Pacific Ponderings

I learned a new Hawaiian word at our annual employee appreciation dinner: ho’omaika’i, which means “congratulations.” Ho’omaika’i is the name of our annual gathering where we recognize and celebrate our employees.

Dear Ohana: In early December, I was invited to give an impromptu Christmas message to the Intercultural Peacebuilding Association. I spoke about building peace on earth through good will toward men, referring to the angels’ message in Luke, a stanza from “O Holy Night,” and Paul’s Epistle to Philemon to develop the theme. I have written down these thoughts as a brief Christmas “Pondering” for the whole campus community. Merry Christmas!

As I write this it is Thanksgiving morning. I just put the turkey in the oven. The rolls are molded, the house cleaned, the table set. Family and friends will arrive in a few hours.

On a recent morning run, I saw an empty plastic water bottle floating in the Kahawainui stream. It was a small blemish on an otherwise beautiful landscape. Nonetheless, it pained me to see this bottle...

When President McKay saw children from many nations gathered around that flagpole in Laie, he envisioned a world where people live together “united in brotherhood.” The gospel teaches us that we are brothers and sisters because God is our Father.

Acts 16 is an important chapter in the story of the worldwide mission of the early Church. It tells of Paul’s vision of a man from Macedonia calling him to leave Asia Minor and take the gospel for the first time to Europe.

In 1520, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan sailed into an unfamiliar ocean, which he named “Pacific,” meaning “peaceful,” owing to the calmness of the sea. The Pacific Ocean, however, has often been anything but peaceful.

On Sunday Susan and I spoke in a fireside to the new students. We likened Book of Mormon scriptures about shipbuilding and sea voyages to them.

Today is my first day as president of BYU–Hawaii and my 65th birthday. I feel grateful today for those who have gone before me...