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2020 2005
You are leaders with character and integrity. You have developed the spiritual capacity to connect grief to gratitude, thus expanding your perspective of this life. Combined with your secular learning, this makes you uniquely capable of using the guidance of the Holy Ghost to see opportunities to build your future to the benefit of your families, communities, and the kingdom of God.
As you turn this new page in your life, go forward with faith. I know that not only can you survive the challenges and trials you face but you can thrive. I know this because I have a small sense for the power of God and know of the sureness of His promises. Those promises are yours by covenant, and no one can take them away. They are lost only if we turn from our covenants and fail to repent.
Aloha Sisters and Brothers:
Brothers and Sisters, Aloha. It is a privilege for my wife, Jazzeth, and me to be with you. I like to think we all have our own unique story to tell and should be able to share when called upon. I prayed for inspiration in order to discover my inner message and hope that what I found will be of interest and benefit to you. My wife was also diligent in preparing the introduction of us and our family. It is a blessing to be reminded of how much I love her and what we mean to each other.
Aloha brothers and sisters! We are so happy to be here in Laie and are grateful to have this chance to speak to you.
Good morning sisters and brothers. Aloha!
Aloha! I am grateful to speak with you. I am impressed with the global vision of BYU–Hawaii. You come from countries around the world and many of you have served missions outside of your homeland. When I joined the Church History Department a decade ago, my specialty was in the religious history of the United States. In terms of Church history, I had studied mostly what had occurred in the United States during the Church’s early days.
Thank you, Melanie, for your wonderful and timely message. Isn’t she wonderful? I am so blessed and grateful to have her by my side.
Good morning Brothers and Sisters. Aloha.
Welcome to a fall semester that is unlike any other in the history of this University! I am certain it will be challenging, but I have confidence that we will be successful and learn and grow in novel ways.
May we learn and practice compassion and courage. These virtues will help us become more like Christ0—which is, as John Milton says, the ultimate purpose of education. The “end” of learning is, Milton writes, is “to know God aright, and out of that knowledge to love him, to imitate him, to become like him” ( Of Education). May your education help you to become like Christ in courage and compassion.
My dear friends, the Lord has blessed you to obtain a wonderful education so that your contribution may be great. May you now press on in faith, moving forward the Lord’s work wherever you live throughout your lives. The Lord has prepared you, here at BYU–Hawaii, to contribute to this great work.
This University is and will continue to be a place where people from across the world gather to be one in Christ and educate and uplift each other. Diversity of culture, experience, and thought is one of our greatest strengths. So too is our striving for unity as children of God bathed in the light of the restored gospel. Diversity and unity work together here at BYU–Hawaii in remarkable ways.
Every aspect of my secular and spiritual education has brought me joy. I want each of you to know how excited I am to be part of that same joyful experience for you at BYU–Hawaii. I will do everything I can to be a meaningful part of the effort to support our students.
Now, after all these years of trying to steer by the stars, I come to my journey’s end a president and professor. This is my last port of call as an educator. “Home is the sailor, home from the sea.” I leave confident that BYU–Hawaii will sail on, ably guided by a new helmsman who takes the helm at a difficult time when the University is sailing in uncharted waters.
We have been touched and changed by you, the angels of BYU–Hawaii and Laie. Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for the aloha you have showered upon us, and for the loving strength of our current prophets and leaders who serve us on our Board of Education, and to our Father in Heaven for allowing us this opportunity.
The Officers and Board of Trustees of BYU–Hawaii have extended their heartfelt vote of thanks and conveyed a much deserved letter of release to John and Susan Tanner for their remarkable years of service at the university... And true to the deliverance God always provides for his people, heaven has cast a divine shaft of light on John S.K. Kauwue, III, better known as Keoni...and to extend to him the call to be the next president of Brigham Young University–Hawaii.
And “except ye have charity ye can in nowise be saved in the kingdom of God. . .” because Christ’s pure, atoning love, not only changes us in this life, but it also transcends death. It endures forever.
Amid the gloomy darkness of a troubled world, the light of Jesus Christ shines ever brighter.
I testify that if we turn our lives over to the Lord, he will bless us with happiness and the ability to change our lives for the better.
I testify to you that our Father in Heaven and his Son know us. They know who we are, where we are, and what we are going through. They love us and I promise we are not alone.
I am convinced that because of the Savior Jesus Christ we can ALL be redeemed. And once we have been redeemed, God will use us to help others be redeemed too.
True conversion occurs as you continue to act upon the doctrines you know are true and keep the commandments, every day.
Today I want to focus on how we can "act well our part" in building Zion.
I have five principles from the experiences in my life that have helped me recognize where my joy is and has been found.
As we make our way through life’s challenges, guidance from prophets becomes precious to us.
I chose to revisit a theme that has permeated my writings for over two decades—my personal expectations for the not-too-distant future of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I would like to encourage you to have good standards for yourselves and your lives and to live according to them. ...Be patient and walk the path to perfection.
Everything seems to point to the temple and how we must learn to return to our Heavenly Father.
One of Athelia Tanner’s notable sayings was not “have a good day,” but “make it a great day.”