My dear brothers and sisters, I know that each and every one of us here at BYU-Hawaii is here for a purpose. Many of us here can attest to this, many of those who came before us do. Yet there are many others still to come who will attest to how being here at BYU-Hawaii was no coincidence. There are lessons to be learned and joys to embrace through experiences in our short time here in BYU-Hawaii that we could not possibly have anywhere else.
This place is special. These grounds that we walk on every day have a unique history and an even more unique destiny. In a speech by Lance D. Chase here in BYU-Hawaii, there is mention of accounts that indicate Elder McKay, at the time before becoming President, wanted a “temple of learning to complement the House of the Lord already in existence a few hundred feet away…” Calling what would later be this beloved University a “temple of learning” denotes an “attitude of reverence… consistent with that found in scripture.” I, like President McKay, am “deeply grateful for the ideals of the church of Jesus Christ in education.”
The Lord, in the years of the Restoration, revealed to Joseph Smith (Doctrine and Covenants 88:77-80):
“And I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom.
Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand;”
Notice how we will always be given enough to know for ourselves what is true. It may not be all that the Lord knows, but I believe it will always be enough for us to reach the next checkpoint where the Lord will give us further guidance, for we are counseled to learn “line upon line, precept upon precept” (2 Nephi 28:30). This university is distinctive because we integrate secular learning in an atmosphere that prioritizes the Spirit. “Teach ye diligently…that you may be instructed…in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God.” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:77)
The Lord goes on to say that we must seek to understand: “things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth” (geography, biology and, here in BYU-Hawaii, surfing); “things which have been,” (history, or in our business department, accounting), “things which are,” (arts or, for business majors, economics), “things which must shortly come to pass” (in business, we call that finance); “things which are at home, things which are abroad,” (social work); “the wars and the perplexities of the nations,” (peace building) , “and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms” (political science, or in business operations). This is my favorite part: “That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you.” (Doctrine and Covenants 88: 79-80)
This brings us once again to our purpose, to the mission with which he has commissioned us, to be “men (and women) of a sound understanding” (Alma 17:2). This place is so special, but more special, are the people that it is designed to bless: you, me, all of us (and in turn others that we will bless). President David O. McKay prophesied “that from this place…will go men and women whose influence will be felt for good towards the establishment of peace internationally, genuine gold.” Oh, what a blessing it is to be part of that prophesy.
At the dedication of the Aloha Center, Elder Marion G. Romney uttered these words that I feel apply to the university as a whole,
Oh God, bless the youth that come here, that they may be inspired, that they may carry on various activities… in such a way as will help them grow in faith and power, that they may be representatives of thee on the earth, to reach out and touch as far as possible all mankind with the influence of thy Spirit and the knowledge that thou dost live and that Jesus is our Savior.
In a recent fireside with President Callister and President Wheelwright, they reminded us, once again, of the importance of our being here as students today, saying that, “He (the Lord) sent us here (to BYU-Hawaii) because he knows that things we need in the future, we can learn here.”
I must admit that there are times where I have personally found that my attending here was hard and confusing. I can recall certain periods of my time here as feeling pointless. Though inevitable, may we never stoop to such feelings and thinking permanently. It is at these times, in retrospect, I have come to understand as moments where, “man doth not comprehend all things which the Lord can comprehend.” (Mosiah 4:9). In these moments, we only see half of the story that is being written for us by our Father in Heaven.
While attending church here, I had a concerned bishop who tirelessly would remind us of the blessing it was to be able to attend the Lord’s university. He would expound to us that “each of you are not here by accident.” Let me add my testimony to his by saying, yes, each and everyone one of us is not here by mere coincidence. I believe that we have been lead here today in preparation for when the Lord will need us to be leaders, men and women of honor that are guided by the same spirit that resonates throughout this campus.
I love this campus. I have come to know many great people while being here and I love you all. I have met people here from all backgrounds who have been moved by the blessings of coming here. I know that those of you who have opened your hearts to “this place” share the same love I have for BYU-Hawaii. This place is indeed a hallowed ground meant to instill within us tools to “accomplish the things which the Lord hath commanded” (1 Nephi 3:7).
