"The first noticeable thing about the branch is there are no children," he related. He said more would attend meetings if it weren't for long hours on the job, shift work, and leave schedules. Andrus, who added that about 10 to 12 come out to Church each Sunday. There are only about 25 known LDS on Johnston Atoll, said Pres. We are very much into the business of our job and involved in the island society." I don't think anyone could accuse us of being clannish. They have daily contact with all sorts of people. Merrill Andrus, who is a manager for one of the contractors, explained: "All the members of the Church in our branch are appreciative of the goodness of other people. And in return, members reach out to others on the island, regardless of belief or denomination.īranch Pres. Army to operate the Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Demilitarization System (JACADS), a facility for the destruction of chemical weapons.īeing so far from home and family, Latter-day Saints here feel naturally drawn to the companionship and acceptance common in this branch, according to leaders. It's the largest of a cluster of four islands known as Johnston Atoll, a crescent-shaped coral reef about 825 miles southwest of Hawaii.Like all the approximately 1,500 residents of the island, branch members are either military personnel or employed by civilian companies under contract with the Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) and the U.S. The Johnston Island Branch, a unit of the Hawaii Honolulu Mission, is progressing on this two-mile long, half-mile wide island. On a tiny speck in the vast Pacific - where it would be very easy to feel isolated and alone - a branch of the Church draws members close together, offering friendship and unity among a people in unusual circumstances.
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