A Faithful servant of The Lord shares what he learned as an Area Seventy

William (Bill) Hampton Kawaiola Davis II was released as an Area Seventy for the Asia North Area in April 2023 General conference.  His last day of service as an area authority was July 31, 2023. 

He is from the island of Molokai in Hawaii.  He attended BYU-Hawaii where he met his beautiful wife, Wanda.  They have four children.  They moved to Guam in 1986 for employment.  In 1999 an opportunity to work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Micronesia Guam Service Center opened.  He was first hired as the Finance Supervisor, but eventually became the leader and member support coordinator as well as the welfare and self-reliance manager.   

He has enjoyed working for the Church.  He said: “I feel like [my work] is a calling and has helped me to serve the Church in this area in the temporal sense of the work.  There is also a spiritual side of the work in that we assist the priesthood leaders and hopefully improve the churches.  One of the things I enjoy doing is humanitarian projects.  The humanitarian projects have opened the door to these islands.”  One of the projects that changed his way of thinking as far as the type of donations was when the Church donated 25 sewing machines to the Girl Scout troops on Kosrae.  This donation touched and changed many hearts.  It also opened the door for more opportunities for the Church humanitarian department throughout the islands. It was this donation that helped him realize that the donations the Church makes really can make a difference.  Through these donations, relationships with the people are made, whether it be individuals or within the different governing bodies throughout the islands.

He has realized the value and the importance of calling people and the Church by the correct name. When he was first called in General Conference, His whole name was not used.  His mother and other relatives in Hawaii wondered why his Hawaiian name was not used.  It was important to his mother, his family, and the island where he was born.  At this same time, President Russell M. Nelson taught us all the importance of using the whole name of the Church instead of the shorter versions such as Mormon Church or LDS.  It is Christ’s Church and should be called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Brother Davis came to know the importance of learning and using the correct names of people and especially the name of the Church. 

Through this calling he learned the functions of the office of an area seventy.  Everything they do is by assignment.  According to the handbook: Area Seventies are Church leaders called by the First Presidency to be “especial¹ witnesses” and to assist the Twelve in “building up the church and regulating all the affairs” and “preaching and administering the gospel” in their assigned areas. (Doctrine and Covenants 107:25, 34, 38). They act under the keys and direction of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

He was able to have a lot of very sacred experiences through this calling.  Some of the most sacred that he’s had has been in the calling of stake and district presidents.  He said: “The process that you go through, and the revelation received is very sacred.  I received very clear promptings on who should be the next stake president.”  Through the process of making these calls, Brother Davis knows that there is no doubt that each of these calls came from God.

He’s also learned the importance of training for the priesthood leaders.  During COVID this was difficult because the training had to be done via zoom calls.  The internet on parts of the islands is not always dependable. 

Brother Davis hopes that the people have learned something from him; that people can move forward and be better because of what they learned.  He hopes that through his service, he’s left a good impression on what others think about the Church.  He stated, “By knowing me, they know that I represent the Church and our Savior.”  He has made many lasting friends through his service. 

When asked what he’d like the members of the Church outside of Micronesia to know about these islands, he said: “These are the isles of the sea.  There is a special blessing upon them.  Our people here, especially our members, have a child-like faith.  They are so faithful even though that may not have all of the church materials translated for them.  They trust in the Lord.  They’re happy people.  They may not have much, but they’re happy with what they have.  They are a very family-loving people.  They value cleanliness and family ties.  If you give them a chance, you will find that they are the greatest people around.  They love from the very bottom of their heart.  They love when you remember their names.  God lives.  We are His children, and he loves everybody.  He loves those upon the isles of the sea.  He’s aware of them and aware of their needs.  There is no doubt in my mind that Jesus Christ is over this work.  This is His work.  This is His Church.”