Brothers and sisters, TALOFA LAVA!
Thank you to my family who are here with me today—grateful that my mom can be here, my sisters, my uncles and aunties, nieces and nephews, cousins and especially my dear children and grandchildren. Thank you Leise for the introduction. When she inquired as to how I was to be introduced I simply told her to pretend she was giving a eulogy and go from there. It’s always great to see how you’ve lived your life in the eyes of your children…while you’re still alive! My kids know that the only thing I want from them is to live the gospel to the fullest, because that’s the only way we can be together as an eternal family!
First, I’d like to thank the President’s Council for this special invitation. After 20 years of being at BYU-Hawaii and avoiding the invitation, I finally said “yes” to speaking at a devotional. Actually when I was called, after listening to the long speech on the other side of the phone, I simply answered, “No thanks”. Poor Lisa was caught off guard, so I said, “Why, hasn’t anyone said no before?” She calmly responded, “Well, no, not really Sister Reid.” I laughed and figured I’d better accept the invitation this time.
I often reflect on the day my sister Maryann and I first came to Hawaii. I was 6 years old and she was 5. I couldn’t imagine why my parents would allow their children to leave them at that age but that event impacted me for the rest of my life. I remember in those days the Pan American flight came once a month to Samoa, and it was a big island event. I can still smell the captivating fragrance of the moso’oi leis and the strumming of the guitars as busloads of people would gather at the airport to see who was coming and who was leaving that day. I remember my mom and dad whispering to us as we huddled for the final goodbye: “You are going to get a better education, then you will come back”. So my sister and I came with my grandfather, Miki Ah You. Uncle Junior often said my grandmother spoiled us more than her own children. Now that I’m a grandmother myself, I know exactly how that feels.
I remember when we first went to Laie Elementary School. My sister and I were placed in the same kindergarten class. I was so embarrassed to be in the same class as my younger sister. It was a thing then to change your name when you come to America. You know, Enele became Henry, Tomasi became Tom. So my aunt’s husband, Komisi, took us to school that first morning and without telling me, he changed my name to “Lorrance”. Because they called me “Louena” at home or ‘ENA for short, he thought the best way to fa’apalagi my name was to call me “Lorrance”. Mind you, the only real English words I knew then was yes and no. Throughout the day when my teacher asked me something I would simply answer “Yes” or “No”.
At the end of that first day, the teacher asked my Aunty Leise, who came over from her class to pick us up, “Is something wrong with your niece? Every time I called her name she would just answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. It was only then that I learned of my new name. So I struggled through that whole first year with my insecurities of being in a new environment. When we got to first grade, I had a kind, patient teacher, Sister Ruby Enos, who kept me in during recess and worked with me while the other kids were out playing. She taught me to read and write and speak English. When I finally was moved up a grade that year, I felt my first sense of accomplishment!
Have you ever been so afraid and discouraged as you faced a challenge that seemed far beyond your ability? Have you ever wanted to give up? I did at that time.
There are many scriptures full of accounts of men and women who showed great courage to do whatever the Lord commanded them to do, even when the tasks seemed impossible and even when they may have wanted to give up.
I wondered how young Joseph, son of Jacob, felt as his own brothers sold him into Egypt. Can you imagine being thrown into the courts of Pharaoh? But something happened because he was favored of the Lord and because he did not have a quitting attitude. Instead, his master found favor with him and made him ruler of everything he had, indeed his household.
"And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field." 1
Of course his Master’s wife falsely accused Joseph and caused him to be imprisoned. Did he quit then? No, because the Lord was with Joseph and he was of God, all prisoners were put under him. Through the miracle of interpretation of dreams, Joseph was released was set over all the land of Egypt, and blessed his family because of it. The power of “hanging in there” and never giving up!
• And this same Joseph’s father, Jacob, had to work 7 years for Rachel only to find out it was Leah that he had to marry first then worked another 7 years for Rachel. Talk about commitment and love.
• And who can forget Job? Imagine if he had quit after the first plague that was put upon him. And the suffering he had to bear!
• What about Abraham and his only son Isaac? How could the Lord ask of them to make such a sacrifice?
• Imagine Lehi and Sariah to leave all their riches behind and to flee from their home and friends in Jerusalem to live in the wilderness? In a tent?
• Or faithful, obedient Nephi in returning back to pick up the golden plates from Laban?
• Imagine when the Lord selected Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. “I am not eloquent, and am slow of speech and of a slow tongue.“ 2 The Lord gave him Joshua to be his spokesperson. Is anything too hard for the Lord?
