Introduction
My brothers and Sisters, it is now my assignment to speak to you, and your assignment is to listen. My goal is to finish my assignment before you finish yours. I will do my best.” This of course is quoted from Elder M Russell Ballard’s great introduction in his talk in the last April General Conference… and it really applies to me today!!!
‘It starts with a mouse
Before coming to Hawaii 43 years ago, I was asked a tough question; a question that I have thought about for many years.
“What will be your major field of study?”
The person who asked the question really didn’t know me well. His name was Samiu, - my second to the oldest brother. I must admit that this brother was strict and bossy; he enjoyed being that way and we all feared him.
Being the youngest in the family, he and I were always on the opposite end of things. He didn’t seem to agree with me on anything. When he asked me the question, I cringed since I had a premonition of what his reaction would be.
I told him that I wanted to major in “art”. And as predicted, he countered and said, “You don’t have to go to America to study art. You can do that in our backyard.” I smiled without saying a word.
Brothers and sisters, I returned to Tonga, in 1983 from BYU Graduate School, not only for the dedication of the Tongan Temple, but to unveil this sculpture of the Tongan king. I wanted to confirm to my brother, Samiu, that the answer I gave him ten years earlier was based on a prompting I had while on my mission. It was my dream to be a sculptor.
You are seeing the end results of that dream; however, the process didn’t come easy. Creating this sculpture of the Tongan king while I was in graduate school at BYU had its setbacks. I used 2-inch pipes for the armature, and I heated them with a torch to bend the pipes. This was done before applying the 3000 pounds of clay. I spent months working on the statue, based on pictures that had been sent for the project. One morning I went into the sculpture studio and found the 11-foot statue collapsed onto the floor. Obviously, the heating of the pipes weakened the metal and the armature was not strong enough to support a sculpture that big.
My professor asked me what I was going to do, and I simply told him that I was going to start over again. Everyone thought that I was going to give up. Within two weeks the whole sculpture was up again.
Story of Mickey
There is another story of a young artist who repeatedly tried to start a business despite the rejection from his father. He made three attempts to start a company with his talent as a cartoonist, but each time his company ended up in bankruptcy. He couldn’t pay his employees and everyone abandoned the business. There was no one else left in the office to talk to, and he started to feel very discouraged.
While contemplating his plight, he pulled out a small pet from his pocket, - a mouse. He let it run across his desk and picked it up every now and then. Finally, an idea dawned on him. He decided that he would start a new company with the little mouse as his partner. He shared the idea with his wife of the mouse being the new character. His wife was thrilled and supportive. She suggested to her husband that they should name the mouse, ‘Mickey’.
This is a story of Walt Disney, who in the 1920’s, took his talent very seriously. He was ready to face trials, since he was prepared to fail and try again which was his motto. With the same commitment, he tried for the fourth time. This last time the company survived; and from this foundation became what is known as Disney with Mickey Mouse being his main character.
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)
Pres. Henry B. Eyring spoke of this subject in the past April General Conference. He emphasized in his talk that every brother and sister, is born enlightened by a portion of God’s light.
“But we were not sent here completely in the dark. Each of us was given a portion of God’s light, called ‘the ‘Light of Christ’, to help us distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong. Therefore, even those who live with little or no knowledge of the Father’s plan can still sense, in their hearts that certain actions are just and moral while others are not.”
What is it that inspires a person to do good?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary,
“Conscience is an aptitude, faculty, intuition or judgement that assists in distinguishing right from wrong. The inner sense of what is right or wrong in one’s conduct or motives, impelling one toward right action. The complex of ethical and moral principles that controls or inhibits the actions or thoughts of an individual.”
To follow the dictation of your conscience is one of the biggest challenges in life. Doing so can leave you feeling insecure and lonely, especially when people do not see your perspective. Some of the greatest musicians, scientists, mathematicians, philosophers and prophets secluded themselves and were very lonely.
I have a personal testimony that a portion of God’s light, the Light of Christ, is within everyone, including you and me. Knowing that we have within us this God-given gift, the conscience, is a confirmation that we are sons and daughters of God. Regardless of who you are, what you are - you are special in the eyes of God. The question is left here for you to answer:
How serious do you take that honor, that a portion of God’s light, the Light of Christ, which is within you? Do you believe and have faith that you have that intelligence, power and free agency to live your life the way you choose, as a son or daughter of God? What about the talent that is bestowed upon you? Do you take it seriously, or is it like the seed that the sower dropped on the side of the road?
