President and Sister Banner

Today we heard from Samuel's Mission President and his wife, President and Sister Banner. Things are starting to look real!

Mark S Banner, 60, and Melissa Mae Banner, four children, Palisades Ward, Ririe Idaho Stake: Tahiti Papeete Mission, succeeding President Steven R. Fox and Sister Debra L. Fox. Brother Banner is a high councilor and temple ordinance worker and former stake presidency counselor, stake clerk, YSA branch president, bishopric counselor, elders quorum president, gospel doctrine teacher and missionary in the Tahiti Papeete Mission. He was born in Burley, Idaho, to Golden Leo Banner and Helen Wilma Stoddard Banner.
Sister Banner is a ward Primary president and temple ordinance worker and former stake historian, stake Primary president, stake Young Women presidency counselor, stake Young Women camp director, ward Young Women president, Primary teacher, gospel doctrine teacher, seminary and institute teacher and missionary in the Australia Brisbane Mission. She was born in Carthage, Missouri, to Jacob Cyrus Kentner Sr. and Donna Mae Durman Woods.

"We were officially set apart on June 4th by Gary Stevenson as Mission President and companion of the Tahiti Papeete Mission and received our French and Tahitian name tags this week. The official start date was to be July 1st but we have to get visas before we can go. We also learned this week that the offices that issues the visas may not open until the end of July. This will possibly push our starting date to mid or late August before we can go." (June 14, 2020)

Sister Banner and I have our Mission Presidents Training this week which is held near the end June each year. This year it will be online just like all current missionaries. There, we will be trained by the First Presidency and most of the Quorum of the Twelve. From there, those that can will go to their assignment.

Tahiti has been Covid free for nearly a month now and as such will begin welcoming tourists back July 15th. As missionaries who will be there an extended period of time, we are required to have visas. The visa offices for France are currently closed although this past week they started accepting applications. Upon further investigation, we determined that the accepting of applications did not include the US. The week before that, Missionary Travel had told us that the visa offices might not be open until the end of July. We do not know if that means a limited opening or a full opening including the US. In any event, those from the US must wait a few weeks, including us. At least things seem to be moving forward.

We are not sure if the visas of those who were already serving in Tahiti before coming home are still valid or not. If they are still valid, then it is possible they may be able to return sooner than those who have to wait for a visa. Of course, this also depends on the priorities of the Brethren and coordinating with transfer cycles and how it affects all the missions as missionaries are moved.

Based on what we know so far, we expect to be in Tahiti mid to late August. We put our full trust in the Lord's timing and that it could be sooner or later than that if it is his will. We firmly believe that the Lord is hastening his work and that Covid-19 is causing the elect to reprioritize their lives and making them more receptive to His gospel. At the same time, we believe how we share the gospel is also being reshaped so that we will be more effective with the tools that he has provided us. It will not be business as usual going forward.

We love the Lord and his gospel. We love our missionaries, those in the field, those who have completed their MTC training and waiting to enter the field, those preparing to enter the MTC and their families. Even though this has been a disrupting time in all our lives, we believe we will look back and see it as a blessing as we discover the many miracles that will take place because of it.

We are excited and look forward to working with you in this work. It will truly be a blessing to those who engage in it and to those who receive it.

Love

President and Sister Banner (June 21, 2020)