Good morning, brothers and sisters. Aloha!
I am so grateful to be here this morning with you and to share a few thoughts about experiencing a bit of heaven on earth. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my love and sweet eternal companion, Sister Fuller. She was the one that peaked my interest in the gospel and joined with me, 46 years ago, on our journey together forever.
I also want to thank our talented musicians for the beautiful song “Where Is Heaven.” Have you ever wondered what Heaven is like? I’d like everyone to close your eyes for just a few seconds. No, you can’t go to sleep! Now that your eyes are closed, I want you to picture what you imagine heaven to be like. Is it bright? Is it peaceful? Is it full of people you love? Acceptance? Is it happy, reverent, joyful, righteous? A place you wouldn’t want to leave? Now you can open your eyes.
How many of you would love to experience, today, bits of that Heaven you just envisioned in your mind? How would you feel? Can we find a bit of that heaven right here in Laie even with the recent threat of the two hurricanes? Today, I would like to share with you what each of us can do to help create a heavenly environment for ourselves and others while living here together on our BYU–Hawaii campus.
I feel so blessed to be born of such goodly parents who raised me and my sisters in a modest home full of so much love. Even though we didn’t have the gospel in our home, we were encouraged to do what is right and always felt safe and loved.
Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us and literally creates circumstances that brings life changing miracles to us. That occurred for me when the Lord introduced my beautiful wife Deon to me in a sacrament meeting that I was attending with my recently baptized sister and her family. Sister Fuller was an angel and the instrument the Lord used to introduce me to the sweetness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through her display of having high personal standards and her firm and unwavering testimony, the gospel was brought into my life. I started attending church regularly, and we started dating. Things were going well except for one major glitch: she was leaving shortly to attend BYU–Provo, and I was still in California. At that point, I knew she was the choicest young lady I had ever met, so I pondered and prayed, and the Lord answered my prayers. It was time to start preparing to experience a little bit of heaven on earth. After Sister Fuller left to college, I decided to take the missionary lessons and read the Book of Mormon. It wasn’t until I read the Book of Mormon and received a strong confirmation that it was true that I decided to be baptized. Thus, my conversion was confirmed through the Spirit, and the words of Moroni rang true”
“And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true: and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” (Moroni 10:4-5)
After my baptism, I did begin to experience a bit of heaven on earth. Things worked out as the Lord had intended, and Sister Fuller and I were married 46 years ago in the Los Angeles Temple, about a year and half after my baptism. Since that day of kneeling across the altar in the temple, we committed to the Lord that we would always do our best to protect each other and our future children from the evils and dangers of the world and encourage the Spirit of the Lord to always reside in our home.
Even when our home was in Heritage Halls at BYU–Provo as head residents, we still felt that urgency to help the 123 freshman girls we lived with put up a protective shield from the evils of the world so that they could feel the Spirit of the Lord, a little bit of heaven, while living in the dorms.
As the years passed and one by one our six beautiful children were born, Sister Fuller and I knew it was so true when our prophet Harold B. Lee taught, "The most important of the Lord’s work that you will ever do will be the work you do within the walls of your own home” ( Strengthening the Home, pamphlet, 1973, p. 7). Although we have had peaks and valleys, as we all do - numerous challenges and even temptations in our home - we have always tried to help our children feel loved and safe and have a strong desire to follow our Savior. During some of these times, it took a lot of effort to keep the worldly ways and evil influences out of our home, but we were still able to shut the door in our safe and happy sanctuary and gather together to laugh, to cry, to support, to share, to discuss, to pray, and to feel like we were experiencing a bit of heaven on earth within the walls of our own home.
As Sister Fuller said, for many years of my professional life, I was a high school principal. At each school that I was in charge of, I had a great desire and felt a tremendous responsibility to create a campus climate where my students were protected from danger and evil and hopefully where they each felt loved and cared for - a place where these young people could feel a glimpse of heavenly goodness.
Now I want to fast forward our life 46 years, just like yours will be someday. This is where Sister Fuller and I find so much of our bit of heaven on earth - with our forever family.
So the question today is “How can we create a bit of heaven on earth wherever we live?” Where are we on our journey to experiencing a bit of heaven on earth? All of us here are at different stages and circumstances in our life. Some of us are new students, some married, some single, some looking to find that special someone, some preparing for missions, some adjusting from just returning from missionary service, and some a little older. No matter where we are today, we are all on our journey to create and find a little bit of heaven on earth while we are preparing to return home to our Heavenly Father.
We are all together here at our beautiful BYU–Hawaii, experiencing a world-wide student body. Coming together from over 70 nations in a unique brotherhood and sisterhood, striving to learn, to serve, and to become more Christlike in all that we do. We are obtaining an education that will prepare us for a lifetime of professional service in our chosen careers. But more importantly, we are learning to become Christlike leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, preparing us to provide a lifetime of dedicated service to the wonderful people of our native lands.
