LDS Witness
Statistical Improbabilities

The Jubilee Baptismal Goal of 500 Converts

Published October 25, 2026 at 3:06 PM

1960s
Tonga
John H. Groberg

Contributed by

Groberg Memoir Research

Share:XFacebookEmail

While serving as mission president in Tonga, John H. Groberg felt inspired to set a goal for the missionaries to baptize 500 people in a single month leading up to a jubilee celebration. The goal appeared statistically impossible to the missionaries, yet through their collective faith and efforts, the target was met, demonstrating the power of inspired leadership and missionary work.

In Their Own Words

“During his service, Elder Groberg helped plan a jubilee celebration for the Saints in Tonga and promised the missionaries that, leading up to the jubilee, 500 people would be baptized." — LDS Living”

Sources & References

https://www.ldsliving.com/john-h-groberg (research confidence: high)

Every published account is vetted against its sources — read our editorial standards.

Filed under

Statistical Improbabilities1960sTonga

Related Miracles

More accounts involving John H. Groberg, plus similar miracle types and stories from the 1960s.

Emergency Night Voyage and Harbor Light(1950s)
John Groberg's Hurricane Rescue at Sea(1950s)
599 of 600: Nearly an Entire Religious Denomination Joins the Church — The United Brethren of Herefordshire (1840)
Mormon Island: Battalion Veterans Make One of the Richest Gold Finds of the Rush — Then Choose Zion Over Gold (March 1848)
Azariah Smith: The 17-Year-Old Diarist at Sutter’s Mill, Who Was Homesick for His Mother and Didn’t Care Much About the Gold(1848)
Bayesian Statistical Analysis: The Probability the Book of Mormon Is Fiction Is 1 in 10^111(2019)

Questions about this account

Who was involved in this account?
The account involves John H. Groberg. Each person named here also has a witness page collecting the other accounts involving them.
When did this account take place?
The account is set in the 1960s.
Where did this account take place?
It took place in Tonga.
What kind of miracle is this?
It is filed as a Statistical Improbabilities account reported in Tonga.
Where does this account come from?
(research confidence: high). The full source citation appears in the Sources section below, with links to the original where available.

Miracle of the Week

One remarkable, documented account in your inbox every Monday, drawn from the full archive.