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SALT LAKE CITY -- The week before LDS General Conference is typically when missionaries gather for their annual reunions.
But there was one special missionary reunion Wednesday evening that was 50 years in the making.
This was a different type of reunion: These missionaries built the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii in the 1960s and traveled from all over the world for this gathering.
Those who came together for this reunion were strapping young men 50 years ago. They were strong, skilled workers, called to serve for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
These weren't ordinary Church missions where young men were called to preach the Gospel; these were "labor missions." The men were called for three years, away from their native islands, performing hard, extensive construction work.
"We do everything that the contractor constructions workers did," said Sione Feinga, who in 1960 was one of 31 missionaries called from Tonga -- many of whom had already served three years of labor in their country before moving to Hawaii.
A total of 22 labor missionaries came from Samoa, 12 were Maori, 12 were Hawaiian and about 50 American married couples came to supervise their work.
Their mission was to build the Polynesian Cultural Center, the Church College -- which is now BYU Hawaii -- and temple visitor's center.
Ron Swickard was a young married father when he and his wife packed up and moved to the island as a supervisory couple.
"The work that these people did, the sacrifices they made -- especially the Tongans -- just probably beyond what we realize," Swickard said.
Their numbers are now few, but they stand proud, and at the same time humbled at what their hard work produced.
"I love that mission. I love these people," Feinga said. "I look back and my mission was really worthwhile."
After serving their missions in Hawaii, many of the labor missionaries went on to fulfill more labor missions. One missionary served for 30 years as a labor missionary.
"I just feel blessed to have been a part of it," Swickard said.
E-mail: jstagg@ksl.com
