September 19, 2022

Dear Family and Friends,

We have had a couple of people lately who have asked us “What do you do all day.” The short easy answer is we sit all day in a nice airconditioned office except for a couple of hours a week when we teach an Introduction to University Life class.

The more complicated answer is that we have been assigned 25 students who are struggling (failing) and are likely to get sent home if their grades don’t improve. So, we are supposed to meet with them once a week to encourage them to succeed so they don’t have to go home.

BYUH has some unique rules for students. When a student is accepted at the university, they are accepted for four years, assuming they keep their GPA above a 2.0. A student needs 120 hours of credit to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. There are three semesters per year when a student must take a minimum of 12 hours of classes in Fall and Winter and 9 hours in Spring. That means that even if a student takes the minimum number of credits, they can earn 132 credits in the four years they are allotted at the school. Of course, if they fail a class, they get no credit for the class.

If a student does not earn enough credits for a bachelor’s degree, they can earn an AAS. In BYUH lingo that means an Associate of Arts and Sciences. That is not a degree that will transfer anywhere else, but it is of value for some employers who want someone with some kind of degree.

There are all sorts of exceptions and appeals that a student can pursue if they are falling short of their bachelor’s goal, but they are too confusing to pursue here. Suffice it to say that if they run out of time before they earn a degree, they go home. There are no professional students at BYUH.

Paula is good at this. She was an academic advisor for twenty years (at least) and has taught the same class that we are teaching now at other schools. It’s all new to Mark.

We are finding that the students are great – not just the ones we work with but others who introduce themselves to us just because we are missionaries. They have unique stories and circumstances and are delightful to get to know and visit with. We have met students from Malaysia, Indonesia, Tonga, New Guinea, Australia, Kiribati, India, Samoa, French Polynesia, Tahiti, China, Japan, Korea, Colorado, and Utah County among other places.

When we are not sitting in our airconditioned office, we explore the island – such exotic landmarks as Costco and Target – and visit the beaches at places called The Point, Temple Beach, Hukilau Beach, Turtle Beach, and others. There is a giant swap meet at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu that is very popular to tourists and locals.

And, of course, there is the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie. There you can visit “the villages” that teach you about the various Polynesian cultures represented in Hawaii. There is a light, sound, music, fire, and dance presentation called the Night Show or Ha, Breath of Life. You can also attend a luau or island buffet. I heard someone say that all these are sold out for the summer, but we have been able to get tickets for the villages and night show, so far. We’ve loved seeing our students in this setting.

Looking back at all this, it seems we have done quite a bit, but there is so much more to see. We will keep you posted.

We miss you and pray that you are well and happy.

Elder and Sister Soderborg