Opapo Fonoimoana — Protection of the Sauniatu Chapel

While living in the village of Sauniatu, which he helped found, a fire threatened the local chapel, which served as the hub of the community. Opapo climbed to the roof of the building and invoked the priesthood, asking God to spare the structure. Witnesses reported that the winds changed direction, and the chapel was saved from the fire.

Fuller account of this event (as retold in Carl Fonoimoana, 'Opapo: The Power of His Faith' in Voyages of Faith: Explorations in Mormon Pacific History):

Shortly after the first chapel was built, the small cooking house behind it caught on fire and, despite the efforts of the people to carry water from the river, the fire spread rapidly, endangering the chapel itself. Opapo climbed to the roof of the building and invoked the priesthood, asking God to spare the structure. Witnesses reported that the winds changed direction, and the chapel was saved from the fire. Not only was the chapel spared, but the Sauniatu Saints’ faith was strengthened at a very difficult time.