BYU–Hawaii, in a true sense, is a “lab setting” where day by day, we can practice becoming more Christlike in all that we do while helping others to do the same, which will help all of us learn how to create and live in a bit of heaven. How do we keep ourselves and those around us in a safe gospel-centered environment so that we can experience a bit of heaven while on earth as we are preparing for our future eternal forever families? Heavenly Father has a recipe for us to follow that helps us find much joy and happiness while on our life’s journeys.
I have included five important steps in the recipe that will help us create and find bits of heaven while on earth.
“Creating A Bit of Heaven” Recipe
1. Add a Positive and Can-Do Attitude
First we need to start this heavenly recipe by quickly adding a positive and a can do attitude. I learned early on in life that the attitude I choose to wake up with each morning will determine the success of my day. In my principal’s office, framed and placed adjacent to my computer screen, was this quote that I read daily called “Attitude Makes a Difference” by Charles Swindoll, author, educator, and Christian pastor. He said, “Attitude, to me, is more important than the facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company; a church; a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. … The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you… We are in charge of our Attitudes.”
Hopefully, when we wake up each morning, we will choose to count our blessings, look for the good, be happy, smile, and be kind to all we meet.
President Monson stated in his January 2012 First Presidency message, “We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. For maximum happiness, peace, and contentment, may we choose a positive attitude” ("Living the Abundant Life," Ensign, Jan. 2012). Although we can’t control all the things that might happen to us, like the wind and even hurricanes, we can adjust the sails by choosing a positive attitude. Hopefully we choose to be positive and hopeful no matter what comes our way.
2. Blend in Strengthening our Personal Testimonies
Next in our “Creating a Bit of Heaven” recipe, we need to blend in strengthening our personal testimonies. After adding our positive attitude, it should be much easier to exercise faith in our Heavenly Father and rid ourselves of fear. President James E. Faust said, “If you take each challenge one step at a time, with faith in every footstep, your strength and understanding will increase. You cannot foresee all of the turns and twists ahead. My counsel to you is to follow the direction of the Savior of the world: ‘Be not afraid, only believe’” ("Pioneers of the Future: 'Be Not Afraid, Only Believe,'" General Conference, Oct. 1997).
To help us exercise our faith, omit fear, and strengthen our testimonies, we need to combine daily scripture study, personal prayers, attending all of our Sunday church meetings where we actively participate and stay temple worthy with a current recommend that allows us to attend the temple often.
3. Sprinkle lots of Unconditional Love
The third ingredient in helping us create a bit of heaven is sprinkling lots of our Savior’s unconditional love. Have you ever been discouraged or feeling down for a while? In the scriptures, the Savior taught that “he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 10:39). Next time you are feeling a bit down, put this scripture to the test and go do something special for someone else. You will be surprised how quickly you will forget your troubles and your smile will return and a bit of heaven can be felt, just like President Kimball taught: “When we are engaged in the service of our fellowmen, not only do our deeds assist them, but we put our own problems in a fresher perspective. … There is less time to be concerned with ourselves" ("President Kimball Speaks Out on Service to Others," New Era, Mar. 1981). When we make others happy, we receive happiness and can experience bits of heaven.
Here at BYU–Hawaii, we can practice helping, sharing, protecting, and loving one another, just like we will do in our own future families. When we are unselfish, quick to forgive ourselves and others, and always ready to share our testimonies and the gospel with those around us, we can open up the doors to a bit of heaven.
4. Mix in Choosing the Right
Now in our recipe, we need to consistently mix in choosing the right. The Spirit of the Lord cannot stay when we participate in things that go against Heavenly Father’s plan. It’s okay to say “NO.” Sometimes, we will have to stand alone. I once heard in a Sunday School lesson that choosing the right is like a danger sign near a whirlpool that says “Stay out.” If you stay out, you are free to walk away and do what you want. If you jump in, the only choice you have is to fight for your life. Let’s do all that we can to walk in the light and choose the right so that we are free to experience a bit of heaven around us.
5. Throw out Temptation and Sin
As we are choosing the right we must throw out temptation and sin. We all must practice eliminating the evil that prevents the Spirit and a bit of Heaven from being present. We are going to make mistakes, but thanks to our Savior we can take care of our mistakes through repentance even if we need to go to our loving Priesthood leaders.
Besides helping ourselves, we also have an obligation to help those around us return to Heavenly Father. If we have the courage to not tolerate evil choices in our dorms, apartments, or other university settings, then we will be able to do the same with our own future families. We need to encourage those around us to choose the right because we love them and because we all need the Spirit of the Lord to reside in our homes wherever we are living. If there are people around you making wrong choices, talk with them, counsel with your bishop, or come to the Office of Honor. We are here to help. In the Office of Honor, we have seen so many students come into our office to rescue their friends from their self-destructing choices. Many times, gratitude and love from those very students who needed the help has been expressed to those true friends who cared enough to rescue them.
