The following is excerpted from the Church News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
In 1921, Church President David O. McKay met with members of the Church in an old chapel in Laie, Hawaii. Hawaiians, Japanese, Chinese, Filipinos and others all worshiped together as one.
“What an example in this little place of the purposes of our Father in Heaven to unite all peoples by the gospel of Jesus Christ,” President McKay said.
Today, at the Church’s university in Laie, “we continue to resemble that diverse group President McKay encountered more than a century ago,” BYU–Hawaii President John S.K. Kauwe III commented during the opening campus devotional for spring semester.
President Kauwe noted that for spring 2023, BYU–Hawaii has 2,495 students representing 60 countries and territories, with 67% of the student body coming from areas in Oceania and the Asian Rim.
“I could continue to describe you by additional identifiers. I could highlight the mathematicians, or the historians, the vocalists, or the political scientists,” he said.
Instead, President Kauwe reminded students of who President Russell M. Nelson said they are: children of God, children of the covenant and disciples of Jesus Christ (“Choices for Eternity,” Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults).
Speaking to students and faculty gathered in the Cannon Activities Center on Tuesday, May 2, President Kauwe noted that being a part of BYU–Hawaii involves making and keeping covenants, or as President Nelson taught, being children of the covenant.
“Perhaps some of you might not know exactly what that means. Today I want to share with you what it means to be a child of the covenant.”
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