In closing, I leave with you certain words of the charge given to President Wheelwright at his inauguration, and see it as the charge to be given to us when we leave BYU-Hawaii. It goes,
“I confer upon you the authority, the prerogatives, and the responsibilities associated with this high and sacred office. I charge you to lead… to new heights of service, achievement, and recognition as is unique to this institution. You follow and enhance a tradition of striving to achieve visions of great possibilities seen by prophets of God. It is given as a gift to you with confidence that you will meet the sacred trust…”
Oh, how great is our purpose here as students of BYU-Hawaii. This I know to be true in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Sery Kouma Kone: "Tender Mercies"
Aloha Brothers and Sisters,
My standing here today is a miracle. I am humbled by this opportunity and pray for the Spirit to assist me as I address you today--that the Spirit will teach all of us according to our individual needs.
Exactly three years ago, my wife and I arrived at this university full of joy and dreams. It was quite an accomplishment to be finally accepted at BYU-Hawaii after three unsuccessful attempts. But, we soon realized that the journey was not going to be easy as we soon became aware of the challenges and difficulties ahead of us. The language barrier was obviously the primary one. It was literally impossible, at the time, for me to make a complete and correct sentence in English. We walked out of our first sacrament meeting asking ourselves if we were at the right place. Yet, three years later I am standing here at a campus devotional giving a talk in English! It is a miracle!
I would like to begin by honoring my dear wife. When we met 5 years ago, I was poor, alone, and my future was uncertain. All I had were my dreams and the desire to work hard to achieve them, but she willingly joined me in my eternal journey. I want her to know that I am grateful for her support, love, patience, and hard work. Without her, nothing would have been possible. She has been my faithful companion and partner every step of the way. To our 11-month-old son, I would like to say how much we are grateful to have him in our lives. He is a giant spirit, and the responsibility to raise him is both an honor and a privilege. We love him so very much.
My life is full with what the scriptures refer to as “the tender mercies of the Lord.”
I was born and raised in Cote D'Ivoire, West part of Africa. In the course of my life, I experienced what is called child slavery. After a family tragedy, I found myself working in cacao farms to survive. I began working when I was 6 years old and worked 10 hours a day clearing weeds with machetes, planting seeds, harvesting beans, and carrying heavy loads on my head and back. I did this for 6 years. It was a difficult and painful experience. Every day was the same. We learned to live each day as if it was our last. I eventually escaped and was able to have gone to school, met the missionaries, joined the Church, served a mission, and then was married in the House of the Lord. These blessings came because of so many “tender mercies of the Lord.”
Nephi declared: “But behold I will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom He hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.” (1 Nephi 1:20)
Elder Bednar elaborated on the word “chosen” mentioned in the verse we just read.
We may falsely think that such blessings and gifts are reserved for other people who appear to be more righteous or who serve in visible Church callings. I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are available to all of us and that the Redeemer of Israel is eager to bestow such gifts upon us. To be or to become chosen is not an exclusive status conferred upon us. Rather, you and I ultimately determine if we are chosen.
He continued:
God does not have a list of favorites to which we must hope our names will someday be added. He does not limit “the chosen” to a restricted few. Rather, it is our hearts and our aspirations and our obedience which definitively determine whether we are counted as one of God’s chosen. (Bednar April 2009).
For example, Mormon was quick to observe and sober–probably the reason the heavy responsibility to gather the records fell on his shoulders. Joseph Smith was courageous and ready to stand for his beliefs, qualities that certainly made him the “chosen” to lead the Restoration. He faithfully withstood oppression, persecutions, and faced death with no compromise. The greatest example of all made no exception: “not my will, but thine be done.” The question for you and me is, where do we stand in our relationship with God? What are we doing to be among the “chosen”? Have we taken advantage of the precious spiritual and intellectual opportunities that this special place has to offer?