In President Henry B. Eyring’s April 2014 Conference address, he said, “God makes it attractive for us to choose the right by letting us feel the effects of our choices. If we choose the right, we will find happiness – in time. If we choose evil, there comes sorrow and regret – in time. Those effects are sure” ("A Priceless Heritage of Hope," General Conference, Apr. 2014). Hopefully we all desire to find happiness – in time – by making righteous choices.
We all are so blessed to be here together at our BYU–Hawaii to participate in the Lord’s plan and practice following His recipe so that we can experience some heaven on earth each day while attending school. This time we are spending together provides us with ample opportunities to grow and strive for perfection. Opportunities afforded us here in beautiful Hawaii helps us learn eternal gospel principles and allows us to develop and practice Christlike living habits that will provide us a solid foundation upon which to build our base for our future families.
Here in Laie, we have a total unique combination of the Lord’s plan. What a blessing and a privilege it is for all of us to be a part of our beautiful BYU–Hawaii ohana where we have the opportunity to practice loving and serving others daily as we will do in our own forever families. Our experiences here provide us with solid academic preparation for our chosen professions. At BYU–Hawaii, we receive invaluable leadership skill training for a lifetime of church and community service as we work with our wonderful faculty members, fellow students and church leaders.
And probably most importantly, our unique and special university allows each of us to shop around and find an eternal companion if we haven’t already been blessed to find him or her. For you brethren and sisters who have not yet found that special someone, let’s not let that “H” in BYU–H stand for “hanging out” any longer. Let’s date, so we can find our sweetheart and start creating our own bit of heaven. Then, the “H” will stand for “Heaven,” like in BYU-“a bit of Heaven.”
Located adjacent to our university home is the beautiful Laie Hawaii temple, our House of the Lord. The primary purpose of the temple is “to seal and unite families together forever and do the same work for those who have died.” We also know that the temple is the Lord’s spiritual university where we learn about the plan of happiness and salvation. President Gordon B. Hinckley told us that the temple “becomes a school of instruction in the sweet and sacred things of God” ("The Salt Lake Temple," Ensign, Mar. 1993). We are blessed by attending the temple as we receive ordinances and make sacred covenants. Eternal marriages and forever families are created in the temple by one who holds the holy priesthood of God and has been given the authority to perform such sacred ordinances.
Eternal marriage brings forth blessings in this life and in eternity. Our marriage can last forever, and our family relationships can continue throughout eternity. We can receive a special outpouring of the Spirit in our marriage and in our life if we remain worthy to attend the temple. Our Laie temple helps us create and experience a bit of heaven on earth.
The Polynesian Cultural Center gives us the opportunity to implement what we have learned from BYU–Hawaii and the temple and to put it into practice by providing us the opportunity to share a bit of heaven with others. The PCC is the vehicle for us to experience a real-life internship where we can practice what we have learned and know to be true. The Savior told everyone to “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).
At the PCC, whether employees or volunteers, we have the opportunity to implement the Savior’s admonition to let our light so shine as Christ’s disciples by displaying joy and happiness with smiles and friendly hellos and sharing our bit of heaven with people from all over the world.
If we all try our hardest to do our best at following the Savior while experiencing BYU–Hawaii, the Laie temple, and the Polynesian Cultural Center, we will be blessed with a protective “Spirit of Christ” bubble all around us. There is not another place in the world where we have the opportunity to “Proclaim the Gospel” while working at the Polynesian Cultural Center, “Perfect the Saints” while at BYU–Hawaii, and “Redeem the Dead” at our beautiful Laie temple, all within a ten-minute walk in Paradise.
A few weeks ago, a sweet senior sister missionary came into our office with tender tears of gratitude in her eyes and said, “God so loves this place. God so loves this place. If it messes up, it’s our fault. We get to dream at BYU–Hawaii and then go live the dream at the temple and PCC.” Each of us need to do all that we can to protect and preserve this spiritual bubble around us. We should not allow ourselves or those around us to do things that will take away our “bit of Heaven” that should always exist inside our precious “Spirit of Christ” bubble.
Let’s remember that each of us living in this special Spirit at BYU–Hawaii are at different places along our life’s path. Along our journey, life will present us with peaks and valleys and numerous challenges and even temptations. If we all try to have faith and stay positive, love one another, lose ourselves in the service of helping those around us, and dedicate our life to obedience and following in our Savior’s footsteps, we will create an environment that will allow us to experience a bit of heaven on earth together as one big BYU–Hawaii ohana, as well as with our own eternal families. We all need to do all that we can to protect this spiritual bubble around us so that we can feel safe and protected from the evils of the world and always have the Spirit with us and feel Heavenly Father’s love, just like it will be in heaven.
In closing, I want to end with the question I started with: What is heaven? King Benjamin, while addressing his people, helps us to understand the answer to this question when he taught, “And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual: and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness” (Mosiah 2:41).
It is my prayer that we all will strive to keep the commandments of God and hold out faithful to the end so that we can experience a bit of heaven while here on earth as we are preparing to be received into heaven to dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. I know God lives and our Savior lives. I know they love all of us infinitely and want us to return and live with them again in never-ending happiness, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.