- 1974Missionary work began in Vanuatu after several Latter-day Saint Tongan families moved there.
- 1975Tongan missionaries Asaeli Mokofisi and Peni Malohifo’ou began missionary work in Port Vila.
- 1982Government visa restrictions slowed missionary work, and non-native missionaries were expelled from Vanuatu.
- 1987–1989Fred Massing and Timothy Proveau, both natives of Vanuatu, served as the only missionaries on the island and baptized more than 40 people.
- 1998Seminary and institute classes were organized, and Tom and Janet Tarohati became the first couple called on a mission from Vanuatu.
- 2003President Gordon B. Hinckley visited Vanuatu and addressed 2,212 members in Port Vila.
- 2004The complete Book of Mormon was published in Bislama.
- 2012The Vanuatu Port Vila Mission was organized, covering Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and New Caledonia.
Temples nearby
Port Vila Vanuatu Temple
Under construction · Near Port Vila
Suva Fiji Temple
Dedicated June 18, 2000 · About 665 miles from Port Vila
The Book of Mormon here
Missionaries in this mission share the Book of Mormon in these languages. Tap a cover to read it free.
Cover art is an illustration. Links open the free edition on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Before you go
Phrases to learn
- HaloHello
- Gud moningGood morning
- Tangkyu tumasThank you very much
- PlisPlease
Foods to try
- Laplap (a baked dish of grated root vegetables, coconut milk, and meat or seafood wrapped in leaves)
- Tuluk (a baked coconut and cassava dish filled with meat)
- Simboro (vegetables or root crops wrapped in leaves and cooked with coconut milk)
- Coconut crab (a large land crab prepared as a local seafood dish)
Fun facts
- Port Vila’s area includes Ifira, a small island in Vila Harbour that is home to many traditional landowners.
- A Lapita burial site near Port Vila contains 25 tombs and three dozen skeletons, with ceramics dated to the 13th century BC.
- Port Vila’s football club Tafea FC won the Port Vila Premier League 16 times, including the first 15 seasons from 1994 to 2008–09.
Just got the call?
Turn the opening into a game: family and friends guess where the missionary is going before the reveal.