This university was built to prepare us to become God’s chosen. Are we willing to take this responsibility or are we too busy with other things? If we are not careful, we could miss the purpose of being here. Here is a video I want to share to illustrate my point:
Video:
Your Potential, Your Privilege–Dieter Uchtdorf
Are there ways that we are living like the man on this ship? We are blessed beyond measure with the privilege of attending this great university, in this beautiful place. There are blessings waiting for us just outside our door, if we will walk hand in hand with the Savior. Of course, we all have challenges and struggles as we go through school. From failed exams, difficulties to understand some of the materials, and Church responsibilities, the challenges are the same, but we can all take comfort in the promises of the Lord. In Isaiah 40 verse 31, we read, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Like me, the fact that you are here may be a miracle in your life. I hope and pray that we will all strive to live up to our potential and privileges, and recognized the tender mercies in our lives.
In closing, I’d like to acknowledge the friends I have made who have influenced my life. I have been given great opportunities to learn, serve, and grow from their examples and friendships. Thanks to all of you my fellow students, my teachers and mentors.
I also want to thank the two teams in which I have been involved. Our BYUHSA leadership team and our Enactus team. You have all helped me live up to my privileges and opportunities and added so many tender mercies in my journey here. You are all my heroes, and I am grateful for everything you have done for me.
Like the people of Jared when they arrived at the promised land, the scriptures tell us: “And when they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon the face of the earth, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them.” (Ether 6:12)
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Marc Gardner
It was many years ago that David O. McKay had a vision of what this marvelous place of La’ie would become in the future. After he attended a small ceremony, he stated, “I witnessed a flag raising ceremony by students of the Church school here in Hawaii in La’ie. In that little group of students were Hawaiians, what do you call them — Haoles, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, and Filipinos. We listened to each one, a representative from each of these groups, pay tribute to the stars and stripes as the flag was pulled up there on the flagpole and all vowed allegiance. That ceremony brought tears to my eyes. Truly the melting pot…” - David O. McKay
It is important to understand the period of time in which this vision had taken place. In 1918, WWI had just ended and the world was in a rebuilding state. David O. McKay, a young Apostle, had been charged to go and visit the nations and take peace. That flag raising ceremony gave hope that all, as children of God, could work together and get along in peace and harmony.
Look at us today. Over 70 countries are represented on this very campus. The PCC and La’ie Temple bring in thousands of visitors to be exposed to our beliefs. Every day, busloads of people get taken to the mural of the flag raising ceremony and exposed to the vision of this little town and what it represents. This small place is truly bringing people together from all over the world. In President McKay’s words, “What an example in this little place of the purposes of our Father in Heaven to unite all peoples by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
How is it that we are united? What is the common denominator? Is it the gospel? This school? Our culture? While pondering these questions, I was reminded of a few experiences that help me to understand.
I was visiting a friend on the west side a few weeks ago. We had plans to swim with dolphins, as we both loved water photography. I had visions in my mind of the bright sun and crystal clear blue water with hundreds of dolphins swimming around me. I was imagining the perfect shot of a dolphin spinning out of the water and a baby dolphin close behind with the sun raging in the right of the picture, and a perfect rainbow to top it off. I was stoked. I woke up early, traveled out there for this perfect moment, looked for the dolphin boats as they were an indication of where we needed to be. But there were none, and it was overcast and raining.
My friend Alika, in his humble pigeon accent, said, “Braddah Marc, why are you bummed? If you only look for the perfect moments in life, you have lost your passion for the ocean. Have faith. Mother Nature always provides, even in bad conditions.”
He was right. We got in the water and, even though I didn't see what I wanted, we were still blessed with beautiful water, fish, honu and a shark. It was a great day. As we were leaving and dropping my friend home, he said, “Marc, thank you for adding value to my life.”
This statement has had a profound impact on me; it was so deep. How is it that I added value to his life? I was the negative one and he was the one who I felt added so much value to my life with what he had been teaching me, with his example of faith and a positive attitude.
