Brothers and Sisters, Aloha!
It is such an honor and blessing to be here with all of you. I grew up on the other side of the island, in Aiea, and have fond, sleepy memories of early-morning sessions to do baptisms for the dead here at the Laie Temple. It was always a highlight after temple service was complete to then make our way over to the old Club Dining facility where we were treated to the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. Gorging on unlimited waffles, strawberries, and whipped cream was a real treat as a 12-year-old! Most importantly, it was during these trips that I first gained a testimony of temple work and an appreciation for this sacred place that you all call home.
Today I feel impressed to speak to you about the importance and beauty of sacrifice. This is one of the most sacred covenants we make, and a principle that holds special meaning for me. My hope is that I can help reframe and deepen our understanding of sacrifice. I wish to start with heartfelt appreciation for the many sacrifices that you are already making—some of you haven’t had the funds to return home for years while you obtain your education, you serve faithfully in your wards and in the temple, and diligently work to build the kingdom of God. I am inspired and moved by your examples.
I also want to acknowledge with reverence the greatest sacrifice of all, the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. He gave His life freely so that we may all live again. He is the ultimate example of sacrifice—perfectly embodying the three facets of sacrifice that I will cover today:
- First, sacrifice is a privilege. The deeper our love and gratitude towards our Heavenly Father, the more we come to view sacrifice as a privilege and less as a burden.
- Second, as we sacrifice all things to Him, including our will, He will reciprocate many times over and bless us richly.
- Third, when we sacrifice all that we are to God, He will transform who we are.
Sacrifice is a Privilege
Let us begin with the idea that sacrifice is a privilege—reflecting the gratitude we have for our Father in Heaven.
In modern times, we often view sacrifice negatively, as something we must give up in exchange for future blessings from Heavenly Father. It’s seen as a quid pro quo, give-and-get relationship, a burden we bear for heavenly rewards. But there’s a deeper, more profound way to view sacrifice—as a privilege.
Consider the story of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team from World War II. After the horrific attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Japanese Americans faced intense prejudice, including internment. They were beaten, forced out of their homes, and persecuted in these camps. Despite this, over 12,000 Japanese Americans, many from Hawaii, enlisted in the 442nd and fought bravely in Europe. They adopted the motto, “Go for broke,” a pidgin English phrase from here in the islands, reflecting their willingness to sacrifice everything, even their lives, for their country.
One of their most heroic actions was the rescue of the “Lost Battalion” in France. A group of soldiers from a Texas National Guard unit had become trapped by German forces. After several failed rescue attempts, the 442nd was called in. Despite fierce resistance, freezing temperatures, and heavy fog, these soldiers fought bravely. After three grueling days of fighting, the men of the 442nd unit spontaneously made a “Go for Broke” charge. They crashed through enemy lines and rescued over 200 members of the "Lost Battalion," but at a steep price: over 800 of the 442nd gave their lives in return. For every soldier they saved, the Japanese Americans sacrificed four of their own.
Living up to their motto to “Go for Broke” in every way, the 442nd became the most decorated unit of its size in all U.S. military history. They were awarded 4,000 Purple Hearts, 4,000 Bronze Star Medals, seven Presidential Unit Citations, and 21 of its members were awarded the Medal of Honor. Their actions exemplified extraordinary courage and sacrifice.
What drove these men to sacrifice so greatly? Mike Masaoka from the 442nd, gave us these stirring words from the Japanese American Creed:
“I am proud that I am an American citizen of Japanese ancestry, for my very background makes me appreciate more fully the wonderful advantages of this Nation. She has given me an education befitting kings. She has permitted me to build a home, to earn a livelihood, to worship, think, speak, and act as I please—as a free man equal to every other man. ...
“Because I have received innumerable benefits from [America], I pledge myself to do honor to her at all times and in all places; to defend her against all enemies, foreign or domestic, in the hope that I may become a better American in a greater America.” [1]
I love these words from the 442nd! These soldiers served and died for their country out of gratitude for its blessings, and their story is a part of my heritage. You can see my great-uncle Mayan on the left in this picture. I grew up hearing stories about the bravery he and his fellow soldiers displayed.
In sharing this story I want to be clear—I don’t condone war and as Saints today we won’t necessarily face the same physical dangers when defending our faith.
But my point is this: I know in our safe, modern, convenient world it is so easy to disassociate from the importance and magnitude of the work that we are engaged in. In the midst of Instagram posts, beach runs and bonfires, class assignments and finals, it is easy to forget the significance of our covenants and our promised blessings, and the gravity of the battles that we are waging with the adversary. But just as Mike Masaoka, Uncle Mayan, and the 442nd saw their service as a privilege, when we reflect on all we have been blessed with by a loving Heavenly Father, can we not feel the same sense of privilege and urgency as we serve Him?
Sacrificing Our Will
This brings us to my second point: the path of sacrifice leads to the consecration of all things to God, including, and most importantly, our will. In turn, He will bless us richly.
