March 21, 2023

Happy March Everyone,

It’s starting to warm up here in Laie. We’ve gone from the low seventies to the high seventies. I’m looking forward to spring and even more flowers. My apologies to those of you still experiencing snow.

We feel blessed in so many ways. Today I’m feeling especially blessed to associate with the students of BYUH. I think of some of them as teenagers testing out their new-found independence and muddling their way to adulthood.  They make a few wrong choices, but hopefully they will figure out what their purpose is in being here. Then I realize that many, many of students have challenges that I can’t even imagine, especially the international students. I was told that generally young adults from the states are still supported in most ways by their parents. But some students from other countries, as soon as they become adults, they become responsible for their parents and families.  This helps me to understand why so many of the students we see are overwhelmingly affected by things that happen to their families back home. And occasionally we have students come into to our office whose spirits, countenances and futures are so bright we need shades! 

The highlight of this past week has been the Culture Nights. Students from 31 clubs performed and danced on two evenings. Most of the clubs represent the different countries of the students of BYU H. What touched me was fact that students joined each other’s clubs to learn more about other cultures. The students in each club choreographed their dances and they worked really hard. Their presentations were amazing. 

I want to share a moving experience we had. It was my turn to give the devotional last week in our little morning meetings. I focused on the Come Follow Me lesson of Jesus’s healing of the man with palsy. I used this painting by Yongsung Kim and read the scripture from Mark 2:5. "When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, son, thy sins be forgiven thee" The faith of the man’s friends contributed to the man’s healing in the same way our faith could help our students. 

Yongsung Kim, Jesus Healing the Crippled

I had downloaded this image to my desktop. A few days later we met with a student who was in a very hard place. I kept thinking of the painting so I opened up the painting and read the scripture. Then we looked closely at the painting. Notice that there are the friends on the roof and friends in the room helping. Look at their faces. I pointed out each person and said ‘This is your bishop, this is us, the missionaries, these are your ministering brothers, your family and your roommate. We are all are helping you and praying that you can be healed and overcome your burdens. We are all working together to help you. Christ can give you a miracle.”

Elder Soderborg and I pray for you, our friends and family. Stay warm and God bless.