Aloha Brothers and Sisters, I am humbled by this opportunity that I have to speak to you today. I pray that the Spirit will help me to deliver the message that will touch your hearts in a way that would please our Heavenly Father.
I am so grateful for my lovely and eternal companion Kanani, and for my family. For those of you that know me, you already know that the most important thing in my life is my family and my desire to qualify myself to live with them eternally.
To qualify for the blessings of eternity we must all prove ourselves worthy. As a result, in this life, we pass through all kinds of trials, challenges, and tests. Sometimes these burdens are light, but other times they tax our very souls and require us to carry a heavy burden for years. These trials can be an assortment of difficult personal challenges that are physical, emotional, temporal, or spiritual in nature.
These storms in life basically come from three sources. First there are natural products of the conditions of the world that we live in; illness, disease, depression, and physical disabilities. There are natural elements such as hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, devastating storms, or other disasters. There are economic adversities, such as loss of job, not finding employment after graduation, the high cost of living, and large debt because of long term illness etc.
Secondly, we may be required to bear burdens and trials because of the result of the misconduct and actions of others through no fault of our own. Abuse, gossip, false accusations, repression, sin, and crime may tax our souls.
The third source of adversity and trials that we might suffer may be the consequences and results of our own actions, mistakes, shortcomings, and transgressions.
Alma testified to his son Helaman,
“And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.” Alma 36:3
I know that many of you have either already gone through some type of major adversity in your lives, or you know someone close to you that has or maybe is currently experiencing a trial of their faith. This is one thing that must take place in this earthly existence, we must face adversity.
Those of you who are students, during your academic studies here at BYU–Hawaii have and/or will experience trials in the form of exams, quizzes, reports, and term papers. Your professors use these tools to test and measure your understanding and knowledge of the information that they desire for you to grasp, of what they will present to you during the course of your studies.
Likewise, our Heavenly Father allows us to face trials and adversity in this life to measure our faith and our commitment to obey His commandments.
Many members in the church seem to have a misconception that by living righteously this will prevent them from having to face trials in their lives. But as we study the scriptures, church history, and look into the lives of the prophets we see that is not the case. It is required of all of us to test our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and our commitment to His commandments. Trials and difficulties are a necessary part of life and not a sign that the Lord has forgotten us or is displeased with us.
The brethren have taught us that no matter what our trials are in this life, whether we or someone we love are battling an addiction - to tobacco, drugs, gambling, pornography or other transgressions; whether we have trouble in our marriage or other family relationships; problems with self-esteem, depression, disease or death; or whether they come from the burden of financial debt; whatever other step you may need to take to resolve these concerns, we must come first to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The brothers Nephi and Lehi remembered the words that their father Helaman spoke unto them.
“And now my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” Helaman 5:12
Brothers and Sisters, in my life I have learned that trials, regardless how small or how difficult and burdensome they seem to us, are key factors in the development of our character, in the development of who we are, and who we can become. We cannot avoid them because they are an essential part of this life’s experience. We should not dread them. We must understand their purpose and their place in our lives. We must not only endure them, but we must endure them well. I will be sharing with you three of the trials that I and my family have experienced, how they have impacted our lives, and how we have grown from these experiences.
Trial of Financial Crisis
When faced with difficult adversity and trials many ask, "why me Lord?" I know that I did during one of my trials earlier in my life. I remember crying to the Lord pleading with Him when I faced this trial. This was the first time that I and my family had faced a major financial crisis in my life.
I had a small successful business with ten employees. I was a roofing and waterproofing contractor here in Hawaii. A trade that I had learn from my father since I was ten years old. Every weekend, holiday, and summer in my teenage years I would work for my father’s roofing company. This was a hard profession and I am thankful to my father that he taught me the blessings and the principles of hard work.
By the time my father had planned to retire, his company had grown to be one of the largest roofing companies here in Hawaii at the time. He had always hoped that I would take over the family business. He asked me to leave my small successful business and come over to his company to manage it and become part owner of it. I discussed this move with my wife and we saw this as a wonderful opportunity of growth and to continue his legacy. So I left my small business and took over as general manager of my father’s company. As often happens in the construction industry, his roofing company was strapped financially when I joined them. My father had exhausted his and the company’s resources to borrow money and the company owed a lot taxes.
After discussing the situation with my wife we decided to take out a large mortgage on our home that I had built, and loan the money to my father’s company. We had confidence in my ability to turn things around financially for the company since I would now be the one managing it. Unfortunately, it was a bigger task than we had anticipated. We were forced to shut down the company, in doing so I had lost the money that we had loan to the company, and I knew that it was inevitable that we would lose our home, displacing my young family.
