The Founding of the Samoan Mission

The establishment of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Samoan Islands has an interesting and unusual history. Two Mormon missionaries, Kimo Belio and Samuela Manoa, were sent to Samoa from Hawaii and arrived there in 1863. They baptized about fifty people, but the Church struggled, in part because the Samoan Mission was not officially sanctioned by leaders in Salt Lake City. In 1887, Elder Joseph H. Dean sailed to Samoa to revive missionary work. He faced many obstacles, such as tribal warfare and a rumor that it was illegal to join the Mamona (Mormon) Church, but Dean and other missionaries were able to overcome these obstacles and officially establish a mission there in 1888.