That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day. (D&C 50:24)
It is important that we have confidence in venturing out to create great things. Sometimes we lose confidence of our capability, especially when we compare our weaknesses with our neighbor’s strength. That’s when we find ourselves stuck in the mud; simply because we are afraid to risk the unknown; to go beyond the reef, and out of our comfort zone. Knowing that we have a portion of God’s light innate within us, we should look up and strive to reach out beyond our limit. With faith in God and in our potential, we should seek to reach higher.
While teaching in Alaska, I had an Eskimo student who was completely blind. She came to class with the intention to learn how to do sculpture. I must admit that I doubted that this girl could do any sculpture work in my class. She looked like a living ghost when I first saw her. I witnessed that she had empty eye sockets where eyeballs should have been. She was born without sight. She was escorted to class by a trained dog as her guide. How could she handle the art activities in class, I wondered? To my amazement, she pulled out from her school bag, sculptures that she had created at home. There were sculptures of animals: a dog, a horse and a cat. They were individually executed with proportion and details beyond belief. I stood there dumbfounded, and asked myself this question. Am I the teacher, or was I there to be taught by this amazing student.
‘Who is handicapped here? I asked myself. Is it the student who is totally blind with no eyes, or the ones with beautiful eyes but cannot see?
"Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ."(Moroni 7:19)
While serving my mission in Ha’apai in 1972, my companion and I were requested by the Zone leaders to meet them on the island of Tungua. To fulfill this task, we were asked, to assist a sea captain Siola’a, in navigating his boat from Nomuka to Tungua, a distant of 50 miles.
The water that day was rough and the wind was strong. To make things worse, we were sailing against the wind. My companion and I took pride in preaching the Gospel as missionaries, but not in sailing a boat as sailors. We were often seasick while sailing especially when the water was choppy. What added to our dilemma as inexperienced sailors, was the natural language used by an impatient sea captain. Foul words from this man were sandwiched between every sentence. We were shocked at first, and confused not knowing what directions to follow as his orders were not always clear. We either reacted and did the right thing late, or promptly did the wrong thing. We could never win. We didn’t do anything right; and we could tell that from the amount of foul words that spewed out of the captain’s mouth and splattered in our direction.
As we approached the island of Tungua, we noticed that this small island was surrounded by reefs. It was low tide, and we had to look for the channel, - the only entrance into the lagoon. The water in the channel was shallow and the flow of the current was coming out strong. The danger of this feat, was the submerged rocks which were slightly below the water surface. The sea captain had to be at the bow of the sailboat to look out for these deadly rocks, and someone had to be at the back to handle the rudder. Unfortunately, there was no one else to help him but the two inexperienced Elders.
I was given the assignment, and some strict instructions to be followed precisely and instantly. The captain looked sternly at my face and said. “I will only say only two words from the front, ‘tauala’ and ‘lave’.
Tauala – to steer towards the wind, and ‘lave’ – to steer away from the wind. In ‘tauala’, you have to pull in the sail, and simultaneously steer the boat towards the wind. And if I call for ‘lave, you must slowly release the rope of the sail, and then steer the boat slowly away from the wind.”
I took pride in my mathematic skills, and thought to myself that this was a simple formula to follow. At one point the captain yelled out ‘tauala’. I obediently pulled in the sail and steered the boat towards the wind, as instructed. However, a few seconds later, he yelled out again, ‘tauala malohi’ a little bit more. This time my left arm was far stretched, and yet the captain yelled out, ‘tauala’ some more.
At that point, I wished I had three hands; for one hand was busy with the rudder, the other was far stretched holding the rope of the sail. I was desperate not knowing what to do. The only thought that came to my mind was to use my teeth to hold the rope temporarily while I freed my hand to pull in the sail a little bit more, as requested.
Luckily, we made it safely into the lagoon. The captain shook his head with a big sarcastic grin on his face. I was perplexed and thought for sure that I had done something wrong. However, to my surprise, I didn’t hear any foul words. It was a miracle! I made a mistake, and it was met with a smile. That’s when he said,
“I have never had any captain who maneuvered the sailboat the way you did. Holding the rope with your teeth was not wise. If there had been a sudden jolt of the sail you might have been knocked out, or at least you could have lost all your teeth.”