After shedding a lot tears while praying, I remember experiencing a beautiful peaceful feeling that came over me as our Heavenly Father let me know in a very personal way that all would be well, and that this trial was for my growth and development. It was a long and hard trial but I and my family were able to endure it well.
I testify that the Savior’s Atonement not only lifts us from the burden of our sins and but also it lifts us from the burden of our disappointments and sorrows, our heartaches and our despair.
President Ezra Taft Benson said, “Every [person] eventually is backed up to the wall of faith, and there… must make his stand.”
Physical Trial of Health
Another trial in my life occurred with I was the age of most of you students. It was August 1976. I too was a student here at BYU–Hawaii. I had returned from faithfully serving a mission in Mexico-Veracruz. I was in love, and was about to ask my future father-in-law permission for my wife’s hand in marriage. Kanani and I had spent the day together selecting a humble wedding ring. I remember it as a small white gold ring with a little diamond dust on it. Being a poor student, this was all I could afford.
It was Monday and we had planned to let each of our families know during each of the FHE’s that evening. I had dropped Kanani off at her house in Kahaluu, and then rushed home to Punaluu to get ready. I will not at this time share the details of what happened next, but let you know that I was in a large gasoline explosion, and as a result forty percent of my body was covered in burns, the majority of which were third degree burns.
I was given a priesthood blessing by my Elder’s Quorum President that just happened to be at my house at the time, he then rushed me to the hospital in his truck. Later at the hospital I received another priesthood blessing from my father. I have never experienced a greater pain in my entire life than with this experience. My burns were so bad that the doctors told me that I would be transferred to a burns center on the mainland where I would undergo skin grafts, and that this process would take many months to complete and to heal.
Through the countless prayers that were made on my behalf by my family, friends, and ward members, and through the power of the priesthood, I was the recipient of a miracle. They did not have to fly me to a burns center on the mainland, in fact I did not receive any skin grafts. Where my flesh had been chard and my skin burnt away, new skin formed and grew by itself.
As I recognized that I was witnessing a miracle, and that I was starting to heal without any scars, I thanked the Lord and promised Him that I would always honor my Temple covenants and would always make sure that I was properly clothed in my garments. I then asked for the Lord to leave me a small scar that would always remind me of this miracle. He left a small scar on my leg as I had asked. Now every time I get dressed this small scar reminds me of these sacred covenants that I have made and the miracle that took place with this experience.
This trial taught me and those who prayed on my behalf, about the power of Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the power of prayer, the power of His Priesthood, and that miracles still take place in these days. It also showed me how much my future wife loved me, and that she would stand by me through adversity and trials. In just ten days I was released from the hospital instead of after months in a burns center. After three weeks of convalescing in my home, I returned to BYU–Hawaii to resume my studies and to play for the Seasider basketball team.
“Life is a test. Trials may come even if we are seeking to put the Lord first in our lives. One of the reasons we are here on earth is to strengthen our faith. Difficult, dark days are a necessary part of life and give us an opportunity to build our faith and learn to rely on a power far greater than our own.” – Larry W. Gibbons
Trial of Disaster
The last trial that I will share with you, I vividly remember what I and my family had to bear. On March 23, 2011 at 5:30 AM, I and my family awoke to find that our house was fully engulfed in flames. After getting everyone safely out of the house, I remember standing outside with my family as we watched our home with all of our earthly possessions burn to the ground. I was so very thankful that I had beside me what was really important to me; my eternal companion and my family.
Later that morning as we took refuge under our neighbor’s mango tree, we held a family council. My married children had joined us by then, we had family prayer, thanking the Lord for our protection, and then we asked for His Spirit and guidance, and then we discussed what we needed to do. Assignments were made and we began to face our new trial. This time we were more seasoned. This time we did not ask “why me Lord?” We already knew from facing other trials in our lives that the Lord was ready to bless us if we endured this trial well, if we walked by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
My stake president, President Shumway and his counselors came by to give me a priesthood blessing of comfort. A blessing that gave to me clarity of what I needed to do to take care of and provide for my family in this time of trial in our lives.
At the time I was serving in the BYU–Hawaii Married Student Stake Presidency. Our neighbors, ward members, friends, and members from the student stakes rushed to our side to assist us. The fire left us with nothing but the clothes on our backs.
One ward member and friends put us into their business rental. It was not easy to find a place that could house the nine members of my family that were displaced by the fire. Another ward member called to get the garment sizes of all of the endowed members of my family, she then went and purchased the temple garments and brought them to us. Another ward member came by and dropped off pillows, sheets and blankets.
That evening as we went to the member’s rental house that had been provided for us, we found that another friend had stocked the refrigerator and freezer with food.
In the days and weeks that followed friends brought many large plastic bags full of clothes in all sizes.