• Now imagine how Joshua must have felt when he was asked to take over after Moses, knowing that he was the one to lead the children of Israel to the promise land. I’m sure he wanted to give up. The Lord comforted him and reminded him to be strong and courageous. God assured the children of Israel that through faith, they committed, “All that thou commandest… we will do”. 3
Heber J. Grant was left fatherless from infancy and he worked closely with his mother growing up. He wanted to play baseball but was often made fun of in his attempt to throw and to bat. He promised to himself that one day he would play baseball, so he practiced hard every day until his hands hurt at night. He fulfilled his dream and played baseball and retired from the sport. Additionally his penmanship was so poor that a close friend of his kidded him that his writing was as if lightning struck an inkbottle. That hurt his pride a little, so he kept practicing and perfecting his penmanship until his penmanship became so good, so beautiful that people often paid him to write their cards. These experiences in persistence, without doubt, helped and prepared him to lead the church through a trying period of war and financial problems.
As we read about the lives of men and women in scripture, it is easy to see how people can triumph over adversity. But in everyday living, it is often difficult to see beyond our own frustrations, to stay focused, and to see the light at the end of the trials.
After I received my Masters in Educational Counseling working in the Seattle area where my husband and I resided, I was convinced by my uncle Junior to move back to Laie. I finally was able to get back to my counseling field at Kahuku High School and was well aware of the climb upwards towards administrative level. During the summer break we decided to go back to Samoa to visit my parents who unfortunately were divorced at the time, and I felt the need to visit and be with my mom. My husband, a 6’2” good looking Samoan boy born in Daly City, San Francisco area, did not want to return to Samoa. Ernie’s father passed away at 42 when Ernie was only 14 but since his widowed mom was still there, he agreed to go. I, on the other hand, actually wanted to move home and help my mom with the family business and living situation due to the divorce. Ernie, aware of my desire to move back, made the mistake of challenging me that if I was able to find a job that would pay for our airfares back home and that provided housing for our family, we would return. And I had ONE week to do all of that. Don’t you just hate it when someone challenges you to something they think you wouldn’t be able to do? I hustled to begin my search for a job. Imagine my husband’s surprise when I told him that I got a job as a rehabilitation counselor for the Department of Public Safety. They were looking for a second person to hire to assist with their rehabilitation efforts, and they had just hired a graduate from BYU-Hawaii and needed one more. After they offered me the job, I had to convince them to pay our airfares back, relocate my family and provide housing. Aren’t you from here? Don’t you have family to live with? I went through an investigative period over that but I was so determined to complete all the requirements my husband laid out for me. Besides, if they were to hire someone from outside to do the job, they’d have to pay their airfare, put them up in housing, etc. I got a one year contract, and after that I promised my husband that we would return to Hawaii.
Of course Ernie lost the bet. We came back and packed up our little family and moved to Samoa with airfares paid and a place to live. A year later, Star-Kist advertised for an Assistant Personnel Manager as a crucial response to their anti-union efforts. Brothers and sisters, we ended up living in Samoa for 10 more years after that and absolutely loved it! They were growing times for us as I witness the Lords hand in Ernie’s spiritual progression in the church. How he struggled with the culture and language and when he was called as a bishop. I can guarantee you that being a bishop in Samoa is not the same as being a bishop anywhere else in the world as the Saints rallied and helped him with all the proper cultural protocols.
It was not easy for us to come back here, but we did as we both felt the strong promptings of the spirit to do so. The Reid’s are business owners in Samoa and didn’t really feel the need to get a degree. I came first to get settled. I tried my best to make our TVA apartment look appealing. We lived in TVA N160 just so you know. There’s nothing wrong with TVA in itself. Remember, when you go to college, fall in love, get married, and then move to TVA while you’re still a student, that’s different! Imagine you’ve done the college thing, you’ve worked a good job, you built a brand new house 4 bedroom 3 bath with a living room and a family room plus a basketball court, then you convince your family (especially your children) to leave it and squeeze in to a 1 1/2 bedroom at TVA. I remember my kids dropping their luggage in the living room and crying, “Why did you bring us here?” That was a trying time for us too; yet the Lord is wiser than us, and had we not come at that time, Ernie would not have completed his college degree, we would have never discovered his illness, and he would have never been called as a bishop again in the Laie 7th Ward, a calling he absolutely loved. All this, because of the power of belief and faith and willingness to keep going when the going looked tough, to keep our eyes focused, and to never, ever quit!
Someone has said, “Life is tough, then you die!” What a statement!
I knew then that you can do anything you want. If the desire is there, if you can see what the end result would be, you will NOT quit because quitting IS NOT an option! It’s motivation to move forward.
Remember what the Lord said:
“If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea... and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after they, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good”. 4
Elder Richard G. Scott said it wisely when he talked at the October 1991 general conference:
Trust [the Lord], even when in eternal perspective it temporarily hurts very much. Have patience when you are asked to wait when you want immediate action. . . . The path you are to walk through life may be very different from others. You may not always know why He does what He does, but you can know that He is perfectly just and perfectly merciful. 5
My own sister suffered the biggest loss of all as she tried to make sense of the tragedy that happened to her son, Daniel Jackson Mapu. Just a year after the tragic accident, she remembered the incident as follows. I know the Lord does not give trials that we cannot bear and this experience has become the symbol of my sister and her family’s faith. They never complained in taking care of Daniel until his death, January 2014.
