The traditional history of Nukulaelae is that a white-skinned man was the first person to sight the island, but he did not settle as there were no trees.
Christianity first came to Tuvalu in 1861 when Elekana, a deacon of a Congregational church in Manihiki, Cook Islands became caught in a storm and drifted for 8 weeks before landing at Nukulaelae on 10 May 1861 [REF].