My family and I were overwhelmed by all the love that we had received. We knew that the Lord was blessing us and showing His love. We were being comforted by heavenly angels, as well as many earthly angels. During this long trial we did not ask “Lord why me?”, instead we asked “Lord, what is it that you want us to do?” We also asked “what is the next step in our journey?”, for it was a journey and a trial in and of itself to be able to rebuild our home in the same location where we had lived for the past 40 years. But that is another story for another time and place.
During this trial we learned that all earthly possessions have no eternal purpose. We cannot take them with us when we leave this earthly existence. It was reinforced to us that the only thing that really matters in this mortal life is what we do to qualify as individuals and families to return to the presence of Our Heavenly Father and to live with Him. Everything else that we do is just to help us accomplish these goals.
This trial was not only to make us stronger and refine us, but I know that it was to allow others to gain blessings from the giving of service to my family. I know that we were blessed by their service, but I also know that they were blessed, or will receive blessings in time, because of the service they gave to us.
I am thankful for these trials in my life. For the blessings that they bring to us. For what they teach us. For the tender mercies that we received during these experiences. The few things that did survive the fire increased our testimonies through small miracles in our lives. I know that I am a better person because of them. I have learned to follow the promptings of the Lord. I have learned to walk by faith. I have learned that the Lord loves me and my family, even though we were asked to endure these adversities and trials.
My wife and I have learned to ask the Lord what we are to learn from the trials. Through the Holy Ghost we received revelation on what we were to do to overcome the obstacles that were in our path. We had it reaffirmed to us that faith is a principle of action. We learned that normally the Lord did not answer our prayers and give us the solutions to our problems while we were on our knees, but rather once we began to act.
Time and time again we were lead through the mine fields of our trials by listening to and acting upon the promptings of the Spirit. We exercised our right to revelation. Granted, answers did not come to us immediately because Our Heavenly Father wanted us to learn from our experiences. He wanted us to grow and develop our abilities. From time to time when we were walking by faith, He would have to give us course corrections. He never let us stray too far in the wrong direction without warning us. The real key is that we had to act with faith, it was not good enough to just believe, hope and pray for him to solve all of our problems
Brothers and Sisters please remember that the Atonement of our elder brother Jesus Christ does not just pay for our sins. Yes, it provides us the opportunity of forgiveness if we repent and seek to be forgiven our sins. As wonderful and special as this great gift is, the Atonement does so much more. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can overcome the most difficult trials and adversities of life; we can receive strength to overcome all of our pains and ills; spiritual, physical, temporal, and emotional.
Elder Neil L. Anderson, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, stated
“Like the intense fire that transforms iron into steel, as we remain faithful during the fiery trial of our faith, we are spiritually refined and strengthened.”
Trials refine us. Trials purify us. Trials polish us and help us to reach our divine potential. They help us to develop that noble character that President Tanner taught us about last week. President, I too have a formula that I want to present to our University Ohana of students, faculty and staff.
Trials + Faith in Christ = Noble Character
When we are faced with difficult trials and we demonstrate our faith in Jesus Christ by keeping the commandments and the covenants that we have made, then we develop that noble character. Then we start to recognize our divine nature.
Concluding Remarks
In times of trials and adversity we naturally want to be secure. We long to know that everything will be okay, that we will be safe. This is normal, but we know that the only true safety and security comes through the obedience and observance of God’s commandments. So as adversity, challenges, and burdens enter into our lives, it is not enough to just merely endure these trials as we experience them, but we must endure them well! We must continue to show our faith in the Lord, not doubting Him.
As we exercise our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ during these difficult times, the Lord will use these experiences to refine and polish our souls.
As we exercise our faith in Christ we can take comfort in knowing that He has not left us alone. He has provided us with the Gift of the Holy Ghost - a member of the Godhead, which warns us with promptings when we start to lose our way or make wrong choices. If we tune into the Spirit he will be able to give us the course corrections when we need them. He has provided us with the iron rod - the scriptures, the counsel of modern day and living apostles and prophets, and our other priesthood leaders. As we hold firmly to this rod we will be able to withstand this life’s raging storms, our difficult and exhausting trials.
Remember that the adversity, the challenges, the burdens, the trials of our faith are only tests that our Loving Heavenly Father allows us to experience so that we can grow and develop - so that we can strengthen our faith in Him, and in our elder brother Jesus Christ, through prayer, through the power of the priesthood, and through the Atonement.
Remember Brothers and Sisters that in the eternal perspective, all the adversity and all the afflictions that are ours bear, no matter how difficult or how long it may be is only for “but a small moment, and then, if (we) endure it well, God shall exalt (us) on high.” We must do everything we can to bear our burdens well for however long our “small moment” may be. If we do so, we will develop the noble character that is needed to qualify us to return as divine sons and daughters to live with our Heaven Father. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.