As World War II loomed in the Central Pacific, the islands of Micronesia served as strategic battlefields between Axis and Allied forces. But how did these isles transform so quickly from war-ravaged lands to sacred temple grounds? The prophet Jacob foretold, “Great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea” (2 Nephi 10:21). In this episode, BYU Religious Studies Center executive editor R. Devan Jensen discusses his recent book Battlefields to Temple Grounds: Latter-day Saints in Guam and Micronesia, coedited by Rosalind Meno Ram. Brother Jensen highlights how Latter-day Saint servicemen and humanitarian workers arrived during and after the war, planting the branches that would expand the global presence of the Church and fulfill revelation and promise.

Publications:

• Battlefields to Temple Grounds (Religious Studies Center, 2023)
• “Thirty Years of Pioneers on Pohnpei, Micronesia” (Regional Studies in Latter-day Saint Church History: The Pacific Isles, 2008)

Click here to learn more about executive editor R. Devan Jensen