Pacific islanders feel spiritual uplift

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf arrived in the Samoas Nov. 7 to deliver messages of encouragement and hope and promise to multitudes of resilient members who will forever feel the pain exacted by a recent deadly earthquake and tsunami.

The second counselor in the First Presidency made his first trip to American Samoa and Samoa (formerly Western Samoa) as part of the first leg of his extensive, multi-nation tour through the Pacific Islands. President Uchtdorf was accompanied by his wife, Sister Harriet Uchtdorf. They met with missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and thousands of Mormon members throughout the Samoas, sharing words of sympathy and encouragement to the many still reeling from the historic disaster.

The Uchtdorfs also toured the eastern coastline of the Samoan island of Upolu that suffered severe damage in the tsunami. Remembering what he witnessed, President Uchtdorf noted the power of faith amid the devastating destruction.

\"The damage was great, but while it is terrible to see the destruction the force of nature can cause, the force of faith is definitely greater than the force of nature,\" he said.

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