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation.” [2] I have often pondered this statement: what does it mean to sacrifice all things?
When we examine what we actually have to give Him, we will come to find, as Elder Neal A. Maxwell so eloquently put, “God has given us our lives, our agency, our talents, and our opportunities; He has given us our possessions.” [3] The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar... When you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!” [4]
And as we submit our will to the Lord, He will reciprocate many times over. To demonstrate this principle, I would like to share a story of one of my ancestors.
Okuma Abo, my great-grandmother, was a remarkable woman. Born in 1887 on Mana, Kauai, in a humble plantation camp, she had 15 children and raised them largely on her own after her second husband returned to Japan.
With a scrappy spirit, she supported her large family by running Abo Laundry, which serviced soldiers stationed on Oahu. The Abo family worked long hours washing, drying, ironing, sorting, and packaging army uniforms. You can see the original Abo Laundry shown here in this picture.
In 1939, Okuma met missionaries for the first time. Initially, she turned them away, saying her family was devout Buddhists. But the missionaries continued visiting the Abo family, and soon, the entire family was baptized. Once she joined the Church, Okuma was all in on the gospel.
The Abos became stalwart members of their small branch in Wahiawa, which covered half the island at that time, stretching from west of Pearl City up through the North Shore. Elder Grant Burns, a missionary who served in their branch, shared a story of Okuma’s sacrifice and the blessings that followed:
“The Abos were mainstays of the branch and wonderful supporters of the missionaries ever since they were baptized. After Elder Nielsen and I had been in Wahiawa for only a short time, Sister Abo gave each of us an envelope. Each envelope had a crisp $20.00 bill inside. We were flabbergasted: $20.00 in those days was half of our expenses for one month. Elder Nielsen exclaimed: ‘I can’t accept this. She can’t afford it. She has to work too hard to make this kind of money!’ The next time Elder Burns saw her he gave her a blessing, saying that she and her family would soon be relieved of the many hours of work they had been experiencing in the laundry, and her income would increase to bless her family.” What a special blessing—can you imagine how excited her teenage kids must have been to hear this?!
“A month later, a haole woman knocked on her door. She told Sister Abo that she was working too hard and she had come to help her. She said Sister Abo should buy a commercial washing machine so that she could get more work. Sister Abo told her she didn’t have enough money to do that, and the woman produced a check for $1,000.00. The woman told her to pay it back when she could, no strings attached. Sister Abo purchased the machine and with the additional work was soon able to repay the loan. However, to her surprise the woman refused payment and told her to buy a commercial dryer, steamer, and flat presser instead. She got this equipment and the army gave her a much larger contract and her income increased. Her benefactor accepted the repayment but would not accept any interest, saying she only wanted to help.”
To this day, our family doesn’t know who this woman was, and we can only assume that she was sent by the Lord to bless Okuma and her children for their faith and sacrifice.
One of Okuma’s sons and my grandfather, Tomosue, shared another story of his mother’s commitment to the gospel: “At the time we were receiving the discussions, we worked on Sundays. When the missionaries gave us the lesson on the Sabbath, my mom said, if that’s what the Lord wants, then we will shut down on Sunday. We never worked on Sunday from then on. Because of that, we got our work done faster in six days than we did in seven. Don’t ask me to explain that because I can’t!” Despite the pressure Okuma felt as a single mother running a business, she didn’t hesitate to sacrifice an extra day of income to obey the Lord.
From the time she committed to baptism, Okuma lived the gospel in “Go for Broke” fashion. She was willing to give everything she had to the Lord, whether it was money, time, or her will. Every time she did so, she found that the Lord blessed her further. She and her family continued to be stalwart members of the tiny Wahiawa branch, helping to plant some of the seeds that would grow into the wards and stakes that we have today. Her posterity has served faithfully in various capacities over the years—and have been abundantly blessed in return.
Now, the greatest example of the consecration of one’s will is, of course, the Savior Himself, who, when met with the bitter cup of Gethsemane and Golgotha, “which suffering caused [Him], even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit,” [5] said “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” [6]
My brothers and sisters, I do not know what future paths the Lord has in store for you once your time here at this university is done. I do know, however, and can testify, that He has grand, personal plans for each and every one of you. Just as he did with Okuma and Abo Laundry, with the Abo family and the Wahiawa branch, He has a vision of careers and family and growth and contribution that He is waiting and hoping for you to fulfill. As you submit your will to Him and sacrifice all things for His cause, He will guide you on this journey. I know that your homes, the communities and branches and wards that you come from, those communities that have sacrificed on your behalf so that you could be here, will benefit tremendously from the talents that you provide as you return home, and you will find immeasurable joy in that work.
Sacrifice Transforms Who We Are
And this brings us to my final point: when we sacrifice all that we are to God, God will transform who we are.