Not only are the scriptures a source of perseverance but secular history also teaches us this principle. On one occasion, Winston Churchill, well known for his leadership in Great Britain during World War II, decided to return to a school where he had studied as a boy. Prior to his arrival, the headmaster told the students, “The greatest British of our time is going to come to this school, and I want every one of you to be here prepared with your notebooks. I want you to write down what he says, because his speech will be something for you to remember all your lives.” On the day of his arrival, Churchill came in and was introduced. As usual, his glasses were down on the end of his nose. As he stood and delivered the following words from a speech he once gave in Parliament, he said, “Never, never, never give up.” Then he sat down. And that was it. That was the speech he gave. It was unmatched. 6 Can you imagine every boy who heard that speech that day and each of us. Never, never, never give up!
About 4 years ago, I made the decision to pursue my doctorate degree. It was something I always wanted to do, but the timing was never right. I remember my husband encouraging me to go for it, but I just couldn’t see myself thinking about it, not while he was going through his medical treatments. I knew that once I made that commitment I would have to go all the way until it was done. Shortly after he passed away I felt that urge again to do it, so I started on my journey. It was the hardest thing I have ever tried to do. Of course, from a single income household I was still working a full time job, worked a second job as a Samoan language instructor, had an on-call job at the PCC’s Breath of Life show at the same time serving as stake Relief Society President. All the missed birthdays, the family events, hospitalizations, funerals.
I stayed behind after work, and studied, and wrote, and studied again some nights rushing over to the PCC night show with my books and in between sections I’d be reading and studying and coming back after the show to the office to study some more. Oh many times I wanted to just quit! But I remember writing my graduation date in my mind and when I was tired I thought of that graduation date and got up and just kept going.
I am so thankful for my good friends who cheered for me and encouraged me. For the support of my family especially my dear mother who kept saying, “If your dad was here…” or “you’re doing it for Ernie” or “Ena, you’ve got to do it for your students.” A friend would often remind me at Foodland or at Ace’s or even at the parking lot whenever he saw me, “Hey, don’t you give up. The one who persists is the one who wins.” I knew I had to finish! When I finally submitted my final dissertation, I just sat down one evening and thanked the Lord for helping through it all. What it proved to me was that if I can do it, anybody can do it. Ann, I did it for us.
Pres. James E. Faust uttered this profound statement:
Perseverance is demonstrated by those who keep going when the going gets tough, who don’t give up even when others say, “It can’t be done.” 7
I was first moved to Academic Advising around the same time Ernie passed away, in fall 2010. I had no idea what the job expectations were, but I remember thinking I was going to treat it like it was the most important job at BYU-Hawaii. One thing I know for sure is that I love our students. I want the best for them. I want them to succeed and not quit! In my own way, I let them know that: real tough love kind of way. When I look at my computer screen and see the colorful “D’s” and “F’s” on the screen, I would talk to the students and say, “Listen, you are not here on vacation, but you are here to study. I’ll bet your mother and your father are praying for your success. Don’t waste their time and the church’s resources by throwing it all away.” The Academic Advisors are here to help you. Make them your best friend. They and many others here on campus want you to succeed. This sometimes “thankless” job has taught me more about BYU-Hawaii. I had a wonderful opportunity to work with our alumni around the world, and now I and other academic advisors are helping to prepare our students to be the genuine gold prophesied to be. This role has changed my thinking and my heart for the better.
Elder Neil L. Andersen, a member of the Twelve Apostles said,
“Obstacles, delays and mistakes will challenge you through life’s journey. Do not dismiss nor diminish the specific role and responsibility that has been given you. You can shape who you become. You can be more than you are today, but you will always be you.”
A young boy was practicing to be a pitcher. He would throw the ball high in the air, and with all the strength he could muster, he swung the bat and missed. “C’mon batter, let’s go!” With that, he threw the ball high in the air, swung the bat and missed again. “C’mon batter, batter, you can do it!” Once again, he threw the ball high, turned to swing and missed again. This time he said, “Man, I’m a great pitcher!” Always find something positive to think about. It’s easy to find the negative. Focus, aim, and never look back.
I am so thankful for my Savior. So grateful that he did not quit at the Garden of Gethsemane. He, even the Son of God, prayed to His Father: “Please if it be thy will, remove this cup from me, but nevertheless, thy will be done.” He had a mission and He was not going to quit until his mission was accomplished.
I pray that we will maintain the spirit to move forward, to graduate my dear students to get married-if-you’re- still-single-and-find-the-right-person, to build the kingdom together, complete our mission here on earth, and to remember that quitting is not an option… for any of us! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen!
[1]Genesis 39:5
[2]Moses 4:10
[3]Joshua 1:16
[4]D&C 122:5–7
[5]“Obtaining Help from the Lord,” Ensign, November 1991, p. 86
[6]see “These Are Great Days,” in War Speeches, ed. Charles Eada, Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1942, pp. 286–88
[7]President James E. Faust