Description
The Quiet Hero of Hawaii: Jonathon Nepala
It was March 1851, and Elder George Q. Cannon felt impressed to cease laboring among the foreigners in the Hawaiian Islands and shift his missionary efforts to the natives. Seeking “friends” that the Lord had shown him, he went to Wailuku on Maui.
When he arrived he talked with some of the natives. Elder Cannon had determined to learn their language and by the gifts of the Spirit he had done so. He was invited to stay and preach. This was the family of Jonathon Nepala. Cannon knew immediately that he had found his “friends.”
Nepala was a man of property and means, well-educated, and a circuit court judge and magistrate. He was a man of considerable influence. He and his wife, Kiti listened to Elder Cannon’s message, but that preaching brought down wrath upon the family. Jonathon was threatened and abused.
To spare his friend the persecution, Elder Cannon left the area. Not only did Jonathon Nepala provide a place for him to go, but he was instrumental in the first baptisms in the area.
When Elder Cannon decided to take Elder Francis Hammond and return to Wailuku, he was not sure if he should go back to Nepala’s house. He did not want to bring trouble upon them again.
The two men stopped short of the village and determined to ask the Lord if they should return. While Elder Hammond stood watch on the roadway, Elder Cannon went a short distance off and prayed. Both men felt strongly impressed to go to Jonathon’s house immediately.
“Upon arriving they found Napela in earnest conversation with several prominent and educated Hawaiians who were trying to persuade him to forego his attachment to the doctrines of Mormonism and return to his place in the Protestant congregation. The arrival of the Elders was providential: Elder Cannon was the only person in Hawaii who had sufficient command of the Hawaiian language and an understanding of the restored gospel to lead the subsequent conversation. They talked all through the night.
That night proved to be a turning point for missionary work on Maui. Within a few days Napela and his wife were baptized. In less than a month Elder Cannon, with the help of Brother Napela, began translating the Book of Mormon into the native language. In less than three months, more than one hundred and fifty people joined the Church in Wailuku—nearly half of them faithful in the Protestant congregation.”
Jonathon Nepala went on to become a fast and forever friend to the missionaries. As threatened, his positions were taken from him, but it did not diminish his influence. He helped George Q. Cannon translate the Book of Mormon into Hawaiian, started the first MTC in the Church, served numerous missions, helped bring thousands into the Church, and became the first Hawaiian to receive the ordinances of the Temple. Rightfully so, Jonathon Nepala served to the very end and is called “A Quiet Hero of Hawaii.”
Source: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/jonathan-napela?lang=eng