In that same week after pondering this statement, I took a family shark diving off Haleiwa. I was surprised, as when I meet groups, it is usually students, but in this situation, it was a family. The father was one of the nicest people I have ever met. He genuinely wanted to know about my life by asking sincere questions. He was excited at my life’s plans, at my hobbies, interests and what drove me. He even asked about my family and what they did. He constantly smiled all day and continued to show his appreciation for the great time we had. His son was sick on the boat and I observed him looking after him to make sure he was okay–a great example of a father’s love. He displayed these same genuine attributes of wanting to know about other people’s lives to all on the boat. His positive attitude, smiling and genuine interest was infectious. I honestly believe if it was stormy and a horrible day, he still would have displayed, in my opinion, perfect gratitude. A few days later he rang me up and gave me a gift card for my favorite eating place and homemade brownies. He truly added value to me and I bet to many more people he comes in contact with. I will always remember that man and the impact he had on my life that day.
What was it about these two experiences that stood out to me: someone giving me one of the nicest compliments and teaching me about faith and positivity, despite my negative attitude, and a man so radiant and full of life leaving an impact on me like that? The answer is the light of Christ and the love of God.
The Savior teaches us, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
And furthermore, we read in Moroni, “For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for everything which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.” (Moroni 7:16)
These two experiences helped me to understand the light that is in all of us, member of the church or not. Every person has the capacity to leave a positive impact on someone else–that all of us can help those around us to be happy. I know and believe that this is what President McKay saw and felt during that flag raising ceremony, tender experiences of human beings adding value to the lives of those around us. And again today, look at the value the small 2,800 students, few hundred staff and faculty, and tiny country community are leaving with the world. We truly are letting our light shine before men.
Last week, I had the privilege to attend a Family Home Evening with Elder Callister and students from the South Pacific. It was in this meeting an important doctrine was explained to me that helped me understand the light we have. Elder Callister asked us to think about this statement, “What is not quite right about this belief that other people believe, the belief that we were created by God?” I thought this was a bold statement because are we not created by God? He then went on to ask, “Can a painting become the painter? Or can the photograph become the photographer? The answer being simple, no.”
He went on to explain that, “likewise if we were just created by Him we could never become like Him, but we know from the Bible that we are the offspring of God, and that means we all have his DNA, a part of him in each of us.”
This, then, changes our relationship with Him and those around us. Each one of us has the ability to display the wonderful attributes that our loving Heavenly Father has. Think about that, you and I can do that. Heavenly Father loves you and me so much that He adds immense value to our lives through the characteristics we all share that are from Him.
I am not sure about how much value I have left with you, but I know about the value you have left with me. You all have strengths, whether you believe it or not. You all have characteristics of Heavenly Father and, while I do not know you all personally, I have seen it and felt it while being on this campus surrounded by you.
Now, I would like to speak to those whose lights are dimmed by struggles, stress, temptations and burdens. And I, too, have been there many times. The Lord loves you. Sometimes we have the expectations of what we want out of life and we do not get that, or, through our choices, fall short of what is required of us and the Lord’s promised blessings. Like the story of my perfect day on the west side, you may have had the perfect picture in mind, shown up, and not gotten it, but the Lord will always give us something better–something that is needed for us in the very moment we need it. Our time here at BYU-Hawaii is the time to seek the help we need to overcome the challenges we face, to regain the light that is dimmed, to understand our divine relationship with our Father in Heaven, to continue to be a light and add value to those around us.
I know and promise you that no matter what you are going through, no matter how much pain you feel, no matter how big the sin is, whatever is dimming your light, that in the words of Paul, “Nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We have countless missionaries, Bishoprics, Stake presidencies, Relief Society presidents, Elders’ Quorum presidents, school counselors, teachers, professors, mentors, community members and fellow students all around us who are here to help us. Do not feel alone.
President Monson stated, “My dear sisters (and this applies to brethren, too), your Heavenly Father loves you—each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there”
Brothers and sisters, I testify to you all that God’s love is real and that it is always there. I know and believe in all of us, that we can add value to the lives of those around us! I know that we are a bright light to the world and are fulfilling David O. McKay's vision of becoming genuine gold. Let us use this time to become that promised blessing and lay hold of the light we have been blessed with. I know Christ lives and this is His school, and that this is His Gospel. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.