- Patrice Tipoki (cropped)
- Cairns Fogarty Park Shell
- Preparing for Cairns event
- Cairns 1
- Cairns 2
- Cairns 3
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
“Why not Cairns? Why not have Cairns be a showcase for the wonderful message of Christ?” That was the strong, persistent impression that Elder Kelly Maxfield, a senior missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints felt come into his mind nearly a year ago as he contemplated planning and holding a meaningful 'Light the World' event in Cairns, Australia for December, 2018.
Since that time, many people have rallied together in preparation for a wonderful evening ahead to help this upcoming 'Light the World' event become a reality. Elder and Sister Maxfield have been at the forefront of the planning and preparations of this event with the support of President Mark McSwain of the Australia Brisbane Mission.
Other major contributors have been Nicole Ziegelbauer, Director of Public Affairs for the Cairns District, and Rubina Kimiia, the 'Light the World' program director for this event. Both women, along with many other members of the Church in Cairns, have worked diligently in preparing for a magnificent Church-sponsored community event.
Nicole shared her enthusiasm, “We are so excited for the 'Light the World' concert. Everyone involved has worked so hard to make this happen. Doors have been opened which we never thought possible. You can drive around Cairns and see fences adorned with 'Light the World' banners, there are roadside signs, radio ads and facebook shares - it's really creating such a buzz! We absolutely cannot wait for Patrice [Tipoki, guest artist for the event] to grace the stage, along with all of the wonderful locally-grown talent we possess up here in the Far North!"
President McSwain expressed, "We're getting excited about 'Light the World!' When we first started looking at it, we felt it would be a wonderful 'common cause' that all community members could rally around to help strengthen families."
This year's 'Light the World' event will be on Saturday, 1 December 2018, at Fogarty Park Sound Shell in the Cairns Esplanade, beginning at 7:00 PM. It is titled 'Light the World - Family Christmas Music Concert.' It is sure to be one of the highlights in the Pacific Area for the Christmas season.