A Sacred Connection Across the Veil

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​A Sacred Connection Across the Veil

The gospel of Jesus Christ binds families together on both sides of the veil. One sacred connection between two Palauan sisters occurred on Saturday evening, April 2026 General Conference weekend.

Teruko Biddulph has been a major part of the Church’s Palauan translation team for years. Born and raised on the Palau islands of Micronesia, she currently resides in Utah. Teruko has contributed greatly to her home country receiving the gospel in their native language.

On Saturday, April 4, 2026, the night before the final sessions of conference, Sister Biddulph met with the Palauan translation team at the home of Elder Scott Lieber and Sister Kristin Lieber. The Liebers had recently returned from a senior mission to Palau and experienced many miracles together, reconnecting to the people Elder Lieber served as a young missionary on Palau in the early 1980s.

Teruko didn’t know the Liebers previously, but was anxious to hear about their experiences on Palau. After dinner, Teruko was looking through old photos of Elder Lieber’s first mission and came across a class photo from Meyuns Elementary School, where she also had attended as a child. She spotted a little girl in the photo and said, “That looks like me!” The Liebers replied that it couldn’t be her, as she would have been too young at that time. Elder Lieber explained that this girl’s name was Mischelle, who he called his “little shadow” as she followed him everywhere. The elders at that time were volunteer-teaching classes at elementary schools on Palau. Elder Lieber then relayed the sad news that upon their return to Palau in 2025, he learned little Mischelle had passed away at age 12, a few years after he returned home in 1984.

Upon hearing this, Teruko became very quiet and said, “I had an older sister named Mischelle who passed away at age 12 from heart problems; this must be her.” Another translation team member, Harvey Olsingch, was listening and verified Mischelle was his classmate, as he also was in the class photo.

At this point, Elder Lieber told the group, “Wait here, I have something to show you.” After their senior mission, the Liebers had retrieved Elder Lieber’s old journals from the Church History Library just in case they might be of use in making more connections with Palauans.

He then brought his journal to Teruko saying, “I had received so many notes, and especially Valentines from the school kids, but I only saved one in my journal after all these years.” He proceeded to hand Teruko a paper Valentine made by her long-deceased sister, Mischelle.

As Teruko handled the artifact and looked at the never-before-seen photos of her sister, the spirit of Elijah was tangible. She shared that Mischelle’s Palauan name was Lemau, which opened Elder Lieber’s memory even more regarding his beloved little shadow. Sister Lieber remarked, “Tears were shed and the spirit around the table was so pure, as everyone was touched by Teruko’s words as she held her sister’s Valentine.”

The next morning was Easter, and Teruko sent a message to Elder Lieber saying, “Ke meral mesulang (thank you so much). So happy after the connection. I kept looking at the pictures last night. My youngest daughter did a temple baptism for her (Mischelle) last year. We tried hard to schedule it for many days but only one date worked out. Guess which day? It was completed on February 14th, Valentine’s Day.”

It was in this sacred exchange that the veil became thin. It seemed as if Valentine’s Day, Easter, and remembrance all felt woven together in a tender witness of God’s love. Teruko, the Liebers, and those who witnessed the experience believe that Mischelle was smiling. Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, she, her sister, and her niece are eternally connected, bound together by faith, family, and sacred covenant blessings that extend beyond mortality.