The captain later shared with me the greatest lesson I ever learned on my mission. He said, “Remember, if the boat is not moving, there is no use to reach for the rudder. Therefore, you must let go of it and use both hands to pull in the sail. And when the boat starts to move, then you slowly reach for the rudder.”
"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward." (D&C 58: 27-28)
As a teacher, I often wonder if students realize that commitment to work hard precedes everything else. It is a personal commitment to put your shoulder to the wheel and push along with all your might, mind and strength if you expect miracles. Just like the blind girl, you can perform miracles in your life, if you give it your all. It takes more effort to push a flat wheelbarrow than it does one with air in the wheels. Don’t let your wheels become flat.
It takes only a finger to hold a kite in flight or to steer a boat that is in full motion. Brothers and Sisters, we need to pray about our direction and then move forward without letting anyone stop you.
A prideful attitude can be destructive
When I was getting ready to attend high school over 50 years ago, my mom and I went out to our family farm to gather fragrant plants, roots, seeds, flowers and leaves to make Tongan oil. The sun that day was very hot and scavenging for these ingredients was hard. I was not enthusiastic about crawling on my knees through the shrubs and bushes looking for these plants. At one point, I started to murmur with every step, complaining about everything. I wasn’t sure whether it was a worthwhile to spend so much time in this laborious activity; considering other things we could be doing. My rationale was that a bottle of oil could be bought in the marketplace for 10 cents; and it would be a lot less hassle.
Getting fed up with my constant nagging, my mom threw the woven basket on the ground and stood quietly for a few minutes. Then she looked straight at me and slowly said,
“Son, someday, you will understand the things that I worry about. If you go to school without a shirt on your back, people will simply say that you are poor. But if your skin is scaly and dry, your hair is not freshly covered with oil, then people will say that you don’t have a mother. Son it’s OK to be poor, but it’s a shame for my children to be in public with dry skin and wild hair that is not well groomed when their mother is still alive.”
I learned a very important lesson from my mother that day. I learned to be respectful of those older than me. She taught me that others may have more experience and wisdom to share and I would be better off listening and not complaining. My skeptical attitude got me nowhere and only hurt my mothers’ feelings.
Hope In Education
In 1806, the British ship ‘Port au Prince’ was ambushed in Tonga, by a high chief named Finau. Upon seeing the guns on the ship, the chief figured he could utilize them to assist with the civil war that was going on in Tonga. He quickly captured the ship, murdered the captain and almost all the sailors except a few. One of those saved was a cabin boy named William Mariner, who Finau adopted as his son. Mariner at 16 became the first European to document accurate details of the civil wars in Tonga in the 1800’s.
Months later it was brought to Finau’s attention, that William Mariner was accused of writing a letter to any sea captains who might come to the islands seeking revenge for the ambush of the ‘Port-au-Prince’. Finau, of course, was perturbed by this story and demanded that this letter be delivered and read to him. After listening to the interpretation of the letter, his anger was calmed. He showed compassion for the young cabin boy and claimed that this was a letter from a longing young man who was homesick for his mother, and his homeland, England.
Because Tonga had no written language before then, Finau was amazed with everything he heard from the translation which came out of that piece of paper. He reached out and grabbed the paper, turning it back and forth, upside down while shaking his head slowly from side to side, and asked,
“Can you put me in the paper?” It was then Mariner turned it and wrote “F-I-N-A-U” on the back of the paper. Of course, the chief couldn’t decipher the writing and couldn’t comprehend the chicken scratch. Another English sailor was called forth by the chief and instructed to read it. The sailor read, “F-I-N-A-U.” Chief FINAU again grabbed the paper, looked fervently at it and asked, “Where are my legs?”
After the translation was explained to satisfy the curiosity of the chief, Finau thought that the reader must have known what the writer wrote, prior to reading it. It was then Finau whispered another name and had the reader loudly announce it before the rest of the group. Finau the fearsome among the warriors finally realized that the cabin boy was a mightier warrior since he had the ‘mana’ or (magic) of reading and writing. The chief was astonished when they told him that a person in faraway Britain could read and understand everything that was translated to him.
“Please” Finau pleaded with Mariner. “When you return to Polata’ane (Britain), send for me to learn the Mana.’ Education is critical. Learn all the magic you can while here at this university.