If we return to Joseph Smith’s instructions, we are taught that the “sacrifice of all things” is what leads to eternal life. Why is that so? He gave us a clue with this additional instruction, “I am like a huge, rough stone … and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else ... Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty.” [7] I submit to you that by offering all that we are to the Lord, we allow His divine influence to polish and shape us into who He needs us to become.
I would like to share a story about my grandfather’s transformation to illustrate this principle.
Though Okuma was fully converted from the time she was baptized, it took more time for her son, Tomosue (Tomo for short). He said of his own baptism in his pidgin English, “I was baptized on July 26, 1942. Baptized but not converted. But rather get baptized then get a good beating from mom’s broom. I would always do what mom wanted us to do, right or wrong, rather than get a beating from her! Glad she did not get the lesson on free agency, because I certainly didn’t get free agency when I joined the Church!”
Tomosue was an extreme introvert. He shared how in his sophomore class in high school they had to do a book report presentation in front of the class. Tomo chose to take an F instead of doing the presentation. He said, “I could not talk like that in front of 25 people.”
Despite his introverted nature, about 18 months after joining the Church, Tomosue found himself unwittingly set apart as a missionary. Once again his mother had used her agency to volunteer him! He recalled, “I do not believe I had any indication of the call. All of a sudden I was on a boat, headed to Hilo to serve. I guess that’s what you call being shanghaied!” Of course this story is shared with some humor—a mission is a personal choice and not something to be undertaken for someone else, but Tomo was eventually grateful to have such a fierce tiger mom in the early days of his spiritual journey!
Tomo shared how difficult, yet pivotal his mission was: “My mission experience was anything but joyful in the first months. I know I cried a lot. Whether it was fear or homesickness, I don’t know, but I know I wasn’t happy.” He persevered and little by little, he began to be converted. He continued, “I imagine that praying all day, all night helped me because at first prayers were mechanical, had no meaning, just a lot of words, but repeating it day after day, it turned from mechanical to really talking to the Lord.”
From that point on, Tomo went “Go for Broke” on the gospel. He later recalled: “As I review my life, this first mission was really the turning point. It is when the greatest change occurred. I can truly say that a miracle occurred while I was out serving. The growth and joy I’ve experienced through my membership in the Church has been phenomenal. Every challenge that came to me made me appreciate the Church and my Father in Heaven that much more.”
Tomosue eventually served another mission (this time voluntarily!), became a stake president here on Oahu, and a mission president and temple president in Japan, and went on to bless many lives. How remarkable is it that the Lord was able to take an introverted, uneducated boy with broken English and transform him into such a leader? As our Prophet, Russell M. Nelson, recently reaffirmed, “men and women who turn their lives over to God will [find out] that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can.” [8] This is exactly what the Lord did with Tomo.
I testify that as you sacrifice all that you are—as you give your will to the Lord, this promise is yours as well. He will work miracles in your life, transform who you are, and help you to magnify the impact you have in the world.
Conclusion
In Genesis, we are taught that Jacob wrestled all night “until the breaking of the day.” He said emphatically to the Lord’s messenger, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” It was only at this point, once Jacob had shown his unwavering resolve to give everything he had to receive the blessings of eternity, that the messenger responded, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” [9] With this new name, Jacob was transformed to receive all the promised blessings of the house of Israel. My brothers and sisters, I see this as a metaphor for our own relationship with the Lord. Just like the 442nd soldiers, Okuma, and Tomo, we must “Go for Broke” as we wrestle with our covenants, sacrifice all that we have, and follow our Savior’s example.
Just as He experienced in Gethsemane, there will be situations ahead where we will be asked to make tough choices, difficult sacrifices. You may have already experienced or are currently experiencing such times now. I hope in these moments that not only will we choose to make these sacrifices, but that we will come to view these opportunities as a privilege. I pray that we will have the courage and humility to sacrifice all that we have to Him, including our will, to bless the Lord’s children and build His kingdom. I testify that as we do so, the Lord will shape our lives and bless us as He blessed Job, with abundance, many times over. And we will exclaim together, “[These are things] too wonderful for me, [Lord].” [10]
This is my hope and prayer, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes:
[1] Densho Encyclopedia. (2024). Japanese American Creed. https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Japanese_American_Creed/#cite_note-ftnt_ref1-1
[2] Ezra Taft Benson, "This Is a Day of Sacrifice," Ensign or Liahona, April 1979, 32
[3] Neal A. Maxwell, "Consecrate Thy Performance", Ensign or Liahona, April 2002
[4] Neal A. Maxwell, "Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father," Ensign or Liahona, October 1995, 24
[5] Doctrine & Covenants 19:18
[6] Luke 22:42
[7] Neal A. Maxwell, "Consecrate Thy Performance", Ensign or Liahona, April 2002, 37
[8] Russell M. Nelson, "Overcome the World and Find Rest," Ensign or Liahona, 97
[9] Genesis 32:24-30
[10] Job 42:3