Sister Delila Lekupe (Le-KU-pay) is a 23-year-old sister missionary from Papua New Guinea.  Through her grandfather’s influence, she began attending the Church when she was 12 years old.  Her parents were very much against it.  She decided to be baptized, but was told that it wouldn’t be possible unless her parents would give permission.  When she told them of her desire, her mother was furious, and informed her that she’d be thrown out of the house if she did such a thing.  Her father, the acting chief inspector of the police department, was just a little less upset than her mother.  Seeing how determined she was to be baptized, he relented, and gave his permission.

He surprised his daughter by attending her baptism.  When he returned home, his wife confronted him, and asked what he was going to do about the terrible thing he had allowed their daughter to do.  His answer was one that would change their lives forever.  He told his wife that he had been impressed with the baptismal service, and that he had invited the missionaries to teach his family.  In a short time the whole family was baptized.

Sister Lekupe became old enough for seminary.  To insure that her daughter was properly taught, her mother became the seminary teacher.  She held the daily classes at her home.  The class consisted of just Sister Lekupe and a neighbor girl.

At the time Sister Lekupe was baptized, she was rated second from the bottom of her class at school.  Seminary did something to her mind.  She began excelling in her school work, and graduated at the very top of her large class.

All the seminary classes from the area were to gather for a scripture mastery competition.  Sister Lekupe didn’t want to go where she’d be humiliated in front of all the large classes.  She begged her mother to ignore it, but her mother collected the neighbor girl, and the little class went.  Sister Lekupe knew all 100 of the scripture masteries by heart.  The tiny seminary class went home with the trophy.  The trophy is still in that branch because no other class has ever been able to match that performance.

She entered the University of South Pacific, majoring in the physics of electronics.  She especially enjoyed her physics and math classes, and continued to excel in her studies.  While still keeping up with her difficult courses, she became interested in a flight instruction course that was being offered off campus.   She didn’t tell her father about her interest.  She told her uncle, and he paid for the instruction.

She got her student’s license and her pilot’s license.  The instructor was thrilled with her abilities, and with her quickness to learn.  Without her knowledge he submitted her name on an application for a scholarship to Florida, U.S.A. where she would obtain her commercial pilot’s license.  He, and she, were both thrilled when she won the scholarship—the first person ever from Papua New Guinea.

There was a decision to be made, however.  Sister Lekupe had already submitted her application to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Her flight instructor flatly told her to forget about the mission.  The scholarship she had won was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  Sister Lekupe told her father about her dilemma, who went with her to talk to the flight instructor.

“She’s going to Florida, and that’s final,” the instructor said.

“Well, I’m not so sure,” her father said.  “Some things are more important.”

Sister Lekupe was called to serve in the Vanuatu Port Vila Mission.  So was her best friend.  Two days ago I picked her best friend up at the airport, and took her to Sister Lekupe, who will be her trainer.

Yesterday I was to have been the keynote speaker for a seminary activity at the Banban Branch.  Over a week ago, the teacher, Sister Tarohati, had asked me to speak.  But the night before the event, I told her that I had a better person in mind to fill the assignment, and asked Sister Lekupe to take my place.

There are six students in that seminary class.  I didn’t attend the event, but Sister Tarohati was ecstatic about the results when I saw her later.  Sister Lekupe’s talk was exactly what she’d hoped for.  Not six, but sixty young people had shown up.  I don’t know what activities they had other than playing volleyball, but they all listened attentively as Sister Lekupe extolled the virtues of the Church and the benefits of seminary.