And when you have finished the translation of the prophets, you shall from thenceforth preside over the affairs of the church and the school;
And set in order the churches, and study and learn, and become acquainted with all good books, and with languages, tongues, and people. (D&C 90:13, 15)
How can we be more sensitive to other people and their cultures if we don’t understand them? It is great to be at institutions like BYU Hawaii and PCC, where we can mingle and learn about other cultures. The Church is not a local church as it was in New York, Missouri and Illinois. Before the Church spread to the West, it was in the Pacific already.
When Elders Brigham Smoot of Provo and Alva John Butler of Salt Lake first arrived in Tonga, in 1891 they had their moment of exile, as the saints on the pioneer tract heading west. Tonga at this time was heavily engaged in religious and political upheaval. King Tupou I, was the leader of the Free Church of Tonga, and Tungi, the Minister of Lands, was the leader of the Wesleyan Church. They were both heavily engaged in competing for more membership enrollment in their individual churches.
When the two young Mormon Elders arrived, Tonga was prejudiced against them, and a law was passed prohibiting Tongans from hosting foreigners in their homes. This penalty was $500.00. The government was not enthusiastic to give the LDS missionaries a permit to lease land; although Germans and English merchants were allowed to. The Elders thought this was totally unfair. Life was very tough in Tonga for these missionaries because of this law in addition to the language barrier.
The missionaries finally found an apartment of an English merchant, situated in the middle of Nuku’alofa. They took their luggage into a back room and immediately set up their living room for cottage meetings. Little did the Elders know that their apartment was situated only a block from the Parliament House. Governors, and ministers of the kingdom, and legislative members started to visit their cottage meetings out of curiosity. They came early in the morning before their legislative sessions, again during lunch and in the afternoon.
On August 7th, the new Prime Minister of Tonga, Tuku’aho, was one of the dignitaries who visited the Elders’ meetings. He was touched by the Elders message. Perhaps they were guided by the Light of Christ. The Premier was impressed by the power of their performance for these reasons:
- The two Elder’s preaching’s were dynamic and mature for their youthful appearance.
- They were well versed in scriptural passages from the Bible.
- Smoot mastered the language and taught the discussions in Tongan.
- Furthermore, Tuku’aho was shocked that the young Mormon youth knew the cultural protocol and honored the chiefs with a ‘kava’ presentation, as if they had a thorough understanding of the culture.
Five months later, Tuku’aho, could not contain the spirit of respect he had for the Elders. He decided to ignore the pressure from without, and to assist the Elders. He left the Premier’s office and escorted Elder Smoot, and pleaded with his father, Tungi, the leader of the Wesleyan Church, to give a portion of their land for the Elders to lease. He later assisted the Elders to organize the first LDS Church in Tonga in 1891, and the first school in 1892. Simply because his conscience urged him to do so. It was the same Spirit that prompted his wife to register their son, William Tungi, in the same school in 1894. This young boy of 7 became the consort of Queen Salote Tupou III in 1917.
Here we witness that the Elders moment of exile ended with a miracle. Today the present King of Tonga, Tupou VI, is named after his great grandfather Tuku’aho. And the King’s son, Prince Ata was baptized a member of the LDS church here in Hawaii in 2015. No one in Tonga, even the Royal Family, thought that was possible. But with perseverance and sensitivity from the light of Christ all things are possible. From the humble beginnings of these two American missionaries came great miracles and blessings, simply because of the Light of Christ. Tonga now has two LDS high schools, many primary schools, beautiful LDS chapels in every village in Tonga and a beautiful temple. 57% of the population in Tonga today is LDS which means that Tonga has the highest percentage of Latter-day Saints in the world per capita.
Conclusion
When you sit down at your desktop computer, the first thing you usually reach for is the mouse. The first thing that should come to you, before saying your prayer, is to listen to the prompting of your conscience. For what’s in your mind and in your heart the Lord knows before you voice them out. Your prayer then becomes a heart to heart conversion with God.
And as you leave your comfort zone to venture beyond the reef, be prepared to listen with an open heart to other opinions and perspectives with humility, since humility is constructive; pride is destructive. Continue to cultivate your heart daily with gifts of the Spirit. Then you will surely hear the Lord.
I share this in the Name of Him whose sacrifice made it all possible for you and I, sons and daughters of God to have equal shares of God’s light, the light of Christ.
In Jesus' Name, amen.